Hear It. See It. Speak It.

At Springfree Trampoline, we encourage healthy family lifestyles. Health is not just about moving your body but also about what you put in your body!

Organic produce – crops grown without pesticides or fertilizers – is a common fixture in grocery stores. Because of expensive farming techniques, organic foods typically cost 50% more than their ordinary counterparts. For families on a budget, the benefits of organic foods weighed against their high cost can be a dilemma.

The results of our latest Facebook poll, show that many of you consciously choose to purchase organic for your family.

Springfree fans offered a few alternate and cost-effective ways to eat organic without breaking the bank, like growing your own produce right your backyard. Great idea!

Another fan, Kristy McDaniel, suggested a co-op agreement with a nearby organic farm. With a co-op you get all your fruits and vegetable for a great price, often cheaper than non-organics. Thanks for the suggestion, Kristy!

If you’re on a budget, try prioritizing your organic purchases. According to the Environmental Working Group, the following 12 types of produce have the highest pesticide residues. Try to purchase these fruits and vegetables organic whenever possible:

• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Nectarines
• Apples
• Pears
• Cherries
• Spinach
• Celery
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Potatoes
• Lettuce
• Grapes (imported)

These fragile produce, also known as the “dirty dozen”, often require more pesticides to fight off pests. A good rule of thumb is to always wash your produce before you consume them whether they are organic or not. Happy (and healthy) eating!

What other tips do you have for maintaining a natural diet for your family?

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Children’s television viewing habits became a hot topic in parenting with recent controversy over Spongebob Squarepants and its links to poor attention span in children. We explored television viewing habits with our latest poll: “On average, how many hours of television do your children watch a day?”

Here are the poll results:

• None – 17%
• Less than 1 hour – 38%
• 1-3 hours – 29%
• 3-5 hours – 17%
• More than 5 hours – 0%

Good news is majority of you are within the recommended range of television viewing. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a maximum of one to two hours per day of “quality screen time” for children aged 2 and older. Screen time refers to viewing TV, movies, video games and computers.

Positive Effects of Television

• Education: Quality programs can teach children vocabulary, science, math, languages and important life lessons.
• Motivation for reading: Many movies and shows are based on books, which could spark an interest in reading.
• Cultural appreciation: News and historical programming allows children to gain awareness of other cultures and people.

Negative Effects of Television

• Sedentary activity: The lack of activity can lull kids into a low-energy state similar to sleeping. Too much inactivity can be harmful for growing children.
• Snacking habits: Television watching can be linked to junk food consumption.
• Overstimulation: If children watch the television close to bedtime, overstimulation could keep kids awake, causing them to miss out on sleep.

These negative effects of television viewing can be lessened with extra attention and care from parents:

• Consider the content: Be mindful of what your children are watching. Ensure that the content is educational and positive.
• Skip the commercials: Record your children’s programs ahead of time to reduce their viewing time. Or you can get your children involved in an alternate activity during the commercials.
• Provide healthy snacks: Choose fruits and veggies as the snack of choice for TV time.
• Designate a viewing time: Allow your children to watch television only during a designate time to ensure they’ve finished watching well before their bedtime.

All in all, it’s important to maintain a balanced lifestyle. For every minute your children spend in front of the television, make sure they also spend time reading, riding bikes or jumping on trampolines!

What television rules do you enforce in your home and why?

To buy a Springfree Trampoline visit, www.springfree.com.
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Who wouldn’t want their kid to build confidence, be active, make new friends and learn the value of good sportsmanship? With so many benefits, organized sports have become the after-school activity of choice for kids and parents.

Unfortunately, 70% of children quit organized sports by age 13, according to the National Alliance for Youth Sports. The Springfree Trampoline online team wondered if this statistic had links to stress and pressure from parents, coaches and teammates.

We asked if you thought children’s organized sports were becoming too competitive:

“Definitely too competitive. I find it hard to teach my children that all the fun is in the playing, not the winning.” – Carly from Facebook

“I think we ask our kids to be on select teams far too early. The kids who are starting at 2^nd and 3^rd grade end up missing out on other activities because they are dialed into just one sport. Also, by focusing on one sport there is a great risk of repetitive motion injuries.” – Nanette from Facebook

Child psychology research shows it is possible to start too early when it comes to organized sports. For children under 10, the concepts of competition, effort and ability may be difficult to grasp. At a young age, it’s most important for children to develop passion for a particular sport.

It’s also essential to strike a healthy balance between competition and fun. As a parent, you can take the initiative to reduce competition-related stress for the children. Springfree fan Kerum suggests: “[My son is] only 6, we have run into a few coaches and a few parents who take it way too seriously. Some of the leagues we have played with have a rule to only cheer FOR kids, not against the other team.” What an encouraging rule!

If the stress of competition is overwhelming, try an alternative to organized sports like swimming, rock climbing or jumping on a trampoline! These activities have just as much health and fitness benefits as organized team sports.

For parents, the best thing they can do is set a positive example for their children. A parent’s active lifestyle is a powerful stimulus for a child. When your child follows in your active footsteps, be sure to praise, reward and encourage them.

How do you foster a love of activity in your children?

To buy a Springfree Trampoline visit, www.springfree.com.
To watch our new miniseries, visit www.springfreetrampolinereview.com.
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If you follow us on Facebook or Twitter, by now you must know how much we care about product safety. In a world where even seemingly harmless everyday items can threaten children, we exist to provide your family with a safe trampoline alternative, Springfree Trampoline.

Backpacks are a fixture on children’s backs from the first day of kindergarten until graduation day. Here’s the startling truth: close to 28,000 people were treated in hospitals for backpack-related injuries like strains, sprains, dislocations and fractures in 2010, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

A recent Australian study revealed the following statistics:

• 79% of children say their backpack feels heavy
• 66% of children report fatigue caused by weight of their backpack
• 46% of children report back pain caused by weight of their backpack

Springfree parents were very vocal on this topic. An overwhelming majority expressed concern about the weight of their children’s backpacks. Some of you gave alarming testimonials:

“I routinely weigh my petite 11 year old’s back pack. She is 75 lbs and soaking wet, her backpack averages about 25 pounds. I hate it!” – Kelly

“[Last year, my son] was a 6th grader, barely 68 lbs and with his backpack packed, trumpet in hand for band and lunchbox he stepped on the scale and weighed in at 102 lbs! I was LIVID! A 34 lb gain in STUFF for school.” – Joy

As a rule of thumb, a child should not carry more than 10-15% of his or her body weight.

A number of Springfree parents also identified textbooks as the main cause of heavy backpacks. Some tips to lighten the textbook load include: bringing textbooks home only when necessary, photocopying relevant pages or keeping a second set of textbooks at home.

When choosing backpacks, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommend that you pay attention to the following features:

• Shoulder straps should be wide and padded. Opt for double shoulder straps over single shoulder straps to evenly distribute backpack weight.
• Padded back and waist straps provide extra support and comfort.
• Lightweight backpacks made of canvas (instead of leather) reduce the overall weight.
• Rolling backpacks with wheels are also great options.

Backpacks don’t have to be a pain in the back. Be proactive and have a conversation with your child today about backpack safety.

What other tips do you have to lighten the weight of your children’s backpacks?

To buy a Springfree Trampoline visit, www.springfree.com.
To watch our new miniseries, visit www.springfreetrampolinereview.com.
Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/springfree for exclusive content.
Follow us on Twitter @springfree to chat with our team.

Learning to paddle a canoe, making new friends, eating s’mores around a camp fire and singing silly songs are just some of the activities kids look forward to every year at camp. However, with the rising cost of living, are summer camps becoming a luxury?

“[Camp is] definitely a luxury for us. Having moved from NV to WA – the cost of camps, swim lessons and sports activities are two times what we used to pay. With three boys we definitely don’t do as much. Two of our boys are attending Cub/Boy Scouts this year and they are very reasonable for week long programs”. – Springfree™ Trampoline fan and mom Gail Ruschman Hoobler.

While camp may be a luxury, for some it is a necessity. In homes where both parents are working, kids need a place to spend their summer vacation. The average price of a day camp is $400 per child per week. If you’re thinking of sending your child to overnight camp, the price ranges from $500-$2000 a week.

“We run a holiday arts camp and the fees are over $300 for a week! When we started out 10 years ago it was $100. Camp site fees and insurance has skyrocketed prices”. – Helen Gynther, Springfree fan and camp coordinator

Just like families, camps are feeling the crunch in this economy. In a recent NY Times article entitled When S’Mores Aren’t Enough: The New Economics of Summer Camp, the owner of an overnight summer camp discussed how the cost of running a camp has risen. It is more than just the facility. Parents are looking for more than just a fun summer experience for their kids; they now want ‘results’, whether it’s a better tennis swing or improved algebra.

Whether your kids are going to day camp, overnight camp or just camping in the yard, it is all about having fun and creating great summer memories that last a lifetime.

How will your kids be creating summer memories this year?

To buy a Springfree Trampoline visit, www.springfree.com.
To read trampoline reviews and watch our new miniseries, visit www.springfreetrampolinereview.com!
Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/springfree for exclusive content.
Follow us on Twitter @springfree to chat with our team!

Springfree™ Trampoline is the safest recreational trampoline option currently available, so it’s only natural we were curious about the safety of trampoline parks.

Trampoline parks are public recreational facilities featuring wall-to-wall trampolines stitched together like a giant checkerboard.

We posed the following question to our Facebook community:

“Given the health benefits and the fun of jumping versus the safety concerns, would you let your child jump at a trampoline park?”

The topics of discussion varied. Many discussed the need for more parental and professional supervision and the implementation of age restrictions. Some community members discussed how much fun they had at trampoline parks and the exercise benefits they gained.

Approximately 50 parks operate in the US today and parks are opening up in other countries. Trampoline parks typically charge $8 to $14 per hour for each jumper. With revenues approaching $100 million, trampoline parks are gaining attention.

Unlike amusement parks, trampoline parks are not yet regulated by any state or federal agencies in the US. Earlier this summer, a trampoline park in Illinois gained notoriety when 16 ambulances were dispatched in a matter months to respond to jumper injuries.

Trampoline park owners maintain their facilities are a safe and fun venue for children and adults to get exercise. Some parks have even installed cameras to monitor the jumpers and have created jumping areas restricted to smaller children to ensure safety.

Springfree Trampoline has compiled tips for safe jumping, whether you are jumping at a trampoline park or in your backyard:
1. One at a time please – Multiple jumpers increase the risk of injury from collision. Statistics show that with more than one user at a time, the smaller/lighter of the two is almost always the one sustaining an injury.
2. Don’t flip out – Untrained jumpers run the risk of landing awkwardly.
3. Avoid roughhousing – Some kids love to play rough and tumble, but this type of behavior can result in injury.
4. Keep it clean – Trampolines should be void of foreign objects. Any new object introduced to the trampoline is another potential “hard surface” that can result in injury.
5. Stand watch – Keep an eye on children and inexperienced jumpers while they are on the trampoline.
6. Steer clear – Do not allow children underneath the trampoline while someone is jumping.
7. Stay in control – Stay in the center of the trampoline. If you deviate during jumping, stop and move back to the center.
8. Talk it out– Discuss the importance of trampoline safety with your kids, and tell them about the risks of not using it properly.

With the right equipment and proper supervision, jumping can be a safe and fun activity enjoyed by kids of all ages!

To buy a Springfree Trampoline visit, www.springfree.com.
To read trampoline reviews and watch our new miniseries, visit www.springfreetrampolinereview.com!
Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/springfree for exclusive content.
Follow us on Twitter @springfree to chat with our team!

This week on the Springfree Trampoline Facebook Page we’ve been discussing product sustainability and how much it matters to you as a customer:

“Yes, we always think about long term in all of our purchases!” — Amanda

“I do. Just watch any video about landfills and the garbage in the ocean and how can you not think like that? When we are done with something we consign or donate it whenever possible.” — Shannon

“Yes always. Safety and durability.” — Cristina

One Springfree™ Trampoline dealer is approaching sustainability in new ways. Tracie, an employee at Kids Gotta Play in Michigan, has discovered a clever way to reuse damaged trampoline parts. She makes bags of all types – purses, makeup bags and messenger bags – using the strong mat material. The yellow lines that mark the SoftEdge™ are used as a handle to give the bags a pop of colour!

Isn’t this a great idea?! Check out Tracie’s website, Radical Recycks.

Here are some of the other ways Springfree™Trampoline ensures quality and durability:

• Every frame on a Springfree™ Trampoline is hand welded. A Springfree factory employee inspects frame pieces to ensure that every surface is covered.

• The weave of the Springfree Trampoline mat is unlike any other trampoline on the market. If you get a hole in your mat, the hole won’t continue to rip. This reduces the need for replacements mats.

• From each batch of trampolines manufactured, one is always assembled and tested. Every assembled trampoline is tested to hold up to the hundreds of hours of fun for the happy jumpers.

How well has your Springfree stood against the test of time? We’d love to hear back!

To read trampoline reviews and watch our new miniseries, visit www.springfreetrampolinereview.com!
Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/springfree for exclusive content.
Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/springfree to chat with our team!

To maintain a healthy lifestyle, children should get 60 minutes of physical activity a day. The alarming reality is children are rarely meeting these standards. Only 13% of Canadian children and youth get their recommended 60 minutes, and in the United States, 1 in 3 children are either overweight or obese. Childhood obesity is not just a North American problem; these trends are being seen all over the world.

The reasons for the rising rates of obesity are numerous. Studies suggest a variety of causes such as:

• Less physical activity
• Greater reliance on cars
• More eating out
• Sedentary entertainment i.e. TV, video and computer games
• More high calorie food choices
• Bigger food portions
• Safety concerns related to outside free play

While the causes of childhood obesity may be up for debate, most of the medical world agrees that combating childhood obesity starts with prevention.

Research has shown that a well-designed and well-implemented school program can effectively promote physical activity, healthy eating and reductions in television viewing time.

According to Joe MacDonald, professor at St. Francis Xavier University, today’s children are “physically illiterate”. Similar to how children learn to read and write, they also need to learn the “language of movement”. Consequently, schools should create a learning environment that teaches children to be active.

To combat the childhood obesity epidemic, programs like At My Best in Canada, Let’s Move! in the USA and Obesity Prevention Australia have been created to provide parents, teachers and kids with the necessary resources to live a healthy life.

While these programs are an important stepping stone on the way to a healthier future, it is important to remember “childhood obesity isn’t some simple, discrete issue. There’s no one cause we can pinpoint. There’s no one program we can fund to make it go away. Rather, it’s an issue that touches on every aspect of how we live and how we work”.

Public Health Agency of Canada: Tips To Get Active
Health Kids Canada 2009 Report Card
Solving Childhood Obesity through Supportive Parenting
Childhood Obesity

The craze of ‘exergaming’, playing video games that provide physical exercise, is taking the world by storm. Parents are questioning if these games are actually helping kids stay fit and so are we. Here are two sides of the argument:

ARGUMENT FOR VIDEO GAME EXERCISE

In the world of exergaming, not all products are created equal. There is difference in the intensity of workout a child will get from using video games like Wii Fit, Your Shape, or Dance Dance Revolution. One school is incorporating DDR into their physical education classes:

Studies have been conducted to test the workout experience of exergames. Research suggests when children participate in exergames, they are more engaged and more likely to continue with a workout regimen because they find it enjoyable.

Research shows a third of the activities available for the Wii help users reach a level of moderate intensity exercise which is recommended by the government to keep fit and healthy. Also, the Wii Fit has a built-in exercise progression that encourages the user to do more repetitions and more challenging exercises.

While some debate whether children should be encouraged to get their daily dose of physical activity from these games, there is no doubt that moving is always better than not moving.

ARGUMENT AGAINST VIDEO GAME EXERCISE

Research conducted by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) shows exergames are not vigorous enough to maintain or improve cardiorespiratory endurance necessary for daily fitness. ACE also released a study that compares the calorie expenditure of Wii sports games to their real life counterparts. For instance, Wii golf burns about 3 to 3½ calories per minute whereas a real game of golf burns 6 to 6 ½ calories per minute. Experts argue exergames are a very mild workout at best.

Another concern with exergames is the frequency of use. To reap any real benefit, these games must be played routinely. Fitness experts worry that exergames are an exercise fad that will soon disappear.

Staying active is more than just moving around. Consider the benefits of fresh air and sunlight that a child would be missing by staying indoors. Exergames are not substitutes for traditional forms of exercise. Instead, they should be used as an additional tool to enhance a child’s overall health.

For more information, check out these additional articles:
Forbes: “The Truth about Wii Fit and Weight Loss”
MedicineNet: “Can You Really Get Fit with Wii Exercise Games?”
The Telegraph: “Wii Virtual Exercise as Good as the Real Thing”
The University of Mississippi: “Wii Fit May Not Help Families Get Fit”
USA Today: “Your Health: Can Games like ‘Wii Fit’ Really Work It?”

Join us next time for our discussion on childhood obesity.

Concussions are everywhere: at the rink, on the field, at the playground and even on your spring-based trampoline. According to The Consumer Product Safety Commission, 20 per cent of trampoline injuries are on the neck and face.

In the following video, Dr. Amanda Weiss Kelly explains concussions in children:

The Head Injury Criterion (HIC) was initially developed by the automotive industry to establish a safety standard. This index measures the likelihood and severity of head injuries in an accident. A higher HIC score indicates increased likelihood of a more severe injury:

HIC is now used as the safety standard for many products including playground surfacing materials and trampolines. Currently, the industry standard for playground surfacing and trampolines is a HIC score of 1000.

What does this mean?

A child falling on an industry standard trampoline from a height of 1.5 metres (5 feet) has:

• 99% chance of sustaining minor injuries (skull trauma, nose/teeth fracture, superficial face injuries),
• 90% chance of sustaining moderate injuries (skull trauma, brief loss of consciousness, facial bone fracture, deep wounds, possible skull dislocation fracture),
• 3% chance of sustaining critical injuries (cerebral contusion, loss of consciousness for 12+ hours, intercranial hemorrhaging, uncertain recovery),
• 1% chance of sustaining fatal injuries.

Independent researchers have concluded that concussions can occur at a HIC score of 250. Current research at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto showed that even low-level shocks to the head can cause concussions.

What is being done?

ASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, is holding a meeting this week to discuss changing the existing HIC standards. Springfree™ Trampoline will be participating in these discussions.

We strive to challenge the current standards. The HIC score of a Springfree™ Trampoline is 77. This means that there is less than 1 per cent chance of concussions (or over 99 per cent likelihood of no injury) on a Springfree™ Trampoline. Concussions are serious – but preventable – injuries.

Come back on May 30^th for our next discussion on motion-sensored video games and physical activity.