SURF SCHOOL FOR KIDS

Growing up in Australia, one of the most important things is learning how to swim. Closely followed by learning how to swim safely in the surf! At the Manly Surf School, kids of all ages learn the basics of surfing, including how the rips and ocean works.
Our designer Sindy Sinn was a part of it when he was a grom and reckons it was some of the best years of his life. Learning to paddle out the back, catch waves, get up on his feet and ride it all the way in. The Manly Surf School has a great program for kids of all ages, we can’t recommend it enough. Even better, enrol your kids with their mates and they can all learn / enjoy the surf together.

www.manlysurfschool.com/lessons/kids-group-lessons

Favourite Pub: The Henson

So often kid-stuff is about the kid. Well, not this time. We’re recommending The Henson Park Hotel in Marrickville as a great pub for families. With an amazing range of beer and food, the Henson is great for a sunny arvo hangout. Plus (and a big plus) it’s got a dedicated kidzone off the beer-garden. Somewhere to plonk the kids and have adult chats for a minute… or a moment of silence, whichever you prefer.

The Henson Park Hotel: 91 Illawarra Rd, Marrickville (Sydney NSW).

A rare photo of the kidzone not heaving with kids.

BABY DENIM JACKETS

We love seeing our kids tees paired with other rad kids clothes. One piece in particular caught our eye, and it’s too good not to share. This one is from Academy Rookie (the junior Academy Brand), and is a denim sherpa jacket. It comes in sizes 2 through 7, and is made from a 12oz denim in a bleached vintage look.

Kids clothing doesn’t have to be complicated.
It only takes a couple cool classics in the closet to get sorted. Here's the link.

CONVERSE FOR KIDS

Sometimes you can’t beat the classics. Which is why it’s so so rad that Converse extends their All Star range down to babies and kids sizes. Seriously, how fucking cute are these Size 1 Connys. These will scuff up nicely in the playground, keeping their little tootsies safe at the same time.

Buying for little ones can be complicated. Converse keeps it simple. Plus they’ll matching mum and dad. They come in a range of colours and sizes, they’ve got an impressive range, all around the $40 mark.
www.converse.com.au/kids

ALL MY FRIENDS ARE DEAD

Books don't have to be boring. And sometimes as a parent, you're gonna get bored of the same old stuff. So we were excited when we stumbled across ALL MY FRIENDS ARE DEAD, a book by Avery Monsen and Jory John in 2010.

At 96 pages, it explores various forms of life all surrounded (humorously) by death. And was so popular it led to a sequel, MY FRIENDS ARE STILL DEAD.  We think it's funny and the perfect thing for a silly family to read together over a couple of sneaky Sunday wines.

KING OF THE WILD THINGS

There's something magical about children's books. It's such an important and influencial part of growing up that no kid should be left without. One of our favourite books growing up was WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. A book written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak (1928 - 2012)... we're obsessed with his crazy, quirky and other-worldly artwork.

A story of only 338 words, it follows the main character Max who turns his bedroom into an imaginary jungle after being sent to bed without his dinner. Max becomes king of the Wild Things, playing and dancing with his new buddies... soon returning back to his room where he finds a nice hot dinner waiting for him.

Written and drawn before 1963, all the amazing illustrations where done by hand. 

We also found and love a brand called Leg Avenue who make adorable little King Max costumes. So if your tiny monster is a fan of the story, he or she now has the perfect Halloween costume sorted.

TOY WATCH: BABYNOISE

Gone are the days of banging wooden spoons to saucepans.  Thanks to the head-bangers over at Babynoise, you can now treat your little Nightcrawler to a mini-me percussion instrument to inspire their inner Bonham.

Babynoise’s range of hand-crafted wooden drums, chimes, symbols, maracas (and more) are as stylish as they are loud.  Created in Perth Australia, they make a great gift for the Animal in every kid.  As a learning tool, they’ll let bub explore the world through sound and rhythm – inspiring them to explore their musical side at an early age. 

And when Mum and Dad are driven bonkers by the banging of a tiny handheld drum, the stylish instruments will layer beautifully as a décor piece in your nursery.

Visit the Babynoise shopify website here for more.

GOOD NIGHT STORIES FOR REBELLIOUS GIRLS

Good Night Stories For Rebellious Girls is a children's book by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo which features 100 bedtime stories about the lifetime of 100 extraordinary women. From Frida Kahlo to Serena Williams, each woman's life has also been beautifully illustrated by a female artist from around the world.

It all started from a successful Kickstarter campaign, with over 13000 supporters, the book is now available worldwide as a hardcover, ebook or audiobook. But we suggest getting out of the house and visiting your local bookstore to find one.

Bedtime doesn't have to be boring.

TIE YOUR MOTHER DOWN

Our 'TIE YOUR MOTHER DOWN' baby-onesie is a crowd-favourite.
And it's based on one of our favourite Queen songs. 

Written by guitarist Brian May, it was released in 1976 on their A Day At The Races album. It smashed through the charts (to a highest of #13 in the UK charts) was subsequently played at every Queen concert since. It's also been covered by everyone from the Foo Fighters to Lemmy Kilmister.

BAND OF THE MONTH: HEVISAURUS

Hevisaurus are a Finnish heavy metal band, who's music is aimed at children. Their super-rad puffy dinosaur costumes are a weird hybrid of Barney The Dinosaur and metal bands Slipknot and GWAR. If your kids like their tunes hard and heavy, we suggest you go have a listen.

They describe themselves as "blood-thirsty warrior beasts that drink milk, eat cookies and stay in school". We've carefully filed them under Jurassic Metal.