For me there is nothing quite as soothing for my mind and body as rocking in my rocking chair. The back and forth movement is calming for my soul. Setting outside on the patio in my rocker, listening to the birds and taking in all I can of mother nature, takes away all my thoughts of the day at work. The great thing about my rocking chair is I can take it inside in the winter and utilize all the positive effects.
Another great advantage to owning a rocking chair is the effect it has on children. We all know what happens to a fussing child after a few back and forth movements of the rocker, silence and calm.
The invention of the first rocking chair many say goes to Benjamin Franklin, although historians actually trace the rocking chair's origins to North America during the early 18th century
(when Franklin was a child). These were just regular table chairs with rockers attached to the bottom, and used outside in the yard and garden. Michael Thonet a German craftsman, created the first bentwood rocking chair in 1860. During the 1920s, however, folding rocking chairs became more popular in
the US and in Europe. They were handy for outdoor activities and travel
purposes.
Besides the Franklin rocker another famous rocking chair is the Kennedy rocker. President Kennedy was prescribed use of a rocking chair by his
physician in 1955 because the President suffered from lingering back
problems. The president so enjoyed his rocker he brought it on Air Force
One when he traveled around the country and the world. He bought
additional rockers for Camp David and the Kennedy estates, and gave them
as gifts to friends and heads of state. The Kennedy Rocking Chair is
shaped, stem-bent and assembled while green according to the original
design.
Today there is a variety of material and designs used in making rocking chairs, from hardwood to wicker, they can be used indoor or outdoor. Check out the variety of rocking chairs at :
http://www.outdoorcharm.com/catalog/item/8633000/9551299.htm
