For many of us, we’ve waited a long time for warm weather to come our way. Luckily for us, the wait is over.

With sunny skies outside, what’s a kid to do? According to Fitness magazine, kids can stay fit and active while having a whole lot of fun on not a whole lot of money. Fitness suggests that parents create a Fit-Kid Kit for their children.

The following list of playthings can be placed in the kit and will have your kids ready for summer fun:

• Rubbermaid’s utility tub
• First Fitness Obstacle Course
• Gertie rubber balls
• Little Tikes Big Swing & Ball Set
• Gertie hoop and basketball set
• Alex Toys’ Catch ‘n Stick Monster Mitts
• Wham-O’s Original Hula Hoop

For less than $80, all of the above items can be bought. Of course, parents can leave out or add in specific items since they know their children and their children’s interests best. The idea is to include playthings that get kids moving and having fun without paying a fortune.

American Girls and Build-A-Bear have nothing on Ridemakerz. Just ask the boys who shop there.

Ridemakerz is a toy car shop; seven of them are currently in business across the country. Of course, they’re popular with boys. But dads and moms and even sisters are finding Ridemakerz a pretty fun place to be. 

Ridemakerz market to the preteens with their “rimz” and “decalz” and “enginez” and “ridez” and prices too. Accessories for the cars and trucks start at $2.50 while the toy cars themselves start at just $15.00. Ridemakerz is targeted for the beginner who wants to make the toy car of his or her dreams out of 600 million possible combinations.

If the sound of Ridemakerz revs your child’s engine, check out their website. Your child can start picking parts and comparing cars or even planning a Ridemakerz party. Hold on tight; it’s a fun ride!

Milestones in typical play development for babies are important signs that indicate overall healthy growth and progress. Since you know your baby like no one else, it’s a good idea to be aware of the general skills babies develop at different ages. The following milestones are provided by the Pathways Awareness Foundation and approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

By 3 months

• Reaches for a nearby toy while on their tummy

While lying on their back…

• Visually tracks a moving toy from side to side
• Attempts to reach for a rattle held above their chest
• Keeps head in the middle to watch faces or toys

By 6 months

While lying on their back…

• Transfers a toy from one hand to the other
• Reaches both hands to play with feet

By 9 months

• In a high chair, holds and drinks from a bottle
• Explores and examines an object using both hands
• Turns several pages of a chunky (board) book at once
• Imitates others in simple play

By 12 months

• Finger-feeds self
• Releases objects into a container with a large opening
• Uses thumb and pointer finger to pick up tiny objects

By 15 months

• Stacks two objects or blocks
• Helps with getting undressed
• Holds and drinks from a cup

With these guidelines, don’t forget to adjust your baby’s age according to prematurity. And trust your instincts when it comes to your child-if you sense something is wrong or have general questions or concerns, turn to a health professional to get the help you need. Better safe than sorry when it comes to your baby’s development.

I just discovered the super-cute Natural Pod website. One of their creative play items was featured in Oxygen magazine. The balance board was profiled and sounds like lots of fun. Basically, parents and children can take turns on the board, maneuvering balls along a labyrinth by alternating body positions on the balance board. It’s meant to increase motor skills and keep you active, all while having a great time.

Natural Pod promotes “natural items for play and daily living that are mindful creative and inviting for your family”. They have lots and lots of great stuff in all of the following areas:

• dolls & accessories
• stacking toys
• imaginative play
• house play
• bath toys
• musical instruments
• wooden bikes
• fagus vehicles
• trucks trains & boats
• arts & crafts
• fairies & gnomes
• games & activities
• clothing

If you have the time and haven’t done so before, check out what Natural Pod has to offer. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Today’s New York Times Magazine has a fascinating article about the science of play. While it is quite involved and admittedly, a tad over my head, here’s one paragraph that jumped out at me:

Parents bobble between a nostalgia-infused yearning for their children to play and fear that time spent playing is time lost to more practical pursuits. Alarming headlines about U.S. students falling behind other countries in science and math, combined with the ever-more-intense competition to get kids into college, make parents rush to sign up their children for piano lessons and test-prep courses instead of just leaving them to improvise on their own; playtime versus résumé building.

Maybe it’s a mom-guilt thing, but there is constant pressure to get your little one on the “baby dean’s list.” Is J.J. getting enough free play time? Should I sign him up for enrichment programs? What’s the right balance? How will he get into a top college if I can’t get him into a top pre-school? And, how is his current activity load going to affect his social and academic future?

Then the rational part of me takes a step back and realizes there’s no need to stress. He’s got the next 18 or so years to go to school everyday and do homework, so if he lingers around the TV or his non-educational toys a little longer on a given day, what’s the big deal? And, besides, no matter what the science says (if you can decipher that article and summarize it for me, you get extra credit!), lots of learning takes place through play.

Just think about some of the interaction you share together during the infant months, for instance:

Game: Peekaboo
What baby is learning: Object Permanence (the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight)

Game: Pat-a-Cake
What baby is learning: Rhythm and coordination

Game: Opening and closing the light
What baby is learning: Cause and effect

See? Learning can be fun. So  put the flashcards down for a few minutes, and go act silly with your kids. Or better yet, let them play on their own, how they want. Your job is to sit back and observe — you just may learn something.