Sponsored Post: How to get children physically involved outdoors

As the beautiful weather makes its way back to Vermont, I find myself spending more time outside in the sunshine and fresh air. I also find myself sending the kids outside to play more and more often. I know that I feel better when I'm active and I want my kids to experience that as well.

One of the best things you can do to get your kids physically involved outdoors is go be physically involved yourself. Kids do what they experience so if you and your husband are inside glued to the television all day Saturday, that's what your kids will want to do.

One of the easiest ways to get physically involved outdoors is to go for a walk with your kids. You can make a game of it and identify trees or plants you find on your walk or if you live in the city, count different colors of cars or trucks. If you're close enough, try walking on some of your errands instead of driving.

You don't need expensive outdoor equipment to get your kids physically involved outdoors. You can toss a ball back and forth or throw a frisbee. If you have a sidewalk and some chalk, you can play hopscotch. Try jump rope or hula hoops.

If you have the room, you can put up a basket ball hoop, a swing set, a skate ramp or a volleyball net. If you don't have the room or the money to do this, you can go down to a local park or playground and use the equipment there. Our school has a basketball hoop, baseball field, tether ball, and all sorts of slides, swings and climbing apparatus to play on that's free to use when school is not in session.

The playground at the beach has a swing set, hop scotch and a volleyball area that's open during the warmer months. Of course, you can always go swimming too or just take a long walk on the beach with your kids. Just get outside and encourage your kids to do the same. I'm so glad that the parks and playgrounds in our area are well maintained so that the kids and I can spend some of our active time there.  An active lifestyle starts with one step.

The Spark Parks Project is an ongoing effort by Sprite to refresh parks, playgrounds and active places across the nation. To learn more about current projects and discover ways you can get actively involved, visit www.spritesparkparks.com  The Sprite Sparks park program starts April 1 and continues to June 30. Green tabs can be found in specially marked packages of Sprite and Sprite Zero.

Disclosure: Compensation was provide by Sprite via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Sprite.