Balance Bikes, Razors, and a Basketball Hoop {awesome outdoor kids gear!}

This has been an outdoor Summer for our family!  It's amazing what a difference a year makes.  My 3 and 4 year old can now swim completely unassisted (and even dive to the bottom of the pool!), our oldest can play outside on his own and is somewhat self entertained with big boy toys and not to mention our youngest is running all over!  Outside time is not just more manageable, but it's truly enjoyable being able to supervise verses being physically involved every second.  Below are 3 types of toys (along with pictures and a video) that have made this Summer super fun for everyone!  We were very blessed to receive ALL of these as Christmas gifts...except for the Basketball Hoop which was Minh's 8 year old birthday present from us :)


Razor Sole Skate
This is Minh's favorite outdoor "toy" as of right now.  It was incredibly hard for him to learn how to ride...it literally took weeks of practice!  However, it was the first outdoor toy that he was determined to conquer and I was sooooo proud of him for not giving up.  He pushes it like a skate board and rests his back foot on the back wheel cover.  He can stand or bend down and hold onto the front (in video) and a great plus to the Razor Sole is it's tiny making it very easy to transport to the park!  And of course, he must wear his helmet!

Razor Ripster Skateboard
I don't have a picture of Minh on the Razor Ripster, but this seems to be the new "cool way" that kids commute to school.  Basically you stand on it with one foot in front, one foot in back and swivel back and forth.  It takes a LOT of balance and strength.  I was so happy his Uncle gave this to him for Christmas since he had been talking about it non-stop!  There are lots of different types of Ripster's, and honestly I don't know the difference between styles/prices.  He is still practicing and can make it about 50 feet, but is getting better everyday!  For an 8 year old boy who doesn't have a skateboard, this has really fit that niche.



Balance Bikes
These bikes are the most amazing outdoor toy ever made!  seriously   My parents saw kids riding them in New York, and when they enquired about them, it turns out Balance Bikes are the new European trend.  I had never even heard of them before, and as it turns out, no one in the South sells them yet.  Basically, it's a low bike without training wheels and the theory is, that kids learn to balance and ride them and then can transition straight to a regular bike.  Meaning what?  Meaning NO TRAINING WHEELS.  We have not got that far, but I am here to tell you, these bikes turn heads everywhere we go.  It took my then 2 and 3 year olds about 2 weeks to master the balancing aspect of the bike and once it "clicked," they TOOK OFF! 
1. They go faaaaaaast all with a simple "tap, tap, tap, gliiiiide" pattern of foot motion and balance.  And not only that, there's no hard work like on a tricycle or the wobbly back and forth like on a bike with training wheels.
2.  They can go for 30 minutes at a time and much faster than my husband running at full speed.
3.  The control the kids have on them is amazing.  They can cut short corners and if they do fall, they're so close to the ground there's no real injury. There are many different styles made out of different materials.  The kids are wooden and are so sturdy.  Check out the video below to watch them glide!  I recommend this to all of my friends...it's a must have for little kids and has made our lives much easier with no little parts falling off, kids getting hurt, or even too tired after a few minutes.

Basketball Hoop

We just put it together for Minh (it was his July birthday present) and I can already tell this is going to be such a used outdoor game!  He can play by himself if we're not out or with friends.  :)

Below are a few more pictures from our family picnic last week.