Saturday, October 15, 2011

Garden Toy Ideas for the Winter

Summer is almost over, and it's now time to bring in the paddling pool, cover over the sand pit, and put away the slides. However, that doesn't mean that the garden should become a boring and uninviting place for kids. There are plenty of garden toys for children that can be used during the winter.

Most of the winter fun comes when it snows. Traditional favourites such as snowball fights, and even making snowmen, are things that anyone can enjoy - even if they have only a small yard or garden. You don't need any special equipment to play outside in the snow - although a good pair of gloves and a shovel will make building a snowman a slightly easier experience.

The options for fun in bigger gardens, however, are endless. A trip to the shop in the winter to look at garden toys for children will reveal a whole host of cold-weather friendly options. Log cabins for kids are perfect as winter dens, and plastic forts and houses can provide fun at any time of the year.

Kids lucky enough to live in rural areas will enjoy sled racing, and kids that are too old to play with sleds will enjoy showing off their skills on bodyboards. Just don't tell them that a bodyboard is just a big kid's version of the same kind of toy!

Smaller garden toys for children, such as the bug-watching science kit, can be adapted for use in the winter. Instead of spotting insects, go for a walk in the forest and look for animal and bird tracks. If you take an inexpensive camera with you, then you could get some great photographs of animals getting ready for the winter.

One recent trend that is taking off is the snow ring - this is basically an inflatable version of the logs used on water rides. It can be a lot of fun to ride a snow ring down a hill, as long as there's plenty of grass and snow at the bottom, and it's a safe distance from any roads!

Another trend that's popular amongst younger children is snowball throwers. These work on the same principal as the ball throwers that dog owners like to use when they take their dogs for a walk - you scoop up a small ball of snow using the mechanical arm, then flick the stick to throw the ball. There's a knack to using this toy, but it's a lot of fun and lets you keep throwing snowballs for a lot longer than you would if you just used your hands. If you're sick of soggy gloves and cold hands, then why not give it a try?

Of course, imagination is really the best out of all of the garden toys for children, but if sleds and snowball throwers will get your child playing outside then they're worth the money! This year, why not dig out your coat and gloves and get outside with them. Maybe you'll rediscover the big kid in you once you start using your snowball making skills.

This article was written by Amy Fowler on behalf of The Original Factory Shop. Amy has younger siblings who refuse to go outdoors once the weather turns cold, so she is always looking for ways to tempt them outside!

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