As America`s children become more sedentary, exercising their fingers on video games and eating junk food instead of pursuing healthy activities, an increasing number of parents are choosing more active spa vacations this summer, says Spa Finder (www.spafinder.com), the leading spa travel company.

According to a recent report by the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity is out of control in America, affecting nearly one in five children, with lack of activity cited as a major factor. The report also states that many health problems in adulthood begin in childhood.

“By choosing a spa vacation, parents are instilling a lifelong love of health and fitness in their children,” says Susie Ellis of Spa Finder, the number one spa travel reservation company in the U.S. “Resort spas have always courted family business, but now more and more of them are offering a variety of activities that promote physical fitness and well being for the entire family and even more so show them how much fun it is get out from in front of the television.”

Ellis mentioned that many resort spas not only offer deep discounts on children`s room rates (some are even free), but also offer a variety of programs designed to entertain and educate kids while giving parents a chance to indulge themselves at the resort`s spa, play golf or just have some alone time together. “These aren`t just babysitting programs, but a chance for parents and kids to design their own vacation and decide how much time they`ll spend together and how much time they`ll spend pursuing activities that are of interest to each individual,” says Ellis.

For example, Camp Grande at Spa Grande at the Grand Wailea Resort in Maui, HI, offers family workshops in hula dancing, lei-making and ukulele; Marriott`s Spa at Camelback Inn in Arizona offers “camel hunts” and Indian story-telling to kids attending their “Hopalong College;” and kids and parents alike who go spa-ing at Topnotch at Stowe or Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa can tour the Ben & Jerry`s factory or the granite quarries of Vermont. At the Sea Island Spa at the Cloister in Georgia there are crabbing parties, kayaking tours and ropes courses offered in the Teens Too! Program, while kids ages 3 to11 can go for supervised loggerhead turtle walks or storytelling sessions.

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