My son wants to join the football team at school but I’m worried about concussions. If I let him join, how can I keep him safe? Adolescents and teens There has been a growing amount of concern regarding traumatic head injuries in high school football. According to a recent study of high school football injuries, […]
Summer Camp Success
How Special Needs Camps Adapted to a Pandemic Two years of pandemic transformed everyday normal moments in life into the annoyingly and sometimes comically difficult. We often complained. We grumbled. We worried how we would do things. Then somehow we just got on with it. Life can be like that every day for kids with […]
Camp Ready
Orange County summer camps reflect and learn from 2021, and look forward to a new summer. For many Orange County summer camps, 2021 was “more normal.” And while the early part of 2022 has proved challenging due to the highly contagious Omicron variant, camp directors are hopeful for the summer ahead. “We’re keeping the arts […]
Modified After-School Sports and Activities Maintain Beneficial for Kids
After-school sports and activities are changing, but kids can still reap their many benefits. In a typical week, an Orange County family can spend a significant amount of time participating in after-school sports — going to soccer practice, attending a basketball game, Little League tryouts or some other athletic endeavor. Experts say after-school sports and […]
How to Prepare Your Athlete to Safely Resume Sports
Q: [Adolescents and teens] How should I prepare my athlete for returning to sports? After spending time away from organized activities, there will be an understood eagerness to quickly return to previous levels of practice and competition. That being said, it is best to protect young athletes and performers by realizing that starting with too […]
Athletes at Home
Q: [All Ages] My kids are both athletes and now they’re at home without team sports. How can we make good use of this time? Now that essential social distancing/home isolation needs have replaced all the practices, games, rehearsals, performances, tournaments and competitions, what can young athletes do? First of all, follow those social distancing […]
Mourning Kobe
How to listen to our kids when they lose their icon. When a child’s hero passes away, a part of their innocence is gone forever. When we lost Kobe Bryant, it was a striking reminder that life isn’t just a game. It sometimes is tragically and inexplicably taken away, never to be replaced. Our children […]
Bringing the Family Together Through Fishing
Start a new tradition with an old classic and let the serenity of fishing bring you together. The most restful adult day I ever spent was on a sport fishing boat out of Dana Point Harbor. (The second most restful day was rock climbing out at Lake Perris.) In both cases, my mind was totally […]
Keep Your Kids Swimming Safely
Warmer weather means more trips to the beach or the pool. Children and adults of all ages will flock to the nearest body of water for vacation, parties and celebrations of all kinds. While it’s important to get out, soak up some vitamin D and get wet, it is also vital to remember the rules […]
Keep Kids Water Safe
Project Wipeout Program Coordinator William Koon offers families tips for staying safe in the pool and ocean. Saying hello to summer means sun, sand, warm weather and time in the water. Fun in the sun—and water—also means some potential dangers for kids heading into summer vacation ready to let loose. It’s these kinds of dangers […]