www.wickedvision.co.uk

If you are looking for ways to get children and adults more active during these unusual times of isolation, Wicked is the place to look. Wicked is a fun toy company that helps to keep children and adults active and away from electronic devices. Wicked understands the importance of keeping fit and active and provides a range of toys to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The Wicked Indoor Booma is an ideal toy to help keep you active no matter what the weather is like. Even if it is raining outside you can use the Indoor Booma to keep you entertained.  This boomerang is made of special “memorang” foam that is both soft and safe so will not cause damage in the home. This foam also allows you to tune the wings for different types of flight and will still stay in shape. It is perfect for throwing around larger rooms or even in the garden and when thrown as instructed it will travel around  4-6 metre circle and come back to you. Both children and adults will love playing with this boomerang. It is suitable for ages 3 to 103 and the RRP is £6.00.

Another great toy for indoors is the Wicked UKick. This fuses elements of badminton and football and is ideal if you cannot play football in the house. The aim is to keep UKick off the ground for as long as you can. You can use your hands or feet and either play it on your own or with friends. The UKick is lots of fun to play and can improve hand-eye coordination. You can adjust the amount of pro discs you use to increase the skill level. My son absolutely loves this and it helps keep him active even when it is raining outside. It is suitable for ages 6+ and the RRP is £8.00.

The Wicked Mega Jump is a great way to keep fit whilst also learning new skipping skills. This Mega Jump has high quality ball bearing axles for smooth spins and is fully adjustable so any age can use it. It is very easy to adjust this rope, you simply take off the cap, remove the clip and cut the rope to size. There are many tutorials to watch online to help you learn different tricks and skills so you can learn to skip as a beginner, an advanced level jump roper or a pro. I’ve learnt how to do the Double Bounce and Knee Lift and have had great fun learning these! This rope is available in blue or red handles with a yellow rope. The RRP is £10.00.

Wicked have a brilliant range of toys that will help keep you both active and entertained that are perfect for the whole family. Visit www.wickedvision.co.uk to see the full range of products.

www.poppets.biz

The Hape Noah’s Ark set is a wonderful gift to give children aged 12 months +. This stunning set will provide enjoyment for many years as it can be used as a pull along toy, shape sorter and play set.

The Noah’s Ark is made from chunky wood and is beautifully painted with bright colours.  Children will love playing with the animals such as giraffes, zebras, elephants and lions. They will also love pulling the ark along around their home. By playing with the individual characters and putting them into the ark, children will develop their motor skills and hand-to-eye coordination. As they grow older this toy is also a brilliant way of teaching children the names of the animals and the story of Noah’s Ark.

The Hape Noah’s Ark is a fantastic gift to give a child over 12 months as it can provide them hours of fun and is a chunky toy that is built to last.

The RRP is £22.95 and is available from www.poppets.biz

www.megableu.com/uk

TumBall is a hilariously fun new game from Megableu.  The whole family will love playing this nerve wracking, bead stacking game and is the perfect gift for anyone over 6 years.

To play this fabulous game, each player receives an equal number of white beads. Players then take turns to stack the beads one by one onto the coloured cluster. Players watch as this cluster shakes, shimmers and slowly separates as they place the balls on. Each player needs to keep a steady hand and think carefully as they place the balls onto the coloured cluster, as one slip or a bead in the wrong place will cause everything to come crashing down- a TumBall!

TumBall is a fun game for all the family and will entertain children for ages.  You really do have to concentrate when you play and keep your hand as steady as you can as you do not want it all to crash down.  Seeing the delight on players’ faces when they manage to place a white bead without anything dropping is brilliant!

This game is suitable for children aged 6 years + and the RRP is £17.99. Visit www.megableu.com/uk for stockists.

www.star51.co.uk

Star 51 is a brand that is dedicated to producing handmade British children’s clothing that are wonderful gifts for children. Their garments are designed by Mrs. B. Theodorou who takes inspiration from the beautiful looks from the early to mid-20^th century. Star 51 clothing are fabulous gifts for little ones and all pieces will be adored by both children and adults alike.

One garment from Star 51 that any girl would adore is The Ruby’s London Faux Fur Gilet. This gilet is available in both a beautiful Strawberry Cream colour and a stunning Smoke Grey. Each faux fur gilet is wonderfully soft to the touch and will keep any girl warm this Autumn and Winter. A gorgeous ribbon adorns the gilet and this can be tied in a pretty bow to close the gilet. This garment is available in sizes 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12. It is available to buy from www.star51.co.uk  from 8th September. The RRP is £90.00.

Other Star 51 garments for girls this Autumn and Winter include tartan pinafores made from 100% lambs wool, heritage skirts and a Navy pleat dress.

The selection of clothes for boys are just as lovely as the girl clothes. Included in the range are 100% cotton fabric shirts, cardigans and corduroy dungarees.

Star 51 have a wonderful range of gifts for children this Autumn and Winter. To see the full range visit www.star51.co.uk.

www.kidzania.co.uk

As any parent knows entertaining your children over the summer holidays is not always easy and if you have more than one child they will inevitably have different interests. This is why KidZania is the perfect day out for all the family as it caters for every child’s interest. Whether your child is interested in fashion, cooking, singing or fire fighting, they will definitely find something to do at KidZania.

The idea behind KidZania is brilliant as it is an interactive indoor city that is run by children.  Children can independently choose from more than 60 real-life entertaining activities in a safe and secure place. The activities children can choose include being a doctor, a police officer, a chocolatier, a fashion designer or a courier.

When I visited KidZania with my 2 children the first thing that really impressed me was how organised the whole experience was. When the children ‘check in’ they are given an electronic wristband to wear so they can be monitored throughout their visit, keeping them safe. Children aged 8 and over can explore the KidZania city without an adult accompanying them so the electronic wristband is brilliant as they are being monitored throughout their visit. The wristbands are scanned when the children begin and finish an activity and also if they visit the bank. The exit to KidZania is also manned so a child cannot just leave without someone knowing.

When we were in the city the activities were also very organised. The children had to queue outside the activity they wanted and then once they were in the activity parents and carers could watch from outside. All activities had big windows for parents and carers to view their child.

One fantatsic feature of KidZania is that the children could earn money when doing the jobs. The money they earn is in kidZos (KidZania currency). Each child is given 50 kidZos to start with and then they can add to this once they have completed the different activities. They can also open a bank account and get their own bank card. This bank card expires after two years so if children visit again they can add to their money.

My children loved their visit and really enjoyed earning their own money. My daughter became a fashion stylist in the H & M shop and she loved picking out clothes for her ‘client’ (which was a mannequin). My children also worked in a bank and had to go and collect money from other shops. They were told to take care of the money and not let anyone else see the money they had. My son took this very seriously and wouldn’t even show it to me!

Some activities in KidZania required children to pay to do them such as the Cadbury shop. To become chocolatiers they had to pay 10 kidZos each. This is because at the end of the activity they received a voucher to get their own chocolates. The Gourmet Burger Kitchen also needed payment. We needed to pay £2 sterling for each child so they could make their own burger. This was great as they made their very own burger which they could then eat afterwards.

KidZania is a great place for a family day out as the children are thoroughly entertained during the 4 hours of their visit. They will learn different skills and are taught the value of money. My children really enjoyed this visit and we will definitely go back and visit again.

KidZania is situated in Westfield London Shopping Centre so you can also explore the shopping centre before or after your visit. Ticket prices are from £18.00 for children (4-14 years) and from £16.00 for adults.

Alpha Animation and Toys

Alpha Animation and Toys have launched a fabulous new Drone collection called Drone Force that are ideal gifts for any young flight enthusiast. Drone Force is the first line of RC Drones designed specifically for children aged 6+.

The Drone Force drones are inspired by creatures and have a durable ‘Exoskeleton’ cage for maximum crash protection. These drones feature easy-to-use controllers that have intuitive buttons and levers, as well as having an auto, one touch take-off and landing for the beginner flyer.

One fantastic drone from this range is the Angler Attack. This drone looks like a monstrous fish from the sea that has glowing eyes and luminescent LEDs that when flown at low light, lights up the sky in flight, creating an amazing creepy appearance.

This drone is very easy to fly and is ideal for younger users. You simply charge the battery for about an hour and then you can enjoy flying this fantastic looking creature. It can be used both indoors and outdoors and has a flight range of up to 45 metres. The LED lights look amazing when flying the drone during low light and really add to the creepiness of this flying creature. This Angler Attack is lightweight and has a one touch take-off and landing control. The RRP for the Angler Attack is £69.99 and it is available from Smyths.

Drone Force also have other fabulous drones in the range including The Stinger, Vulture Strike and Morph-Zilla. These drones are perfect for younger flight enthusiasts and will allow children aged 6+ to enjoy flying drones. They are the ideal gift for anyone who loves flying drones and will entertain the flier for ages.

www.hallmark.co.uk

Hallmark itty bittys are the perfect gift for both children and adults for any occasion.  These mini plush toys have been released under various collections, including Star Wars, Marvel, Snoopy, Scooby Doo, Wizard of Oz and DC Comics so are perfect for film fans.

The Marvel Collection is amazing and one of my favourite collections. You can have your very own itty bitty version of your favourite Marvel character. Included in the collection is Hulk, Iron Man, Ant Man, Spiderman and Captain America. Each character is wonderfully cute and the whole range will be lovely to collect.  Each character is designed perfectly and will be loved by any Marvel fan.

Another fabulous collection is the Wizard of Oz range. Included in this iconic range is Dorothy, The Tin Man, Scarecrow, the Good Witch and the Cowardly Lion.  Film fans will adore these little plush toys and they will make wonderful gifts.

To see the full range of itty bittys visit www.hallmark.co.uk. The RRP for the itty bittys is £6.00 and they are available from Amazon.

www.argos.co.uk

Hape have a wide range of wonderful wooden toys that inspire play, learning and exploration of the world.  I absolutely adore Hape toys and think they are ideal gifts for children as they are bright, colourful toys that develop children’s play and imaginations.

The Hape Scoot Around Rider is another fabulous gift from Hape that any young child would love to receive. This rider encourages little ones to take lots of short rides and helps develop their muscle strength and balance. Young children will love racing around on this rider and as it is foot-powered they have control of how fast they go. As they grow in confidence they can increase their power and the distance they ride.

When assembling the rider the first thing I noticed (and loved) was its bright green colour. This vibrant mixture of shades of green is perfect for little ones and will brighten up any room. I found the rider very easy to put together and thought the bike was very sturdy, a great feature if children are going to ride on it. It also has wide wheels to aid balance and easy grip handles that are perfect for little hands.

The Hape Scoot Around Rider is suitable for children over 12 months and is the perfect gift for the summer as little ones will love riding around outdoors on this fantastic rider.

The RRP for the Hape Scoot Around Scooter is £44.99 and it is available from Argos.

www.hape.com

The new Hape Double Loop Railway set is the ideal gift for little ones who love both construction and trains. Children can build a complete Hape railway from the ground up with curves, bridges and even a station.

This Double Loop Railway set is a brilliant starter pack that will inspire playtime creativity and imaginative worlds.  This set includes plenty of add on pieces, rails and trains that children will love to play with.

Once children have created their railway track, they can also enjoy test driving the bullet train on their creation. My nephew spent hours designing and building his very own track and then loved using the train on his track.  He was definitely entertained for ages!

The Hape Double Loop Railway set is made from wood and metal and includes lots of brightly coloured bridges and stations making the set wonderfully fun and eye catching.

There are 64 pieces in this set and they can be combined with other Hape railway sets so children can create even bigger and better railway tracks!

The Hape Double Loop Railway set is a brilliant gift for children aged 3 upwards and will inspire their creativity and keep them entertained for hours.

This fabulous set is available from www.amazon.co.uk for £49.99.

www.jurassickingdom.uk  

This Easter treat the whole family to a fabulous experience that brings dinosaurs to life. Jurassic Kingdom is an extraordinary, new animatronic prehistoric experience that is touring parks in major UK cities during 2017. It includes over 30 true-to-life dinosaur models and installations that will make you feel you are being transported back in time to when they ruled the world.

I visited the London experience that is located at the beautiful Osterley Park with my wife and two children and we all had a fabulous day out. As we entered the experience, the first dinosaur we saw was the amazing true-to-life T-Rex. This excited my two children straight away and set the scene perfectly for our dinosaur experience.

As we walked through the experience we saw lots of different dinosaurs, some were life size as well which was very interesting and fascinating to see. Seeing a life sized Diplodocus truly was amazing as we all were in awe with regards to the size of this dinosaur.

All the dinosaurs were animatronic so moved to make the experience more true to life. The roars from the dinosaurs also made the experience even more enjoyable.

My two children thoroughly enjoyed this experience and they learnt a lot about dinosaurs, not only about their size but they also learnt some facts about each dinosaur. Each exhibit had a plaque full of information about the dinosaurs we were looking at. We also saw some dinosaurs fighting each other which again was very interesting.

The dinosaurs were situated inside Osterley Park so walking around the experience was lovely. We visited on a sunny Spring day so we loved being outside in the sunshine. My two children also enjoyed running around the area. There were also wooden swings attached to some of the trees that they loved playing on. They also had the opportunity to visit the Den Area where they could make their own dens using branches and sticks. My two children spent ages here and thoroughly enjoyed making their very own den.

I thought the experience was very family friendly as there were spots throughout the exhibit where you could visit the toilet or grab a drink and a snack. I thought this was brilliant as we know little ones often need a break. We also had the opportunity to purchase food before we went into the experience, as there were food vendors at the entrance. They also had face painting and a gift shop here as well.

Jurassic Kingdom is a fantastic day out for all the family. We all had a lovely time visiting the experience and also spent some time walking through Osterley Park afterwards. You can easily spend a whole day enjoying both Jurassic Kingdom and Osterley Park.

Ticket prices for Jurassic Kingdom London are; Online Prices: Adult £13.50, Child £11.50, Family £46.00. On the door prices: Adult £15.00, Child £13.00, Family £52.00.

Jurassic Kingdom London is open from 1^st April – 17^th April. To see all other locations and opening times visit www.jurassickingdom.uk