By Matthew Finn

The social benefits of recreation can be traced back to the crib and remain until the last years of life. An infant in the crib is presented with certain toys, perhaps a crib mobile, or a rattle toy. Even a non-toy, such as the mother’s loving gaze and smiling face, are recreational to the infant. Each generates a happy feeling for the baby, and promotes additional interactions with people. The toys, although non-human, act as stimulus for the rapidly growing brain and emotions of the baby. Baby looks, loves the colors and movements and noise of the toys, wants more, and as soon as possible, baby will act in some manner to increase actions of the toys. Reaching for the rattle to shake it to make the little noises, and batting the mobile into action generates a smile and happiness for the infant. More than anything, a mother’s smile and attention create these feelings of well-being and happiness.

Soon, the baby is sitting up, playing with more toys, and occupying untold hours with them. As he or she grows, play time may be reduced by other activities and school, but play time (recreation) remains highly important. It also is a means for interacting with others. And so a lifetime of recreational pursuit begins.

On a broader scale, pursuit of recreation is one of life’s most important goals. The social benefits of recreation have created one of the world’s largest industries, leisure and recreation. Small toys give way to large playgrounds, race tracks, parks and protected lands. Studies have proven that one of the most important social benefits of recreation is the knitting together of humanity in group activities. An organized sport offers leadership opportunities, bonding between friends and family, and even connects multi-cultural groups in a positive manner. Stewardship of the land, reduction of crime, and great benefits to the community are important end results. Employment on both professional and volunteer levels is widespread. Recreational activities unite families, neighbors, and communities. Communities are built up and kept safer by maintaining the healthy environment of local parks.

Beautiful parks and recreational facilities improve the local image and values of property. Many parks offers special facilities for the disabled. The presence of beautiful parks discourages crime merely by the visibility of park users. These lower crime rates can increase property values as well as help residents feel safer. Stewardship of the parks areas by local residents also increases safety as those who take care of the parks want to keep them nice. Local youth can see their efforts literally bloom over time. Seniors find social interaction at park activities. Parks and recreational facilities enhance education.

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By Kristianna Del Grande

Strayer University strives to make earning a degree both convenient and affordable for all of their students and has been doing so since 1892. The average age of the 54,000 Strayer University students is 34 years, and the majority of them hold full-time jobs while continuing their education. Therefore, Strayer understands the busy lifestyle of a working professional and they offer several formats to accommodate even the busiest schedules.

An online student is able to combine their online courses with a few campus-based courses, and online courses can be taken in a real-time (synchronous) or any time (asynchronous) format. They offer online university degrees that are as challenging and require the same high standards as classroom courses. In fact, online courses are taught by the same faculty that lead campus-based courses, so all students are held by the same high academic standards.

Strayer University boasts a number of popular degrees available in associates, bachelors and advanced degrees. They are committed to offering quality online degree programs to keep their students competitive in today’s job market. To that end, they are continually accepting recommendations for new degree programs. In fact, their website provides a page where current or potential students can suggest a program that they do not currently offer. After reviewing recent recommendations, The university has decided to add three new degree and concentrations to their academic programs.

New Degrees and Concentrations at Strayer University

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