kids

KEEP-THEM-BUSY GEAR FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Companion Kids LED animal headlamp

R150, outdoorwarehouse.co.za

A useful tool for animal-loving youngsters, this basic headlamp flashes or shines at the press of a button. The strap is adjustable and you can choose between a lion, dog, frog or monkey.

Aerobie orbiter boomerang

R199, capeunionmart.co.za Get practising your throws – this boomerang flies about 28 metres and will come back with a little fine tuning. Bend the corners up slightly and find an open area to let rip. If you’re on the beach, remember it doesn’t float.

Quiddler

R299, hamleys.co.za

Think of this as Scrabble with cards. Players form words from the cards they draw and count the points allotted to each card as they go. There are two bonuses in each of the eight rounds; one for the most words and one for the longest word.

Campmaster Junior flashlight and headlamp combo

R129, campmaster.co.za

Look the part of a young explorer with this light combo in pink or blue. The flashlight burns at 15 lumens and runs for four hours, while the headlamp is much brighter at 120 lumens. There are three settings– low, high and flash.

Coghlan’s Binoculars for Kids

R159, outdoorwarehouse.co.za These 4x30 magnification binocs offer surprisingly decent clarity. The adjustable eyepieces act as a zoom and should keep inquisitive kids entertained out in nature.

Hamleys Colour Stackers

R129,95, hamleys.co.za

The company claims these are the only pens in the world in which light colours can write over dark colours. Full disclosure: I spent an exorbitant amount of time testing them and they’re fun to use but not fautless. The set includes 10 colour pens and is aimed at ages three to eight.