Children’s Wild Wild West Theme Party

Sometimes it can be difficult to think of fun and original ideas to make your child’s party stand out. Why not hold a Wild Wild West party, its easy to organize and very effective.

The first thing to do will be to organize decorations, you should be able to make a lot of it yourself. Why not try cactus cutouts, cardboard saloon doors and homemade ‘wanted posters’ (you could use pictures of your children in these to personalize it). You can also pick up cow or pony print fabric in most haberdashery stores, and this is perfect for draping over chairs etc.

Luckily, cowboy food is none to fancy, so if the weathers good, you could light the BBQ, and have some burgers (cow steaks like Desperate Dan) if the weather isn’t up to this, you can always fall back onto the cowboys staple – beans! Try serving up jacket potatoes with beans, or fried chicken and corn on the cob.

To complete the party, throw in some cowboy themed games, I’ve included a few examples below:

· Cattle Drive – children are divided into 2 teams, each team is given a balloon (this is their cow), they must guide the cow through an obstacle course and back to there team, where they will pass it on to the next team member, this continues until all children have been. First team all back with their balloon wins.
· Pass the Parcel – an old favourite, but why not theme the gifts, e.g. plastic water pistols, sheriffs badges and neck scarves etc. Use Country and Western Music to pass the parcel round.
· Line Dancing – there are lots of websites with easy line dancing steps, which you can learn beforehand and then teach the children. Country and Western Music is perfect for this.
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Sun Protection

Studies show that sunburn during childhood can double a persons risk of getting skin cancer later on in life. This doesn’t have to be the case - just follow these simple guidelines to protect you and your children from the harmful UV rays.

· Make sure you wear sunscreen, they are available in creams, lotions or sprays that can be applied to the skin. It is also a good idea to use a salve or a sun block stick and apply to the nose, lips and eyelids as these are very sensitive.
· Sunscreen should be applied every two hours and put on at least half an hour before going outside.
· Always wear sunglasses (with UV protection) and a hat to protect your face and neck area.
· You can measure the effectiveness of sun tan lotion by multiplying the SPF by the time it takes for your skin to burn without any lotion on.
· People who burn easily and spend a lot of time outside should always apply a sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30.
· Make sure your children know how to apply sunscreen correctly and where they should put it.

Following these guidelines should help towards you and your children having a very safe and happy summer. www.barracudas.co.uk

Healthy eating for children

In today’s society obesity is just considered a way of life as it has become more and more common it has become more and more acceptable. It is thought that most children put on weight due to their lifestyle consisting of an unhealthy diet and a lack of physical activity.

It is no use just changing your child’s lifestyle without changing yours as they look to you for guidance. Research shows that if just one parent is obese there is a 50% chance that your child will be too.

The key to retaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle is to burn more calories than you consume this can be done through physical exercise. This doesn’t have to be a strenuous activity which you dislike doing it can be the perfect opportunity to do something as a family such as ice-skating or tennis.

A good way to retain a healthy diet is to substitute unhealthy foods for a healthier alternative. Children love foods that they can pick and snack on like sweets so instead of sweets try giving them a bag of fruit like dried apricots. After a meal children always look forward to a dessert, ice cream being a particular favourite so instead of ice cream try giving them frozen yoghurt as it still serves the same purpose but just in a healthier way.

The good news is that it is easier to change a child’s diet rather than an adult's as they are more susceptible to change. So its time to put these things in to practice and you could prevent your child from developing obesity and all the problems associated with it such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

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