Summer Outdoor Fun with Tobar

The summer holidays are a great opportunity to get the kids outside in the fresh air getting active and having fun. Tobar has a great range of classic and contemporary outdoor toys, which are perfect for the job, and Freddy received a selection to try out.

The Space Hopper is real retro classic from my own childhood, so I was thrilled to introduce Freddy to the iconic smiley faced, giant bouncy ball. It came with a pump so we could blow it up straight from the box and get Freddy bouncing around. It is big and bright with handles to grip on to. Bouncing on a Space Hopper is such a simple pleasure and so much fun. Freddy mastered the art of bouncing and even took to doing some extreme bouncing action by using his Space Hopper on the trampoline (thank goodness for the safety nets!)

The Slot Together Hula Hoop is a great idea. It comes in eight, slot together sections making it handy for storing away in the box. It also means you can adjust the size by removing sections. The pieces are colourful and easy to push together making a sturdy hula hoop. Freddy is a bit of an expert hula-hooper so he enjoyed spinning it around his middle and doing tricks with it. Using all 8 pieces made it a good size for him to use, with a 70cm diameter. I really like the design of this hula hoop. The cheap ones that we have bought before tend to lose their shape or break apart quite quickly as they are made from covered cardboard, whereas this one is made from solid plastic pieces so will last much longer. Storing a hula hoop can be a bit tricky, but once taken apart, this one fits into its box and can be put away or taken away on holiday easily.

The Soak 'n' Sling Frisbee is a small sized, soft frisbee that can be soaked in water and used in water fights. Kids can take aim and throw, while others try to duck out of the way of a soaking. Freddy enjoyed using it without the water to practice his throwing and catching skills. As it is soft and rubbery it is easier to catch than a regular frisbee and the small size makes it more manageable for little ones.

The Pogo Ball is a cross between a hopper and a pogo stick. The blow up hopper ball is attached to a foot platform with an optional clip on pogo handle, giving two ways to play. It offers a stable way to perform tricks and stunts while balanced on the foot platform and bouncing using the inflated ball. (Unfortunately, the Pogo Ball was not compatible with the foot pump we had so we have to get hold of a pump with a needle attachment to test this one out properly!)

Tobar are UK wholesalers of toys, gifts and novelties, so look out for these products in toy shops and on Amazon. 

Old School Fun for a New Generation!

I remember the days of the iconic Panda Pops: the brightly coloured, fruit flavoured, fizzy drinks for kids, always served at school discos. A real blast from the past.  Nowadays, as our demand for healthier options for our kids has increased, Panda has evolved to bring its brand to a whole new generation of children. The Panda drinks now offer refreshingly fruity fun with their range of still juice drinks, flavoured waters and squash, made with natural flavourings and colours and with no added sugar.  Even the trademark Panda has had a revamp, as the cute black and white bear is pictured frolicking with the fresh fruits that flavour the drinks, on each of the bottles' labels.

As well as bringing their fruity drinks to a new generation of children, Panda also want to reintroduce some traditional, childhood games back into their lives : getting kids away from their technological devices, getting them active and having some good old fashioned fun!

With games such a kerby, hopscotch, piggy in the middle, blind man's bluff, conkers and tig, along with skills such as hula hooping, skipping and den building, the kids of today could learn a lot of great activities by looking at the things their parents used to do.

Freddy and Kizzy took the challenge to play one of the old school games and decided to learn how to hula hoop. I bought them some new hula hoops and they practiced hard.  Both of them can now do it and have lots of fun spinning the hoop and swinging their hips, trying to keep it up for as long as possible.  Freddy has even mastered the double, spinning two hoops at once. I could never do it as a child and however hard I try, I still can't!  I just can't get it, although ironically I have the high score for virtual hula hooping on the Wii Fit!

                        


Panda Still Juice Drinks and Panda Splash are available in 250 ml sports cap bottles in a six pack for £1.99. Panda Squashes are 99p for a 1 litre bottle.  Find them in Tesco.