The holiday’s are coming upon us quickly and for most of us that means a joyous season filled with family, friends and gift giving to celebrate the season.

While most of use are sitting in front of a warm fireplace with a warm meal and enjoying the thrill of seeing our children open their gifts from Santa, many others are sitting in cold homes only imagining that they can give their children the gifts their kids so badly want. With the economic conditions these days, we know there are plenty of families that are doing without this holiday season.

Outdoor Play Toys wants to make it just a little bit brighter for 2 lucky families.

If you know of a family that can use a little extra cheer this holiday season, then we want to hear about it!

HOW DO I NOMINATE A FAMILY?

1) Send your nomination to info@outdoorplaytoys.com.

2) Nomination email must include the nominee’s full names, city, state, your name and contact information and a paragraph or two about their situation and why you think they should receive a special gift. (any nomination without all of the information listed will be automatically deleted)

3) Comment on this post that you have made a nomination

4) Like this post to share on Facebook

HOW WILL THE WINNERS BE SELECTED?

1) Outdoor Play Toys will choose 5 nominees from all received. Nominees will be selected based on the impact of the story.

2) The 5 nominees stories will be posted on our Facebook page for public voting. (All personal details will be removed before posting).

3) The 2 nominees with the most votes will receive a special gift based on the children in the home.

WHAT WILL THE WINNERS RECEIVE?

The gifts will be based on the age of the children in the home. Once Outdoor Play Toys has the winners we will evaluate what we feel the best gift is and have it shipped to the winners.

Estimated prize value for each family is $100-$200.

WHAT ARE THE ENTRY DATES?

1) Nominations will be accepted through November 30, 2011.

2) 5 finalists will be posted to our Facebook page on December 4, 2011

3) Public voting will take place from December 4, 2011 – December 9, 2011

4) Gifts will ship to the 2 winners the week of December 12, 2011

Swinging, climbing and sliding are all important parts of childhood play both for health and skill building – and of course the socialization that playing at the park can be bring.

Here are some great places to play in the Amarillo, Texas area which features 60 plus parks.

Image courtesy of Amarillo Globe-News

City View School Park

City View Park is one of Amarillo’s newest parks, completed in 2010. Aside from its state-of-the-art playground, families also can enjoy various other amenities, including a walking trail and sporting facilities. New trees will be planted at the park later this month.

Westover Village Park

Westover Village Park was completed in 2009.

The long, linear-shaped park features one playground, plus a walking trail and sporting facilities.

John Stiff Memorial Park

With 357 acres, John Stiff Memorial Park is Amarillo’s largest park. It features two playgrounds.

A “sensory” playground is set to be installed at the park later this year. That playground, which will replace one of the current facilities, will  accommodate children with  disabilities, Offerdahl said.

The park also offers extensive walking trails, one of two skate parks in Amarillo and sporting facilities. McDonald Lake is located on the western side of the park.

Martin Road Park

Martin Road Park features two main playground areas, plus a skate park.

The park also includes a lake in which families can fish in the spring months, Offerdahl said.

Medical Center Park

The main playground at Medical Center Park is located on the east side of Medical Park Lake.

Families also can enjoy walking trails.

Information courtesy of Amarillo.com

photo courtesy of Michele Whiteaker

A mom blogger in Orange County California was offered a challenge.

KaBOOM!, a national non profit organization dedicated to saving play asked Michele Whiteaker, founder of FunOrangeCountyParks.com, to take her children to as many parks and playgrounds as she could and to map and review each one on the Map of Play.

She accepted the challenge.

Whiteaker set some goals, and has since visited 20 new parks in 12 weeks with her 2 children.  What a great thing for each of us to do with our kids!

Read the full story at OCRegister.com.

Kids are curious – and that is something that parents should constantly encourage and nurture as their child grows. The more they are encouraged to explore and investigate their environment, the more they will learn in a fun way.

National Geographic products are the perfect toy for the more science and nature oriented child. The collection features kids metal Detectors, microscopes for kids, kid friendly telescopes and more. Everything your budding scientist needs to spend hours outside exploring nature!

Outdoor Play Toys is proud to now be a retailer for this great line of products!

Shop for National Geographic Toys!

As most parents begin to do the yearly process of preparing the lawn before the first frost arrives it is important to remember that what goes into your lawn, goes into your kids and pets that play there!

Do you feel confident that your kids could roll safely in your lawn without the effects of pesticides or chemicals playing havoc on their systems?

Spreading poisons on your lawn can result in a lot of illnesses, the worst being leukemia, brain cancer and soft tissue sarcomas. The same applies to our four legged friends. The National Cancer Institute has found that dogs whose owners use 2, 4-D on their lawns are two times as likely to die of cancer compared to those who play on clean lawns.

Scary? You bet! But here are a few suggestions that can help you have a cleaner lawn.

First, do a soil test! Find out what is in your soil so you can know the proper things to add. Your state may offer a service where you can send your soil for testing and recommendations to assist you.

Add organic fertilizer to lawns, this will seep in when the rain falls and makes late season growth stronger and will make the spring lawn spruce up beautifully. Be sure to top the dressing with a quarter inch of compost for the most successful organic lawn care.

If you are hit with a fungus or insects use only organic pesticides that are based on natural, not synthetic, products.

For more in depth information about organic lawn care you can visit Grassroots Healthy Lawn Program and Organic Land Care.

Crafty Kids Playhouses are adorable Eco-Friendly play house that the children can enjoy for hours on end. Let your child’s imagination soar as they decorate their spaceship, castle, cottage or fort. Using markers, paints or crayons they can paint, color and draw their inspiration on each playhouse and then spend hours playing with it after their design is done!

The cardboard playhouses offer sturdy construction, easy assembly and are made int he USA using 100% recycled cardboard.

Right now there is a special deal from Mamapedia where you can buy a $50 certificate for only $25 – a savings of $50%!

Visit Crafty Kids to see the products, then visit Mamapedia to get your 50% off voucher!

On September 24, 2011, in conjunction with Nickelodeon’s 8th annual Worldwide Day of Play, the makers of Clorox2 Stain Fighter and Color Booster want to help give parents a reason to “pledge allegiance” to play with the launch of the Clorox2 Play 2 Day pledge.

Not only is outdoor play fun, it is a stress-buster, brain-booster and friendship builder. It has also proven to help kids perform better in school and become healthier adults. Now, parents can help their children by joining the Play 2Day team by visiting clorox2play2day.com website and taking the pledge.

By making this pledge you will be registering for a chance to win a trip for two to Yosemite National Park.

As part of the Play 2Day program, Clorox2 is partnering with and providing a $50,000 donation to Action for Healthy Kids, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping kids learn about staying active and eating well.

Visit Clorox Play 2Day for more details and information on the program.

There is new study showing that playing in the grass may lessen the symptoms of ADHD, proving that outdoor play has a direct result on the well being of a child.

Children that have ADHD who play outside on a regular basis where there is lots of green grass have proven to have milder ADHD symptoms than those that play indoors or on concrete playgrounds.

Some of the more popular outdoor activities for kids that take place in the grass are playing on swingsets, kite flying,  playing catch and some imaginative play in a play tent.

Previous studies have shown that brief exposure to green outdoor spaces such as fields or parks can improve concentration and the impulse of control in children and adults without ADHD. One study found that just looking at green grass was enough to enjoy these positive benefits.

About 9.5% of children from ages 4-17 are dignosed with ADHD, according to 2007 data from the Centers for Disease COntrol and Prevention. Researchers at the University of Illinois completed this study.

To read more details on the study visit MSNBC ADHD study on grass effects.

The Buddy Bison National park Trust is making plans for a great event! The National Kids to Parks event is scheduled to be held on May 21, 2011 and wants your child to be a part!

Since the 1980′s there has been a steady decline at America’s parks. Children are seeing less of nature and more of the computers and video games. They are losing touch with the beauty of the world around them and the thrill of the simple pleasures like catching bugs and finding new critters and playing in creeks and ponds.

So take some time to unplug with your children, head out together to a local, state or national park and do something fun like take a hike – fly sky high on a swing – play basketball – search for fish and frogs in a lake, whatever your family can come up with, just get out there and do it!

To make it even more fun, you can take along Buddy the Bison – the Kids to Park mascot! Order your Buddy the Bison, take him with you on your journey, take a picture of him in the park you go to and you can submit it online and have it posted in the gallery of places Buddy has been!

So, have you decided to take the pledge? Then head on over to Buddy Bison and sign up for Kids to Park Day and let them know you will support their efforts to bring families together – and OUTDOORS!

Kids want a pogo stick but you don’t want the boo boo’s that come with it?

Then check out this Underwater Pogo Stick for bouncing fun underwater! These are only meant for built in pools though! Great fun for kids of all ages!