Hip, Hip, Hula Hoops - Hooray!

Our county library has a great children's program, and this week they threw a "Beach Party Kick Off" to introduce this year's summer reading program. Regrettably, I did not have my camera with me to document the librarians in floral leis and grass skirts hula hooping to a Beach Boys CD.

After enjoying this exhibition, I figured it was the perfect time to get the girls a couple hula hoops, but I was not in the mood to shell out $10-15 for a couple plastic circles at Toys R Us. So I checked out my trusty Dollar Tree which has a giagantic luau/summer party section featured this month.

I was not disappointed: Hula hoops for a dollar. And not some flimsy cheapo hula hoops. They even have those ball bearings inside that make the fun swish sound as it rotates. Yay!

My six year old had a style all her own. I have NEVER seen anyone take her approach, and with seven grown nieces and nephews and a few years in childcare, I've been around a lot of little ones. Big fan of originality. Take a peek: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik3Opn3BlYo

They were actively playing with their hula hoops for close to an hour. They even broke a sweat! If the hippy spinning of your hula hoop is too monotonous, you could also try to

• Flip it up and over your head to use it like a jump rope.
• Throw it in the air (baton style) and try to catch it on your arm.
• Stand it up on its edge vertically and roll it, like they did in olden days. See whose goes the furthest.
• Lay it on the ground and have a toss game, making your kid(s) take a step away from it after each successful throw.

OR

You can spin it around your neck, the way my 4 year old mastered. How do you hula hoop?