Do you get outside every day with your kids? Some days I don’t, but I really try–especially because Ryan LOVES being outside and it lets him get out some energy. Did you know that kids age 8 to 18 spend more than 7.5 hours EACH DAY watching TV, texting, or playing video games. Seven and a half hours!!! That sounds crazy! At Ryan’s age (2.5 yrs), it’s really easy to limit his TV time, but I’ll admit he probably spends too much time on the iPad. 
Banana Boat Sunscreen Natural Reflect Lotion is challenging parents to take the “101 days of summer play” pledge this summer. I’m totally in. Want to join me? Head over to the Banana Boat facebook page and take the pledge to get your kid out in the sunshine to play everyday, all summer long. AND every pledge results in a donation of one Sunscreen Natural Reflect Lotion bottle to The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a nonprofit summer camp and year-round center for kids with cancer and other serious illnesses.
More awesomeness: if you share photos of fun summer memories on the Banana Boat facebook page you’ll be entered to win weekly prizes & a grand prize family vacation!
Okay, so if you’re pledging to be out in the sun every day with your children, you MUST have protection! And that’s where the Banana Boat Sunscreen Natural Reflect Lotion comes in. You guys know that we like to be as all-natural as possible and use safe ingredients, especially on our children’s skin. So I checked this stuff out on the cosmetics database before using it. It’s not listed on there yet, but when you input the ingredients to create your own report, it’s rated a 1 (0 is best, 10 is terrible, and 0-2 is regarded as “safest”).
To kick off our summer, spread the news about “101 days of summer play,” and encourage friends to get outside, we had a little party! Thanks to Banana Boat, I got to create little gift bags filled with the Sunscreen Natural Reflect Lotion, a Banana Boat Frisbee, and a $1 off coupon!
It was Memorial Day weekend AND my brother-in-law’s 30th birthday… we went to the Lakehouse for some quality time outside, lots of friends and family, lots of games, and…. lots of sunscreen! Even our baby girl, Rebecca, was ready to party:
Banana Boat offers an activity guide to give you great ideas on things to do each day this summer and we checked out some of their suggestions and game ideas. Ohhh it was quite the event. There was a 4-sport tournament–everyone was put in teams of 2 and we competed ALL DAY LONG in bags, tiki, bocce, and ladder ball. The Banana Boat gift bags made great prizes and people were very appreciative for the protection from the sun!
Here’s our very own Banana Boat boy 🙂 He loves to put on his own sunscreen and he seriously reminds me that he needs “more sunscreen on, mom!” This stuff is more like lotion–it’s not greasy and goes on nice and thick so you feel protected and can see the coverage you’re getting. Make sure you apply 30 min before being in the sun and then reapply every 2 hours!
This stuff comes in 3 kinds: SPF50+, Kids tear-free sting-free SPF50+, and Baby tear-free sting-free SPF 50+. It’s water resistant (up to 80 min), is recommended by The Skin Cancer Foundation, and uses naturally-sourced sunscreen actives that reflect UVA and UVB rays. It’s also free of oxybenzone and parabens, contains 100% naturally sourced mineral sunscreens Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide, and provides proven protection against sunburn and helps prevent long-term skin damage.
My toddler LOVES to play outside so it’s pretty easy for us, but our favorites are: playing at the park, going for walks, splashing in a little blow-up pool, the sprinkler, having a picnic, and riding bikes!
**CLOSED** GIVEAWAY: one lucky reader will win their own Banana Boat gift set!
TO ENTER: simply leave a comment on this blog post about your favorite thing to do outside with your kids! (I’d love some new ideas!)
extra entries: get one extra entry for each of the following (leave separate blog comments for each): like Baby Dickey on facebook, like Banana Boat on facebook, take the 101 days of summer play pledge, follow Baby Dickey on twitter, follow Banana Boat on twitter. Giveaway ends Sunday, June 24th at 11:59pm CST. Winner will be emailed!
~I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of BananaBoat® Sun Care and received a party kit to facilitate my review, party kits to give to my guests, and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.
My favorite thing is to sit on the deck while I watch the kids run around the yard with their dad or the neighbor kids.
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We love playing with our water table outside!
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We liked you on facebook!
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we liked banana boat on facebook!
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we took the 100 days of summer pledge!
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we took the 101 days of summer pledge!
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My kids love the beach and the pool.
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I LOVE to do anything with the kids outside that involves water… so that I am comfortable while they have fun 🙂
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I had my first baby on April 30th of this year, and I want him to be protected when we go for the fireworks. I love to sit on the porch and rock him in the swing and sing to him…I know that doesn’t sound like much fun, but it is for me and my sweetie. Thanks for this wonderful chance.
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my daughter actually loves to go outside and pick our strawberries and smell the flowers. she asks to do it all the time. that, and she loves to look at the moon at night. she thinks its the best thing ever. 🙂
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we love going outside and swimming, play baseball/kickball, go bike riding thanks
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like B B on fb Julie A Scott Laws
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like u on fb Julie A Scott Laws
ps your children are darling 🙂
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