Category: outdoor reading

Earth Day: Fun Stuff to Do with Your Kids

Posted on | by KD Novelties
The state of the environment is a major issue these days. When it comes to motivating others to take up more environmentally friendly activities and practices, one of the main points of argument happen to be that the world needs to be healthy and habitable for future generations. But in order to guarantee that these efforts are successful and continue to be so, it is imperative that the kids who make up the future generation know just how important this issue is and how best to help care for the world that they live in.
Earth Day April 22, 2015
Earth day is the 22nd of April, and what better time to teach kids about what’s good and green in the world? The snow has melted and making way for budding flowers, plants, green grass and trees are finally growing their season’s leaves. There are plenty of fun ways to get kids interested and involved in this day that will stress its importance in the present as well as the future. 
1. Read about Earth Day. Getting kids interested in the topic may first require some familiarity with this particular day, for starters. Books with pictures and easy digestible facts can help pique kids’ interest while educating them at the same time.

2. Get outside! It’s important for kids to have a relationship with nature if you want them to care more about Earth Day. This way the weight of the issues mean even more to them. Take them to the local park, go on a mild hike or even take them to national landmarks if you happen to live near them.  If you don’t you can always play around with Google Earth, plus you can explore natural wonders all around the world that can benefit from their protection!

3. Volunteer! Your child’s school or even the local park that you may have visited might have ongoing cleanup programs or they might be running something special for Earth Day itself. Find out what’s going on in your community and make a fun family outing of it!

4. Plant something! Whether you plant some flowers, some vegetables to feed the family or plant a tree as part of an Earth Day program or event, this can be a positive experience all around. Knowing that they are responsible for a living plant that will continue to grow can help kids feel more a part of Earth Day as well as an integral inhabitant of this planet as well.

5. Instill good habits all year round. Encourage your kids and your family to recycle, not to litter and to partake in other planet and environmentally friendly activities and practices. These are the things that are truly important and are helpful to practice all year round, not just on Earth Day. While such practices and ideas are important every other day of the year as well, you can still use Earth Day as an opportunity to teach kids these important lessons and to make positive memories that will stay with them forever, encouraging them, too, to teach future generations the same things as well.

Year Round Tip: We have great outdoor personalized books that can instill the love of the environment to kids.  Our Fishing Adventure personalized book and My Camping Adventure that helps kids understand the beauty in the mountains and all around them.  
Camping Adventure Personalized Book

Now is the time to purchase these two personalized books as we have an April sale of 15% site-wide. Use AprilShowers-KD at checkout – expires April 31st.




Tips on Getting Your Kids Outside

Posted on | by KD Novelties
Now that spring is finally here, spending time outdoors is a reasonable thing to do. Long winters can have anyone, especially kids, feeling cooped up – but these days it may be a little more difficult to get kids to play outside. Aside from growing comfortable indoors over the long, cold winter, there are so more gadgets these days that draw kids to spending time indoors. From televisions to tablets, kids have a wealth of different things to do when indoors, and while some kids are simply eager to run around and play outside, for others it may be a little harder to pry them from their precious screens.
Staying indoors is fine, but getting some fresh air and exercise is good for your health, especially for a child’s. Considering the growing problem of childhood obesity and other such concerns, it’s important that parents make sure that their kids are active enough and enjoying the outdoors as well. Tablets, television shows and books can be good, especially if there is a creative or educational element to them, however being active is also important.  What better way to get kids to play than entice them with going outside?

If your child is reluctant to go outdoors, you can begin by simply moving their usual indoor activities outdoors. Bring books and tablets out into the yard or to the park. Kids are still getting fresh air but just by simply being outside they may eventually feel tempted to run around a bit or participate in games with other children if they happen to be around. You could also use their favorite sedentary activities to inform ideas for more active ones. For instance, if your child loves a show that is about animals that live in the woods, you can entice them with a hike through a national park or local forest trail that you can explore, or even have a pick nick at a woodsy park. If sports are a favorite then try asking them to play or to even teach you what they know. If kids are really into tablet games, you can try and role-play and recreate the game in real life! For instance, if your kids love Angry Birds, you can set up Lego structures with stuffed animals scattered throughout – then you can try and throw soft balls such as hackie sacks at the structures in order to knock them down! This can be a great backyard activity that can get kids moving and playing outside.

www.KDNovelties.com publishes personalized children’s books, gifts, reading and parenting resources.


Get Your Kids Outdoors!

Posted on | by KD Novelties
Get Your Kids Outdoors!

Now that the weather is warming up considerably, it’s time to start playing outside again. Outdoor activities not only encourage a positive relationship with nature and the general outdoors, but they also promote physical activity. Any outdoor game is an adventure, especially when you’re a kid, but sometimes it is a lot harder to give our kids that nudge out of the door. Even though the weather is gorgeous and the plants are beginning to bloom, they may be more preoccupied with television, tablets or other digital devices. While all of these mediums have their own pros and cons, it’s still important to balance how kids spend their time. What you can do is use mediums such as interactive games and personalized books to get kids to play outdoors.

Dreamland Personalized Photo Book

Using games is a great way to entice kids. Use your own imagination to combine playing outdoors with digital or indoor games. Simply bringing mobile devices outdoors or even just on your porch can help ease kids into the open. One great way to motivate kids is to use personalized books. Personalized books provide kids with a story all their own and can be used to help them overcome personal obstacles like learning to ride a bike or potty training. Personalized books from KD Novelties can be used in the same way to entice kids to play outdoors. There are plenty of adventures to choose from, such as My Camping Adventure or My Fishing Adventure personalized kids books. Use these books to get them excited about a camping or fishing trip of your own. Even more fantastical books, like the Dreamland Personalized Photo Book can inspire kids to go outside and use their own backyard as an imaginary forest. Encourage kids to use their imagination and have plenty of real life adventures of their own.