Product Reviews

There are so many products out there that you could buy for your out of school club, but which ones really offer value for money? And which ones will the children play with over and over again? In this section we review products that have been rigorously 'road tested' by real, live(ly) children and which have passed our informal criteria for play value, durability and value for money.

Products

We love Skipping
More of an game than a product, skipping is an excellent activity for children, promoting fitness, coordination and communication skills. We review some good sources of skipping equipment, teaching resources, and workshops for children and play leaders.

We love Shrinkles
You are probably already familiar with the pre-printed Shrinkles (also known as Shrinkies and Shrink Art) which children simply colour in and cut out. But by making use of the different kinds of blank sheets and accessories now available you can tailor craft activities to any seasonal theme, and to any age or ability level.

We love funky fountains
The Funky Fountain will give the children at your club hours of squirty, squealy, fun. Pour the water in the top, take out a peg, and dodge out of the way of the stream of water that squirts out the side. So simple, it's brilliant. An ideal ingredient for an afternoon of water play at your club.

We love digital photo frames
Using a digital photo frame to display pictures from your club enables you to: inform parents about their children's activities, personalise your setting, display the children's artwork and show the Ofsted inspector the range of activities at the club—all in one package.

We love kite kits
Making kites and running around outside trying to get them to fly are perfect activities for an out of school club, combining a craft activity (that is not perceived as being too 'girlie') with physical play. These kite kits ensure that you have everything you need to make loads of easy-to-fly kites.

We love resistance parachutes
Here is an outdoor game which is guaranteed to wear out all those fizzing balls of energy (otherwise known as children) at your club. The parachute will only open properly if you run fast, so the children just - keep - running!

We love blanket caves
All children love making dens and can often amuse themselves for hours with piles of blankets and cushions. The blanket cave is a clever idea which enables children to easily construct an impressive tent-like den both indoors and outside.

We love rolling rings
When the active boys at the club are hurtling around with just a bit too much vigour, and it's too cold and wet to go outside, we've sometimes day-dreamed about a child-sized hamster wheel in which they could burn off all their energy safely. Then we spotted these ...

We love Fimo modelling clay
Fimo polymer modelling clay is a great modelling material for out of school clubs: it is brightly coloured, easy to use, bakes quickly at a low temperature, and you only use a small amount at a time!

We love cardboard castles
These great play houses come in the shape of castles, palaces, space rockets and igloos, and are all made of cardboard which means that they are very affordable, easy to move around and simple to pack away for easy storage.

We love Magic Whiteboards™
This fantastic product means that you can put up artwork and displays, stick up signs and noticeboards, and even let children draw on the walls—all without upsetting the caretaker of your club venue.

We love gym balls
Who would have guessed that children could get so much fun from a gym ball? They are cheap, bright, versatile, and wildly popular with the children whenever we bring them out.

We love Tub Trugs®
Every out of school club should have a selection of these large, soft, brightly coloured and endlessly versatile plastic buckets.


More product reviews are added regularly. If you use a fantastic product at your club that you think others should know about, please tell us about it or post it on the Members' Forum.

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