Consumer Critique: Shout

I recently had an opportunity to review a variety of Shout products, and a fun 52 Activities in Nature card deck.

Shout makes a variety of products to help remove stains from laundry. I typically use the Shout Triple-Acting spray bottle, as it's really easy to apply, and is effective on a wide variety of stains. There were a few things my kids threw at it that it couldn't beat the first time, but it significantly reduced the appearance of stains nearly every time I used it. The stains it couldn't beat were stains that were more set-in by the time I used it, like the clothes my husband threw in the hamper without telling me our daughter spilled chocolate milk all over herself.

Another effective Shout product is the Shout Advanced gel. It comes in gel form and the bottle has a brush, so it's easy to lightly scrub into the stain to really make sure it can start working. My only complaint with this is that when it runs low, it's kind of a hassle to shake the bottle to get it to come all the way down.

I also received one product I'd never tried before, the Shout Color Catcher. This is supposed to catch the colors from clothes that tend to bleed, to keep them from getting on other clothes. I have no idea how it works, it seems like magic to me, but when you pull the color catcher cloth out, it will be colored with the colors that wore off of the newer clothes.

Shout has launched a Go Play initiative (the link takes you to the Facebook page) to raise awareness of the value of play. Physical activity is a huge part of being healthy, and it's good to start those habits young. Kids can also learn a lot of valuable skills by playing with other kids, or with their family, or alone.

The 52 Activities in Nature card deck that I received with the box of Shout products had a lot of great suggestions for ways to get outside enjoying nature. The cards are beautifully illustrated, and can be used for any number of kids, in nearly any environment. They could even be used as part of a homeschool curriculum. Not all activities are "active" (one example is making a list of questions about nature and finding the answers), but others are (collecting things from nature and coming up with uses), and many of them can be adapted to become more active.

Fall is a great time of year for being outside and discovering nature. Get your kids involved in raking leaves, even if it takes twice as long. Visit a pumpkin patch and enjoy a corn maze. Visit an apple orchard. Don't be afraid to get outside and get active!

Shout knows play is so much more than fun and games. Studies show that unstructured play helps kids build fundamental skills like problem solving, coping, and conflict resolution. In other words: play is how kids become happy, healthy adults. Fall has arrived with crisp, cool air and new reasons to go out and play. So, let your kids take that rewarding jump into a pile of leaves. Take at trip to the park and watch their imaginations run free. The one thing you won’t do is worry about their clothes; play should get messy and Shout can help.

Disclosure: I received the 52 Nature Activities card deck and Shout products free to facilitate this review.