Fresh Springtime Money Saving Activities for Family Fun

Springtime is finally in full-throttle! How can you make the most of exciting and memorable experiences with your family without draining your wallet? While camping, baseball games, frolicking on the beach, and barbeque cookouts are what come to mind for spring and summertime activities, what other opportunities can you enjoy?

Get Outdoors

After a long and cold winter, what better way to spend time with your family then to get outdoors and bask in the sun. Walk to your neighborhood park. Find the best local nature preserves to walk, hike, swim, and explore. Visit botanical gardens. Camp in your own backyard on a clear spring night. Checkout if there’s geocache excursions available in your area for a fun, nature-filled scavenger hunt.

Explore Local and New Cultures

Culture and new experiences are all around you. Help your family embrace culture by visiting museums and walking around local festivals. Both museums and festivals often offer school vacation discounts or admission based on a small donation. Explore the farmers’ market, and try out local delicacies. Rather than adventuring to a new (and perhaps pricey) ethnic restaurant, pick out a dish to create in your own kitchen.

Explore Your Backyard

Your own backyard can hold a treasure trove of activities for you and your family. Think big and finish plans for a brand new tree house or play set. Try creative, smaller projects and build a birdfeeder, wind chime, or compost bin. Paint your mailbox a brand new color or have your kids paint garden stones for your garden bed. Teach your kids about sustainability by having them help plant vegetables for your garden.

Good Ol’ Spring Cleaning

While some people love cleaning, others will want to save this project for a rainy day. After freshening up your backyard, take the productivity inside and tackle spring cleaning. Clean out closets, and get rid of excess junk. See what you can renovate and reuse, and what you can recycle or donate. Put your family to work and let your house breath lighter. Not only is this project free, you can actually make some money if you sell what you don’t want in a garage sale!

Do Some Good

Volunteering is an excellent way to spend time together as a family. Organize a neighborhood or park cleanup and get the neighbors involved, or pick a cause you support as a family and find ways you can help locally. Adopt a pet from a shelter or encourage your kids to become mentors to other kids in your community.

Teach Your Kids

Just because school is out doesn’t mean that your kids can’t keep learning. Teach them how to swim, swing a bat, or ride a bike. Take a step in the silly direction and learn with them how to juggle, how to make a mud pie, how to plant a fairy garden, or how to speak a gibberish language.

Let Your Kids Teach You

Connect with your family and find your inner child by enjoying carefree, nostalgic activities. Cloud watch, bird watch, play in the rain, run through the sprinklers, fly a kite, create sidewalk chalk art, chase bubbles, puddle jump, make pinwheels, braid flower crowns, pick wildflowers, tie dye something- tie dye everything! The opportunities are endless. Don’t miss a chance to be with your kids and let them remind you how fun it is to be a kid again.

Stretches for Before and After Sports Practice

Exercise at any age is beneficial to your health- both mental and physical. It is equally important to encourage stretching before and after sports practice and games to keep kids' muscles limber and avoid or reduce soreness. Here are a few simple stretches for kids to do before and after taking part in sports activities:

Spine Stretches

• Put your hands in the air and reach as high as you can.
• Hold your arms above your head and lean to your left side and hold for ten seconds, repeat on the right side.
• Keep your legs straight and spread them shoulder width apart. Lean over and reach down to your left foot for ten seconds. Repeat on your right side.

 

Upper Body Stretches

• Cross your left arm across your chest and hold for ten seconds. Repeat with your right arm.
• Lift your left arm behind your head and touch your right shoulder. To deepen the stretch, hold your elbow and pull lightly with your right arm. Repeat on the other side.
• Put your arms behind your back and interlace your fingers. Bending forward at the waist, lift your arms up until you feel the stretch. Release after ten seconds.
  

  

  
  
  

Lower Body Stretches

• Stand on your right foot and bend your left leg and hold your ankle with your left hand. (Be careful, this stretch requires balance). After holding for ten seconds, repeat on the other side.
• Sit down and put the bottoms of your feet together in front of you. Pull your feet in closer for a deeper stretch. Hold for ten seconds.
• While sitting, put your feet straight in front of you, lean over and try to touch your feet. Spread your legs apart and reach for the left leg and hold for ten seconds, repeat this on the right leg.

 

 

 

 

While stretching, it is very important to hold the stretch in place without bouncing. If you are in pain or outside of your comfort level, release your stretch and move on. At School-A-Thon, we believe it is important for students to lead an active lifestyle and learn the importance of staying healthy. For more benefits of staying active or family fitness ideas, refer to some of our other blogs.

If your child has an injury, or is training for a specific sport, consult a physical therapist or athletic trainer to determine the safest and most effective stretching exercises.

5 Fort Ideas Your Kids Will Love

Building a homemade fort in the house is an indoor activity stapled in nearly everyone’s childhood. From your living room to a shady tree in your yard, you can’t go wrong with a fun fort for your kids. Here are some great options to get you started:

Table-Fort

Turn your kitchen table into an incredible fort with old tablecloths and fabric. Cut out a few windows, a door, and you have a fun place for the children to read, snuggle, nap and play.

Cardboard House

Do you have cardboard boxes in the basement saved for future need? Have you or someone you know recently purchased a new refrigerator, stove or washing machine and have a leftover giant box? If so, you have an easy making for an awesome cardboard house. Just add some windows, a door and draw on the rest.

Living Room Fort

Using your couch and recliner as support, throw blankets over them and make a cool indoor fort. If you are really getting into it, you can even bring in the TV and have a fun movie night equipped with popcorn.

Tree-Fort

If you have a tree in your yard, it can be the making of a great fort. Hang some sheets or streamers on the branches and watch them flow in the wind. Put a table and chairs inside and play a board game, color or make a craft in your fort for a fun little change on scenery.

Snow-Fort

If you are in an area that is full of snow in the winter, building a snow fort or igloo is always a fun winter activity. The best part about snow fort is your children can keep adding on to them all winter without the mess and clean-up of indoor forts.  

 

No matter what kind of fort you build with your kids, it is sure to be a good time. The possibilities are endless and the fun will be unstoppable. Stay tuned to our social media platforms for other fun activities to do with your kids.

Winter Fun: Keep your Kids Active this Winter

It is no secret that winter is cold. Many people even choose to avoid the winter wonderland outside their doorstep as much as possible. Although cuddling by the fire while drinking hot-cocoa is a joyful winter activity, there are also many outdoor activities to do that will get your blood pumping and keep you warm! This winter, we suggest that you embrace the chilled snow and plan some fun family outings that include actually being OUTside.

Here is a short list of our favorite activities to do in the winter:

1. Building a Snowman

Creating your own Jack Frost or Olaf in the front of your yard is something your kids will be proud of. When you are finished, snuggle up to the classic Jack Frost movie, or the new hit Frozen and relax after a project well done.

 

 

2. Sledding

Grab your toboggan or snow tube, find the biggest hill in the neighborhood and fly to the bottom of the hill. You and your kids will be having so much fun, you won’t even notice the calories you are burning when you climb back up to the top.

3. Snowball Fight

Is your child a softball, baseball or football star in the making? A snowball fight is a sure way to help them work on their aim and hit their favorite target: you.

4. Snow-Tubing

If there is a ski resort in the area, bring your kids out tubing for the day. It is a fun time for the whole family- and you will have a tow rope to drag you back up the hill.

5. Skiing or Snowboarding

Teaching your kids how to ski or snowboard at a young age is a great way to teach them balance, coordination and patience. They might not get the hang of it right away, but as they improve, it will make them proud of their persistence and accomplishments.

6. Making a Snow Fort

You’ve made plenty of forts in the living room involving couches, blankets, lamps and the TV,  but have you made a snow fort yet? Once you are finished, climb on in. You may not think it, but it is actually warmer huddling under that mound of snow.

7. Shoveling

Although this may not seem very fun, by adding an incentive to this winter chore, your kids will be fighting over who gets to shovel the sidewalk or driveway after each snowfall! The best part? You won’t have to do it!

These are just a few of our ideas at School-A-Thon, and there are definitely many more! Get out there this winter and have some fun in the snow. Remember to dress warm with a hat, mittens, snowpants and jacket when you partake in one of these fun activities. Stay tuned to our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more fun winter ideas! Do you have any more fun ideas to stay active in the winter? We would love to hear them in the comments below!

Introducing Feed on Fitness

When we formed our Color-A-Thon fundraisers,our goal was a simple one; we wanted to help schools raise money while promoting student health and fitness.

So, in honor of this smashing success, we decided to introduce “Feed On Fitness.”

Feed On Fitness is a brand new Twitter account which functions as a source of exercise and nutrition tips for students. Proper diet and activity isn’t a once in a while thing; it should happen every day! So, to keep you moving in the right direction, we tweet everything from at-home exercises and healthy recipes to motivational quotes and lively activities to do with your kids!
 

Push yourself to see results you will be proud of! #Fitness #Health #WorkOut #Motivation pic.twitter.com/kbGtXma8fO
— Feed On Fitness (@FeedOnFitness) November 14, 2014

Feed On Fitness is a great, convenient way to find ideas to improve your child’s health. If you want to see what we have to offer just visit: https://twitter.com/FeedOnFitness Also, remember to tweet at us using @FeedOnFitness or use the hashtag #FeedOnFitness

Let us know what you think of our Twitter feed by commenting below!

Get off the Couch and Have Some FUN: 10 fun ways to keep your family fit and healthy

Remember the days when being inside meant doing chores? Was it hard for your mother to get you to come inside the house for dinner?

Times have changed.

With all of the entertainment geared at kids through your computer, cell phone, television, or other electronic devices, a huge portion of a typical kid’s day is spent indoors.

We here at School-A-Thon believe healthy, happy kids need quality time outside. So, here are ten exercise activities to do with your kids to keep them active - and having fun while doing it.

1. Take a Stroll to the Park

Spending the afternoon at a park is a great way to get out of the house and burn some calories. Push your kids on the swing set, follow them down the slide or play a game of tag; not only will your kids have active fun, but we’re thinking you’ll be laughing and out of breath along with them.  

2. Have a Water Balloon Fight

Having a good old fashioned water balloon fight is a fun way to cool off and make lifelong memories.

3. Go to the Beach

Pack a picnic and spend a day at the beach with the family. Swimming is a fun way to absentmindedly work lots of muscle groups and have a blast! Don’t forget to bring floaties, snorkels, and a beach ball for water games as well as buckets and shovels to make a mansion of a sand castle.

4. Hit the rides at an Amusement Park

Going to an amusement park can tire a person of any age, but will also be a ton of FUN! Take a day trip and splurge with your family - but don’t forget to bring the sunscreen!

5. Take a hike at the State Park

Enjoy a little nature in the good ‘ol outdoors with a family hike to the nearest state park or any good, local hiking trail.  

6. Play Yard Games

Whether it be jumping on the trampoline, playing hide and seek, building an obstacle course, playing fetch with the dog, jumping in the leaves or playing catch, spending a few hours outside in your own backyard can be great for your health and fun for the whole family!

7. Have a competition

See who can stand on one leg the longest, race them across the yard, have a hula-hoop competition, see who can do the best summersault, cartwheel or dance move; the possibilities are endless!

8. Go to the County Fair

There are so many fun things to see at the fair,  you’ll spend more of the time on your feet. From watching the horse show, touring the animal barns, going on the rides and attending a grand stand event, the calories you burn from walking around are countless. (Just remember not to eat too much deliciously fried fair food.)

9. Go for a Walk

Go for a stroll around the neighborhood. Leash up the dog, push the stroller or just enjoy a peaceful walk in some familiar surroundings.

10. And last, but certainly not least: Visit your Relatives!!!

Whether it be your parents (your kid’s grandparents) your sisters or brothers, aunts and uncles, etc… Visiting relatives is good for your whole family. Watch your kids run around the yard, play a game of charades, tag, a ball game or just visit with family. There are a ton of options here, and the memories you make will be cherished for years to come.

There are many fun activities to do with the whole family that can help to be more fit, active, happy, less stressed and healthier! The list of the benefits could go on and on.

The partners at School-A-Thon want every family to be healthy and happy - so much, in fact, that they decided to create Color-A-Thon.

Color-A-Thon is an educational fundraiser in a league of it’s own. It’s an innovative, profitable, and fun event that schools all over the country are using to put a splash of color into their thon and experience phenomenal profit while providing a unique, community based event for all ages. If you are interested in learning more about Color-A-Thon, liked all of our fun, active family ideas, or have some more ideas of your own, please feel free to comment below and let us know your thoughts! We would love to hear from you.

The Benefits of Staying Fit and Active

There’s an epidemic blazing a trail through the US, and it’s not slowing down.

That epidemic? Childhood obesity.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, obesity - defined as 40 or more pounds overweight - has more than doubled in children, and quadrupled in adolescents. The specific breakdown is especially alarming; 18% of all US children ages 6-11 were determined to be obese in 2012, and 21% of youth between 12-19 in the same year.

So why does it matter? Well, as we are all fully aware, obesity - at any age - opens the door to a host of devastating health problems, including but not limited to heart disease, diabetes, chronic illness and musculoskeletal conditions.

Now, while the tendency to become overweight does appear more frequently in certain families, a healthy, active lifestyle and a proper diet is simply the best pair of combatants against the dangers of obesity.

Here at School-A-Thon, we encourage kids of all fitness and weight levels to get busy exercising...and there are a lot of awesome dividends beyond healthy weight! Here are a few:

1) Kids who set healthy exercise habits are far more likely to continue them into adulthood.

2) Kids who exercise build strong bones, muscles and joints, which fortify against injuries.

3) Exercise sharpens the mind, builds concentration and promotes increased awareness.

4) Kids who exercise are far less likely to suffer from insomnia.

5) Exercise - especially when it comes to sports and teams - is directly linked to a strong self-image and positive peer relationships.

6) Studies show active kids are far les likely to suffer from depression, anxiety or attention disorders.

 

 

Frankly, that’s a short list. The reasons to get your kids committed to physical fitness are endless...and we’re here to help! Our School-A-Thon Color-A-Thon 3k runs are tried, tested and smash hits with students everywhere. Not into running? Color-A-Thon’s are good for any fitness level, you can run, walk, or move at this event. Let us know if we can help - after all, fitness and proper health shouldn’t be a chore - they should be fun!