What does summer mean to you?

The answer to this question is probably very different depending on how old you are. For kids and parents, there is a MAJOR overlap though. SCHOOL IS OUT!!! For months, parents have been working to make sure their children have things to do to fill up their days. We've researched the camps available, arranged visits with friends, made sure to leave enough free time for family outings, planned a vacation, and so on. At Adventure Kids, we've been spending that much time (and more) planning our Summer Camp schedule and activities. We've changed our format to accommodate as many family needs as possible, offering morning and afternoon camp sessions. Stay all day campers receive an additional discount and a free lunch. If you haven't been in this week, you are missing our first week of camp, Tropical Paradise; complete with a HUGE hand made palm tree at the front desk! The kids (and staff) are having a great time! Make your reservations soon for these awesome camps HERE! .

Health & Wellness

Ed & Nicole have been pretty focused lately on their own health & wellness and we thought we'd share what we've learned. Let's start with vitamins. How many people take a multi-vitamin? When choosing a multi-vitamin, who are we listening to? Until I actually started looking into it, I thought I was doing good by taking the Centrum set that fit my station in life. They have commercials, they are available nearly everywhere and Costco carries it. I have absolutely nothing against Centrum in particular, but rather use them as a symbol of the commercially available vitamins. Overall, I'm sure they are better than what I get from a fast food diet, but really, I'm not sure they are really much better than a 'fast food vitamin'. (That's my own term.) They are kind of a shotgun approach to getting what your body needs. They contain a wide variety of vitamins and minerals that I'm not convinced provide my body what it actually needs. There just isn't a clear focus outside of selling vitamins. One thing that seems fairly consistent is the benefit of fish oil. Of course, now I've found out that not all fish oil sources are created equal.

Let's take a look at diet. We've tried several commercialized diets in the quest to maintain our ideal body composition with varying results. Being a small business owner has its challenges in regard to maintaining a healthy diet. Oddly enough, the chicken nugget, pizza diet didn't do wonders for us! We've tried many commercialized diet / nutrition plans. The most effective being the paleo diet, which focuses on lean meat, natural vegetables & fruit and healthy fats. This diet provides a very stable level of contentment and energy, but even purchasing grass fed beef and free range chicken, it's hard to know that I'm really getting exactly the nutrients I need. So I do believe that some level of vitamin and supplement is necessary for optimum health.

And then one day, one of our customers at Adventure Kids introduced us to Advocare. The hallmark of Advocare is their 24 Day Challenge. The challenge is simply ingenuous to me. There is a purchase from Advocare, which consists of Spark, Herbal Cleanse, Omegaplex (Fish oil) and MNS Max (Metabolic Nutrition System) and meal replacement shakes. Spark is probably the most fantastic thing I've ever put into my body! It's a powder that you shake with water for a hydrating, energetic vitamin drink that provides loads of B vitamins and amino acids along with a bit of caffeine. I did mention earlier that fish oil supplements vary. Dr. Oz actually did an independent study of fish oil supplements and the Advocare brand (Omegaplex) was one of only TWO that got his blessing! The meal replacement shakes sounded to me like a waste of time, BUT they don't even come into the plan until after the first 10 days and are actually doing EXACTLY what they are intended to do for me. They provide equal levels of protein and carbohydrates and satisfy me for the first few hours of the day! The supplements though aren't the entire plan. The challenge lays out a nutrition plan that is nutritious and healthy, focusing on lean proteins, vegetables, fruit and fats. In my mind, the food is fairly similar to the paleo diet, only there are some carbs added and the plan has me eating some sort of meal every 2 or 3 hours. It's very well laid out and the instructions are very easy to follow. Three weeks into my 24 day challenge, I find myself nearly 20 pounds lighter and having actually gained muscle mass! My energy levels are regulated, like they were on the paleo diet, except that my energy level is INCREDIBLY high! Last Saturday, I got up, taught my kids' karate class, cleaned up the back yard from the winter, mowed, played baseball with the kids for a couple of hours, washed BOTH cars and barbecued dinner for the family! The results are in and Advocare has my personal endorsement! But why listen to me? Advocare doesn't have any commercials. The products aren't available at Costco. Who is it that really is producing this product? Reviewing their website, www.advocare.com, you'll find that they are guided by a large panel of doctors and health experts, many from some major universities across the country. They are also endorsed and USED by many professional, amateur, and OLYMPIC athletes! I don't really have the time to get a degree in nutrition and supplements, but I do have to say that if a program is good enough for athletes, it's probably going to have the things I need to be as healthy as possible. Advocare is sold by distributors in the community whose sole purpose is to help their clients achieve success. They are trained to help people along the way rather than simply sell some products they don't believe in and you never see them again. I'm actually so impressed with Advocare that I've signed up to become a distributor of their products. Some of them will be available at Adventure Kids for parents who are looking for a specific benefit (such as increased energy, weight loss, general health, etc.) And so, to answer the question I posed earlier about who to trust - How about an average person who has enjoyed great success, has seen others do the same and is supported by a panel of top notch doctors and athletes? Oh, don't worry, Adventure Kids is still our main focus - we're just offering a way to help our families enjoy the fantastic energy provided by this particular health & wellness plan.

Spring Break Camp!!!!

Spring is here, I guess it's time to get ready for spring break!!!

Since we follow Issaquah School District schedules, Spring Break Camps at AK will start the week AFTER our Spring Festival (April 9-13).

The movies have inspired our theme for the week! We'll be enjoying daily themes such as Alice in Wonderland, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Chronicles of Narnia, and Pirates of the Caribbean!

This week is going to be a blast!!!

$25 / Session
$45 for all day (includes hot lunch)
Siblings receive 20% discount
Make your reservations today!

SUMMER CAMP SCHEDULE

Our artwork is nearly complete, but we wanted to give everybody a preview of our Summer Camp Schedule!

Adventure Kids Playcare is offering twelve weeks of summer camps with convenient morning (9-12) and afternoon (1-4PM) sessions or you can stay all day as each session changes! A different theme each week featuring pop culture themes that are sure to entertain! Half day session costs $25 / day, full day is $45 / day and includes lunch. Additional siblings receive 20% off. Before and after care available at regular, low rates for registered families!

Week One: Tropical Paradise June 11 - June 15
Aloha! Join us for a week of tropical fun in the sun. You won’t want to miss doing the limbo, hula hoop contests and island inspired crafts.

Week Two: The Apprentice June 18 - June 22
Dreaming of being a doctor, fire fighter or exploring outer space? This week you will be the apprentice and explore future possibilities without having to hear the dreaded words…”You’re fired!”

Week Three: Chef’s Academy: International Week June 25 - June 29
Your budding chef will explore the flavors around the world and learn how to create their own tasty international treats.

Week Four: Home of the Brave July 2 - July 6
You are invited to a celebration of our country, its birthday and heritage. Be patriotic and wear your red, white, and blue!

Week Five: Survivor Campout July 9 - July 13
Come “survive” with us on a summer camp out this week as we celebrate all things cool about camping, nature and the great outdoors.

Week Six: Movie Magic July 16 - July 20
Let us roll out the red carpet for you for a glitzy and glamorous week of movie magic.

Week Seven: Fear Factor July 23 - July 27
Join us for a thrilling week of Fear Factor challenges and games! Kids will love to participate in our SAFE and non-threatening “fearful” challenges and make crazy crafts.

Week Eight: Cartoon Mania July 30 - August 3
Who doesn’t love cartoons? Each day will be themes around your favorite cartoon characters like Pokémon and Scooby-Doo!

Week Nine: Chef’s Academy: Food Network Star August 6 - August 10
Let’s make our own culinary creations just like your favorite chefs on TV with a week focusing on a variety of foods, flavors and treats!

Week Ten: Medieval Times August 13 - August 17
Step back into time and be a brave knight or royal princess. You can even hope to learn a little of Merlin’s magic!

Week Eleven: Blast From the Past August 20 - August 24
Be a time traveler this week as we have fun through the past decades. Each day will bring something new!

Week Twelve: Circus Carnival August 27 - September 1
Come one, come all! Step right up and get ready for a week under the big top with tons of carnival games and silly craft surprises.

Spring Festival 2012!!!

April 7, 2012 is the date for the 3rd Annual Adventure Kids Playcare Spring Festival! The festival will start at 10 am and go till 4 pm! Adventure Kids Playcare couldn't be happier to produce this event for all of our families and the community!

Some things will be very similar to last year... There will be inflatable bounce houses, slides & obstacle courses, an Easter Egg Hunt inside of AKP, the Games 2 U video game trailer, and a number of local businesses onsite as our sponsors, making the entire event FREE to the public! Check out the picture from last year.

Some things will be slightly different.

We've extended the time an extra 2 hours!
We've recruited some volunteers! (Of course there is room for more...)
Many of our sponsors are local business owners and AKP customers!
Games 2 U is bringing a brand new zip-line for everybody to experience!


Sponsorship:
If you have a local business and would like to spend the day with us as a sponsor, please contact Ed Mecum (ed.mecum@adventurekidsplaycare.com) for the details.

Have plans to get fit in January Issaquah?

Adventure Kids Playcare is here to help with your childcare needs! If you are a member of Adventure Kids Playcare, we have several partnerships around town with fitness centers that range from hot yoga to crossfit and whole health planning. If you're looking for a nutrition program designed to jump start your fitness and body composition changes, we really like the Advocare line of supplements and meal plans. Nicole can get you everything you need for the 24 day challenge.

Here are our partners and the discounts on childcare available with each. To be fair, they are in alphabetical order.

Fitness Together offers individual fitness and nutrition training and education. Childcare at AK is free during your training sessions.

Gravity Janes takes Crossfit to another level and focuses on the fit-ness of your exercise and diet routine with a variety of group trainings, private trainings and nutritional seminars. Childcare at AK is half price during training sessions.

Hot Yoga Experience features far-infrared saunas, hatha and power classes and cater to beginners and long time practicioners alike. Childcare at AK is free during classes.

Sound Body Fitness & Nutrition offers a variety of exercise classes and nutrition training. This month, they are offering a free week of classes with free childcare at AK.

Stroller Strides is holding classes at Swedish Hospital with us & we're offering their members 30% off childcare during their workouts and the hour after.

Terra Yoga offers Hot Hatha Yoga, Power Vinyasa, and Anahata Vinyasa as well as Prenatal Yoga, private sessions, workshops and Pranassage®, a combination of yoga and bodywork that produces deep relaxation in the receiver. Childcare at AK is half price during classes.

We hope this information is helpful in your pursuit of health in 2012! Links to each of these partners are provided to the left.

What is a Drop-in Childcare Center???

A lot of people come to us at Adventure Kids Playcare and really aren't sure what it is we do. Usually, their friends have told them that they have to come check us out, but they don't really understand why. Everybody knows how a daycare operates (boring!). Everybody knows how Chuck E. Cheese operates (crazy!). But if you've never had a drop in center, chances are you just don't understand how it can change the way you live your life. There are times I feel like I'm trying to explain to a desert nomad how cool and refreshing a summer time swim can be and they look at me like I'm crazy for wasting the water!

Known as AK if you are texting, Adventure Kids Playcare is a child entertainment center that is also licensed as a childcare care center. This means that parents can leave their children with a care provider whose main goal is to make sure the children have a GREAT time while having all of their basic needs met as well. We provide meals and snacks, take care of hygiene, lead arts & craft projects, lead games, read stories & provide an opportunity for kids to meet new friends nearly every day. We provide bus transportation before and after school to several Issaquah schools and make sure the kids are getting their home work done. We hold camps all the weeks that school is out and are always open if it snows.

I think our only limitations are a defined capacity, children who are obviously ill, have a condition that requires one on one attention or threatens other children, and putting the kids to bed for you (although we do try to get the to sleep later in the evening.) The owners are there most of the time & really do listen to parents if there is a concern and try to find a good solution.