Do Your Kids Play Soccer?

This is a sponsored post via US Family Guide.

We will receive a product in exchange for an honest review.

As a family, we are outside a LOT.  Our kids love hiking and biking, scrambling and exploring with the freedom of being outdoors.  They're definitely not lacking for opportunities to exercise and my husband and I prefer to have them involved in activities we can do right along beside them.  Every now and then, though, we do stop to consider if it would also be beneficial for them to take part in  more main-stream organized sports.  We're in one of those decision periods now...

Part of our dilemma is that B was not born with athletic prowess.  His skills are elsewhere.  He does profess to love playing soccer, but when we've put him on teams in the past we've watched him run around the field in dreamland while he watched the game go on around him.  Completely opposite of his older brother, P is naturally coordinated and much more grounded after he's physically exerted himself.

Why am I telling you all of this?  It's been a warm winter here in Utah and we've been out wandering for months when we'd usually be cooped up inside.  But as spring comes, we've decided it will be a good idea to give both boys a little bit of organization and structure.  We've decided to enroll both of them in the Challenger Sports program, British Soccer Camp.

The program involves 1-week of concentrated training in soccer skills and speed, but also focuses on character development and introduces participants to the wide-spread culture of soccer around the world.  For B, it sounds perfect as he'll be given more individual encouragement to develop soccer skills instead of just running around the field looking lost.  And for P, it'll be an opportunity to push himself and play hard with other kids his age.  We're really looking forward to giving them both a break from their normal fitness activities and allowing them to stretch a little outside their comfort zones.  

This video explains a little better how the British Soccer Camp program helps kids develop their athletic abilities and all focus on being better sports...

Our camp will be in June and I'll let you know how it goes.  But how about your family?  Do your kids play organized sports, or are they more like ours focusing on free forms of exercise and activity?

Want more information on Challenger Sports British Soccer Camp?

Find a location scheduled near you.

Check out A Local Wander on Facebook to find information on early registration freebies!

Urban Adventure Quest-in YOUR City

This is a sponsored post via US Family Guide.

We will receive a product to review in exchange for our honest opinions. 

A few months ago my family signed up to take an Urban Adventure Quest in Salt Lake City and had a blast on a scavenger hunt that went from the Gateway Mall, up to the Capitol, and back down through Temple Square.  You can read more about our experience on my other blog, Freemples.  I'm so excited to have another opportunity to work with Urban Adventure Quest and want to introduce them to you here today!

So what is this scavenger hunt that I'm talking about?  Urban Adventure Quest has created an Amazing Race-style adventure in 35 locations across the United States.  Each adventure combines the thrill of searching for and finding clues with a not-so-boring city tour, and it's all on your own time, at your own speed.  

Some details:

The purchase price ($49/team) 2-5pp.  If you're on vacation and thinking of paying admission to anywhere for 5 people, $49 is really quite a bargain!  

Your Urban Adventure Quest is self-paced.  You'll receive your starting location via email and the game is played on your smartphone as you go.  You can race against the leaderboard, or make it a leisurely day of exploring.

You can make the experience whatever you want it to be.  In the Salt Lake Quest there are options to skip the Capitol portion, and move on to the next set of questions (which we did because our little ones weren't up to walking up the hill).  There are also instructions for taking public transportation, or skipping it and exploring on foot instead.  

Here is a video to give you a feel for your Urban Adventure Quest can be...

We LOVED our Urban Adventure Quest in Salt Lake City with our kids.  My husband and I are going down to Las Vegas to do our next one on our own in a few weeks.  We'll let you know how it goes, but you can find one in your city and try it out now!

Save 20%- Only $39.20 for a team of 2-5 people after Promotion Code: FGBLOG.

 Sign up online at www.UrbanAdventureQuest.com.

Wander Through A Fairy Tale Ice Castle

This post is  my honest review of a product received via US Family Guide.

Grab your bucket list.  Right now, go and grab it.  Now, somewhere close to the top-let's say in the #1 spot-add "Explore an ice castle."  There, you've added it.  Next step-do it...as soon as possible! 

To tell you what to expect when you make your ice castle pilgrimage, I want you to close your eyes and picture yourself in the middle of a magical icy fairy tale.  Designed to feel like you're in an old European village square, there are ice, water, and fire features around corners in every direction.  To the right, slides and tunnels to climb up, crawl through, and amble down.  To the left the romance of a double spouting water fountain.  Straight ahead slot canyons and narrow passageways to explore and get lost in. It's a child's paradise, for young and old alike.

As a parent taking my four young boys to this winter wonderland, safety was a big concern.  Ice, obviously, can be very slippery.  I was so impressed that throughout the ice castle, there is staff positioned to quickly and unobtrusively break up the ice as it gets packed down and starts to become slick.  Even more than knowing my kids wouldn't fall on the ice, it assured me that I myself wouldn't be taking an embarrassing spill to the ground in front of half the population of the Wasatch Front.  

In the weeks leading up to us visiting the Midway Ice Castle so many people told me, "I've heard of these and want to do it some day!"  I'm telling you, it's something worth doing right now!  If you have one within driving distance, why not make it a weekend adventure and spend time exploring in the area.  I promise you won't regret it. 

My only tip would be to plan for crowds.  Once you're inside the castles there are plenty of side halls to explore and it doesn't seem so crowded, but knowing that there may be a wait for a slide or to go through a tunnel will go a long way to making sure you're prepared and can have a great time while you are there.

For more details on Utah's Ice Castle, click here.

A Local Wander readers (that's you) can save 15% off admission. 

 Print this coupon and take it with you!

Where In the World Have You Been?

Hello, Utah!  (And my favorite Utah-lovers)  It's been awhile since we've had a chat, hasn't it?  We here at A Local Wander have had an interesting 2-year journey of exploring and testing out new waters and it's finally led us back home.  We're so glad to be here!

So, where did we go?  It started with a job opportunity in Alaska and a summer of road-tripping with the kids all across the Midwest and West coast....

Then we moved to Iowa, my old stomping grounds.  We had a fun year there close to family and experiencing humidity, icy winters, and rolling hills.  But it never felt like home.  Utah is home and my native husband and children needed to be back in the mountains with dry heat and mild winters.  

Here we are!  (And what a mild winter we've come back to you!)  Watch over the coming months as we get back into the swing of things.  We've been missing our Utah adventures and are as excited as ever to share them with you!

In the meantime, tell us about your last exciting Utah adventure!