Kids' Play Tents

Children can have endless hours of fun and laughter with play tents, providing them not only recreation and entertainment but also a real feel of the camping experience. Kids' play tents also stimulate kids' creativity and ingenuity, where they can pretend to have their own headquarters like real soldiers, or play as if they are on a jamboree. The possibilities are just limitless.

Because these toys are made of lightweight material, they can be easily assembled and pitched especially for indoor use but may also be brought outside so long as extra care is taken. It may be best to consider that while these structures resemble the tents used by professional campers, they are made more for recreation and play.

Before scouring for play tents in the nearest hardware or DIY shop, it may be best to know the various types, sizes, functions, features and other considerations so that you will be guided on what model to buy in accordance with your specifications. Here are some important things to know about kids' play tents.

Different Types:

• Bed Tents - These are built to accommodate a real-sized bed, including the mattress. These models are usually the bigger, bulkier types of play tents.
• Homemade tents - These are referred to as the original play tents as these can be pitched over tables, chairs and other smaller pieces of furniture.
• Mini camp tents - These are miniatures of real camp tents, hence, the term "mini".
• Tee-pee tents - These are the sort of tents that look like an inverted ice cream cone, characteristic of Native American tents.
• Tent and tunnel sets - These tents have built-in crawl-through tunnels. You can even attach two or more tents together for greater fun.

Sizes:

The average height of a kids' play tent is 4 feet and its average width is four feet. Because these structures are especially made for indoor utilization, they can be pitched in the garage, in the living area, on the porch or some other indoor area. For tunnel tents, greater space is required while for homemade tents, availability of building "materials "will determine their size.

Functions:

The possibilities of how play tents can be enjoyed can only be determined by how far and wide children stretch their imagination and initiative. A play tent can serve as a clubhouse, a hideout, a headquarter, a fort, a scouting camp or practically anything they can fancy. Whatever they use it for, they are guaranteed of fun, enjoyment and satisfaction. One caution though: kids' play tents must not be used for real camp-outs as they are not weatherproof.

Features:

Because these tents are miniatures, most of the time they do not come with a zipper or a screen mesh intended for security and good ventilation. Also, most play tents can be closed using ties, which are easier to use for smaller children. The more recent models do not require tent pegs as they are built by shock-cord poles or pegs.

Considerations:

• Space is a critical indicator when pitching tents indoors. See to it that you have sufficient space in order to maximize the learning experience of your children as they explore the amazing wonders of play with the use of tents.
• Be careful when children bring pets inside the tent. Animals may feel threatened by the tight environment, which might trigger them to be aggressive and eventually attack kids.
• Use these tents outdoors only when the weather is fine. Likewise, it is also important not to pitch tents on concrete grounds.

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Bring Down Your Child's Fever Naturally

Fevers are not bad. Let me say that again. Fevers are not bad. A fever is a response of the body fighting off infection. Taking ibuprofin or tylenol is acceptable but it may slow down the body's ability to fight the infection, which consequently could drag out the sickness.

With that said, there are some natural ways to bring down your child's fever without the use of over the counter drugs. Having five children, we've endured many fevers. Our son and our youngest daughter just seemed to always get the highest fevers, you know the ones over 104. It's scary. The last thing any parent wants is for their children to be in pain. I am going to share some things that we've done to help our kids when they've been sick.

1. Popsicles - They're cold, and it will help get some fluids in their system. Most kids when they're sick don't want to eat or drink. Try to make sure they are drinking lots of water, as a fever can quickly dehydrate a little one.

2. Cold wash cloth - Keeping a cold was cloth over the top of the forehead and behind the neck really helps to cool them down.

3. Less is best - They may have the chills and want to stay under the blankets but the point is to cool the body down so less is best.

4. Lukewarm Bath - I am not a big fan of this one but can help, so I felt I had to add it. Keep in mind even a lukewarm bath will feel cold to a child with a fever. Never put a child in a cold bath. It could put their bodies in shock.

5. Egg Whites - This one seems a little odd but hear me out. Take just the whites of the eggs (no yolks), whip them up a little and soak either a couple of hankerchiefs, paper towels, or anything thin and apply to both feet. Cover the feet with saran wrap or socks and leave it on till it dries and reapply if needed. We actually did this treatment when our son was about 4 years old.

He had one of those high fevers and we did the motrin, tylenol rotation, along with everything we knew to do but it wasn't breaking. We finally decided to try this and I want to say it was within 20-30 minutes his fever came down considerably. Supposedly the eggs whites draw the fever down from the head into the feet.

My sons fever was relatively high, so the paper towels we used dried pretty quickly (from the heat of the fever) We ended up reapplying a total of 3 times to get the fever down to a low grade fever. I don't totally understand the science behind it, I just know it works.

Note* Fever in children under four months of age, fever along with other serious symptoms, and fever lasting over a week should seek medical attention.

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