Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in houston, TX

5 great services National Parks offer families with little ones

June 16, 2009

The fantastic Being Savvy Pittsburgh city editor Jennifer Signore recently took a trip to Cape Hatteras National Seashore. While planning her trip, she found five great services the National Parks Service (NPS) offers families.

1.  NPS parks list

Even if you don't plan to specifically travel to a national park, check this handy list to find out if ther eis one nearby where you are going, and see what fun it might offer your family while you are there!

2. Junior Ranger Program

The site asks kids, "Are you interested in exploring? Do you like art, science, history or nature? How about animals, sailing ships, dinosaurs or trains? Would you like to learn more about the national parks that belong to you?"

My kids are a 100% enthusiastic YES! to all of these questions. The Ranger program provides really great activities and fun lessons for kids---in age-appropriate ways. Many offer a reward such as a patch, badge or certificate at the end!

3.  Web Ranger

Without even leaving home, kids can still learn about---and protect!---national parks. This includes games and mroe age-appropriate lessons.

4. Passport to Your National Parks. 

Signore writes, "The spiral-bound booklet contains spaces for regional park stamps, which can be purchased at park visitors' centers or through the mail.  It also has space for you to put cancellations (ink stamps) to show that you have visited various national sites. The cancellations are available at the visitor center for each park and are free (the booklet costs $7.95 but will hold lots of cancellations if you stamp carefully). We bought one passport booklet to log family trips to the national parks and plan to use it often. What an unexpected way to add a fun and educational twist to your travels"

5. The national parks themselves!

You can buy an annual pass to explore as many parks as you like. The handy map or advanced search tool helps you find a park, and the main site offers fun information abotu history and culture for adults, too!

5 great (and economical!) ways to exercise with kids

June 02, 2009

When school ended, so did my easy routine of dropping off my four year old at the preschool and hitting the track adjacent to her school's playground. As energetic and run-happy as my kids are, they aren't terribly conducive to an easy fitness routine. I prefer working out outdoors, and also try to forgo a gym membership to save money.

So how can a parent balance work, parenting and working out? On a budget?

Here are my favorite ways to keep fit during the summer with kids:

1. Morning bike rides

I put my little one in the bike trailer and my older one is pretty bike proficient. We ride around the neighborhood for a good 20-30 minutes. I have a route that I know we can do. By the time we get home, the kids have enjoyed a nice adventure, and they are both ready for some quiet play.

Note: How many calories you burn in any activity depends on your size, how you do the activity, and other factors. So keep in mind that all of these calculations are for me and how I exercise. I've linked you to the calculator so you can figure it out for yourself---the calculator has tons of different activities, so feel free to deviate off my list and find your own!

Since I'm usually with kids, I'm not that speedy. So I used the Calorie Burn Calculator and found this:

Bicycling, slow (10-12 mph) for 30 minutes: 202 calories

2. The swimming pool

Afternoons in Houston are too hot for much more than swimming in a pool. If I get in the pool with the kids and swim around like they do, it's a pretty good workout. I'll hang on the side and do some kicks and stretches, too, for good measure.

Using that same Calorie Burn Calculator, I found out that swimming isn't too bad, even if leisurely!

Swimming, leisure for 30 minutes: 202 calories

3. Yoga

I record---for free---yoga programs off the television. I try to do yoga every day. The kids and I all gather in the living room and do our level best at yoga poses.  We all enjoy it and cheer each other on. Plus it really builds strength and flexibility and I swear it turns every frown upside down (at least in our family).

The Calorie Burn Calculator tells me: Yoga for 30 minutes: 135 calories

4. Take a walk

Walking and biking have always been easiest with my kids when they were little. I could strap them in with a couple of toys and snacks and easily get my 30 minutes of exercise. As they got to preschool age, I'd extend a carrot: after Mom's walk, we'll play at the park. Our local park has a nice path that winds around the playground.if I chased kids on the playground, I figured that just added to the exercise.

The Calorie Burn Calculator says (for me):

Walking with a stroller for 30 minutes: 84 calories

Walking, slow (2 mph) for 30 minutes: 84 calories

Walking, moderate (3 mph) for 30 minutes: 118 calories

Walking, fast (4 mph) for 30 minutes: 135 calories

Walking with a baby or load for 30 minutes: 118 calories

5. Tennis

If I swat balls and run back and forth, the kids have a great time chasing balls, we've had some fun, and I've gotten a good workout. Our local park has free tennis courts, and it's not too hard to find a time they are open that works with my schedule.

The calculator says tennis is a great activity for me: Tennis (singles) for 30 minutes: 236 calories

The best thing about any of these activities is that it's good for you and the kids, and you can work it around your schedule---which we all know can vary day to day. We all know we need exercise and activity every day, and I know how easy it is to say there's just no time, money or way to do it with kids. But if you open your mind and eyes, I bet you find a lot of great ways to get a workout.

Bonus idea: Do you have stairs in your house? Sometimes on those "trapped inside due to summer storms or summer heat" days, we need something to get the "willies" out! I have a little "jumpoline" that is invaluabl, but we also have the Ball Stair game that is fun and gets in some exercis. It's sort of based on Bocce Ball. We try to roll our balls furthest down the stairs without hitting the bottom. Then we run up and down the stairs retrieving the balls for another round.The calculator claims I might burn as much as 202 calories on this. Mor eimportantly, the kids get their "crazies" out.

Super bonus: Don't forget housecleaning burns calories too. And so does each step you take. If you're ever curious how much you are on the move, you can usually find pedometers pretty inexpensively. You will probably be surprised how active you are! I was!

Getting to Know Houston: 5 Things Houston Inside Hermann Park

by Rachel Mosteller

June 27, 2008

Houstonians love Hermann Park. Centrally located, it is easily accessible from all parts of the city and the suburbs. The great thing about this park is that there are tons of things to do, including many with historic relevance to Houston's history. The park began in 1914 with George R. Hermann donated 285 acres of land for the creation of a park. Later on, 122 additional acres were purchased.  Read more...

Be Royalty in the Heights

by Rachel Mosteller

May 23, 2008

If you haven't heard, princesses are really big these days. I tried my personal best to ignore the Princess Craze going on with all the 3-year-old girls in the area, but my daughter still managed to learn all about them from her friends at Mother's Day Out. Guess who gets to play princess now? Everybody knows a princess (and a prince) needs a castle. Well, they need a  Read more...

Discover New Green Spaces Downtown

by Rachel Mosteller

May 21, 2008

When I think of downtown Houston , I definitely don't think of green space, though that's exactly where Houston 's newest outdoor recreation area is located. Discovery Green , located near Minute Maid Park , the Convention Center and the Toyota Center , is a 12 acre park with a whole lot of stuff to do for kids. Some of the coolest things for youngsters are the model  Read more...

Fun in the Woods

by Rachel Mosteller

May 19, 2008

There are places in Houston that, when we visit, I'm always surprised we don't go there more often. Count the Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens as one of them. Never heard of the Arboretum? A lot of people haven't and they're definitely missing a hidden gem. If you want to show your child nature's beauty (and plenty of flowers), bring them over to Aldine Westfield Road  Read more...