In recent years, English children have become increasingly inactive. Riding bikes and playing football have become a thing of the past as children are being sucked into a world of watching television, playing computer games and spending countless hours online. On average, English children spend around 24 hours a week watching television. This factor combined with short playtimes and a few hours of PE at school, has resulted in England’s growing childhood obesity problem, which is linked to such complications like high blood pressure and diabetes.

The government recommends that children of all ages and teenagers engage in at least an hour of physical activity everyday to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Childhood is an essential time for parents and guardians to encourage physical activity in a positive light, creating a suitable balance between physical activity and television watching. Such studies show that a mere 2% of children who are inactive as children become active adults.

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The following are some ways to help bring physical activity into your children’s everyday routine:

Make exercise a family activity!

Planning outings such as trips to the zoo, beach, bike rides through the park or the playground can encourage physical activity in a positive way. Taking walks instead of the car is a great way to spend time together and including all family members will prevent a child from feeling singled out!

Be a positive role model!

Stairs instead of the lift, walk instead of using the car, choosing a parking space further away from the shops: your choices will impact on your children, as those who see their parents making decisions promoting physical activity are more likely to employ an active lifestyle.

Choose the right activity!

Children can get bored with different activities depending on how old they are. Your choice of activity for your children needs to be considered in terms of how old they are. Choosing activities, which require more skill, wouldn’t be suitable for a 4-year old, thus not being reasonable for their physical abilities.

Time and Space for exercise!

Setting aside times for exercise and areas in the house or garden for the children to be physically active will help you get into a routine to allow your children to adopt the ideal active lifestyle.

Active jobs and toys!

Giving your children jobs around the house and garden like washing the car, hovering, walking the dog, making their beds and planting flowers can help get your child physically active! Or, choose physically demanding computer games or dance videos!

Fun is the key!

Making physical activity fun will encourage your children to want to do it again and again! It will increase their motivation and they won’t realise how active they’re being because they’re having too much fun! Joining a sports team or club that your child enjoys is also a great way to encourage physical activity! Not only this, but teams and clubs encourage children to socialise and develop their communication skills! But remember, too much emphasis on winning and being the best isn’t the way to enjoy exercise!

Restrict TV and computer hours!

Ideally, children should engage in no more than 2 hours of television and computer activity each day. Enable children to compromise more minutes of physical activity for extra TV or computer hours! Gaining a balance between activity and technology is key!

Keep it safe!

Knowing when enough is enough is essential, make sure children don’t do too much physical activity resulting in injuries! Play in safe settings and wear protective equipment with certain activities!

Climbing Frames UK Promotes Family Fun

School Holidays are here………….
How can I encourage my children more active?

In recent years, English children have become increasingly inactive. Riding bikes and playing football have become a thing of the past as children are being sucked into a world of watching television, playing computer games and spending countless hours online. On average, English children spend around 24 hours a week watching television. This factor combined with short playtimes and a few hours of PE at school, has resulted in England’s growing childhood obesity problem, which is linked to such complications like high blood pressure and diabetes.

Now the holidays are here its time to take control for yourself and create an environment at home the gets the children active. The following are some ways to help bring physical activity into your children’s everyday routine:

Make exercise a family activity!
Planning outings such as trips to the zoo, beach, bike rides through the park or the playground can encourage physical activity in a positive way. Taking walks instead of the car is a great way to spend time together and including all family members will prevent a child from feeling singled out!

Make Play A Family Activity
If budget allows invest in a Outdoor Play Equipment.  The most popular choices are family trampolines for the garden, a Climbing Frame, Playset or Swing Set with Monkey Bars can keep the children or whole family occupied for hours.  Climbing Frames Uk can supply all of these item on a 3-5 day delivery. Alternatively take a daily trip to the park.

Be a positive role model!
Stairs instead of the lift, walk instead of using the car, choosing a parking space further away from the shops: your choices will impact on your children, as those who see their parents making decisions promoting physical activity are more likely to employ an active lifestyle.

Choose the right activity!
Children can get bored with different activities depending on how old they are. Your choice of activity for your children needs to be considered in terms of how old they are. Choosing activities, which require more skill, wouldn’t be suitable for a 4-year old, thus not being reasonable for their physical abilities.

Active jobs and toys!
Giving your children jobs around the house and garden like tidying the play area, washing the car, hovering, walking the dog, making their beds and planting flowers can help get your child physically active! Or, choose physically demanding computer games or dance videos!

Restrict TV and PC hours!
Ideally, children should engage in no more than 2 hours of television and computer activity each day. Enable children to compromise more minutes of physical activity for extra TV or computer hours! Gaining a balance between activity and technology is key!

Let us know how by leading by example and creating home based activities for your children.  Activity levels increase

Prepared by K Samuel of Climbing Frames UK
0870 241 2880
info@climbingframesuk.com

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Garden Trampolining – Hidden Benefits

 

Towards the end of the 20th Centuary, fitness lovers were more and more exposed to a new array of fitness and equipment and weight loss plans. Many of these were simply fads, and some have stood the test of time and are benefiting their users. There has been much scientific investigation to learn about the advantages as well as the risks, and the trampoline was no exception. In the end, there was total acceptance of the health benefits of the garden trampoline.
Using a fitness trampoline is as simple as jumping on it, literally. A trampoline is normally made by securing a strong fabric such as nylon for example to the top of a hollow platform. Normally for securing the trampoline cloth, coiled compression springs are generally used. To ensure stability of the platform during your fall, trampoline platforms are usually made of stainless steel.
There are many health benefits to be gained form trampolining. Jumping on trampolines strengthens muscles and increases blood circulation throughout the body. It is widely known that increased blood circulation constitutes a cardiovascular workout. Your calf and thigh muscles get a vigorous workout from the jump, and this exercise helps avoid the accumulation of hip fat.  Trampolining helps you expunge toxic waste through sweating which invigorates your mood.
Whilst it is common for newspaper articles to highlight concerns about trampoline safety and cite examples of injury, it must be remembered how many thousand trampolines are in UK gardens. Trampolines like any childrens play equipment need regular checking, maintenance and replacement of faulty or damaged trampoline parts.. Its true that incidents have been published, but investigation revealed that in many cases either the material used to build the trampoline was substandard, or the Trampoline Manufacturers safety guidelines were not adhered to. The risks from trampoline use are greatly reduced when the trampoline is of good quality, benefits from a safety enclosure, is properly set up and manufacturers safety rules are followed.
Every responsible Trampoline Manufacturer informs customers about the maximum weight that it can bear within the Instruction Manual and Safety Guidelines. You must use garden trampolines individually and this means one person at a time. The majority of reported accidents occurred in Garden Trampolining when several people jumped on trampolines simultaneously. The only Trampoline that can cope with multiple jumpers is the Alley Oop Double Bounce Power Bounce, where the spring technology provides a safer jumping area all around.
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Mention the word Exercise or PE and most children will swerve!!. Trampolines are especially popular with kids, Jumping on garden Trampolines is fun and can provide the exercise to prevent obesity in children. Children get the much needed exercise without even thinking about exercise.
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Before you purchase your garden trampoline please read our Trampoline Buyers Guide
This article was Prepared by Climbing Frames Uk on behalf of their Garden Trampoline Brand, The Trampoline Shop.
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Climbing Frames UK - No1 for Wooden Swingsets & Play Centres

Play England
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The lack of safe, creative and stimulating play environments for children has been a largely debated matter over the past few years particularly given the rise in childhood obesity. However hope for improved play provisions may be on the way in the form of the Play England initiative set up by the National Children’s Bureau in conjunction with the Big Lottery Fund’s Children’s Play Initiative. The big Lottery fund has awarded The Children’s Bureau GBP15 million for its Play England initiative as well as offering a further GBP140 million as part of its Children’s Play Initiative which should be coming into play in 2008.
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The Play England strategy aims for all children and young people to have free access to public play space. Their objectives for this include building partnerships for play, promoting local play strategies, researching the benefits of play, promoting diversity of play provisions and raising awareness of the needs for play.
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Play England also provides support for those involved with developing children’s play strategies in the form of training, seminars, information, networking and campaign support.�
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The National Children’s Bureau itself also has various other campaigns and initiatives regarding all elements of children and young peoples’ lives in order to promote their need and well being. They mainly aim to challenge disadvantage in childhood and undertake research in order to raise awareness through giving information not only to play organisations but also children and young people themselves as well as the government to influence policy on play. They are also the umbrella organisation for all children’s organisations and initiatives in England and Northern Ireland and work closely with the UN convention on the Rights of the Child.
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For more information or to see how you can help improve play opportunities for you child visit www.playengland.org.uk or www.ncb.org.uk for the National Children’s Bureau.
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The Children’s Plan
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A ten year children’s plan set out by ministers’ aims to improve children’s well being and learning by 2020 and includes the possible ends of Sats tests by next year. The plan which has GBP1bn funds allocated to it also plans to provide better facilities for children’s play and make the country ‘one of the best in the world to grow up’ (Children’s secretary Ed Balls 2007).
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The plan promises GBP225m to upgrade 3,500 play areas and create a further 30 adventure playgrounds throughout the country including areas suitable for those age 8-13 with a GBP160m refurbishment of youth centres for older children.  This will be in addition to a shake up of youth justice in the hope of reducing levels of youth crime and re-offending as youths will be made to truly understand the consequences of their actions. There will also be a review of the primary curriculum with more flexible options for summer born babies along with help for 20,000 two year olds from families in deprived areas. The plan also proposes spending GBP167m on parenting advisors to address the need for “family learning”. A further GBP44m is proposed to upgrade the standard of teaching with the aim of providing teachers access to a masters style degree to bring them in line with other professions. The education plan also sets out tougher targets for primary schools to ensure all children meet basic numeracy and literacy levels for secondary school (and beyond this to meet employers needs). The National Teachers Union and Richard Lambert director-general of the CBI have welcomed the plans believing the plan will bring great benefits not only to children’s health and well being but also to raise the standard of education to satisfy the needs of the economy.
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Article adapted from the BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7136564.stm.
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About Climbing Frames Uk
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Climbing Frames Uk are a leader supplier of commercial play equipment for pubs, hotels and schools.  They are also specialists in residential garden play equipment, boxed climbing frames playhouses and trampolines.  With a network of outdoor play equipment display sites the largest play equipment display site is in Weybridge, Surrey and at Climbing Frames Uk,  Brentwood, Essex.