The Importance of Play!
So, last week I wrote a post about PLAY with some great quotes like this one from Plato: You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. As adults, I think many of us have lost the ability to "play". We get caught up in the stresses of life & jobs & lose focus on the need to just get away from it & play! Look at kids before they get addicted to TV or video games. Their imagination runs wild!!!
When I was young, we did not have video games & a million TV channels & computers & such to keep us from playing & keeping active. Now, I think it is much more of a challenge to not only make sure kids understand the computer age because it is here to stay BUT ALSO MAKE SURE THAT THEY LEARN TO PLAY & BE ACTIVE away from the computer... and away from the stresses of a team sport which nowadays focuses on the win more than the camaraderie of fun with other kids. It has become a win at all costs type of thing unfortunately. Not always but a lot.
With this obesity crisis at an all high for our children & adults alike, we need to make sure our kids understand how to keep active & have fun just to have fun. Along with that, we as adults need to put in place food in the home that supports a healthy lifestyle. The parents buy the food to bring in the house, not the children, so start them early with good choices!!!! Food is a huge part of the whole equation, as we well know!
So, I thought I would use my blog as a self-serving post for my middle stepdaughter's website, SENDaSWORD. Their motto is: "Inspiring Active Imagination". The swords are handmade & painted in a variety of colors IN THE U.S.A. Pretend sword play encourages physical play and creative role-play imagination.
Check out more about them below:
Specs:
Our toy swords are 23 inches long, 3 inches wide, 1 inch thick, and made from a single piece of poplar wood. Our unique wooden play sword design calls for no gluing of pieces together, therefore excellent durability! Total weight is approximately 11 ounces, making our wooden play swords lightweight and easy to carry during live action role-play games. The easy-to-grip handle will fit a child's hand comfortably. Our wooden play swords are sanded very smooth and the rounded, blunt tip makes our wooden play swords safe and fun for boys and girls!
(*parental supervision advised during role-play games)
Included:
Sword handle is painted black and the wooden blade comes in a variety of fun colors to choose from! We also engrave the child's initials on the handle just below the blade for added uniqueness and a personalization that other swords do not offer. Our wooden play swords are double-coated with a shiny lacquer finish for extra protection.
(*All paint is lead-free and non-toxic)
Packaging:
SENDaSWORD Wooden Toy Play Swords come packaged in a mysterious, black, poly-sealed bag that is very durable. When you SENDaSWORD to a child for a gift you do not need to worry about giftwrap... the bag it arrives in doubles as the giftwrap. We fill out the gift tag and attach it to the sword. The wooden toy play sword arrives in the mail completely wrapped and ready to open!
With holidays around the corner, why not think about a fun & different way to engage your children. Heck, buy your own too & play with them!
PS on the sword playing: I know many out there are concerned about "violence". Think back. When we were young, this would not have even been an afterthought about playing with this toy. How times have changes. But once again, it is all about PLAY and your interaction & conversations with your kids that effect how they think. My grandkids do not even think in terms of "bad things" when they play with these. Heck, Disneyland sells all kinds of swords (made in China or somewhere else). My oldest grandson plays video games, some a bit PG13, BUT you ask him about shootings or guns or anything like that & he will tell you all the bad things about them & the right & wrong way to act. It comes down to the parents & their interaction with the kids.
Read the FAQ for more information & of course you always want to supervise your children with play toys like this. More pictures here too! The pics are some of our crazy grandkids & their cousins.
PLAY is available at SENDaSWORD !!!!
Also, Dr. J has a great post up, Why Childhood Obesity is on the Rise. A really important & informative read so check out the previous link. I thought with this post on kids, play & their need to get active & eat better, a good place to mention it. Just a bit below:
“Infants and children are dependent on adults to choose the foods that will be best for them. What happens at home has the biggest effect on what children eat, so any effort to address children being overweight and obese must start at home.” ... "An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association in July 2010 found that children engage in less physical activity as they reach adolescence, with less than one third capable of meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines by the time they reach age 15. A deficit of physical activity in young people has been shown to result in obesity as well as related illness and chronic diseases."
Categories: Health, Child obesity, Weight Loss, Exercise, Dieting
Tags: play Weight Loss choices SENDaSWORD Exercise eating health childhood obesity Dr. J
YESYESYESYESYES!!!!!!
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I knew you would like this!
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You are right. Play is a dying art. And we, as adults, should do more of it as well. About the kids and weapons - as a mother of boys who swore she would not buy weapons for them, I can share that they will make them out of anything: Lego, sticks, whatever. When my boys played with the neighbor kids (before the big video game onslaught), they were always the "bad guys" because they didn't have real weapons too. My hubby and I went out and bought my oldest the biggest squirt gun he could handle!
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Karen, thx for your perspective! Yes, I think kids will find a way to play & imagine no matter what!
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Jody,
I love this!!! Getting out there and just playing...so, so good!!
And those swords look pretty awesome!!!
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Those swords are awesome! I am thinking of getting one for myself!
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Jody, you need to have one of those swords custom made for you, have it embossed with the phrase, "To Be is to Lift, to Lift is to Be"
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thx for the bday gift idea for Jody
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Patrick, thx for passing the idea on to Lisa!!!
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Oh running late..will be back tonight to read...
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Like Karen's sons, my sons also turn everything into a gun or sword: gift wrap tubes, styrofoam pieces from packaging, carrots and celery sticks. I'd much rather them do that than too many video games.
My son told me two days ago he wants to take up fencing. The nearest school is 20 miles away.
Cool looking swords.
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Gina, he can practice with a SENDaSWORD!
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This family has the opposite problem...I like to keep my kids so busy they stay out of trouble...and in shape!
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Sian, that is a great plan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are a wonderful mom!
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I'm not a parent, so I really shouldn't comment, BUT (*g*) I think sometimes the problem is that parents are too tired, busy, or otherwise occupied to get out and get the games started. That's certainly not always the case, but I know quite a few people who *never* take their kids to the park or simply get out in the yard and run around with them. A few years ago, I probably would've been one of those parents.
Off to check out Dr. J!
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Cammy, what you wrote, another prob with what is going on & parents not having the time as well... but we have to start it in the home somehow.. that is the challenge!
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Oh my kids LOVE playing with swords! My middle child refuses to go anywhere without his trusty pirate sword tucked in his pants (we're a hit at grocery stores). Your daughter-in-law's swords look really cute and fun!
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