This summer the Fox’s have so many fun trips and activities planned. I am always looking for new ways to play with my kids at home and on the road. As a busy mom I choose to lean on PlayMonster for exciting toys that are relevant and affordable. This spring they have a few new toys that you just have to see. Keep these in mind too for all the birthday parties you will attend this summer, as each are perfect for gifts and fit any budget.

For Indoor Play:

Orangutwang

This easy to set up and super exciting game if perfect for preschool to elementary aged kids.  Simply set up the trees on their bases and pull down the leaf to tighten the rope. The Orangutan hangs from the robe with his arms and legs out in a swinging like motion. Take turns balancing items like fruit and friends on the Orangutan, but watch out! At some point the rope will be too tight and TWANG! The game goes flying! There are no batteries required making this a quiet game, other than the giggles and screams that will escape from your kids as they play over and over again. The wood bodies of the vehicles are made of European Beech wood (very high quality)

Available on Amazon, Target and Walmart

Automoblox

Automoblox are different from what you may think they are. These wooden vehicle toys are not just your average push around cars, but they take it a step further. My son loves that he can dissemble the cars and rebuild them. Or which he loves even more, to mix and match the cars and create new designs. The parts are interchangeable making them easy to snap together and pull apart.  We have the set that included the police, ambulance and fire truck. Automoblox has more cars that are sold as sets or individually.  I love taking these cars on road trips and to restaurants as they are fun for the whole family and easy to carry around.

Available on Amazon

For Outdoor Play:

My Fairy Garden Tree Hollow

One of the most popular outside toys for 2019 are Fairy Gardens. PlayMonster now has a line of Fairy Gardens and add on Fairies to engage your children in imaginative, outdoor play. The part that makes this Fairy Garden stand out is that it comes with seeds and dirt to plant a real garden in your Tree Hollow. Being in Ohio, we have to wait to plant seeds until end of May (thanks to frost still happening in the mid-west until then). But when the weather permanently warms up, my daughter plans to plant her seeds and try out her green thumb. It comes with all the parts and instructions, making it easy and educational. Allowing them to see the fruit of their labors in planting, watering and watching their seeds will inspire new conversation and questions about the world around them. Learn about the world through play with My Fairy Garden Tree Hollow.

Available on Amazon and at Target

Aqua Diver

Make the pool even more exciting with this new concept toy – the Aqua Diver. This is unlike any other pool toy –  the timer automatically starts when the Squid hits the water! Dive after the squid and try to catch it as it swims around the pool. Play against your self and try to beat your own time, or play in a group and see who can grab it first. This toys comes loaded with batteries, making it ready to use out of the package. You can use this toy in a kid sized pool, or at your neighborhood large pool. It will engage your kids in a new way to play at the pool. We love that it is easy to store and easy to use. My children are very good swimmers and this will help them work on their confidence in diving and swimming independently.

Available at Amazon

If you would like to keep your kids safe during the Easter holidays, while you are still working or running a business from home, it is important that you plan every day carefully and make the most out of the latest technology. Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to take time off work whenever they feel like, and this means that you will have to find a way to know where your kids are and what they are doing. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

Plan Your Journeys

If you want to get away for the weekend, you will need to give your kids some responsibility to pack the bags and get the house tidied up while you are working. This will not only keep them busy but also out of trouble while teaching them some responsibility. In case you have teenagers in the family, you can put them in charge of doing the research and planning the itinerary, booking lodges and mode of transport, so you can sit back and spend less time on planning. If you are bringing your pet along on vacation, then make sure you are the one to plan on how you will be traveling with them and check out a Pet Friendly Hotel for them to stay in, you can put your teenager in charge of packing the pet’s things like food and treats so you don’t have to do everything.

Get Insurance

The last thing you want as you’re trying to celebrate is for someone to suddenly be taken ill. The best thing you can do is to get insurance to ensure you’re always covered. Take a look at this national family assurance life insurance review if you’re interested in insurance that covers a wide range of issues you may encounter in life, not just during the holidays.

Be Prepared for Emergencies

It is crucial that you have your phone on when you are leaving the kids at home alone. If your teenager already has their own mode of transport or they are going out alone with friends, you will have to ensure that they are able to deal with the traffic and can be trusted with driving the rest of the family around. You will need to have an insurance cover that will not only deal with a potential accident itself, but also allow you to get help from a injury lawyer in case you need their services.

Get Your Car Checked Up

Image via PxHere

To plan a getaway, you will have to book your car in for a checkup well before the vacation. You need to be prepared for a waiting time, so it is important that you are keeping the best dates in mind and make the booking a couple of weeks before you are planning to travel. If your car needs work, or your tires will need changing, you don’t want to spend your time and vacation budget on last minute repairs.

Avoid Open Waters

No matter how warm it is and how much your kids love the water, never allow them to go swimming in open water with or without you, unless there is proof that it is safe, or there is a lifeguard on site. You never know what is going to happen, and open waters are full of surprises. Your kids might get into a deep end where the water is too cold, get a shock, and the trouble is just around the corner. Take them to safe parks, such as Lettuce Lake Park and enjoy the water safely together.

Stock Up on Allergy Pills

In case one of your family members has allergies, such as food or bites, you will need to ensure that you check your stock of antihistamine tablets and sprays. It will he hard to obtain these during the holidays, and you are likely to be asked to pay extra for urgency. Not to mention that a dog bite or an allergic reaction can ruin your family vacation, if you are not prepared.

Phone Tracking

Image via Flickr

If you want to know exactly where your kids are all the time, you will need to find a way to track their phones. Teenagers can be especially crafty when it comes to not telling you that they are taking risks they shouldn’t. A phone tracking facility can help you get the peace of mind that you can find your kids and contact them when they are not where they are supposed to be. This simple technology can save you from a lot of worry.

Social Media Controls

Social media is one of the latest risks parents need to deal with effectively. You should find a way to control the social media use of your kids. If they use Snapchat, ensure that their location settings are turned off, so they cannot be approached by people they don’t know. You can block different social media sites from their devices that you find inappropriate for their age, including games that are too violent.

Keeping kids safe during the school holidays is one of the greatest challenges of parents. The weather might already be nice enough to go for a walk or spend a day in the park with friends, but if you are working, you cannot keep an eye on them all the time.