It’s a few weeks into summer break…summer camps are full and the kids are getting bored already. It’s time for a back-up plan.
KaBoom!—it starts with a playground. — provides fantastic tips for parents and teachers to help cure kids’ summer time boredom…before it starts.
Click here, for more information on “what to do with bored kids this summer” from KaBoom!—its starts with a playground.
Sometimes to gather inspiration for this blog I scour pinterest and lots of “mommy” blogs to see if there is anything fun I can share with you. This looked so fun for kids (and even to me) that I definitely wanted to share the link to this easy, mess-free project for kids.
The blog Tot Treasures has a fun and really easy recipe to make this rainbow colored slime, check it out!
I might have to go make some myself!
Believe it or not the temperature has climbed over 65 here in downtown San Francisco! As a native of the bay area I am completely spoiled when it comes to weather and have been feeling the heat! I know a lot of our members are in places that get way hotter than here and its even more important to stay hydrated as these gorgeous summer days heat up our lives.
I found the following article by Matt Fitzgerald • Her Sports + Fitness Magazine and I wanted to post parts of it here for all of us to use. Apparently in the past few years there have been some changes to the wisdom of hydration. There are a bunch of Old vs. New “Rules of Hydration” stay tuned over the few days to see what they are. These may be important for keeping the kids hydrated during these summer months too!
Old: Drink ahead of your thirst.
New: Drink according to your thirst.
For years, sports nutrition experts advised athletes to drink “ahead of thirst,” that is, to drink before getting thirsty and more frequently than what thirst dictated during exercise. Experts warned that by the time you feel thirsty, you’ve already become dehydrated. However, recent studies show that being in this state of slight dehydration has no negative impact on performance or health.
For example, in a study from the Sports Science Institute of South Africa, runners did three two-hour workouts while drinking a sports drink at three different rates: by thirst (roughly 13 oz. per hour), at a moderate rate (about four oz. every 15 to 20 minutes), and at a high rate (about 10 oz. every 15 to 20 minutes).
The study found no significant differences in core body temperature (rising body temperature hastens dehydration) or finishing times among the three trials. However, during the high-rate trial two of the eight runners suffered severe stomach distress and couldn’t finish the workout, suggesting that drinking too much too often can cause problems.
“The idea that thirst comes too late is a marketing ploy of the sports-drink industry,” says Tim Noakes, M.D., a professor of sport and exercise science at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. While thirst is not a perfect indicator of hydration status, it does appear to be a good indicator of the optimal drinking rate during exercise, according to Noakes. “The answer is just drink as your thirst dictates.”
Old: Aim to completely prevent dehydration.
New: Aim to slow dehydration.
You’ve probably been told to drink enough fluid during exercise to completely make up for what you lose through sweat. In other words, the goal is to weigh the same before and after your workout. But the latest research has revealed three problems with this advice.
First, when athletes drink according to thirst, they usually replace only 60 to 70 percent of the fluid they lose, but studies have shown that this state of slight dehydration does not harm performance or health.
Second, the recommendation to drink enough fluid to prevent weight-loss is based on the false assumption that all the weight lost is from body fluid evaporating as sweat. However, recent studies show that a significant amount (as much as 60 percent) is actually due to the loss of water stored with fat and carbohydrate molecules, which is released from the muscles when these stores are converted to energy. Although it contributes to sweat and weight loss during exercise, this kind of fluid loss has no dehydrating effect because it doesn’t reduce blood volume.
Third, the problem with drinking to completely prevent dehydration is that it tends to dilute the concentration of sodium and other electrolytes in the blood, especially during prolonged exercise of more than two hours. Electrolytes are dissolved minerals that regulate your body’s fluids, helping create the electrical impulses essential to physical activity. When you sweat, you release more sodium than any other electrolyte.
Since even the most electrolyte-packed sports drink has a lower sodium concentration than sweat, when you replace sweat with a sports drink you essentially water down your blood. In extreme cases, blood sodium dilution leads to hyponatremia, a potentially fatal condition where fluid balance is thrown off to the point where cells literally become waterlogged, causing the brain to swell.
Therefore, instead of drinking to completely replace the fluid you sweat out during exercise, aim for keeping thirst at bay. Respond to your thirst right away with small amounts of sports drink, but don’t allow your thirst to build to the point that you’re forced to guzzle down a full bottle at one time. Taking a few sips about every 10 to 12 minutes will help you stay hydrated and avoid stomach upset.
It definitely feels like Summer has arrived, even here in San Francisco we’ve been feeling like Summer and that is something!
Our PACE Communications Committee recently had a call and our volunteers came up with some great ideas to explore for tips for Summer, ideas for things to do with the children to best ways to keep enrollment up during these summer months. With that in mind the next few weeks of posts will be under the theme of summer. We love your comments and to hear from our readers what are some of the things that happen in your center or school now that it’s summer time!
Today I thought I’d share a fun Summer activity that one of our volunteers shared with us on the call. At her center, during the summer months, she schedules a “Date Night”. It is an event that she schedules with the families and teachers and its a science night. The children stay late that night and look at the stars and do other summer night related activities. In the week(s) leading up to the event the kids learn about stars and make binoculars all in lead up to the event.
This event serves a double function for the center because it is also a fundraiser to be able to provide development for her staff.
This, to me, was a really fun way to get the children excited and the parents involved as well as show your appreciation for your staff by building some funds to provide them some professional development in the future!
What are some fun activities your school does in the summer? We would love to hear!
