It is probably not often that you might consider introducing into the playground a form of exercise prevalent in 5th century Greece.
And yet, this activity is one of the most popular activities in British school playgrounds today, although we no longer make the requisite item out of dried up willow, rattan, grapevines, and stiff grasses.
I write, as you may have guessed, of the Hula Hoop – a form of exercise and entertainment the history of which has been largely, and rather sadly, ignored.
Thus you may not know that in 13th century Scotland Hula Hoops were extremely popular within religious ceremonies, while doctors encouraged those who suffered a heart attack to exercise with the Hula Hoop as a form of recovery (a recommendation which has somewhat fallen out of fashion in the intervening centuries however).
The plastic version that we are now familiar with was introduced in the 1950s, and has been popular ever since. World Hoop Day was introduced on 7th July 2007 and continued each year until 12 December last year. I think the committee is still out on what happens in 2013.
The most Hula Hoops twirled at once is said to be 132, although that may be something of an exaggeration. But many children can get up to five or more. Keeping the Hula Hoop twirling around the body is an excellent form of exercise, which uses up a fairly small amount of space.
It is even possible to have Hula Hoop running races, and Hula Hoop dancing – but most children are perfectly happy with beating their own records for the time that they can keep one or more Hula Hoops in circulation.
Our strong Hula Hoops are specifically designed to withstand constant use in a school environment. The 75cm Infant Hoops are just £2.25 each when you buy a pack of 8, while the 85cm Junior Hoops are £2.75 each (again, when you buy a pack of 8).
Edventure Ltd
Hargreaves Business Park
Hargreaves Road
Eastbourne
East Sussex
BN23 6QW
Tel: 01323 50 10 40
Email: sales@edventure.co.uk