admin, Author at 3 Kids and Us

Why are Children so Obsessed with Trucks?

November 19, 2016 by admin

“Mum, there’s a truck!” are the cries that many parents are all too familiar with and there’s just something about trucks that make them completely fascinating to children. From their tipping abilities to the deep roaring sound they make when they go past – kids can be entertained for hours watching trucks. And it’s not only boys who love to play with trucks, daughters love them too and what’s even better than toy trucks? Real trucks of course!

Tilt Tray Trucks

Hiring trucks is fairly easy and there are many reasons why a truck may need to be rented, from moving house to transporting heavy machinery. Affordable tilt tray hire can be organised online through a reputable company and below are some of the features that every rented tilt tray truck should come with:

Fitted with ROPs
Long range fuel tanks
Safety equipment
Hand rails
A reversing camera
Emergency stop features
Container locks

Information like this can always be found on a company website when organising the rental vehicle.

Top Tip: It is important to ensure that children who are around big trucks are monitored at all times, as the excitement of seeing a truck in person can lead to accidents.

Other Trucks

Kids don’t care what type of truck it is; as long as it makes lots of noise, picks things up and is big they will love it. Some parents may need to rent a service truck and these are often used for professional purposes to transport different products and materials. Renting a truck is a great way to get things from A to B without having to find the spare cash to invest in one and it can be a cost effective way to make use of a truck as and when one is needed.

Below is a list of some of the most popular trucks that are available to hire through reputable rental companies:

Backhoes
Tippers
Vacuums
Prime Movers
IT Loaders
Skid Steer
Water Carts

They all serve a slightly different purpose and it is a good idea to contact the provider before booking anything to get some professional advice about which type of truck will best suit different needs.

Plant hire in Perth from Total Plant Hire is an example of the type of reputable and affordable rental company that should be contacted to organise a rental truck and the best rental companies will always have a website people can look at before making a booking.

It’s true, children love to play with trucks but so do adults and they can be extremely useful when it comes to transporting anything from heavy equipment to household belongings to a different location. Buying a truck isn’t always necessary and it is usually far better value to simply rent one as and when it’s needed and this is also a great way to ensure that the right truck is used for different purposes.

Age-Appropriate Youth Training For Your Kids’ Well Being

November 15, 2016 by admin

Parents should encourage their kids to perform different youth training activities. According to a systematic review, it is recommended that youths have an average of no less than 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity each day. More vigorous intensity activities like muscle and bone strengthening activities should be included 3 or more times per week. They also added that majority of the physical activity should be aerobic activities.

Age-Appropriate Activities

Studies showed multiple evidences that the youth should perform 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. Youth training activities must be developmentally appropriate, enjoyable and varied. The best way for your kids to engage in exercise is to incorporate it in their daily activities and make it a fun opportunity rather than a chore to finish. Different activities work for different age groups so it is important to determine which activities are appropriate for your kid’s age and capabilities.

School-age

Commitment and interest go with ability. Traditional sports and playing outdoors are both great opportunities for exercise. What’s most important in school-age youth is the kind of activity they truly enjoy. When kids enjoy what they do, they are more likely to excel at it and get motivated to do more of it. Communities and schools often have aerobic activities like soccer and T-ball which are great opportunities for your kid to get some aerobic exercise while meeting new friends and having fun.

Teenagers

School sports and after-school activities like skating or yoga are great exercise for teens. Because of the numerous choices teens have it is important to ensure that their chosen physical activity are planned to accommodate commitments and responsibilities at home, in school and in the community.

Benefits of Youth Training

Exercise is not only important to adults but also in the youth. Growing numbers of research point to great benefits of youth training on kids’ well-being. Kids who regularly exercise are known to have stronger bones and muscles, have leaner bodies with less fat, have improved mood, good academic performance, better outlook on life, improved sleep and wake cycles, and have lower risk of developing diseases. Below are the benefits of youth training:

Academic performance improves with appropriate youth training. Various studies from 2009, 2011 and 2015 found that a 20 minute walk improved scores in arithmetic, reading and spelling. A 2015 study showed that 4 sessions a week of high intensity PE for 4 months led to better cognitive ability score and higher grades at school

Endurance develops when kids get aerobic exercise. Basketball, bicycling, skating, soccer, swimming, and running are great examples of aerobic activity. Their hearts beat faster and their breaths are deeper during aerobic activity and when done regularly for a long time, it strengthens the heart and improves circulation.

Flexibility improves with exercises like stretching by allowing joints and muscles to move easily with their full range of motion. Practicing a split or doing a cartwheel are great activities that can improve their flexibility. Teaching them proper stretching exercises and the correct form also help.

Strength can be enhanced with properly supervised weight training. When done properly, it is a safe and helpful preparatory activity for sports. Climbing, wrestling and head stands work great for muscle toning and enjoyable as well. The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology supports resistance training in the youth as a relatively safe exercise to improve overall health when done with proper training methods. A resistance training program that is within a youth’s capacity with gradual progression under supervision can lead to health and functional benefits like endurance, flexibility, strength, balance, coordination and power.

How Does the Weather Affect Hiking?

November 14, 2016 by admin

Going out hiking can be a great way to spend an afternoon, or even a full weekend. However, if you go out unprepared, a fun trip can turn into a dangerous situation in very little time. The weather can change what you need to bring with you, and it can even make you more susceptible to dangerous environmental effects. If you are planning to go out hiking in the near future, make sure the last thing you do before heading out is to check the local radar weather.

Knowing What the Weather Holds Can Keep You Safer

The news is dotted with people who went out for a quick hike, but then got in trouble. Rain hit and they got stranded, or it got hotter than they expected and they got stuck without water. These stories are often completely avoidable by knowing what type of weather to expect while you are out.

By turning to a hiking and weather app, you can be prepared. You can bring the clothing to keep you comfortable, and the water needed to keep you safe. Also, you know where to go and where to avoid if something like a rainstorm were to hit. For those that are worried about changes in the weather from when you leave the house until you get safely back home, you can also keep a weather application on your phone.

Turning to a weather app like Weather Bug gives you a lot of benefits when you want to go out hiking. You can see what the weather is like when you leave, so you can make sure you are prepared. Plus, you can get instant updates as the weather changes, ensuring that you are always kept in the loop and can stay safe, no matter where a trail may take you.

Choosing your Photographer is Like Choosing your Dress

November 14, 2016 by admin

The big day is approaching, things are being arranged, the cake is on order, the live music is arranged, and the reception venue is booked. For the bride and groom, perhaps the most important person, is the one who will capture the day’s events, the photographer. These days, with video so widely used, the term videographer is a more accurate description of the services provided at a wedding. The videographer will be experienced in all aspects of photography, and would prepare for the event by meeting the happy couple a few days prior to the wedding.

Don’t take chances

The person you select to undertake this role must be someone with experience. Asking a friend who happens to own a DSLR camera is not advised, as it is putting a lot of pressure on someone who may not relish the challenge, not only that, there is so much at stake, and no chance of a second bite at the cherry. If the wedding happens to be in Western Australia, Dream Day Productions amazing wedding videos clearly show how professional the service is, and with a range of packages, there is something to suit every budget.

Experience counts

Like anything else, the more often a person does something, the better they become at it, and if the wedding videographer has a few hundred notches on their belt, one can relax. A person’s wedding day is not the time for trying new settings or cameras, and certainly not for amateurs who are trying to polish their technique.

Planning the still images

The wedding videographer would want to know how many guests are invited, and also would need to visit the marriage and reception venues, an essential step, as he or she can decide the angles and positions for some of the more important shots. The complete schedule should be given to the videographer as soon as possible, as this is essential for the photographer to make their plan complete.

The package

If someone wanted a Perth wedding video commissioned, there are reputable online wedding videographers, and with a range of packages, to suit every taste. Typically, a wedding video is a compilation of the highlights of the day, and might include,

The bride and groom arriving at the wedding venue.
The guests arriving.
The wedding ceremony.
Outside the venue, including one large shot of all the congregation with the newlyweds.
The couple with selected guests.
The reception (including all the speeches and the cutting of the cake).

The still images would include the traditional pictures, and any that the bride and groom specifically require.

Time to relax

For the lucky young couple, once they have chosen the videographer, they can relax, knowing the entire day will be professionally captured and produced. For the lucky couple, the honeymoon should begin when they arrive at the reception venue, and with everything taken care of, they can mingle with the guests and enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Don’t Forget Your Lunch Money: Top Tips and Tech to Help Your Kids Be More Self-Reliant

November 13, 2016 by admin

It can be hard work getting your kids up and ready for the day each morning, making sure they do all their chores, clean their teeth, pack their school bags, and everything else. Some kids may be good at it, but for most parents it is a daily challenge.

Here are some tips to help make your mornings easier, as well as some useful apps that your kids can use to become more self-reliant.

Give Them Responsibilities

Create a schedule of chores for your children. Set simple tasks for them to do, like cleaning their teeth and packing their bags. Then provide them with a visual way to see what they have accomplished, like a chart for them to check off.

Reward Them for Hard Work

When your kids have chores to do, make sure these are prioritized, and then reward them for their hard work. For example, you could let them watch TV for half an hour once they have done them all, and this way they’ll learn that hard work is rewarded.

Get Some Help from Useful Apps

These days, there are lots of apps available that can help your kids to become more self-reliant. If your kids have smartphones, download some useful apps for them and encourage them to use them.

One to try out is Remember the Milk. This is one of the most popular reminder apps, and it is ideal for older children. It’s a great way to organize tasks and mark them off, and you can help them to fill out their tasks to tick off.

A weather app can be useful as well. If they are going out to school or play and deciding what to wear, they will need to know what the weather will be like. Download this weather app by Apalon Apps for a free and accurate weather forecast, and encourage them to check the weather themselves rather than asking you.

For older kids, Evernote is the perfect organization app. Create a shared folder and use it to update tasks. Create a checklist in a note for each of your children, and then you can see when they mark off their tasks.

Or you could use the Google Drive app. Create a shared spreadsheet in Sheets, and write down tasks for all of your kids. You can all access the spreadsheet at the same time, and they can then mark them off or add their own notes.

Time Timer is a good timer app that you may want to try out. Time management is a useful skill for kids to learn, and this app can help them develop their skills.

Help Your Kids to Become More Self-Reliant

These are some useful tips and apps to help your kids become more self-reliant. Helping your kids to help themselves can be a long process, but it can also be an enjoyable and rewarding one. So follow these tips, and try out some of the above apps to improve your kids’ morning routine.

This guest post was written by Kyle Thomas, a dad of two sons ages 5 and 7. He writes about parenting from a Father’s perspective, and shares some tips and stories in his articles.