Put Down the Gadgets and Get Outdoors for Nickelodeon's WorldWide Day of Play

Our apartment walls are paper thin, so I know my neighbors must think I'm some crazed maniac as I scream at the boys for running from room to room as if we lived in a space the size of a football field opposed to the over-stuffed, over-rated NYC rental we live in. Over the summer we were very laid back about our day to day plans, with so many family passing's and life altering changes we tried not to over extend ourselves too much and wanted the kids to just enjoy relaxing - which if left to them to decide meant the involvement of some sort of gadget or gizmo or them imitating their favorite wrestling moves on our furniture. Every year right before we bid summer farewell we look forward to shutting off the television and the tablets to head outdoors for one awesome day of fun & fitness.  

On Saturday, Sept. 17, Nickelodeon celebrated its 13th annual Worldwide Day of Play in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. The slime-filled event featured Nickelodeon-themed games and fitness-themed activities hosted by Nick’s long-standing local partners, including the Art of Stepping, Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City, Canine Companions for Independence, Major League Baseball’s PLAY BALL and World Baseball Classic, NBA Fit, New York Road Runners (NYRR), NFL PLAY 60, Playworks, Special Olympics, Street Soccer USA and USA BMX.

Staying Fit and Having Fun at Nickelodeon World Wide Day of Play in Prospect Park #WWDoP #LilMonstersinNYC

We love our family time at home, especially when we get to chill out on our couch with a bowl of buttery popcorn after an extremely busy week.  We really get to enjoy each other's company while watching & cracking up laughing at our favorite Nickelodeon shows like Instant Mom, The Thundermans, The Haunted Hathaways and LabRats. Just as equally important to us is that we get away from the hours of screen time that can consume us watching television, checking emails and when gaming, so that we can get outdoors we try to explore new places and get in some physical activity like tossing around a football, riding scooters and rock climbing.

This fall, Nickelodeon empowered kids to get up and get active as their TV channels, websites and app went off air and offline for its 11th Annual  Nickelodeon World Wide Day of Play #WWDop. Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Nick Jr., TeenNick, Nick.com, NickJr.com, Nicktoons.com, TeenNick.com and the Emmy Award-winning  Nick App all participated and the network's national pro social partners ~ United States Tennis Association, NFL PLAY 60, the Boys and Girls Club of America and many others - hosted several thousand local events across the country to help celebrate kids' love of play.

Almost 4,000 events were hosted to encourage kids and their families everywhere to be more physically active & thanks to local blogger Rebecca of The Mommy Sauce, my two  monsters and hubby had the chance to join in on the fun at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, NY. The boys had such a blast and enjoyed playing awesome Nickelodeon-themed games, meeting costumed characters they love to laugh at like SpongeBob and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and live-action stars they are huge fans of such as Sydney Park and Tylen Jacob Williams (Instant Mom), Jack Griffo and Kira Kosarin (The Thundermans) and NBA player J.R. Smith (New York Knicks) and former NBA/WNBA players Larry Johnson (New York Knick), Kym Hampton (New York a Liberty) and Felipe Lopez.

CJ was in awe of meeting Jack Griffo and asked him "What it was like to be on TV ?" and the actor told him that it was really, pretty awesome. Receiving basketball pointers and practicing dribbling and lay ups on the court with Kym Hampton were great fitness activities and the DJ got the crowd excited as they participated in drills with NBA Cares, cheered, danced and burned off lots of energy.

Watch the kids and actors participate in a high energy drill.

What kid wouldn't want to get virtually slimed, right? I remember watching the Nickelodeon commercials as a kid and always wishing I could get covered in the gooey, green stuff just for laughs.

Tristan is a really active 4 year old and is fearless when it comes to trying out sports, he idolizes his daddy and big brother and always wants to play and toss around the ball when they are at the park. So I wasn't surprised at all when he excitedly told me he had lots of fun trying out the NFL RUSH PLAY60 fitness drills with Instant Mom actor Tylen and never wanted to leave his side, check out this video of them during the course.

                                        

During the Nickelodeon World Wide Day of Play event my two monsters probably had the most fun hanging in the demo area of the Yvolution Fliker Lift Track with the other kids, actors and of course the super cool Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Street Soccer USA was on site and the kids really got into the game, and now my boys are asking to join a team this year, which we are all for because it's a great team player sport. My hubby wasn't allowed to play on teams as a kid because he was raised as a Jehovah's witness and I only ran track and field, so we really love that our boys express an interest in sports and are always willing to try one out.

If we had a bigger apartment I would run out and buy myself a personal trampoline like the ones JumpLife were exercising on because it's such a simple and fun way to stay fit, especially if you are bouncing to some cool beats and the Art of Stepping performance on the mini stage had the actors and crowd moving their feet. 

During the event visitors also enjoyed interactive play structures for preschoolers, Hula Hooping, learned dance routines from the Broadway show Matilda, played slap shot with the New York Islanders, BMX biking activities, dry land Rowing and information on Tennis from the USTA.

Without a doubt this annual event is a fantastic way to show kids and their families how much fun they can have when they step away from the TV and get outdoors. So, make sure you stay tuned for when Nickelodeon celebrates their "Road to Worldwide Day of Play" next year to promote their health and wellness message through active play and sports programs for youth.

This years event at Prospect Park wasn't open to the public but check out the amazing time New Yorkers had at the 10th annual Nickelodeon World Wide Day of Play. 

Lil' Monsters in NYC: Nickelodeon's World Wide Day of Play 2013

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say this but, sometimes it feels like we nearly have to bribe our nine year old CJ to get out of the house on the weekends. Whether we're discovering something new and undoubtedly amazing to do or visiting a family favorite spot, initially he'd most likely rather stay home and play Sklyanders on his Wii or watch a marathon of Ninja Turtles or WWE wrestling while chowing down on pizza to pass the time. We even have to hide the Nook and cellphones from our 2 year old who is way more technologically savvy then we ever imagined he'd be. Lucky for us parents, for the last ten years Nickelodeon has been hosting it's World Wide Day of Play events all around the globe to encourage kids to take time away from the television screens and gadgets and to get outside to be active and healthy.

This year, after numerous attempts and the recruiting of friends to help us score free tickets online to the Sept. 21st event [which sold out daily in under 5 minutes], we successfully surprised CJ, Tristan and their two cousins. The day included get your heart pumping outdoor activities, celebrity & character appearances and a concert performed by boy band Big Time Rush and actress/singer Ariana Grande in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. 

I hope you guys enjoy my pics below and here's great Nickelodeon, City of Play pictures. I'm also sharing videos that I posted on Instagram so you can get a quick glimpse at why Nickelodeon's World Wide Day of Play is an awesome way for kids to burn some energy while having fun, like my two boys who got in on the action [you can spot them tossing and catching a football in this video]. 

What are some ways you and your family like to stay fit and get moving?

Upbeat party music + a trampoline class with JumpLife make for a great way to start the day. 

A step class helped kids of all ages get coordinated by following patterns and beats.

The monster really had a blast with his cousins and proved he was a tough guy on the field.

A neighborhood cheer-leading squad, cheered on the rock-climbers.

Mini golfers, future pros.

Life size ring toss + running obstacles.

The stars of the Nickelodeon show, The Haunted Hathaways and characters from Nickelodeon and Nick JR. {The Power Rangers, Team UmiZoomi and The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles} drew lines of kids who were excited to meet them. As an 80's baby I think I was way more excited then the kids to see the Ninja Turtles.

Everyone was encouraged to get moving, to do their best and have fun!

  

True fans stood on line for hours near the stage as the afternoon ended with a free two hour concert from     Big Time Rush and Ariana Grande. I must admit, I was disappointed to see so many kids standing in line when there was so much fun to be had. To Nickelodeons credit they made several announcements to the fans to get out and play and be active.

The smiles on these kids faces were priceless, probably the best surprise ever and the best reward for us parents was a house full of kids who couldn't wait to go to bed! Make sure to mark your calendars for next year's World Day of Play event!