Step2

No one ever said raising a child would be easy. Between making sure your child is eating balanced meals and getting in enough physical activity, the endless concerns can make ones head spin. Luckily, Parents.com has listed 20 healthy snacks that your kid can enjoy. Along with healthy eating, active play and creativity add to the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

Healthy Snacks:

Here are some unique healthy options to substitute for junk food:

Fruit & Cheese Kabobs, Bean & Cheese Quesadillas, Nutty Popcorn & Fruit Mix, Polka Dot Waffle Sticks, & Fruity Salsa

Not only is it important for children to eat healthy snacks, but physical activity is essential to fight childhood obesity and grow up to be healthy. Here are Step2, we encourage active play and creativity.

Play Kitchens

A great way to get children to use their imagination is to allow them to help out while you make them some of these nutritious snacks. If your child has a play kitchen, they can either pretend to make the same foods you are preparing or they can help out with small tasks in the food preparation.

Playhouses

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. It is essential for children to get out and play especially during the summer months. Staying active will help children to gain endurance and appreciate being able to keep up with their friends.

One way to keep kids active and entertained for many hours is with a playhouse.

With healthy snacks and great toys to stimulate the mind and body, children will have a ton of fun being active!

Remember how fun it was to climb trees as a kid, feeling like you were atop the world? Now as mothers, we cringe to even think about our kids at the top of that old oak tree in the back yard. Surely there’s a safe way to let our kids be adventurous and experience that same sense of exhilaration that we experienced.

Climber Toys

Climber toys offer kids ages two and older a chance to explore without the danger of extreme heights and weak branches. These sturdy outdoor play area toys are made of durable plastic and are designed with stairs and slides and places to tunnel, among other features. Your child will get plenty of opportunity to be an outdoor explorer with a climber.

Celebrating Earth Day Everyday

Climber and slide toys are also a good way to make your child aware of the environment and to learn to enjoy spending time outdoors. With childhood obesity a growing problem in the United States, finding enjoyable ways to be active are important. As the climbers are designed in earth tones to resemble trees and shrubs,  you can also use these toys as a segue to teaching your children about real live trees and how the many ways they help the environment.

Temperatures are starting to rise and it looks like spring is coming early this year. To kick off the season of outdoor play, we are running a $2.99 shipping sale now through Monday, March 5.* The following outdoor play items are shipping for $2.99 (up to a $27 savings):

• Clubhouse Climber
• Welcome Home Playhouse
• Skyward Summit
• Naturally Playful Adventure Lodge Play Center
• Naturally Playful Adventure Lodge Play Center w/Glider
• Extreme Coaster

In addition to the $2.99 shipping sale, the following items are 10% off with code S2ADVEXT

• Naturally Playful Adventure Lodge Play Center $809.99 with code
• Naturally Playful Adventure Lodge Play Center w/Glider $899.99 with code
• Extreme Coaster $224.99 with code

We also offer flexible payment options now including PayPal and BillMeLater (on order over $199).

Also on sale through Monday, March 5 is the Fun Fold Jr. Picnic Table. Take 15% off with code S2FF15 making it just $50.99 + $2.99 shipping.

*No promo code necessary for $2.99 shipping. Regular shipping prices resume at 12:00 AM ET March 6, 2012. Valid on US shipments only (to the 48 contiguous states).

Learning to share and take turns is an important part of child development. Buying a children outdoor play set can help parents and caregivers achieve this goal. By having a children’s outdoor play set in the backyard, children will be more likely to attract more of their friends to come to their house to play.

Some of the features that may be included in a playhouse are a climber and slide and a swing set. Not only will children learn the important social skill of taking turns, but will also develop important motor skills as the climb on the climber and swing on the swingset. Of course, even when the playhouse is sturdily constructed children will need plenty of supervision while playing together outside. This is a great time for parents and caregivers to monitor children’s play and offer lots of encouragement and positive reinforcement when a child lets his friend have a turn on the swingset or slide without putting up a fuss.

By giving children plenty of attention while they are playing, and providing encouragement at the right time, parents and caregivers will find teaching children to take turns becomes less of a chore than if they wait until the children are already in the middle of a conflict. It also makes playtime much more fun for everyone.

If you live in a part of the country that limits outdoor play during the winter months, there are still ways to utilize your outdoor toys indoors during the frigid months.

Customer submitted photo of her kids playing on the Big Folding Slide indoors

Try these fun tips from other parents:*

• Move your sandbox indoors and fill it with dried beans
• Turn your living room into a playground with an indoor/outdoor friendly fold-up slide
• Set up a picnic table in the kitchen for kid-friendly seating during family events
• Take a roller coaster ride through the family room
• Play mini-golf indoors
• Set up a small climber in your child’s bedroom. One mom said by doing this, her son “loves to put his toys on the platform and throw them down the slide as well as climb up and down the slide.”

Check out additional ideas for indoor fun at The Stir, a cafemom blog.

*Step2 recommends adult supervision with the use of these toys

Most people who buy a Step2 playhouse or outdoor toy imagine their toddlers and preschoolers from around the neighborhood enjoying play time in their new clubhouse. Some imagine their playhouse occupied by a pet dog or cat. At least one pictured a mountain lion living in her Clubhouse Climber!

Nancy from Nevada sent us this picture of her pet mountain lion enjoying a Step2 Clubhouse Climber. This big cat is 7 feet long and weighs about 175 pounds, but she loves to nap and play in her playhouse!