Crazy-Fun Birthday Party Ideas

Kids look forward to their birthdays all year long, and it is easy to understand why. On top of turning one more year older, they get to enjoy being the center of attention with their family and friends. For parents, however, birthday planning can get complicated when it seems as if everyone has done the usual bounce house and cartoon character parties. This year, give your kid a true surprise by using these crazy-fun birthday party ideas as inspiration for adding some excitement to the special occasion.

Have a Blast With Laser Tag

Kids love futuristic play, and laser tag is one activity that just gets better when kids can play with a huge crowd. As kids divide into teams and devise their strategies, the parents will get a kick out of watching to see who emerges as the leaders. Your guests will also love the adrenaline rush that comes from stepping into a world where every move could make them a target. After running, leaping and rolling to dodge the blasts, your guests will be blissfully tired by the time you are ready for the cake to be served.

Encourage Them to Climb the Walls

Forget throwing a birthday party where your whole goal as the host is to stop the kids from climbing the walls. With a rock climbing party, your guests can be as wild as they please. Since you know that they will be safely harnessed and guided by trained professionals, you can relax as the party literally hits full swing. The best part is that even kids who have climbed before will feel like it is a new experience, since there is always a new challenge to conquer such as scaling to a new height.

Host a Battle of the Boats

Pin-the-tail on the donkey may have kept your kid entertained when they were two, but older kids need a bigger competition than the classic birthday fare. This year, put a new twist on a nautical theme by arranging for your party attendees to go on a boating adventure. If they’ve never left dry land before, then is no need for worries. Bumper boats are safe and easy enough for young kids to operate with supervision. Just make sure to grab your waterproof camera to capture all those bumps and laughter in action.

Put on a Dramatic Production

Over the years, your kid has become quite the character and their birthday is the perfect place to highlight their creativity. Give your child a birthday that they will always remember by encouraging them and their friends to put on a play. Whether they recreate an old favorite or improvise a completely new production, having an array of props and costumes will set the stage for a memorable dramatic event.

Birthday parties are the one time of the year when you get to show your kid how special they are to your family. Yet, coming up with an awesome theme and activities gets more difficult as your kid gets older. By choosing activities that challenge your guests to use their bodies and minds in new ways, you will keep them interested and ensure that your next celebration leaves a long-lasting impression.

Let your kids experience the a fun birthday celebration at Maplewood Summer Day Camp. Experienced staff will keep your child both safe and busy with arts and crafts, games, water sports, gymnastics and more. Visit the site at http://maplewoodyearround.com/year-round-programs/birthday-parties/ to see the fun your child will have at Maplewood Summer Day Camp.

 

The Benefits of Chess for Kids

The ancient game of chess is finding a new generation of fans in kids as young as five, and intent little players can be found in the classroom, in after-school programs and at summer day camp picnic tables. The motto of the U.S. Chess Federation is “Chess Makes You Smart” and a growing body of evidence is showing that the game improves youngsters’ problem solving skills as well as writing and math test scores. The only “luck” in chess is executing a clever strategy yourself or having your opponent make a bad move, so hard work and good “if/then” thinking is critical. Even kids in day camp will settle down in the shade on a hot day for a fine battle on the chess board.

The Perfect Age

Although kids as young as kindergarten can tackle chess, second and third grades are considered ideal for learning how to weigh options, figure out quadrants and coordinates and foresee the series of consequences that make up the game of chess. At this age critical thinking skills are advancing rapidly. Playing chess and being “smart” are considered connected, a big lure for elementary school students.

History of the Game

Chess was invented more than 1500 years ago in India, possibly as a way to teach the children of the royal family to better understand battlefield strategies and become higher level thinkers. The game we play today, however, is rooted in the middle ages, peopled by romantic figures like kings, queens and bishops. Since that time, chess has spread around the world, outliving nearly every other game and receiving countless endorsements and accolades from educators. A universal game with worldwide rule consistency, chess crosses all socio-economic, religious and language barriers to bond diverse people in a game of limitless skill and strategy.

Increases Concentration and Memory

In order to play chess well, you have to focus intensely on the objective of capturing your opponent’s king, visualizing the moves of various pieces, the board itself and any potential countermoves. Spatial reasoning, attention span and visual memory all play into this timeless game of strategy, and kids who play vastly improve in these areas by memorizing classic moves and successful maneuvers from previous games.

Boost to Reading and Math Skills

Kids who play chess tend to score higher on standardized reading and math tests. The game itself involves intense problem solving and memorization of complex moves, so it’s not surprising that the game boosts math skills. It also nurtures the same skill set as reading: decoding, comprehension, thinking and analysis.

Improves Critical Thinking and Creativity

The game of chess involves a lot of “if-then” thinking as players visualize possible moves and associated countermoves. Each player needs to figure out not only what moves they want to make, but what their opponents may do in response, utilizing lots of imagination and creativity. Originality grows as kids learn to visualize a long series of moves, imagining all possible counterattacks.

Social Benefits

One of the great benefits of chess is that it can bring together people of all ages, races and genders. From kindergartners to octogenarians, chess helps build friendships among people who may not have otherwise become acquainted.

Builds Patience and Self-Restraint

A game of chess is a lesson in caution, patience and eternal hope even in the face of overwhelming odds. Hasty moves or following your first impulse are poor strategies, and the cautious, thoughtful player has a better chance of success. Much like the game of life, chess teaches us that no matter how bad things seem, there’s hope right up to the end. As Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” Maybe he enjoyed the occasional game of chess!

Encourages Hard Work

To win at chess, you have to think hard, work hard, focus, practice and plan strategies, all activities that reward hard work. The harder you work at the game, learning classic moves, memorizing maneuvers that worked in previous games, keeping watch over the whole chess board and planning ahead, the more likely you are to say “check mate”!

Let your kids enjoy the experience of summer day camp at Maplewood Summer Day Camp. Experienced staff will keep your child both safe and busy with arts and crafts, games, water sports, gymnastics and more. Visit the site at http://www.maplewoodyearround.com to see the fun your child will have at Maplewood Summer Day Camp.

Why Rock Climbing Is Great for Kids

Rock climbing is not just for grown-ups. Your children can also enjoy this fun-filled activity as well as reap its advantages.

Aside from its heart-health benefits, it is also known to boost their self-confidence and esteem. While it may not be an impromptu activity like running or biking, there are many climbing walls that are now available, especially with the advent of fitness centers and camps.

The great thing about having your kids join these activities is that it follows up on their natural tendency. As you know, children are natural climbers. You can see them going up on trees or scaling tall ladders. With rock climbing, you can satisfy their impulses to clamber.

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Encouraging Children to Learn About Science and Nature

We often hear about how the United States lags behind other countries in science education, but kids have always had an inborn curiosity about the natural world, and all it takes to get them on the right track is a bit of encouragement. 

For example, kids at day camp have long enjoyed fun-filled hands-on activities centered on learning about wildlife, plants, stars and marine critters, getting an invaluable education while making magical camp memories. As parents, you too can help inspire your youngsters to a lifelong interest in science and nature.

Wonders of Wildlife

Kids who are encouraged early to follow their innate curiosity about the natural world often develop science related hobbies and even jobs as they mature. Observation is an important part of teaching kids about nature, and summer day camp counselors have been helping kids identify animal tracks, plants and constellations for generations. Encourage your child to watch a spider spin its web, listen to different bird songs or watch as a caterpillar spins a cocoon and turns into a butterfly; then follow up observations with a visit to the library or an on-line search to learn more.

Growing Things

Kids love to watch things grow, from a simple avocado seed sprouting in a glass on the windowsill to vegetables in the garden. Buy some packaged seeds and watch track their growth with your youngster; it’s even more fun when you’re growing something you’ll actually eat like tomatoes or cucumbers. You can take a simple walk in the woods or neighborhood and identifying different trees and flowers and talking about the seasons of growth. Any of kids myriad questions can start an interesting conversation. Why do the leaves fall in autumn? Do carrots really grow underground? Plant a tree; blow on a dandelion head or make a compost pile.

Exploring

What better way to fall in love with nature than taking an adventurous tromp through the woods with a group of fellow campers and a knowledgeable counselor? At summer camp, kids have amazing opportunities to learn, explore and get up close and personal with the natural world. Lifting up rocks to find what’s living underneath, catching frogs (and letting them go of course!) at the water’s edge or standing still as a statue to watch a deer in a clearing all provide unforgettable encounters with the natural world and its amazing inhabitants.

Weather

Endlessly changing and fun to track, weather is fascinating and delightfully dramatic. Watch the weather report with your kids; observe the sky and clouds at different times of day; look up locations on a map and see how their weather differs; keep a diary of the weather in your own yard with a thermometer or device for measuring rain water; try to figure out how far away lightning is through the sound of thunder. There are so many ways to foster a love of the magic and mystery of weather.

Energy

We live in a world powered by energy, and there are so many ways to teach kids the importance of being environmentally aware. From recycling glass, metal and paper around the house to watching how the electric meter changes as you turn things on and off, there are so many ways to observe how we use and how we can conserve energy. You and your youngster can figure out mileage for a family road trip or compute the differences in time involved in going to the store or library on foot, by bike or in the car. Encouraging your child to be environmentally aware can help develop a lifelong interest in science and nature.

Let your kids enjoy the experience of summer day camp at Maplewood Summer Day Camp. Experienced staff will keep your child both safe and busy with arts and crafts, games, water sports, gymnastics and more. Visit the site at http://www.maplewoodyearround.com to see the fun your child will have at Maplewood Summer Day Camp.

What Kids Learn At Preschool

Preschool has become a necessary part of children’s education to give them an academic advantage for later learning experiences. Preschool curriculums preliminary activities that help them succeed in standard academic subjects. Summer day camp can be an important way to reinforce this learning throughout the warm months when school is not in session.

Preschool Skills

In past decades, the preschool experience was designed to be primarily a play and socializing experience that allowed children to interact with their peer group in a semi-structured environment. Preschool soon became a place where children could learn basic concepts that were important for stardard education. Preschoolers now learn a number of essential skills during their day, such as:

• Preschool helps children to become more independent and take care of themselves and others in practical ways.
• Group activities prepare children for the standard learning environment.
• Children become accustomed to authority figures in the classroom.
• Counting games, matching games, sequencing games and puzzles help to build brain connections for later mathematics learning.
• Alphabet games, singing, chants and image-matching ready children for reading.
• Group activities help to hone social skills and improve emotional control.
• The preschool experience encourages language skills and appropriate interaction with others.
• Preschool activities also help to build motor skills.
• Preschool encourages young children to make their own choices.

Day Camp For Kids

Day camp can provide an opportunity for children to take their classroom learning into the outdoors. Children can use their knowledge of shapes, colors, letters of the alphabet, effective speaking, cooperation and social interaction into new activities and environments. Preschool summer camp helps children to become more resilient and confident, able to function in a variety of conditions and environments. This effect helps them to deal with unusual circumstances in other areas of life, reducing stress and building self-confidence.

A Responsive Summer Camp for Preschoolers

A good summer camp will provide programs that are tailored to different age groups. In regard to preschoolers, the camp must take into account the differences is maturity that are common in this age group. To accomplish this goal, Maplewood offers:

• Offer programs 2 days per week, as well as 3 days per week
• Athletic programs such a T-ball, soccer, gymnastics, basketball and swimming to foster physical activity and team interaction
• Art, drama, dance and music activities to encourage visual acuity, listening skills and coordination.
• Enriched activities such as nature exploration, boating and group games to foster observational and cooperative skills.
• Provides appropriate eating and rest periods for the age group.

Preparing Your Preschooler For Summer Camp

You can help your preschooler adjust to the summer camp experience by providing information about the activities and schedules at the camp. An advance meeting with the preschool camp counselor can help to allay fears and begin a trusting relationship. Seeing the toys at the facility and the other children who attend the camp can provide the reassurance they need.

Find out how Maplewood Summer Camp can help your preschooler to learn new skills and develop confidence for advanced learning.

Let your kids enjoy the experience of summer day camp at Maplewood Summer Day Camp. Experienced staff will keep your child both safe and busy with arts and crafts, games, water sports, gymnastics and more. Visit the site at http://www.maplewoodyearround.com to see the fun your child will have at Maplewood Summer Day Camp.