The serious problem of childhood obesity was hitting the headlines again this week. It stemmed from a pronouncement by Dr. David Ludwig, an obesity expert at Children’s Hospital Boston which was supported by Lindsey Murtagh, a lawyer and researcher at Harvard’s School of Public Health. In today’s blog we’d like to inform you of these developments and show you, through the use of outdoor activity toys and other fun activity toys, how the problem of childhood obesity can be combated effectively.

In an editorial for the Journal of the American Medical Association, Ludwig and Murtagh stated that “State intervention may serve the best interests of many children with life-threatening obesity, comprising the only realistic way to control harmful behaviors.” In other words, should a family’s children grow to a significant level of obesity, child services should intervene and have them removed from their homes.

They continued: “In severe instances of childhood obesity, removal from the home may be justifiable from a legal standpoint because of imminent health risks and the parents’ chronic failure to address medical problems.”

It’s sad that we live in a society where such extreme measures are deemed appropriate and are advocated by leading experts in the field. The problem of childhood obesity is one that we need to get under control, but it pains us to think that state intervention is being seriously considered as a potential solution. Just as we stated in our post on video game violence, we do not think that families should be told how to live their lives by the state – on the whole it should be up to the parents how they wish to bring up their kids.

However, if parents are willing to allow their kids to get into such a state of obesity that their lives are quite literally under threat, should those parents be allowed to keep their children, knowing that they are slowly killing them by allowing them to continue living a grossly unhealthy lifestyle? Probably not, to be honest.

It should be noted that Ludwig and Murtagh aren’t talking about any regular obese child, but rather children with a severe issue. They are talking about those children that have a body mass index at or above the 99th percentile, a point where their health is at severe risk. But the unfortunate fact is that there are around two million children in the United States that fit within that group, and we can’t very well take them all from their homes can we?

Though we can’t hope to to solve this complex problem of childhood obesity, we would like to provide parents with some suggestions as to how they can get their kids active, and thus push them towards a healthier lifestyle.

Here at Elite Toy Store we have an entire range of educational and fun activity toys. These fun activity toys come in the form of indoor and outdoor kits and we have options suited to all budgets. Fun activity toys are proven to provide an impetus for your child to get exercising and having fun without be forced to do so.

If the problem of childhood obesity is a concern for you, then consider purchasing some outdoor activity toys. One of the most fun, time-tested ways to get kids (and big kids too!) exercising is on a trampoline. Bouncing around on a trampoline is a great way to get all of those important parts moving and on top of that it’s just so much fun to do. And when it come to outdoor activity toys, Elite Toy Store has lots to chose from, such as our Jumpking Bazoongi trampolines which are recognized as some of the safest and most innovative trampolines on the market in terms of design, so you can be sure that you are getting a tried and trusted product.

We all remember the joys of the playground and the jungle gym when we were kids and, even with the powerful influence of video games and the internet, kids today still can’t resist the allure of a good, well-equipped playground. Slides, swings, tunnels, see-saws – all these things make for exciting and fun outdoor activity toys that are sure to get your kids out and about and enjoying themselves. Check out Elite Toy Store’s full selection of outdoor activity toys today and cut out the problem of childhood obesity in your family before it starts!

This week a California video game censorship law was overturned in the Supreme Court. If the law had been allowed to stand it would have outlawed the sale or rental of violent video games to minors (anyone under the age of 18) in the state. Retailers who violated the act would have been fined up to $1,000 for each infraction. It covered games “in which the range of options available to a player includes killing, maiming, dismembering, or sexually assaulting an image of a human being,” depicted in a way that “a reasonable person, considering the game as a whole, would find appeals to a deviant or morbid interest of minors,” that is “patently offensive to prevailing standards in the community as to what is suitable for minors” and that “causes the game, as a whole, to lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.”

However the proposed law was duly struck down by a 7-2 vote in the Supreme Court where it was deemed that the law would violate the First Amendment rights if minors. Justice Antonin Scalia conceded that “no doubt a state possesses legitimate power to protect children from harm,” but added “that does not include a free-floating power to restrict the ideas to which children may be exposed.” She pointed towards the inherent violence in many early fairy tales such as Hansel and Gretel and Snow White to support her decision. “Certainly the books we give children to read – or read to them when they are younger – contain no shortage of gore,” she said.

Though a precedent has now been set, effectively making it unconstitutional to restrict the sale of violent video games, it should be realized that there must have been a fair proportion of citizens in favor of the ban for it to garner so much attention in the first place. It is our opinion that this is a worrying trend. The federal or state government should not have the right to interfere in the relationship between child and parent, or to regulate it in like manner. Many of our constitutional rights are being whittled away under the guise of “protecting” us, but people, and especially parents, should be free to make their own decisions on what is best for them and their families.

Do we advocate violent video games in any way? Absolutely not. Gratuitous violence in video games aimed at children and young adults is unnecessary and upsetting, but most parents feel the same way and will regulate their kids playing of such games accordingly. And those that aren’t bothered by their kids playing such games – well that is their right to feel that way and it is their right to raise their kids as they see fit.

At this point the only argument that still stands is that the playing of violent video games can lead to kids becoming violent in real life. If such a thing were proven, then it would indeed result in a stronger case for the banning of such games in the manner the California law proposed. But here’s the thing: There is absolutely no solid evidence for any correlation between violent video games and violent behavior. As the respected folks at PBS report in a great article called “Reality Bytes: Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked,” the rate of juvenile violent crime in the United States is at a 30-year low. They also point out that “the overwhelming majority of kids who play [video games] do not commit antisocial acts.”

Crucially, according to a 2001 U.S. Surgeon General’s report, the strongest risk factors for school shootings centered on mental stability and the quality of home life, not media exposure. This proves that no measure of government intervention can ensure the safety of our kids in practical terms, and it is the quality of home life, not media exposure, that is essential. As a result we should be focusing on being better parents and ensuring that our children have the best possible upbringing, not looking to the state to tell us what to do.

To conclude, if kids are encouraged to engage with educational toys and games from a young age all of this controversy could be avoided. It is important that we strive to improve our children’s lives using the home as our base and making reliable informed decisions along the way, not relying on others to make those decisions for us.

Everyone loves the summer. Most of us know it as a time of sunshine, beaches and vacations. But it has an even greater appeal for kids who get an almost three-month long summer break from school. We all know how important good schooling is for our kids, but we must also remember when we were young and how much we looked forward to summer vacation. It’s a time when kids get to play each and every day and concentrate on their hobbies and interests, as well as attend summer camps and engage in other such fun activities.

            Summer truly is magical when you’re a kid, there’s no denying that. But there is a very real issue we would like to raise in today’s blog, one which suggests that it’s probably not a good idea to let children forget about school completely during summer vacation. It’s a problem called Summer Learning Loss. Summer Learning Loss is the name given to the loss of academic skills and knowledge that can take place over the course of summer vacation. This perceived loss in learning varies between different age groups and different grades, and also effects certain subjects more than others, studies have shown. On average it has been found that students score lower on standardized tests at the end of the summer than they do at the beginning of the summer break from school (on the same test). Summer Learning Loss for all students is estimated to be equal to about 1 month of schooling, but as we said above it can vary between subjects. Math seems to be worst effected with students losing an average of almost three months of learning over the summer. That’s a lot of math teaching gone down the drain!

            You may not be aware of the prevalence of  Summer Learning Loss, but it has been recognized for quite some time that the summer break from school is a period when students’ rate of academic development declines significantly relative to the school year. In fact, two-thirds of the academic achievement gap in reading and language found among high school students has been explained through the learning loss that occurs during the summer months of the primary school years, so it’s not just math learning that is severely impacted either.

            Of course this is leading to the inevitable question; What can be done to tackle Summer Learning Loss? Year Round Education has been proposed as an alternative method of schooling, but this is a long way from ever becoming Department of Education policy – and would we really want that for our kids anyway? It’s really down to you to make sure your kids’ minds are being stimulated throughout the summer break from school. This doesn’t mean you should coup them up inside at a desk with a stack of books to go through all summer long, but rather you should try and engage them in fun activities and games that promote learning and give their young brains a good workout!

            Here at Elite Toy Store we have some great options for you in this department. For the younger kids we recommend the Talking Hot Dots Pen which comes as part of the Hot Dots Jr. Getting Ready for School Set. This friendly talking pen is suitable for kids of pre-kindergarten age and up and helps promote early learning with lights and sound effects that guide children through 160 different activities. Additional pens are available separately to allow multiple children to use the kit at once, making this a great group activity for a bunch of friends to try out! The Talking Hot Dots Pen provides immediate feedback that rewards progress and corrects mistakes so children can learn at their own pace – the ideal antidote to Summer Learning Loss! The set includes 80 richly illustrated, double-sided activity cards that are pressure-sensitive and work in conjunction with the Talking Hot Dots Pen.

            For grades 2 and up we have a great learning game from the folks at Educational Insights called the WORDiac. The sleek look and feel of a hand-held video game encourages students to practice using important vocabulary words that they will encounter in textbooks and on standardized tests. As students play fun word games and take quick quizzes, they review over 1,000 important content-area and academic vocabulary words. There are beginner and advanced levels so that kids of all ages can take advantage of this great learning tool. It even presents questions in standardized test format!

            There you have it, two great ways to stave off the negative effects of Summer Learning Loss during the extended summer break from school. The Talking Hot Dots Pen and the WORDiac are available from Elite Toy Store now, both priced at $39.99 and eligible for free shipping. Don’t miss out!

A “Quad Bike” allows toddlers to love bike riding and build confidence. It starts as a “Quad-Cycle.” As the child learns hand and foot coordination they have 4 wheels. The next step is the tricycle. Not just any tri-cycle. A unique design that allow the 2 wheels to be in the rear or the front. The dual wheels in the front will provide better stabilization and lower the risk of injury. Unlike their predeccors with the dual rear wheels. As the toddler grow and develops, take the next step. Now he/she is ready for the next step; bi-cycle. The traditional bike for “whenever the child is ready.”  The two wheel bike builds self esteem, gross motor skills and promotes excercise.

Are architects, designers and builders made or born? Do they discover their love of construction and color in school? Or when they’re children playing with Legos and Barbies? What happens once they’ve outgrown their blocks?

If the love of all things “house” is genetic, an excellent way to keep your little designer’s imagination alive is to build a dollhouse with him or her. Building a dollhouse allows parent and child to share the fun of learning construction, architectural design, electricity and interior design.

Local miniature shops display kits of all styles and sizes. A kit supplies precut wood and instructions that, when finished, are the framework for continued creativity.

Electrifying a dollhouse teaches the basic principles of electricity. Dollhouse electrical kits make things easy, with a complete instruction booklet and supplies. It’s fun to shop for chandeliers, fireplaces and lamps, once the wiring is done.

This article was originally published by Gretchen Eberle.