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Photographer Finds Estranged Father While Documenting Homelessness

Diana Kim screenshot NBC News

A photographer documenting Hawaii’s homeless stumbled upon someone she never expected to see among them — her dad.

Diana Kim’s father had owned a photography studio when she was a little girl, and she grew up with a deep interest in the art form. Her parents separated when she was five and her father grew more distant until she lost touch with him completely.homeless-rock-stars-photographer-submitted-NigelSkeet

Rock & Roll Photographer Turns Local Homeless Into “Stars”

 

Kim began documenting Honolulu’s homeless in 2003 as a student and has been doing it ever since. One day in 2012, she spotted her father among the people she was photographing. She tried talking to him, but he wouldn’t respond. Kim kept trying to engage him in conversation for a year-and-a-half, but was unable to get him to make eye contact.

She documented their encounters in photos, and, when it seemed darkest, her father turned a corner and Kim was finally able to enroll him in mental health care.Our keys!

By Putting Housing First, Utah Reduces Homeless Population by 91%

 

“Our paths crossed for whatever reason,” Kim told NBC News, “And I truly believe it was because we were truly meant to help each other and grow together.”

While the pictures from her father’s homeless days are stark black and white images, today, the pictures are in bright color, and imbued with smiling faces.

(WATCH the NBC News video and READ more at NBC News) – Photo: NBC News video

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Son Builds A ‘Tank’ Wheelchair to Delight His WWII Veteran Dad (WATCH)

Peter and Eddie Shaw-tank wheelchair-Daily Mail vid

A World War II veteran who came under enemy fire by German tanks in the 1940’s now has his own tank-like transportation – his wheelchair.

It had become tough for Peter Shaw to push his 96-year-old father’s wheelchair around the grounds of his Shropshire home in the UK, so he decided to invent something a little more hardcore.

With the help of locals who donated the materials and a local welder, Eddie Shaw’s son adapted a motorized wheelbarrow and a van seat to resemble an armored tank – complete with caterpillar tracks.

The all-terrain wheelchair took about 30 hours to build, and can reach speeds of up to 8 miles per hour.wheelchair swing Facebook SmarterEveryDay

Dad Builds “Awesome” Giant Swing so Daughter in Wheelchair Can Play

 

The elder Shaw, who served as a Sergeant with 918 General Transport Company in the 8th British Army Division during World War II, told The Daily Mail, “It brings backs memories of the war. I came under fire from tanks but never got to drive one – now I finally can.”

Typical wheelchairs offer limited mobility on unstable terrain, but that’s no longer an issue for this father-son duo, who plan on test-driving the custom wheelchair on trips to the beach.

Until then, Eddie is happily cruising around the English countryside.

(WATCH the video below and READ more at Daily Mail) – Photo: Daily Mail video

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Bulletproof, Fireproof, Eco-friendly Homes Are Made of Plastic Bottles

Plastic bottle house Facebook Andreas Froese

People from Africa to Latin America are recycling bottles and using them to build fireproof, bulletproof, environmentally-friendly homes.

For about a quarter the cost of a conventional home, folks can build a two-bedroom house from 14,000 recycled plastic bottles by using the technique known as “bottle walls.”

RELATED: Teen’s Device to Clear Plastic Garbage from Oceans is Almost Ready

The idea addresses both homelessness and pollution at the same time. Nigeria, for instance, has a housing shortage — 16 million people are homeless — and they have no manageable way to deal with plastic waste piling up across the country.

Nigerians have been getting help from Ecotec Environmental Solutions, a German firm since 2011, which is teaching them how to build with this model.

The bottles are filled with sand and stacked on their sides using cement filling frames to create solid walls – a foot or more thick – that insulate and protect the people inside.

The video below shows how the U.S. Peace Corps has been using a similar method to build houses in Guatemala with discarded bottles.

(WATCH the Peace Corps video below and READ more at The Plaid Zebra) — Photo: Andreas Froese, Facebook

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4 Year-old Advertises to be Flower Girl and Lands a Wedding at Courthouse

Flower girl Annabelle screenshot NBC

A four-year-old girl made a wish and her mom devised a brilliant plan to make it come true. It would involve a fancy dress, a basket of flowers, and a sign that read: “Can I be your flower girl?”

Don’t worry. Her mother didn’t suggest she stand in the streets–not this clever parent.

Annabelle whispered her wish to Yoko Ono’s “Wishing Tree” at the Smithsonian Institution’s sculpture garden earlier this year. When her mother, Kim Earl, asked what it was, Annabelle told her it was to be a flower girl in a wedding.Haylen-ice-cream-Facebook-cropped

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The problem was that none of her parents’ friends or relatives were planning weddings anytime soon, but Kim hit on an idea when the family got home to New York.

She took Annabelle to the City Clerk’s office all dressed up with a basket of flowers and the sign volunteering the little girl’s services for a quick wedding service.Boston bus lemonade stand -WBZ vid

Kids’ Lemonade Stand Hooks Up Bus Driver And Everyone on Board

 

About 20,000 people pay $25 for a no-frills wedding at the clerk’s office every year, so Mom figured the odds were in their favor that someone would agree to help Annabelle out.  They did — on just the second try — and Annabelle’s wish came true.

Annabelle even got a slice of wedding cake afterwards.

(WATCH the video and READ more at TODAY) – Story tip from Lindsay Murray

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Arizona City Mandates All Dogs Sold in Pet Stores Will Come From Shelters

rescue dog Rosie CC pocketwiley

For the longest time, rescue groups, shelter volunteers, and animal lovers everywhere have hoped the day would come when pet stores would sell shelter pups exclusively, as a way to cut the profit from “puppy mills”.

Last week a federal judge in Phoenix, Arizona upheld a city law requiring that all dogs sold in pet stores come from shelters.Hugging Dogs Adopted Angels Among Us Pet Rescue Facebook

Photo of Shelter Pups Hugging Lands Them Home Together, Just In Time

 

Phoenix is one of about 60 cities in the U.S. that have similar laws designed to put an end to puppy mills by driving potential pet buyers toward homeless animals and reputable breeders.

An estimated 23,000 dogs are sold in Phoenix area pet stores every year, and shelter dogs can spend months or even years waiting for adoption.

Laws like the one in Phoenix are believed to cut that wait time and end overcrowding in animal shelters.Friday Night Lights Kitten Nursery Best Friends Animal Society

Clear Your Schedule: Baby Kitten Cuddling is a Real Volunteer Job

 

“We have so many dogs in Arizona that need homes, we don’t need to import them,” Phoenix City Councilwoman Thelda Williams, who helped champion the ordinance, told the Arizona Republic.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, The Pets Plus Natural pet store chain announced that, after being approached by the Humane Society of the United States’ Stop Puppy Mills Campaign, they will be converting all of their stores by December of this year.

The chain’s store in Bensalem, Pennsylvania converted and hosted a grand reopening on August 8.

(READ more at the Phoenix Business Journal) –  Photo: pocketwiley, CC

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Elderly Man’s Home is Repainted by Strangers After Kids Make Fun Of It

rundown house-UnionPacificRailroad-permission

Leonard Bullock is one of those guys who sits on his porch every day. And a railroad track inspector named Josh Cyganik has made it a point to wave to the 75-year-old every day for four years.

Josh and his fellow workers begin every day in the railroad yard across the street from Leonard’s run-down home in Pendleton, Oregon.

One day last month, Josh overhead some kids making rude remarks about how the house should just “be burned down” because it was in such bad shape. Leonard overhead them, too, and looked visibly hurt.Woman_gets_new_home_screenshot_WSPA

SEE More Headlines About Community Kindness in Good News – Community

 

Determined to erase that hurt with something positive, Josh asked a few fellow railroaders to help out. He also asked his friend, Brian Christensen, manager of Tum-a-Lum lumber, if he could donate some paint and supplies. They were all happy to help–and when Josh asked Leonard if it would be alright to paint his house, “he was ecstatic.”

worker and old man--UnionPacificRailroad-permission

Worried he wouldn’t have enough helping hands with only a week’s notice, Josh posted his plea on Facebook. “The post blew up like wildfire,” and was shared more than 6,000 times.

One week later, more than 100 people showed up to help paint, and others sent donations of money, food and drinks.

working on home ws-UnionPacificRailroad-permission

Starbucks even sent the crew water and iced tea.

“It was a random act of kindness, but to me it’s more about respect,” Josh said. “I was raised to respect the people who came before you, to help others out who don’t have much. Leonard can now sit on his front porch for the rest of his years while feeling good about his home.”

home-repainted-UnionPacificRailroad-permission

Thanks to more donations from Tum-a-Lum Lumber, construction of a new porch is underway. Volunteers have purchased new outdoor furniture, and–because the retired fork-lift driver doesn’t have the funds for a new roof–Josh is looking for a company willing to donate time to complete the renovation.

Photos courtesy of Union Pacific

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Stranger Works for Decades to Return Family’s Purple Heart Found in Trash

Purple Heart CC oregonmildep

Tech Sergeant Wiljo Matalamaki never came home from World War II, but a medal recognizing his sacrifice made an incredible journey after it disappeared 49 years ago and finally–after decades of research by a compassionate stranger– made its way back to his family.

Matalamaki received his Purple Heart—a medal given to American service members killed or wounded in combat—after his bomber was shot down over Europe in 1944. None of the crew were ever found.

His family held onto the Purple Heart as a prized reminder of his life and heroism, but after his mother died in 1966 the medal disappeared. No one in the family could find it.Tim Mcgraw-operation homefront website

Tim McGraw Gives Mortgage-Free Homes to 36 More Veterans

 

30 years later, a woman aptly named Tami Heart was digging through a dump and found the medal, still in its case, tucked into a box of old clothes. Matalamaki’s name was engraved on the back, and a neighbor realized Heart’s own mother was living in the very cabin where the soldier grew up.

Heart spent more than 20 years trying to find the owners, doing everything from researching the airman and his family, tracking down his headstone, and taking the medal to veterans’ events in hopes of returning the medal to its owner.

When Heart’s mother died, she actually moved into the old Matalamaki cabin.HOMELESS-VET-gets-apt key-courtesy-UNITY of Greater NewOrleans

In a US first, New Orleans Finds Homes for All its Homeless Veterans

 

Heart had lived there for ten years before a knock at the door came from people who were visiting old family landmarks and wanted to stop by the old cabin. It was the Matalamaki family.

After Heart’s decades-long search, she had a hard time letting go of the bond she’d formed with a young man she’d never met, but she knew it was time to “turn him over.”

The Purple Heart was formally presented to the family in a ceremony Sunday at Fort Snelling, Minnesota.

(WATCH the WCCO video below or READ more at the Star Tribune) Photo by oregonmildep, CC

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Swipe Right For Unconditional Love: App Pairs You With Adoptable Pets

Wouldn’t it be nice if you knew that whoever you “swiped right” for would love you back, unconditionally?

With the new AllPaws app, that nicety is a reality.

The app, available for iPhone and iPad, helps prospective pet owners filter through adoptable pups and kittens in shelters across the U.S. and Canada to help find their perfect match. For those who don’t use Apple, the main website serves the same purpose.

cute dog couch AllPaws facebookDarrell Lerner, the app’s founder, describes it as “Very Tinder-like in its interface,” allowing people to swipe easily and quickly through photos and profile details and to easily share the profile on Facebook. They can also contact the shelter directly to inquire about a possible match.

The idea to create AllPaws came after Lerner and his brother founded the development firm Snap Interactive, the parent company of human dating app AreYouInterested. A coworker was trying to find an adoptable dog of her own.

“I said, ‘We can rebuild the same product we’ve spent two years working on–and build a much better version,’” Lerner said. boy-w-puppy-Maddies-Fund-Adoption-Day-submitted-750px

A Whopping 5,200 Shelter Pets Were Adopted in One Weekend Event

 

Adopt-A-Pet and PetFinder are currently the most popular national online search engines, but AllPaws, says Lerner, uses a more modern perspective by utilizing more visible profile characteristics, and a deeper social integration.

allpaws screenshot submittedThey also take a more mobile direction—half of their traffic comes from iPhones and iPads.

While it’s difficult to track adoption rates because they happen “offline,” Lerner can verify that thousands of matches have already been made since the app’s hard launch last October.

The website has topped 500,000 visits per month, 335,000 registered users and displays 204,957 available pets.

“We’ve heard from a number of shelters and rescues that we drive a lot of adoptions to them. They love that we offer a custom Facebook tab which they can run for free to display adoptable pets. So far 500 shelters have installed it.”

Photos: All Paws Facebook

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National S’mores Day: Animal Activists Now Have Vegan Marshmallows

smores-double dandies submitted

Vegans now have a gelatin-free marshmallow to celebrate with on National S’mores Day.

Besides being vegan, Dandies are the first non-GMO verified marshmallows on the market, and are produced in a facility free of dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree-nuts, and, of course, gelatin.

They are also free of artificial ingredients, high fructose corn syrup, and grains.

Plus, Dandies Vegan Marshmallows come in packaging so retro and cute you just have to squeeze it.

The manufacturer, Chicago Vegan Foods, has put together some “next level” S’mores recipes as well.

“We’re making products smarter and more humanely,” said Chicago Vegan Foods founder Dan Ziegler, who hopes the company will become a new avenue for people to understand and support animal rights.

Maple Macadamia Butter and Allspice Cherry Compote S’mores Dandies Submitted

If you’re not near a Whole Foods, you might have trouble finding these marshmallows, which are fluffier than traditional ones. But with that sweet little bow-tie wearing dude on the package—you might want to just order online.

Oh, and if you’re craving pumpkin-everything for fall, they’ve got you covered with a new variety—keep your eyes peeled for them this October.

CHECK Out More Inspiring Food Stories Here

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Astronaut Reveals His 1969 Customs Form: Places Visited – “Moon”

Buzz Aldrin on Moon PublicDomain NASA

46 years after men first walked on the moon, we are reminded that while rocket fuel powered the Apollo 11 spacecraft, governments still run on paperwork.

Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, still has the US Customs form from his return trip back to Earth and recently shared it on Twitter.

You have to smile at how “Moon” was dropped into his “Places visited on route” as if it were no big deal. “Moon rocks and moon dust” were also listed as items to declare.

Moon-customs-form-BuzzAldrin-Twitter

Aldrin also turned in a travel voucher for $33.31 when he returned to earth. Most of his expenses were for car trips to and from airports and driving around the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

 

At the bottom of the Customs form it asks traveler to list “Any other condition on board which may lead to the spread of disease,” which the astronauts ominously answered: “To be determined.”

(READ more at the Financial Express) – Photo from Buzz Aldrin via Twitter

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Frances Kelsey: Hero Who Saved a Nation From Thalidomide (1914-2015)

Frances Kelsey with JF Kennedy-FDA-Photo

Tributes are hailing Frances Kelsey as a hero after her death at the age of 101 on Friday.

The Canadian pharmacologist fought tenaciously in the 1960s as a medical officer for the Food and Drug Administration to keep the crippling drug thalidomide out of the U.S. market.

The drug was being used in Europe and other countries to treat morning sickness and insomnia in pregnant women, but hundreds of children were being born with horrible birth defects as a result.

Kelsey was the second woman to be awarded the President’s Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service by President John F. Kennedy.

(READ the obituary in the Washington Post) – Photo from FDA

Comfortable High Heels For Women Designed by Orthopedic Nurse

beautiful shoes without the pain-graphic-JulieLopezShoes-FB

Uncomfortable high heels in your closet may soon get the boot, once you’ve seen the innovative shoes by an orthopedic nurse turned Italian shoe designer.

The defining step came for Julie Lopez at her daughter’s wedding when her feet, which have bunions, hurt so much she ended up going barefoot during the reception.

Hand crafted in Italy, her Julie Lopez Shoes are wider in the fore-foot but still look great. She added padding, got rid of interior seams that press on toes, and added tiny slits in the sides that offer a bit of expansion that she calls Flex Innovation Technology.fruit-necklaces-I thought of you Blog

Jewelry Made From Dried Fruit is Gorgeous and Fair Trade

 

“In the process of creating a heel that looks and feels great on the feet of women with bunions, we inadvertently got a comfortable, fashionable heel for all women!” said Julie’s daughter Erin, on the company blog.

Their product lines are sold online only, to keep retail markups from driving the cost well over the $250-$300 they wanted to charge for the hand-made Italian shoes.

(WATCH the video below from NBC News) Story tip from Carilyn

Carbon Pollution From U.S. Power Plants Hits 27-Year Low

smoke-stack-pollutions-Why_137-Flickrcc

Electric power plants in the US spewed 128 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in April 2015, the lowest for any month since April 1988, according a government report.

The US Energy Information Administration said renewable energy generation increased by 2% in the first quarter, over the same period in 2014.

Comparing the 27-year period between April 1988 and April 2015, natural gas consumption more than tripled and renewable energy consumption more than doubled, while coal consumption decreased 17%.

(READ the AP report via MSNBCPhoto by Why 137, CC license – Story tip from Carilyn

Denver Police Rewarding Law-abiding Citizens with Free Pizza

Police officer hands out vouchers-DenverPD-Youtube
Who doesn’t appreciate a pat on the back, now and then? In that spirit, the Denver Police Department launched an initiative aimed at acknowledging people and rewarding them with pizza gift cards for their courteous actions, for helping others and for obeying the law.

denver-police-department-card-you-got-caught-doing-something-rightOn July 29, patrol officers downtown began giving out 500 vouchers that say, “You Got Caught Doing Something Right.”

The cards were given out to people who were using trash bins rather than littering, obeying walk signals at traffic lights and walking their bikes in busy pedestrian malls.

(WATCH the video below from the Denver PD, or READ more at Fox News) –Story tip from Peggy

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From Chemo Chair Man Raises $74K Tweeting for Stem Cell Charity

StemCells John Underwood Twitter

John Underwood knew he might someday need a bone-marrow transplant.

Diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma, Underwood said that his best shot at an eventual recovery will “probably” rest with  an organization whose mission is to recruit people willing to donate some of their stem cells.

So, as he sat down for his first chemotherapy treatment last month, he decided to do a little fundraising for the UK charity, Anthony Nolan. While still connected to the IV drip, Underwood constructed a JustGiving page, setting a modest goal of £1,000 and tweeting the link to his 1,934 followers.

Stem cells are the most omnipotent of human cells and literally the lifeblood for such patients. But, as amazing as stem cells are, they are like other human tissue when it comes to transplantation: there needs to be a good match between donor and patient. The bigger the donor pool, the better your chances of finding a match.Michael J Fox released courtsey Roxee Jones

Michael J. Fox Climbs North Dakota Mountain to Fund Parkinson’s Research

 

Within an hour he had reached his goal and by the day’s end he was declaring himself “pretty solidly chuffed” that donations had swelled past £16,400 with donations from over 650 people.

“And every person who has chipped in… is properly saving lives. 166 new funded donors, right there,” Underwood tweeted, citing an estimate from Anthony Nolan that it spends about £100 for each stem-cell donor it recruits.

Underwood’s JustGiving total has now passed £48,000 because of the generosity of more than two thousand strangers and friends.

Photo: John Underwood on Twitter

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Record Number of Tourists Flocking to Greece Provide Needed Cash


Despite the economic crisis in Greece that brought it to the brink of leaving the Euro–or perhaps because of it, in a show of support–millions of tourists are flocking to Athens providing a needed boost for local businesses.

Aegean Airlines, Greece’s largest airline, told Reuters that passenger traffic was up 19 percent in July compared with the same month last year.

The country’s economy ministry estimates that arrivals this year could total around 25 million, about four million more than last year.

(READ the full report from Reuters)

Victoria Police Officer Buys Plane Ticket to Reunite Senior with Family

andre-almeida-police-Vancouver-Twitterpic

A British Columbia police officer bought a plane ticket with his credit card for a disoriented senior so that she could be reunited with her family.

Andre Almeida helped the woman, who was displaying dementia-like symptoms, after she disembarked from a cruise ship in Victoria and never returned.

Victoria police officers took her to the airport after talking with her family in New York, and when her credit card did not work Almeida wanted to help.Brimfield Township Police Chief David Oliver comforts 6yo Kashe Heffelfinger

CHECK Out More Inspiring Stories About Police Officers

 

“It could be my mom stranded somewhere,” he told CBC News.

(READ the full story from CBC) Photo via Twitter – Story tip from Julia Frerichs

Beyond Ugly Protests, Germans Open Hearts and Homes for Refugees

Syrian refugee camp in Aleppo-CC-IHH-Humanitarian-Relief

Anti-refugee protests and arson attacks dominate German headlines, but countless unsung volunteers have been collecting clothing and household goods donated by Germans to distribute to some of the tens of thousands of asylum-seekers fleeing war.

Community leader Wolfgang Esser also organizes youth soccer for the children of newcomers, saying, “Sport is the best vehicle for integration.”

He told Reuters that some volunteers are teaching refugees German while others are helping them deal with the maze of German bureaucracy.Alwaleed_Philanthropies_released(3)

Saudi Prince to Give 10,000 Cars and Houses to Needy Families

 

150 civil servants have even come out of retirement to help refugees get settled and protected.

Germany has a tradition of welcoming refugees, in part, to atone for the horrors of its Nazi past. 450,000 refugees have been welcomed into the country this year alone.

(READ the full report at ReutersPhoto of Syrian Refugees by IHH Humanitarian Relief, CC

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Jon Stewart Says Goodbye to The Daily Show With A Little Help From Friends

jon stewart finale comedy central-video

After 16 years at the helm of Comedy Central’s fake news program, The Daily Show, comedian Jon Stewart signed off yesterday during a special one-hour goodbye show.

He was joined by ”senior correspondents” who had helped propel the show to number one among 18-35 year old viewers looking for satirical laughs in the midst of current events of the day. Many of these comedy correspondents have gone on to star in blockbuster movies after getting their start on the Daily Show, including Steve Carell, Josh Gad, Ed Helms (The Office, and, Hangover) and Stephan Colbert, who surprised Jon with an off-script moment (see below).

”You were infuriating good at your job,” said Colbert, who is taking over for the retiring David Letterman this year.Jon_Stewart_CC-DavidShankbone-and sheep-FarmSanctuary-blog

Jon Stewart Buys a Farm to Help Animal Victims of Cruelty

 

Jon’s comedy targets over the years ranged from Democrats to Republicans, CNN to Fox News, bankers to billionaires. And many of his targets, like Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Lindsey Graham and John Kerry, appeared in short clips to bid him a fond–and not so fond–farewell. The executives at Arbys fast food restaurant, which was mercilessly mocked for selling bad food, even bought commercial airtime during the show to say, “We don’t know why, but we’ll miss you, Jon.”

Time magazine said Jon Stewart changed TV political comedy by “showing folks how BS works — in politics and in the media — empowering them to spot it themselves.”DC's Rally to Restore Sanity

Jon Stewart’sRally to Restore Sanity Ends With Hopeful ‘Moment of Sincerity’

 

After Stewart made his farewell remarks at the end of the show, the New Jersey native introduced heroic blue-collar rocker Bruce Springsteen to play him off, saying, “Here it is, my moment of Zen”

In late September, The Daily Show continues with a new host, South African comedian Trevor Noah.

(WATCH some of our favorite moments from the show below)

 

Posing With Your Family On The Beach? Try It With Yoga

child in ocean CC Dan Zen

With summertime in full swing, many families are hitting the beach. Instead of sitting on the beach chair all day, though, why not grab your kids and move around?

Exercising on sand is, according to one study, more effective and even better for your body than a firm surface.

So, in honor of sunny days and warm temperatures, take your fitness outdoors and feel the right kind of burn—plus, you can cool off in the water after. Below are some yoga poses that are fun and will flex your muscles.yoga dog copies owners poses

Chihuahua Performs Yoga Poses Exactly In Sync With Owner

Airplane Pose:

Lift your leg at a 45 degree angle and point and flex your toe like a propeller (to make it more challenging, rotate your foot in a circle mimicking the propeller). While working on balance, lean side to side with your arms out like the wings of plane flying over the ocean.

workout with kids on beach tree pose FLYAROO FitnessPalm Trees:

When we think about the beach and ocean, our minds often drift to a vacation spot- our favorite vacation spot is Hawaii where palm trees grow. Pretend to be a palm tree by standing on one foot, bringing your right foot alongside your left calf. Bring your hands to your side and hold for five deep breaths. To make this pose more challenging, bring your arms out in a Y shape over your head. To make it even more difficult, close your eyes!

Crab:

Slowly bend your knees and put your hands behind you on the floor making a table. As your feet and hands push your body up, use your imagination and crawl around the beach pretending you’re a crab. To make this more challenging, lift one leg at a time towards the sky.

Sandcastle:

With your legs shoulder with apart, slowly bend down until your hands reach the floor. Try to keep your knees straight as you bend. Once you reach the floor, walk with your hands out in front of you.

workout on beach with kids FLYAROO FitnessSeagull:

Bend your leg and lift in front of you at a 90 degree angle. Flutter your arms up and down as you balance on one foot.

Sand Shark:

Hold a plank pose, tightening your core and rocking your body side to side. Lift one leg off the ground, pretending to swim along the shallow water with your fin. Switch legs to strengthen both sides of the body. To make the exercise more challenging, attempt to lift your arms up over your head, alternating between arms and legs.

Flying Turtle:

Start in a superhero pose with arms and legs lifted. By bringing our arms back so our fingertips are reaching for our toes, we’ve changed the pose to strengthen not only the core, but the shoulders and back. From here, kids are encouraged to tickle their toes, working on their flexibility. In order to effectively make this pose more powerful, we work our way back into plank pose, jumping our feet into our hands….

….and finally end with a Starfish Jump: jump up in the air with your arms and legs!

Ethel Baumberg is a fitness professional and co-founder of FLYAROO Fitness. She holds an MPH in health education and behavioral sciences and a BA in psychology with a concentration in childhood development.

(Photos by FLYAROO Fitness, and Dan Zen, CC)