I have just returned from a very busy two weeks holiday. We spent the first day climbing with the kids and friends at Harrison’s in Kent. We had heard a lot about it from friends and decided to check it out. We found it a lovely but busy spot.

Then off to Fontainebleau, south of Paris, for five days camping and bouldering in this amazing  forest.

Even if rock-climbing is not your thing, I still recommend Fontainebleau forest, especially as a quiet base for day trips into Paris. It’s beautiful, vast and there are plenty of things to do.  Eurodisney was only 40 minutes drive away from where we were.

We had six children between three  families aged from 2 1/2 years old to 9 and they just didn’t get bored of running around amongst the trees, the boulders and the sand. The boulders are made of sandstone and have all shapes and sizes, making it pretty unique. They also provide good seating for a pic nic consisting of a fresh crusty french baguette, cheese and other tasty french food.

The children made dens, played hide and seek, organsied races and played all sorts of imaginary games. My 3 years old had great fun trying to loose us by running around amongst the boulders, whilst in turn we tried to keep up with him. 

The campsite was set amongst the forest right by the river Samois and was quiet so we had lots of space around our pitch. We were lucky once again as the weather was on our side. Even the occasional rain didn’t last.

We always bring small outdoor toys with us that somehow fit in the boot, amongst the many pieces of luggage required when camping. Two years ago my friend had brought a swingball that go played to death. It was more popular than the children’s play area onsite.

This year I had brought a mini golf set which proved popular with the younger ones but the “toys of the holiday” were undeniably two colourful synthetics hammocks. We had -by pure luck- two sets of trees perfectly placed by our camping site to attach these two hammocks. The kids loved them and played for hours on them using them as dens, swings and others. I would well recommend them if you can find suitable places to tie them onto as they are versatile and don’t take much space in the car.

Whilst the debate around children wearing cycling helmets continues worldwide it looks like the UK government is currently looking at the issue. Indeed, Ministers have commissioned a major scientific study as part of a wider report into cycling safety, into the effectiveness of helmets with a view to considering a change in the law at the end 2009.

Arguments in favour are around safety and reducing head injuries accidents.
Three UK surveys conducted between 1994 and 2001 have showed the following:
-On average, 28 children and 123 adults cyclists were killed in Great Britain in 1998, and in 99 and in 2000.

-Males are four times as likely to be killed or injured as females

-Most bicycle injuries occur in teenage children or young adults.

-Head and face injuries make up a significant proportion of all bicycle injuries (Primary diagnosis in 34 per cent of emergency hospital admissions due to cycling between 1991/95.Over half of which were among children aged under 16 years)
For more information on this follow.

Arguments against are that it will put children off cycling if they have to wear a helmet. For example some people claim that Australia’s cycle helmet laws are the principal reasons for the dramatic falls in cycling since the early 1990s. Figures of close to 30 % drop in cycling in Australia, almost overnight, are being put forward here. 

The British survey also talks about great decline in the distance cycled between 1985 and 1992 but the compulsory wear of helmets is not relevant so there are many other factors to consider in all this like the change of travel habits, busier roads…

You may feel that health and safety goes overboard at times in the UK, but getting your child to wear a helmet is, to me like many other things when it comes to children: it is a question of habit and setting them the right example buy wearing one yourself.

As promised, I have now included a new section listing childrens bikes for sale. The bike section is then divided into girls bikes and boys bikes. Soon I will be adding a new section on trail-a-bikes looking at those accessories that enables you to attach your child’s bike onto an adult bike with a view to go on longer bikes rides with your toddler or young child.

We were out on Saturday on a family biking outing; my two children on their own bike whilst their dad was on his unicycle and I was on foot helping the little ones . We insisted that the kids took their bikes and not their scooters to get them used to cycling. Neither of them are proficient at cycling: our 6 year old still need stabilisers and our 3 years old son who is adventurous refuses to use his brakes but will happily push his bikes for miles! We moved house last summer and our new place is not condusive for children to ride their bikes as our drive is on a slope and the access road is a dirt track also on a slope.
So we have to make a point of taking them out regularly on flat tarmac and change our son’s bike which is heavier than my own bike!

It made me realise how important it is to choose the right bike for your children in the first place and to take them out regularly as soon as the weather gets warmer.
After all that it is my partner who injured himself falling off his unicyle even though he is not a novice!

Buy your outdoor activity toys whilst collecting Nectar points. If you have a Nectar card, it is worth knowing that occasionally they do promotional offers whilst shopping via eBay. The offer on at the moment is that you can collect DOUBLE Nectar points*, that’s 2 point per £1 on Winning Bids and Buy-It-Now items until 26th March.
Please note that to be granted the points you must shop through Nectar eStores everytime you place a bid to ensure that the transaction is tracked properly.
For further information and full terms and conditions go to http://www.nectar.com/dynamic/estores/retailer/ebay?

Outdoor toys uk has now a blog that you can read and subscribe to in order to complement the existing website. Over the coming  weeks, we will be telling you more about the variety of children’s outdoor toys available in the UK and what to bear in mind when purchasing them.

With the credit crunch being felt wider and wider there has never been a better time to buy good outdoor play toys at sensible prices.

So, feel free to post your comments