Here at GeoPalz, we believe in being active, playing outdoors, and taking care of the Earth. It’s important to stay healthy and active, but it’s also important to protect our surroundings. We often take advantage of the green grass and beautiful flowers surrounding our life, but it’s time to give back!

Image via http://divamoms.com/

Check out five kid-friendly ways to make every day, Earth Day.

1. Take a walk in your neighborhood. Grab a bag and as you’re walking around the block, pick up any trash or discarded materials. It’s a great way to help keep the neighborhood clean and beautiful. Plus, you can wear your GeoPalz to earn points while you’re helping out.
2. Plant a garden. It’s the perfect time to plant your garden and teach the kids the awe of growing something from a tiny seed. With supervision, have them plant the seeds, water them, and cover the plants if there’s bad weather.
3. Donate unwanted and used items to Goodwill. While you’re spring cleaning and your children are growing like weeds, take time to identify things that can be donated. Just because it isn’t off use to you anymore, doesn’t mean someone else won’t enjoy it.
4. Carry reusable bags when you go to the store. Think back to the basics of reduce, reuse, and recycle. Reduce the impact of multiple plastic bags by reusing a bag when you shop, and recycle plastic bags appropriately.
5. Be inspired by nature. Explore nature by taking a hike, going canoeing, bird watching, or just playing outdoors. Teach your kids to appreciate nature and respect it’s beauty. Live by the mantra, “Take only pictures, and leave only footprints.”

Besides helping mother Earth, learn how kids can give back in other ways through volunteering and helping out around the house.

It’s important for families to be healthy together. Your children learn how to eat healthy and stay active by your example. Those habits will last as they grow older and will help keep them healthy and in shape.

Image via http://eatbreatheblog.com

To help you set a good example, we’ve compiled some of the best tips to get fit together, including healthy eating habits, fun playtime ideas, and ways to get active as a family!

Healthy Living

• Eat healthy foods to help you feel more energized for work, school, sports, or playtime. Stay focused throughout the day with healthy snacks.
• Eat breakfast everyday with your family to jump start your metabolism, and strengthen the family bond while sitting around the kitchen table.
• Eat more vegetables, fruits, and homemade healthy foods, limiting fast food and takeout meals.
• Spend at least 30 minutes to 1 hour a day on physical activity. Check out the GeoPalz Activity Center for fun fitness ideas.
• Limit sweets (including desserts and sugary drinks), and instead replace the craving for a sweet treat with delicious fruits and vegetables.

Playtime Fun

• Plan play dates with mom to strengthen the bond between mother and child. Get creative with cooking fun in the kitchen and getting messy outside!
• Plan playtime with dad that includes a special time for the kids to be with their dad. Play interactive and learning games, celebrate the arts, or just roughhouse in the backyard.
• Turn on some music and dance around together. You can even create a music video using your smartphone!
• Get fit inside with your video game system and play Wii sports, Wii fitness, Just Dance, or Zumba games. Trying to spend less time in front of a screen? Play other technology-less indoor games.
• Go outside and go swimming, play in the sprinklers, or play with hula hoops and jump ropes. Just make sure to wear sunscreen!

Get Active Together!

• Participate in a walk/run. Try a Color Run, a Hot Chocolate Run, or a local Relay for Life event. “Fun runs” are a great way to get the whole family active!
• Get out of the house and go for a bike ride, walk around the neighborhood, or learn a new skill, like rollerblading or skateboarding.
• Play a sport together – basketball, football, soccer, baseball, volleyball, or tennis – the options for fun are endless.
• Measure your family’s activity with a GeoPalz activity tracker. Keep track of how many steps your family takes and beat your health and activity goals.
• Plan a neighborhood activity day – have a dodgeball competition, play volleyball together, and eat healthy fruits and veggies to refuel in between games!

Feeling motivated? Find more ways to get fit together and think healthy thoughts on our Pinterest boards. Learn more healthy living inspiration for your family! 

Whether you’re running errands, heading to school, or even going to visit family out of town, it’s important to keep you and your kids safe along the way. Wearing your seatbelts and driving carefully might be the first things you think of, but there are many other ways to make sure you’re keeping your kids safe while on the road.

Image via http://babyearth.com

Keep a Bag Ready to Go

Have a bag ready to go, packed with snacks, water, a First Aid kit, and sunscreen. You could also include a couple toys or books to keep your children entertained on the drive. If you always have a bag prepared, it cuts down the risk of distractions, meltdowns, and boredom. The First Aid kit will come in handy in case of minor scrapes or injuries.

Use Proper Car Seats

Car seats aren’t just for infants. Each age group from birth – age 12 has a recommended seat in the car. For example, from birth-12 months, children should sit in the backseat in a rear-facing car seat. Children 12 and under should sit in the back in a booster chair until they are big enough to fill in a seat belt on their own. When installing a car seat in your vehicle, ensure that it is properly secured for the best possible protection. Make sure your children are protected in the proper age-appropriate car seats.

Pull Over if Necessary

If you children need help reaching something or getting a snack while you’re driving, pull over to the side of the road when it’s safe. Reaching back and taking your eyes off of the road, even for a second, could be disastrous. Also, never text or answer the phone while driving unless you pull over or have a Bluetooth sound system in your car that is connected to your phone. If you need to discipline your kids or talk to them about something serious, pull over for a few minutes to really get your message across.

Everybody Out

Never leave your children in the car while you’re not present. Always take the keys out of the ignition and lock the doors once everyone is out of the car. As a safety precaution, keep a toy up front to remind you that there are children in the car with you, especially if you are particularly busy or stressed.

A Few Other Precautions

• If you’re traveling with both pets and children, be sure to keep the two separate. Securely tether or harness your pet away from your children to make sure no incidents occur.
• Don’t travel with anything distracting or dangerous, such as hot liquids, sharp objects, or large items (balloons, large toys, or big bags).
• Lock all doors while you’re driving to prevent your children accidentally opening them. Also, utilize the child safety locks on your windows to ensure your children don’t accidentally throw items out the car window.

With these helpful tips, the next drive with your kids will be smoother and safer. Don’t forget to buckle up, drive the speed limit, and keep yourself and your kids calm while you drive!

Going on a long trip? Take a peek at our tips for surviving a road trip with your kids.

It’s been a little over a week since the Nike announcement that showcased the exceptional companies participating in the Nike+ Accelerator Program. GeoPalz was named one of 10 companies to join Nike to help drive digital sport innovation.

Image via http://nikeinc.com

Since then, we’ve been working at Nike Headquarters in Portland, Oregon alongside Nike+ Accelerator mentors. We’ll be here for a three-month immersive journey to develop and evolve products that leverage the Nike+ platform to inspire everyday athletes. The opportunity to integrate with Nike FuelBand and Nike+ technologies strengthens our ability to offer a complete suite of fitness products for children, teens and adults. The ability to track fitness levels, engage users, and reward each family member through one integrated platform, creates the quantified family experience that our users have been requesting.

Overall, it’s an honor to be chosen to participate in the program and we’re excited to utilize Nike’s knowledge and resources to further our passion for family health and fitness. We share Nike’s vision of bringing motivation and inspiration for healthy living to people of all shapes, sizes, ages, and activity levels.

Finally, we’re excited to connect with companies who share a commitment to helping people lead more active lives:

• Chroma.io: Indie game studio that creates virtual worlds tied to real-world activity
• CoachBase: Provides a digital sports coaching platform
• FitDeck: Digital decks of exercise playing cards that deliver ever-changing workouts for fitness and sports
• GoFitCause: Leverages fitness data as a means of raising money for charity
• GoRecess: Help users find, book, and review fitness activities
• HighFive: Ad network for health and fitness apps that helps people achieve their goals by rewarding them along their journey
• IncomparableThings: Creates an activity-driven fantasy sports leagues
• RecBob: A platform that makes recreational sports easy by organizing play
• Sprout at Work: Corporate wellness solutions that leverage social and gaming tools to inspire employees and empower employers

To stay up to date on what we’re working on during the Nike+ Accelerator program, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.