Ringing in Spring!

Well, it's the beginning of Spring...that means warmer weather, clear skies, and of course....tornadoes here in Oklahoma! However, in between the tornadoes and hopefully rain, we will begin to see glimpses and days of warm weather and beautiful sunshine. I don't know about you all, but I start to get excited for all the Spring activities and outside adventures to be had as the warmer weather starts to come around the corner.

So, let's start to think about ringing in spring and how to gear up for being active with your kids this spring and summer. It is so important that you encourage your children to spend time outdoors as the weather permits. Being outside means they are running around, breathing fresh air, and just generally learning to entertain themselves. This is  not only great for their health and development, but provides an opportunity for you as a parent to be outside as well.

Though the weather may be touch and go for the next couple of weeks, when you can take the opportunities to go outside with your family and do something active. A healthy lifestyle is so important, and one of the first steps to being healthy is getting outside and moving around, breathing clean air, and getting your heart rate up - a simple evening or lunch time walk with your family will do the trick. Plus, if your children are outside playing hard, they may sleep better at night then if they sat inside all day playing video games, watching TV, or laying around on the couch. Encourage your family to play outside more as spring makes its first approach.

Plus, there is a TON to do outside in the Oklahoma City Metro area. Below, I have included the link to the OKC Parks Guide. This guide is full of outside activities at the Bricktown Canal, the Myraid Botanical Gardens, the Martin Park Nature Center, and lists many of the lakes and swimming pools in the area: http://www.okc.gov/parks/documents/2011parksguidelowfinal.pdf
Parks are a great way to entertain your family, while being in the outdoors.

Here's another great link with 50 FREE activities in the Metro area. Some are indoors, but most are outdoors and all of them are FREE and a ton of fun: http://www.travelok.com/article_page/50-free-things-to-do-in-oklahoma

This article is for the big adventurers in the group. It outlines 17 ideas for spring and summer activities with your kids. It includes everything from horseback riding, hiking and rock hopping, to exploring nature trails and state parks all over the state of Oklahoma: http://www.travelok.com/article_page/outandaboutwiththekids

Here is a small list from FamilyFriendlyAmerica.com, that includes a  few activities to do all over the state of Oklahoma: http://www.familyfriendlyamerica.com/oklahoma.html

And of course, Metro Family Magazine offers a weekly and monthly calendar of both paid and FREE events that are constantly going on in the Metro area and beyond. We post this calendar every Friday with the weekend activities, however here is a direct link to the Metro Family Magazine calendar: www.metrofamilymagazine.com/Calendar

I hope each of you are able to find activities among these resources that will appeal to you and your families. Be sure to keep an eye out on the Family Builders' Facebook and Twitter pages (@fambuildersok) for more family-friendly spring and summer activities. Enjoy your week and enjoy your kids!