Children need to be active to be healthy. It's a parent's job to keep them inspired to do so. However, some children are less than enthusiastic when it comes to exercise. Sometimes exercise has just gotten to be routine and mundane. If that sounds like your family life, try the following fun activities to get those kids active. In fact, don't just try these fun activities, use them often and make it a regular practice to get the best results.

Family Dance Sessions
This might be the most obvious of all these activities, but dance is an excellent way to incorporate activity in your child's daily life. Many, if not all, kids love dancing. Whether they know any fancy moves or not, crank up the kid-appropriate music and let them have some fun. To make it even more fun, turn it into a family dance session.

Video Games
Many video games are not considered active play. However, game designers are getting much more inventive. There are now games where the players are required to do physical activity in order for the game to function. Players may need to dance, run, jump, cast a virtual fishing pole, and more. The Wii Fit Games are a perfect example of these games.

Active Games
Remember those classic games you played as a kid before the invention of all these high tech toys kids have nowadays? Guess what? Kids still love these games. Duck Duck Goose, Red Rover, Simon Says, Charades, jump rope games, hopscotch, and Mother May I are just some of many examples. All of these classic games keep kids active during play.

Chores
Now some of you might read this and say "How exactly are children going to enjoy this one." But some kids do in fact love chores and there are certain chores that don't seem like chores at all. To make it fun, you can play assembly line while washing dishes or doing laundry. Each person can do a step. You can even dance or sing during chores. Smaller kids can race grocery baskets of toys to the toy box.

Family Field Trips
Field trips aren't just for school groups and homeschooling families. Visit zoos and museums often. Purchasing yearly memberships can help you remember to go. Walking around to view the exhibits all day long is excellent exercise. Many kids will not even be thinking about this as exercise. They'll be too busy having fun.

This article was originally published by Lyn Lomasi at Associated Content from Yahoo!

by Lyn Lomasi

Kids can garden, too!
It might seem that gardening is too complicated for kids, but that isn't true at all. In fact, kids can be some good horticulturists if given the chance.

There are plants that grow well in Houston and are easy for kids to garden and maintain. Start kids out in gardening with the easiest plants and let them work their way up from there. 

Before getting your Houston kids gardening, be sure they have the essential supplies. Suggested gardening supplies include tools, gloves, proper soil and food for the plants, a child-sized wheelbarrow and desired garden decorations. Houston soil is more like clay, so good garden soil is recommended for the best results.

Sunflowers
Sunflowers are one of the easiest flowers for kids to start out with. They come in various sizes, making them versatile to grow, no matter the size of the garden bed. Sunflowers thrive in the warm Houston climate.

Portulaca
Portucala, also known as moss rose, is a fun and interesting plant for the kids to grow. The unique shape and texture of this flower delight kids, as do the colors. Portulaca is a good flower to grow in Houston because it blossoms in the sun.

Vinca
Vinca are a favorite of my own kids. These were some of the first flowers they planted in Houston and they continue to come up each year. Not only are Vinca beautiful, but they grow very fast in Houston. Kids can sometimes be a little impatient, so Vinca can help in that area. Our vincas bloom almost the entire year in Houston because of the favorable weather.

Herbs
Herbs are very simple to grow in most any climate. They can be grown outdoors or in a window box container. Herbs need good sunlight to grow, which makes them perfect for Houston. It can make kids feel special when their parents use the herbs they've grown to make family meals.

Chives
Chives often grow wild in Houston, but if your yard doesn't have any, this is one of the simplest plants for kids to grow. Like the herbs, chives can grow outside or in a window box. Give the chives plenty of water and sunshine for the best results. As with the herbs, kids love it when their chive plants are used in the cooking. We like to use them in homemade salsa, chili, and other Tex-Mex dishes.

by Jaipi Sixbear

Ready to get out of Denver for the weekend? Why not take a fall camping trip to see the biggest pile of sand ever? Camping is available year round at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Mosca, Colorado. These dunes are the largest in the nation, some measuring over 750 feet.

The Great Sand Dunes were and are formed by the erosion of the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo mountains. The wind carries the sand to this location in the San Luis valley naturally. Two winds meet here, carrying the sand, which drops to the ground below.

The scenery at the dunes is always changing due to the blowing and drifting sand. No picture justifies the Great Sand Dunes, which are set against a beautiful mountain backdrop. In the fall, the colors of the dark blue snow capped mountain contrast with autumn leaves and glistening sand for an unmatched setting.

Why camp in the Denver city limits when this beautiful national monument is so close to home? If you live in Denver and have never seen the Great Sand Dunes, this is a great weekend excursion. Do a little fall camping here before warm weather takes its' final bow.

Fall weather in the Great Sand Dunes fluctuates. There will be hot days where the sand burns your toes. Don't wear sandals, for just this reason. There will also be days that are quite chilly in the fall. Snow is a real possibility at this altitude. Check the weather prior to venturing out.

The nicest thing about fall camping at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is that the summer crowds have dissipated. Medano creek is very popular with the summer fun crowd but there are some fall days when the creek provides a nice cool off too.

In addition to the dunes, the Great Sand Dunes park features grasslands, shrub lands and wetlands to explore. There are horseback riding trails, educational programs, tours, hiking and special kids events.
Don't forget the sand boarding, sledding and skiiing available on the dunes themselves.

For information on fall camping at the Great Sand Dunes go here. You will also find information on all the available activities at the same website. Don't forget to check for “things to know before you come”. This is a very helpful guide on safety and other considerations for visitors.

It seems there's almost a park at every turn in and around the city of Houston. But, which parks are the most advantageous to an educational nature walk with the kids? 

A good park for a nature walk should have plenty of trees, flowers, and other plants. A lake or pond is great for nature walks, as are animals and insects. Nature reserves in Houston can be some of the best parks for nature walks with kids, but smaller Houston parks, and even your own backyard can be great as well. Here are some of the best parks in Houston for watching nature with the kids.

Discovery Green Park is eco-friendly with its LEED certification. This is a great place to teach kids about living green and what it means to be eco-friendly. The park runs on 100% green power and the beautiful landscape, including Discovery Green Gardens, offers beautiful sights for nature walks with kids.

The Houston Arboretum and Nature Center is full of nature waiting to be discovered. View animals and plants thriving in their natural habitats. There are hiking trails, as well as educational classes for students, including those attending home schools. Admission to the park is free, but some programs, events, and classes may require a fee or pre-registration.

Lake Houston Wilderness Park is great for those who have more time for nature walks. Campgrounds are on site for creating a whole family nature adventure. If you aren't quite up to the camping part, don't worry. There still is plenty to do here for a day trip. Hiking and biking trails will provide plenty of great scenery, but for a different nature adventure, try horseback riding or canoeing. All are welcome at the Lake Houston Wilderness Park. While technically, you would instead be doing a nature ride, rather than a nature walk, the horse, bike, or watercraft would be an interesting and new way to view nature's wonders. The Lake Houston Wilderness Park asks that you bring your own horse, watercraft, or bike. Cabins are available for rental, as are walk-in campsites. Be forewarned that there are several snake species lurking at Lake Houston Wilderness Park.