If you’re a parent, you always want to give you kids the best toys to play with?toys that keep them busy and will help them learn and grow. Magnetic building blocks are a great toy to encourage your child to experiment with counting, assembling, and problem solving.

Helping Kids Learn

To facilitate their brain development, kids in the three to six year old range should play with toys that encourage problem solving, such as blocks that snap together, and can be sorted by size, shape or color. Your child doesn’t have to be building masterful architecture with his construction sets in order to be learning. He can practice counting and sorting and experiment how things fit together.

Setting Up Their Future

One study found that over 60% of adults in design jobs like architecture liked to play with blocks as children. A magnetic construction set can spark an interest in a promising career at an early age. You might have a budding architect on your hands. Magnetic building toys can also serve as puzzles for kids, and another study found that two thirds of adults in math-related roles like banking and accounting preferred to play with puzzles when they were young. The toys that you give your child to play with now could have a big impact on their future careers as adults.

Encouraging Independent Play

Magnetic building blocks can keep your child engaged for a while. It is recommended that parents provide their young children with 45 to 60 minutes for spontaneous free play, in order to encourage learning and contribute to their children’s overall well-being. Magnetic sets can keep your children in engaged for their free play period.

Good For All Ages

Magnetic building blocks are a good toy for any child from ages 2 to 12. Children at different ages will likely use the blocks in different ways, but this does not matter as long as they are encouraged to play independently, and figure out for themselves how to best use the toys.

Busy Moms

Busy moms (and dads) love magnetic building sets too, because they can get work done while the kids are busy playing. Independent play is good for parents as well as kids, because moms and dads can have a chance to do some work around the house, or just relax and read or watch TV while their children are occupied.

The struggle to provide people in underdeveloped countries with clean water has become a serious global concern. The World Economic Forum recently announced that the water crisis is the #1 global risk backed on impact to society, and this problem will continue to worsen if we do not make a concerted effort to prevent water pollution.

Water pollution is the primary cause of the global water crisis, and about one in five deaths of children under the age of five worldwide is due to a water-related disease. Simply put, these children do not have clean water to drink, and we have the power to provide them with this clean water by halting our incessant pollution. If you’re looking for ways to pitch in and help provide these countries with clean water, here are three simple ways to support the cause:

• Be careful what you put down your drain. Many people are extremely careless when it comes to what they put down their drain, and a lack of water pollution education is partly to blame for these mistakes. You should always place solid debris in a wastebasket, and most liquid waste should also be discarded in the garbage as opposed to drains. Things like oil, fat, and grease should be collected and thrown away, and hygiene products used in the bathroom should generally be thrown into the garbage instead of being flushed down the toilet.
• Use water wisely. Another factor contributing to the global water crisis is a water shortage. When people wastefully use water, it increases the amount of water that needs to be treated before it can go to underdeveloped countries. This makes it harder to treat the water properly, which increases the risk of diseases lurking within. Always be mindful of how much water you are using in the shower and turn the water off when you’re not using it, even if it’s just for a few seconds.
• World Water Day. If you’re looking for the most fun way to prevent water pollution, then look no further than World Water Day. Celebrated every year on March 22, World Water Day is a time to raise awareness of this global crisis and support causes that provide clean water to people who need it the most. World Water Day 2016 will be particularly special because world-renowned swimmer Martin Strel will embark on an around-the-world swim to spread peace, love, and awareness to prevent water pollution.

If Martin Strel can swim for 450 days to raise awareness of water pollution, then you can certainly make a few minor changes to your daily routine to support the cause. Keep these great tips in mind and support Martin on his epic journey to end the effects of water pollution once and for all.

Picture this: you’re out in the woods camping during the summer, and you’ve been in the sun all day. You go to reach for a drink of water… but taste nothing but lukewarm liquid. Ugh! Meanwhile, the ice packs you brought to keep your other drinks cold melted hours ago. If only you had something with you to keep your water or other beverages cool.

Fortunately, you don’t need to suffer through drinking warm water or being unable to keep your drinks cold when you go camping. All you really need to do is find the right cooler. Coolers come in a variety of styles and sizes, so you can be sure that you have the right supplies in the outdoors.

Which cooler sizes and styles will you need for your next camping trip? Use this quick and handy guide to find the cooler that’s right for your needs.

Gauging Cooler Sizes

Cooler sizes are usually measured in terms of the cooler’s capacity. The number you see next to the cooler is usually in quarts; however, some might measure gallons. Smaller coolers may only give you an estimate of the number of cans or bottles that it can hold. When you pick out a cooler, think about the duration of your trip and how many people will join you, then estimate how many drinks each person will need for each day. Once you’ve calculated these figures, you should be able to choose the correct size cooler.

Choosing Different Types of Coolers

Coolers may seem like a one size fits all kind of deal, but they’re actually just as diverse as the reasons people need them. Some coolers are made for camping, hunting, and fishing trips and are designed for being outdoors and in the wilderness for long periods of time and are ideal for the 38 million Americans who hunt and fish. These differ from other cooler types, like marine coolers to store fish or bait when angling. Boat coolers, meanwhile, are often designed to be installed on watercraft; on some ships, they may even be installed as full-on refrigerators and freezers. Sports fans, however, may be familiar with more portable tailgating coolers to hold some of their favorite drinks. Determine how you’ll use your cooler and then make the right choice with regard to style and capacity from there.

Determining How Your Cooler Is Used

Additionally, the type of cooler you choose doesn’t just need to be the right size or have the right amount of portability, even though those factors are important. Think about where the cooler will be used and when. Is it going to be installed permanently on something, like a truck or a boat? Or will it be kept just outside the tent when you go camping? Think about portability, too. A large cooler might sound great, but not if you can’t lift it. Most hikers walk at about two or three miles per hour, so consider backpack coolers if you will be walking a lot.

Which coolers do you think will work best for your needs? Tell us in the comments!

Trout fishing is one of those sports that everyone can enjoy. You don’t need a lot of heavy equipment like boats and such, you just need the right outfit, a box of hooks, some nightcrawlers and if you don’t want your feet to get wet then a pair of wader boots but you can even forego those if you don’t mind getting wet.

You might feel like some fishers have all the luck and they get all the trout but that doesn’t have to be the case. There are certain techniques that work better than others depending on the type of trout you are going for but anyone can learn them; it just takes time, practice and knowledge.

The first and most obvious technique is to make sure that you were actually fishing in water where trout lives. If you are not in trout water you will not catch trout, it’s just not the way it works. So before you even go trout fishing, get a map of where you will be and make sure you are in the right area for the type of fraud you want to catch. So before you even go fishing, get a map of where you will be and make sure you are in the right area for the type of trout you want to catch. Also, make sure you are fishing at the right time of day for the season. Afternoon hours work in the spring but morning hours are better in the summer.

Now take a look at your bait. Night crawlers tend to be the best kind of bait for trout in general. However, anything that works is good; and by work I mean, it lures in the fish. Chub, water worms and hellgramits are also common types of bait used for trout fishing.

Now that you have the basic start up covered, time to work on your actual technique. As with all fishing you must remain quiet at all times. Trout cannot only hear you but they can see you, so try to remain hidden from the main area where the fish are. After you hook your bait once on either end, cast your line upstream allowing it to drift back towards you. Your line will float so it will be easy to tell if you have a bite. Try not to stand in the water while you are waiting for a bite as any movement will disrupt the water and send the fish in another direction. If you do disturb the water, you will have to move on to another pool.

The waiting game is the hardest part of trout fishing for impatient people. You have to remember that the best fishing is done in a relaxing, silent, methodical mood.

What are you doing to connect with your children? What are you doing to remind them of what life can be like without the constant interruption of cell phones, social media updates, and binge television watching? If you are looking for an outdoor adventure that can help you reconnect with your children, river raft trips through parts of the Grand Canyon may be just what you need. A family time to be with each other, cell phones are discouraged, is especially attractive to family with teenagers and college age children. Remind your children what it is like when you have to talk to people to navigate forces greater than yourselves, sleep under the stars with nothing but the night sounds of the canyon, and spend time with your real family instead of your online “friends” and “followers.”
Grand Canyon white water rafting trips offer participants the immense beauty of a world your children will not find on their computer screens or smart phones. The crash of the rapids will drown out any song a personal playlist could create, and provide the immediate gratification of a physical exercise that rafting trips in the Grand Canyon require.
Considered as one of the “Must Visit in a Lifetime” destinations, the Grand Canyon is so vast and so varied that no one trip could tell its entire story. Though widely considered one of the world’s most spectacular canyons, the Grand Canyon is neither the world’s longest or deepest gorge. Its average depth is about one mile and it forces its 277 miles of length along its sinuous path. With the help of experienced raft guides, your family can enjoy a single day adventure or a multi-day trip that includes tent camping and cooking beside a campfire.
Instead of shoving more “stuff” into boxes under the Christmas tree this year, why not take your family on an outdoor adventure they will not soon forget? Giving the gift of your time as well, make this holiday season the first time in many when your teenagers and college age students unplug from their mobile devices and tune into time with their family. Time with nature. Time with beauty. And, time on river raft trips they won’t soon forget.
What are you waiting for? By scheduling river raft trips for your family, you can give your children a history lesson they won’t soon forget. Let them see up close the Colorado River as it cuts through schist, a type of metamorphic rock that is 1.75 billion years old. Traveling through this physical wonder that was created nearly 5 million years ago, nearly half the age of the Earth, Grand Canyon river raft trips will help you create an adventure your family will ask to repeat in their own lifetime.

It’s no secret that young children love to play and mess around. Whether they’re running around on a playground, playing with dolls, or building with construction sets, they love to keep busy. Numerous studies over the years have shown that children need this time to play as a part of their development and learning. Those who play more tend to be happier and more developed by the time they begin preschool or kindergarten.


Research done by Argos, a retail group, further defines the importance of playtime: more than 60% of adults who now work in design-heavy jobs like architecture and design, played with toys like building blocks when they were children. Along the same lines, another study showed that 66% of those working in math-related jobs, like banking and accounting, liked playing with puzzles as children. Similarly, those who played with toys where they created stories, like you would with dolls, tended to be more creative as they aged.


The toys that kids play with during those key years of development play a large part in the rest of their lives, thus proving that playtime is incredibly important for young children. Three to six year olds should be playing with things that have them solve problems, like puzzles with 12 to 20 pieces, blocks that snap together, magnets for kids, collections and other small objects they can sort, etc. It teaches them key skills, like how to sort by length, width, height, shape, color, smell, quantity, and other features. Magnets for kids, building blocks, and construction sets can be incredibly helpful in their development.


While playtime is a time for children to have fun and be a kid, it is also a key piece in their learning and development, both before they begin school and after. Many parents restrict playtime on the basis that they need to learn in a certain way — like from books — but that is overlooking just how much childrens toys play a part in that learning. So encourage your kids to get out there and have fun! They’ll learn without even realizing it.

The preschool classroom is perfectly organized. Divided into math, language, sensorial, cultural and practical life areas, it is very similar to the multiage classroom that you used to teach in. Children are taught to only have one “work” out at a time, and to return that “work” to its proper place on the shelf when they are finished. Very orderly. Very inviting. Just the environment you would want for your first grandchild if he has to spend his days in a school setting instead of at home. It will give him the opportunity to interact with other children his age and to develop his fine motor skills at the same time. The language and math introductory materials are naturally colored and are arranged on the shelf in a specific order that moves from lower to higher thinking skills.
Although much of the room looks very familiar, one particular set of blocks catches your eye. It seems to have the children’s attention as well. As soon as one individual student or a pair of students returns the blocks to the shelf, they are quickly taken by someone else. Upon closer examination, you realize that unlike most of the other sensorial blocks on the shelves, these are magnetic building blocks. Not just differing in shape and length these blocks have another quality that attracts the children. With magnets on either end, these magnetic building blocks either attract or repel each other. The students love to build with them, but they also like to experiment with the ends that are either attracted to each other, or like opposing magnets, refuse to be near each other. If you could chose, these magnetic building toys are what you too would take from the shelf.
Educators have known for a long time that children benefit from unstructured play time that allows them to build and create. Studies show, for example, that three to six year olds should play with materials that allow them to practice solving problems. Puzzles, with from 12 to 20 or more pieces, as well as blocks that snap together promote this kind of intellectual play. Collections and other smaller objects that encourage children to sort by length, width, height, shape, color, smell, quantity, and other features also encourage problem solving and creativity.
As further evidence of the benefit of play with magnetic building blocks and other building toys, research by the retail group Argos found that over 60% of adults working in design-led jobs, such as architects and designers, enjoyed playing with building blocks as children. In fact, 66% of adults working in math-related roles, such as accountants and bankers, preferred to play with puzzles other thought provoking manipulative materials as children.
It is comforting to know that your grandchildren will be “playing” with such fascinating “work.”

There’s more to a sporting event than the game being played on the field. Whether it’s indoor bleachers or weatherproof outdoor seating the fans in the crowd need a place to enjoy the competition. So when the 2015 Rugby World Cup was selected to be played London’s Olympic Stadium the owners of the complex wanted to add retractable outdoor seating to allow for better fan viewing. While they are in essence outdoor bleachers, that tends to be more of an American term that can be traced back to 1889.

All well and good except now Gallowglass, a U.K.-based global event services company, is in danger of going under if they don’t receive the payments they deserve and allege they never got, according to the event news source accessaa.co.uk.

Gallowglass director Nick Grecian told The Telegraph earlier this month that his company is still owed £712,000 for the work they did on the retractable outdoor seating in London’s Olympic Stadium. The stadium itself had a capacity of about 60,000 before the additional outdoor seating, more than the average baseball stadium of 47,000, but less than American football ones which hold 70,000.

“We’re between a rock and a hard place,” Grecian told The Telegraph. “We’ve got to take action now – because if we don’t deal with this straight away, we won’t survive.”

The issue at hand is that while the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) owns Olympic Stadium and is responsible for the work being done inside, they hired another contractor to do the work. Alto Seating was the company the LLDC claims to have already paid for the renovations to the outdoor seating space. Alto Seating then subcontracted other companies, including Gallowglass, to help with the project.

Even though the LLDC insists they paid Alto Seating, the comapny went into liquidation in late September.

“We’re somewhat mystified as to why Alto has gone into voluntary liquidation,” an LLDC spokeman told The Telegraph. “We have paid them in full and on time for the work they have completed. We absolutely recognize the appalling circumstances that these sub-contracting firms have been left in – it’s a disgraceful position, quite frankly.”

The two sides are working to come to an agreeable conclusion, although the LLDC has said they can’t afford to drop another £712,000 twice for the same work.

There is nothing quite like the great outdoors. Everything from boating to hiking to camping are the beloved hobbies of many a modern American and, as such, many outdoor recreation spots are designed to lovingly craft the vacation you deserve. If you’re considering fishing excursions for vacation or a holiday outing, consider applying for Alaska lodging. This beautiful state not only has an incredible view, it’s considered a prime destination for fishing boat tours and beautiful cabin life alike.

Fishing In The U.S.

Fishing is a lucrative industry both stateside and international. The U.S. supports over 800,000 jobs in fish catching, packaging, statistics and marketing. It’s been found that over 10 million youths, from young children to older teenagers, went fishing in 2013 alone. When it comes to ideal fishing, few states compare to the glory of Alaska.

Finding An Alaska Fishing Lodge

While you could choose to stay at a hotel, Alaska fishing vacation packages can give you everything you need and more while you’re on your trip. Your lodge of choice is decorated with beautiful fishing cabin decor, situated close by so you can go on a fishing trip or even do bear watching without traveling too far. They often have spots for BBQ, full kitchens and sometimes saunas for relaxation after a long trip.

Fishing And Boating

Fishing cabin decor is one thing, but what about actually fishing? Freshwater fishing is considered the most popular type of fishing, with over 28 million anglers devoting a whopping 460 million days to the angling sport. While different boats come in a multitude of sizes depending on the group you’re with, the average salmon boat is around 37 feet long. Make sure to dress for the weather, as certain Alaskan areas can be very cold or very hot depending on the season.

Prime Alaskan Fishing Spots

Last, but not least, one of the best spots to get a great catch is the popular Soldotna Bridge across the Kenai River. Peak spawning usually occurs in mid-July, with around 72% of early-fish showing up at that time. With popular fishing spots, a beautiful view and lovely fishing cabin decor to get you pumped up, you’ll find yourself wanting for little with Alaska fishing, boating and lodging.

Camping is one of the most popular vacation and leisure activities in the United States and doesn’t show any signs of stopping. In fact, three million more Americans went camping in 2012 than in 2010. It’s a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and get away from the hustle-and-bustle of the every day modern lifestyle. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran, or first-time camper there are a few camping supplies you’re going to want to remember to bring with you. Camping equipment is a $1.8 billion industry in the United States. On top of the essential necessities every camping checklist should have (toothbrush, water, food..) here are three important camping needs to make turn a good trip into a great one.

1.) Activities and Sports Equipment: Even if you’re not the athletic type, camping is the perfect time to get some physical exercise and participate in sports. There is plenty of space and usually plenty of neighboring campers to get a game or contest going. If you want to be one of the most popular sites in the campground be sure to pack a Frisbee, football, soccer ball, and whatever other activities and games that suit your fancy. Don’t worry, 84% of campers participate in multiple outdoor activities so you’re bound to find interest no matter what you choose. You could include adventure gear such as a GoPro camera and mountain bike if you really want to get daring.


2.) Variety of Clothing: No matter what you can never bring enough clothing options. Not in terms of style, for camping supplies you need functionality. Regardless of the time of year and location you’re going to want to bring clothes for virtually any type of weather. Mother nature can be a fickle thing and the last you want is to be caught in a tent during a rain or snowstorm with nothing to keep you warm. Or, in a colder environment you might get a nice day where you’ll be longing for more adventure clothing like shorts and a t-shirt. Just keep in mind, you can always choose not to wear something, but once you leave it’s much harder to find clothes out in the wild.


3.) Flashlights: This might seem like camping supplies common sense, and it should be. That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be reinforced though. Flashlights will be your best friend when stumbling out of a tent in the pitch dark to make a trip to the latrine. Also, make sure to bring a spare set of batteries (or two).