For World Heart Day, on 29th September, we’ve all been invited to “share how you power your heart and inspire millions of people around the world to be heart healthy”... and so, here at Playforce, we’re going to do just that.
According to the boffins at World Heart Day, cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes heart disease and stroke, is the world’s number one killer. Each year, it’s responsible for 17.5 million deaths, and by 2030 this is expected to rise to 23 million. But the good news is that a great deal of CVD can be prevented by making just a few simple daily changes, like eating and drinking more healthily and getting more exercise.
We don’t need to tell you that getting children active is important. It’s a fundamental part of what should go into every child’s day. It doesn’t matter whether they’re just starting out in Early Years or taking GCSEs, being outdoors and active contributes to their having a healthy heart (and a healthy start in life).
We’ve worked hard, at Playforce, to come up with products and an approach that encourages children to see outdoor activity as an enjoyable part of their days. Here are our top five ‘heart healthy’ products.
Garden & Grow Range - We understand that being active doesn’t come naturally to every child. But that doesn’t mean they can’t all enjoy learning about living a healthy life. Our Garden & Grow range includes everything you’ll need to start growing food outside at your school or setting. As well as practical planters and tools it also includes landscaping options to allow children to enjoy time reading and ‘just sitting’ as they watch their food grow.
Fitness & Trails - Well, yes… the clue’s in the name. But we’ve really gone to town in being as imaginative and flexible as possible with these trails. They include everything from rope walks to balance beams, bridges to climbers, balance weavers and even ball skills panels. The best bit is they are designed to be modular and flexible in size - meaning that we’re pretty sure we can find a solution that will fit into your school or setting, however limited your outdoor space.
Musical Play - Music isn’t active, we hear you say… really? Have you ever played the Bat Pipes or Bongos? What about working a full stage of instruments? We think music is great for getting children interested in active play, particularly when they think they don’t like it. And, let’s not forget… great music makes the heart sing, doesn’t it!
Ready to play - Getting children active doesn’t have to be about big play equipment and redesigning your outdoor space. Our Drop Spots are designed for during PE lessons or as part of active play to develop fundamental movement skills in primary school children. They focus on the development of agility, balance and coordination through the use of grippy, slip resistant mats that can be used both indoors and out. And, don’t forget our award-winning Poddely is great for setting up activity trails and challenges (even for tiny children).
It doesn’t stop with play - It’s easy to think that there’s a difference between play and sport… that children need to change what they’re doing when they go up to big school. Our range of MUGAs offer schools flexibility to introduce sporting practice into play time - from table tennis to having a kick about and more. Take a look at our new Sports Brochure to see some examples of this in practice.
To celebrate the ongoing partnership between Sports for Schools and Playforce, we’ve launched a competition for schools across the UK. Show us how your school is getting active and be in with a chance of winning a set of Playforce Drop Spots and a personalised, signed picture of a GB athlete to inspire your school! For more information click here.