Help Sprite Refresh our Parks and Get Kids Playing


(Update 5/26/11: The giveaway has been extended to 5/31/11! ) (Update 5/19/11: See below for a new, easy method to enter to win a $100 Shutterfly gift card!) When my twins were little we used to joke about how they needed to be "let out" to run around and get their wiggles out, every single day, rain or shine, as if they were puppies. The day was just not complete until they had a chance to get outside and play. We don't live near a park, so on cold days I was only too happy to open the door and let the boys run out into our gated back yard. I'll never forget the time we realized that a simple latch was no longer enough to keep them in -- at age two, 3Po and Jammy figured out how to ram their Little Tykes car into the gate hard enough to loosen the latch. I only found out about their new little trick when I poked my head out the door and saw them racing down the driveway into the street! Now that they're older, their need for outdoor play is as strong as ever; if anything, it has intensified. As they've grown bigger, our back yard has "shrunk" (I found that out when a missed basketball shot broke our guest bedroom window) -- so I'm really glad that our local school places so much importance on the value of play. The boys get time to play during recess and lunch, PE twice a week, and the school fields are open after school and on weekends. I've found that they are actually more prepared to settle down and concentrate if they've just had a long, satisfying bout of outdoor play, so it's good for more than just getting them to sleep at night -- it's good for their mind, body and soul.
You don't have to believe me; just ask the experts. Studies have shown how play enhances learning skills (along with social and emotional skills) and that physical activity boosts student performance (the New York Times even calls it the "Fourth R"). In fact, play is so important to optimal child development that it has been recognized by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights as a right of every child. That's why I'm so happy to blog about Sprite's ongoing effort, Spark Parks, to refresh parks, playgrounds and active spaces across the nation. In April, The Sprite Spark Parks Project is teaming up with Habitat for Humanity to build and refurbish homes and active spaces. Now everyone can help out by collecting special green tabs from Sprite cans!
Here's how it works: 1) Look for Sprite or Sprite Zero cans with green tabs during the month of April. 2) Start collecting Sprite green tabs now and help raise money to build and refurbish homes and active spaces. For each green tab from Sprite or Sprite Zero received by 6/30/2011, Sprite will donate 10 cents per tab, up to $500,000 (Sprite has guaranteed a minimum $250k donation), to Habitat for Humanity. 3) Place the green tabs in a regular or padded envelope. If using a regular envelope, please limit the number of tabs to 20 per envelope. Affix the appropriate postage and check with your post office to confirm the postage if necessary. Mail the tabs by 6/30/2011 to: Sprite Green Tabs PO Box 52666 Knoxville, TN 37950 Visit the official Spark Park Sprite Hub page for more information. How simple is that? I can't wait to start my own green tab collection so we can help other kids reap the benefits of outdoor play! Need a bit more motivation to start collecting those green tabs? How about the thought of an extra $2,000 donation from BlogHer to Habitat for Humanity?! If you upload a photo of your Sprite green tab collection to your blog or Facebook page, then leave a link to your photo in the comments section of this post, BlogHer will donate 10 cents to Habitat for Humanity, up to $2,000! Still need more convincing? How about the chance to win a $100 Shutterfly.com gift card? Win a $100 gift card to Shutterfly.com One lucky Bonggamom Finds winner will receive a $100 Shutterfly.com gift card! To enter, you can do any of the following: (Update 5/26/11: The giveaway has been extended to 5/31/11! ) (Update 5/19/11: I've added a fifth entry method to make it easier than ever to enter! Choose up to two entry methods below.) a) New, easy entry method: Leave a comment telling us how you plan to keep your family in motion this summer. Volunteering, community/team sports, or how about summer camps? Tell us! b) Take a fun photo of your Green Tab collection, upload the photo onto your blog or Facebook page, then leave a comment on this post with a link to the blog/FB post. c) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post. d) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post. e) No Twitter account or blog? Visit the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry. As mentioned above, any of these 5 entry methods counts, but it would be awesome if you chose option (b) as one of your entries, because BlogHer is donating 10 cents to Habitat for Humanity for every photo uploaded, up to $2000! Don't have a blog or Facebook account? Don't want to post to yours? No problem! Use mine! Put your photo up on facebook.com/bonggamomfinds! You can also gain an extra entry by completing any of the 4 remaining options, for a total of 2 entries. Entries will be accepted between 5/5/2011 and (new deadline!) 5/31/2011. Don't forget to visit the BlogHer Promotions & Prizes section for more chances to win a $100 Shutterfly gift card. Good luck! Rules: No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods: a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. The official rules are available here Disclaimer: This is a compensated post. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

74 comments, leave yours here:

Mami2jcn on May 6, 2011 at 4:15 AM said...

tweeted:


http://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/66461075926814721

mami2jcn at gmail dot com

LAURA1877 on May 6, 2011 at 7:27 AM said...

http://twitter.com/LAURAWI18/status/66509202427879424

bwirth1974@gmail.com

Barbara Montag on May 8, 2011 at 3:42 PM said...

Tweet @JalapenoMama
http://twitter.com/#!/JalapenoMama/status/67358404838043649
Thank you.
barbara dot montyj at gmail dot com

E on May 8, 2011 at 4:07 PM said...

http://twitter.com/?status=http%3A%2F%2Fbonggafinds2.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fhelp-sprite-refresh-our-parks-and-get.html#!/ekieu/status/67364773972545536

ekieuuu@gmail.com

MOMFOREVERANDEVER on May 8, 2011 at 6:45 PM said...

http://twitter.com/?status=http%3A%2F%2Fbonggafinds2.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fhelp-sprite-refresh-our-parks-and-get.html#!/mom4everandever/status/67404667604312064

Sarafan2 on May 9, 2011 at 9:27 PM said...

Tweeted

http://twitter.com/Sarafan2/status/67807685067816960


kibbles0905@yahoo.com

Andrew McKinley on May 13, 2011 at 8:40 PM said...

Tweeted
http://twitter.com/#!/AndyGMcK/status/69245582560079872

Tina on May 15, 2011 at 7:50 PM said...

http://twitter.com/#!/HappyTina0115/status/69957746983841793
merleandtina@yahoo.com

Chip on May 17, 2011 at 6:11 PM said...

Tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/chipdip2010/status/70657531420221440
chipdip2010(at)hotmail(dot)com

Lindsey @ I Run in Heels on May 20, 2011 at 12:07 AM said...

I don't have kids of my own, but as a youth director, I love to plan things that get the kids outside and moving. We do everything from Watermelon Olympics to hikes and flag football.

lindsey(dot)marcus(at)gmail(dot)com

Angel Jacklyn on May 20, 2011 at 10:38 AM said...

WE ARE HUGE BEACH-GOERS. IN FACT, OUR FAMILY REUNION TAKES PLACE AT ONE EVERY YEAR! kytah00@yahoo.com

Angel Jacklyn on May 20, 2011 at 10:38 AM said...

2ND ENTRY TWEET @ http://twitter.com/#!/kytah00/status/71630408973946880 kytah00@yahoo.com

Heather R on May 21, 2011 at 7:33 PM said...

We are taking swim lessons this year so that our daughter gets out in the sun and water for some fun!

thransom@gmail.com

janetfaye on May 21, 2011 at 9:06 PM said...

Tweet:
http://twitter.com/Janetfaye/status/72151195514441729

janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com

Mami2jcn on May 22, 2011 at 4:29 AM said...

I'm not sure why I didn't do option A the first time, so I'm posting now. This summer we plan to swim a lot and we've signed up for free bowling.

mami2jcn at gmail dot com

annc999 on May 22, 2011 at 5:48 AM said...

We are SO going to volunteer our butts off this summer. Can't wait!

Thanks!

annc999 on May 22, 2011 at 5:50 AM said...

Tweeted.


http://twitter.com/#!/annc999/status/72282939718762496

Heather on May 22, 2011 at 1:50 PM said...

We are going on a walk every night and hiking on weekends!

Denise S. on May 22, 2011 at 2:50 PM said...

I plan to keep my family active with camping and swimming lessons.
lazybones344 at gmail dot com

Denise S. on May 22, 2011 at 2:51 PM said...

http://twitter.com/lazybones344/status/72419298622181376

Anonymous said...

our neighborhood pool- swimming! scg00387 at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

http://twitter.com/#!/DesMoinesDealin/status/72427969821409280 scg00387 at yahoo dot com

Susanne on May 23, 2011 at 2:58 PM said...

How to keep the kids in motion this summer? That is never a problem with two teenage boys. To balance things out we have planned "DO NOTHING" Days. No chores, no projects, no nothing; we just hang out together. I even prepare food in advance so there is no cooking.

Karen on May 23, 2011 at 4:19 PM said...

Just bought a basketball hoop - can't wait to keep the kids moving with a little 2 on 2 game :)

Karen Gonyea
ktgonyea at gmail.com

Clueless_Mama on May 23, 2011 at 4:45 PM said...

I am planning on taking my family camping all over in our RV. We have so much fun hiking, biking and learning about new places. So looking forward to the summer.

Sabrina said...

Do different activites outdoors, visit theme parks!!!

sabrina said...

forgot to put my email
sabrina0107@live.com

Clueless_Mama on May 24, 2011 at 8:30 AM said...

http://twitter.com/#!/clueless_mama/status/73048044987351040 I tweeted the giveaway. I love Shutterfly and have so many pictures I could really use this gift card for. Thanks for the giveaway.
camden44@gmail.com

Unknown on May 24, 2011 at 8:52 AM said...

We will be staying at my father-in-law's lake house and enjoying all types of water sports!

Anonymous said...

We're headed to the beach in a few days and then we'll have to wait and see. My son is still just crawling and pulling up on things so it's hard for me to let go of my paranoia and just let him crawl outside. It won't be long though so hopefully as soon as he's truly mobile we'll have to go outside to keep him from destroying the house!

Heather on May 24, 2011 at 3:03 PM said...

I tweeted!!

http://twitter.com/#!/heatherlds

Erica C. on May 24, 2011 at 3:47 PM said...

I want to get a bunch of sports stuff for outside games...like a volleyball net, etc. We already play soccer together pretty often.

Jessica Labrum on May 24, 2011 at 10:01 PM said...

Trips to the beach!!

toddjesslabrum@gmail.com

Maria Malaveci on May 25, 2011 at 5:28 AM said...

http://twitter.com/#!/mmalavec/status/73364813576814592

tweet!

Anonymous said...

my son is doing baseball practie program this summer and we like to hike the trails
tcogbill at live dot com

Anash on May 25, 2011 at 6:37 PM said...

Mandatory Entry: we are going to go bike riding often!
anashct [at] yahoo [dot] com

Anash on May 25, 2011 at 6:37 PM said...

I tweeted here: http://twitter.com/anashct/status/73563253770428416
Thanks for the chance!!
anashct [at] yahoo [dot] com

Anash on May 25, 2011 at 6:40 PM said...

I blogged this giveaway: http://mommilitary.blogspot.com/2011/05/help-sprite-refresh-our-parks-and-get.html
Thanks for the opportunity
anashct [at] yahoo [dot] com

Heather R on May 25, 2011 at 7:40 PM said...

Tweet
https://twitter.com/#!/THRansom/status/73579012047372288

thransom@gmail.com

sweepmom on May 26, 2011 at 3:41 AM said...

We like to go on hikes/walks. We have also started bike riding on trails.

Unknown on May 26, 2011 at 1:25 PM said...

We hike the trails on our acreage and love going to the lake. trinitygsd atyahoo do tcom

Anonymous said...

We like to take the whole family - three and sometimes four generations - to the park. We have fun watching the little ones play on the swings, and then we all take a walk around the trails and enjoy the beautiful weather.

ellenslane(at)comcast(dot)net

Kerry on May 29, 2011 at 5:42 AM said...

We do lots of swimming and water skiing in the summer.
nuthouse(at)centurytel(dot)net

Kerry on May 29, 2011 at 5:44 AM said...

tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/KerryBishop/status/74818195478941696
nuthouse(at)centurytel(dot)net

Heather! on May 29, 2011 at 10:18 AM said...

Our kids both play sports, so they tend to be very active anyway. My husband and I have recently made a commitment to walking our dogs together after dinner every evening this summer (while there's still light later in the day). Most nights the kids come with us, so it's a family walk!
Thanks!
h4schaffer at gmail dot com

Heather! on May 29, 2011 at 10:21 AM said...

I tweeted this post!
http://twitter.com/#!/hybroanglid/status/74887813514010624

h4schaffer at gmail dot com

wigget on May 29, 2011 at 2:39 PM said...

swimming!

Patrice on May 29, 2011 at 3:16 PM said...

Our farm keeps our family both active and outside during all seasons.
patrice@everydayruralty.com

sodahoney on May 29, 2011 at 4:45 PM said...

Kids are water rats. So it is swimming lessons, diving lessons. swim team partice. swim competitions. I have 6 so it is alot of water and sun screen.

sodahoney on May 29, 2011 at 4:47 PM said...

Blog http://sodahoney.blogspot.com/2011/05/enter-at-these-8-bloggers-ends-may-31.html

sodahoney on May 29, 2011 at 4:48 PM said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
sodahoney on May 29, 2011 at 4:55 PM said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
kilda on May 29, 2011 at 8:02 PM said...

We are going to keep active by riding our bikes a lot. It will save money on gas too.
ajolly1456 at gmail dot com

Howell on May 29, 2011 at 9:54 PM said...

we all play tennis

hlee99 (at) gmail (dot) com

wizardewu on May 29, 2011 at 9:55 PM said...

hiking keeps us moving.

eugeniewu-at-gmail-dot-com

mickeyfan on May 29, 2011 at 10:49 PM said...

We farm, so there is really never a lack of outdoor things for the kids to do!

Princess Golden Hair on May 30, 2011 at 10:23 AM said...

my family loves to spend time outdoors. we love going to the park the beach, the mountains, and getting out there and volunteering.

teechbiz at gmail dot com

Annie on May 30, 2011 at 10:51 AM said...

We like to take walks, and collect all the money we find as we walk. It's a great incentive to get out and exercise! (especially these last 2 months when our total was over $5 each month).

Anonymous said...

Play is very important to our family...we especially love the warmer weather when we can picnic and hike the peaks around our area. It really brings us very close as a family.

Anonymous said...

tweeted
http://twitter.com/#!/fairydancer35/status/75296519632334848

Anonymous said...

My granddaughter loves to swim and will continue her volunteer work at the center.
spiersrp at gmail dot com

kakihara on May 30, 2011 at 11:19 PM said...

Play is important---I think that active kids grow up to be active adults --kids that are used to walking, biking, running, hiking, and playing sports will be less likely to turn into couch potatos!
kakihararocks@gmail.com

mail4rosey on May 31, 2011 at 3:28 AM said...

We'll stay in motion by spending a lot of time at the lake. It's free, it's fun, and there's a million ways to stay active.

msurosey@yahoo.com

mail4rosey on May 31, 2011 at 3:28 AM said...

Tweet
http://twitter.com/#!/mail4rosey/status/75508985515622400

msurosey@yahoo.com

shelley on May 31, 2011 at 5:33 AM said...

I have hard wood floor so this would be perfect for me! Thanks for the great giveaway!

msjem2001 at yahoo dot com

susansmoaks on May 31, 2011 at 8:44 AM said...

we plan to do a lot of bike riding and swimming to stay in motion this summer
susansmoaks at gmail dot com

MCantu1019 on May 31, 2011 at 1:20 PM said...

We wil be going to the pool, a lot, and plenty of bike rides.
MCantu1019 at aol dot com

Sand on May 31, 2011 at 2:28 PM said...

We do a lot of volunteer work for non-profits in our community.

slehan on May 31, 2011 at 3:43 PM said...

hiking, biking & swimming.
Thanks for the contest.

slehan on May 31, 2011 at 3:44 PM said...

blogged: http://slehan.blogspot.com/2011/05/win-100-shutterfly-gc-from-blogher.html

Delena on May 31, 2011 at 8:33 PM said...

we plan to do a lot of camping. It's one of the great benefits of living in a rural area

mcirish02 at hotmail dot com

ms-texas on May 31, 2011 at 9:07 PM said...

we like to walk at the high school track field

debbiebellows(at)gmail(dot)com

ms-texas on May 31, 2011 at 9:09 PM said...

tweeted here:

http://twitter.com/bellows22/status/75775739592577025

debbiebellows(at)gmail(dot)com

bonggamom on June 5, 2011 at 9:48 PM said...

Congratulations to #36, mmalavec! You've won the $100 Shutterfly gift card! Please watch out for my email with instructions on how to claim your prize!

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