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Are your summer days starting to drag along? Are you noticing more sibling battles and more video-game playing? Are you hearing the classic ‘I’m bored’? Have no fear. Break the summer doldrums with fun, uniquely NOCO summer activities such as swinging on the rope swing into the Poudre River, feeding animals at The Farm and exploring a new natural area. Check out our list of outings to keep your kids active and healthy, and read on to learn the reasons why you should.

Get them out!
Some kids motivate themselves to get out and get active. Others need encouragement. Yet all kids need a parent to set an example of what it’s like to live an active lifestyle. If your kids walk, hike, bike, swim and play sports when young, they’ll most likely continue doing so when they become adults. “Consistent activity sets a tone for the rest of a child’s life,” says Dr. Michael McCarty, D.O. with Fort Collins Primary Care in Fort Collins. As a Doctor of Osteopathy, he believes that health needs to be viewed from a mind, body and spirit perspective. Being active feeds all these levels: “Physical movement and exercise not only increase immune function and strengthen bones and tendons, but they also help with cognitive growth.” Studies have proven that exercise wards off depression and improves mood. “Exercise is not a panacea, but it’s the closest thing we have to an ultimate treatment modality. We are built to be active. Regular exercise can solve many of the ailments that we suffer from,” says McCarty. He recommends exercising in moderation, but getting at least 30 minutes of robust exercise each day—even more for kids.

Regular exercise defends your child against becoming overweight and an onslaught of adult-type diseases that are becoming more common in kids today. “We see kids with diseases that were unheard of even 10 years ago, such as diabetes. Sometimes we even see liver failure and vascular disease,” adds McCarty.

Keep it fun
You don’t have to send your child out with running shoes to pound the pavement or visit the gym every day. Creative, free play often does the trick on its own. “Encourage free play or neighborhood pick-up games by providing needed equipment, such as balls, nets and a healthy snack,” suggests Carol Pfaffly, a marriage and family therapist with Poudre Valley Hospital’s Family Medicine Center in Fort Collins. If your child isn’t an expert at self-motivation, you can take the lead and initiate activities your kids will enjoy (see the list)! It’s still a good idea to give your child a choice between activities. “Not offering a choice can build resistance and reduce respect between a child and parent. Instead, give choices and be clear about limits. If your child wants to play video games, don’t forbid it. But do put a time limit on it and do something active afterwards,” suggests Pfaffly.

Freeplay is a brain booster, too. “While organized sports teaches social mores and rules, creative play enhances brain growth. Neurochemicals are released during creative play—it’s a different kind of thinking that’s going on and it engages a different part of the brain,” says McCarty.

If you do get the old “I’m bored” statement it’s time to sit down and have your child create a list of activities that she can do when she feels her ideas have run dry. You can then say, ‘check your list.’ “Ideally, it’s best for kids to come up with their own ideas so parents aren’t seen as always being responsible to entertain them. But realistically, kids often turn to parents to orchestrate the fun because they are used to adults doing so,” adds Pfaffly. If the list fails to motivate, you can always use the ol’ clean your room trick. “Nothing prompts a kid to find something to do faster than saying, ‘I have a list of jobs I need help with if you don’t want to run through the sprinkler or build a fort with your brother,’” adds Pfaffly.

Healthy eating habits
According to McCarty, kids generally need about 1500 calories a day, depending on age and weight. It doesn’t take long to get there if kids are eating at fast food restaurants (the average burger joint kids’ meal has 550 calories) or enjoying sweets every day. “A diet high in processed foods, sugar and saturated fats has been shown to decrease immune function and elevate cholesterol in kids,” says McCarty.

When choosing foods and having treats, moderation is the rule. “One snack per day is okay. If we restrict kids too much they will gravitate toward things they can’t have. On the other hand, our eating habits can become hard wired—we are pliable beings but once we become comfortable with a certain way of eating, it is difficult to break,” adds McCarty. That’s why it’s important that parents model good habits and encourage healthy choices when it comes to eating.

Recharge your summer with these healthy reminders and fun activities. If your kids resist, persist. They’ll thank you later for getting them out the door and doing something that stimulates both their body and their brain—more than video games or fighting with sibling could ever do!

This article was sponsored by Poudre Valley Health Systems.

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Summer bucket list
If you’ve run out of ideas, here are some new ones that guarantee healthy and active summer fun. Most of these activities are close by and some are free. Cut out this list and post it on the fridge so you are ready the next time you’re searching for something to do.

Try your hand at the rope swing on the Poudre River. Bike to it through Lee Martinez Park (stay right and you’ll see it at the bridge) or drive to it via Woodlawn Drive off of N. College Avenue in Fort Collins.

Rent a paddleboat at City Park Lake in Fort Collins.

Visit the FunPlex in Greeley.

Take a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Climb the mammoth at Fossil Creek Park, Fort Collins.

Bring scooters, bikes or skateboards to a skate park at Azatlan, Fossil Creek Park or Spring Canyon Park in Fort Collins or at the Loveland Sports Park.

Visit Inspiration Playground at Spring Canyon Park, Fort Collins.

Enjoy feeding the animals at The Farm at Lee Martinez Park and getting wet by the water pump in Fort Collins.

Swim at the beach at Horsetooth Reservoir, Boyd Lake or Lake Loveland.

Visit a pool in a neighboring city. Hint: Loveland’s pool has a great slide as well as the Windsor Pool.

Float on tubes or a blow up raft on a pond, like the one at the McMurray Natural Area northwest of Lee Martinez Park.

Fish in City Park Lake, Lake Loveland, North Shields Pond, Pineridge Reservoir, or one of the ponds off east Prospect Road such as the Riverbend Ponds Natural Area.  

Hike or bike the trails at the Environmental Learning Center and visit the rescued raptors.

Ride your bikes to a nearby ice cream store.

Visit the crazy metal creatures at the Swetsville Zoo at I-25 and Harmony Road, SE corner.

Walk around the statues at Loveland’s Benson Sculpture Garden in Benson Park.

Catch an outdoor music show in the Old Town Square or Oak Street Plaza in downtown Fort Collins (go to http://www.downtownfortcollins.com for a listing of upcoming events).

Try your skills at the bike jump track in Lory State Park.

Pack a lunch and see how far you can ride on the bike trail system in your city.

Explore a new natural area like Soapstone Prairie north of Fort Collins or hike the classic Arthur’s Rock trail in Lory State Park or Soderburg Trail in Horsetooth Mountain Park (go to www.co.larimer.co.us/naturalresources/parkareas.htm or www.fcgov.com/naturalareas/finder for more ideas).