Everyone wants kids to grow up active and strong, but with education budgets being cut all across the nation, school playgrounds and fields are showing signs of neglect, and more and more schools are being forced to shorten recess or eliminate it entirely. This is an absolute tragedy -- not only do kids need a place and time to play for physical reasons, they also need it to keep them focused on schoolwork.That’s why Danimals® and Danonino® are committed to helping schools keep recess in the picture with their Rally for Recess campaign. They are giving schools the chance to win one of five $30,000 playground makeovers. Individuals can also enter to win one of three $1,000 Playtime at Home prizes.
Here's how to enter:
1) Collect codes on specially marked Danimals® and Danonino® (you can also get one free by mail; for details, read the Official Rules).
2) Sign up online at RallyforRecess.com and enter your codes for points. You will need to choose whether you want to enter your points for the school of your choice (i.e. to win a Playground Makeover), or for yourself (i.e. to win a Playtime at Home prize).
3) Enter as many codes as you like, but make sure you enter your codes before 11:59:59 p.m. ET on 1/31/13.
That's it! The school with the most points at the end of the contest period wins the Playground Makeover! Obviously the schools with more students will find it easier to gather codes, so schools will be divided into 5 separate groups based on the number of students attending each school. The school with the most points in each group wins, for a total of 5 Playground Makeovers. So get your kids' classmates together, call your PTA board members, get everyone collecting codes! What a wonderful way to pull together and show some school spirit.
If you enter codes for yourself, you've got a chance to win a Playtime At Home prize -- the top 3 individuals with the highest number of points accrued with each receive a Playtime At Home prize worth $1,000!
Disclosure: I received an assortment of kids activity kits from Dannon, via 1000heads, as a thank-you for sharing this information. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
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Kids will love seeing Thomas at the front end of the train. They'll be so excited to know that they're riding on a train pulled by their favorite Tank Engine!
(But shhhhh, don't tell the kids, the real work is done by this bad boy on the other end of the train!)
Each of the train cars is decorated with holiday greenery and lights. 
You can book a seat in a covered car or an outside car. Don't worry, the outside cars have canopy roofs so you're still protected from the elements. 
The covered cars are as beautifully decorated on the inside as they are on the outside. Throughout the 25-minute train ride, holiday helpers dressed in Victorian-era costumes or dressed as elves will be walking up and down the aisles, ringing bells and singing carols. They'll hand out lyric sheets so everyone can sing along, and there's a karaoke station on one train car so your kid can sing in front of the mike! Santa Claus will also be making the rounds, so be prepared with your camera. Everything is so festive, your family is guaranteed to get in the holiday mood! 