Outdoor toys to take to France when driving

[BunnyWilliams]

I'm heading to France for a month with the 3 DC (7, 5 and 3). I'll be solo parenting because DH can't get time off work (we're doing a 3 week family holiday at the end of the year).

I'll be doing some work a couple of days a week while we're out there but going to try to do 6am-12pm.

I did the same last year and had a gîte in the middle of nowhere but with a pool and the kids made friends with the neighbours' children so they had built-in playmates.

This year we'll be in a gîte on the outskirts of Paris which will be amazing for days out (Disney 😁) but there's no pool and a smaller garden (although still relatively big) so the children can't 'romp' as much. I think there's already a small trampoline but nothing else so I'm looking for ideas for garden toys and games that we can take with us. We'll be driving and have an XC90 so a fair bit of space but we'll obviously be stocked up with everything for the month so anything extra needs to be compact (or inflatable!).

Any ideas?

I’d stay in a different gîte. A big paddling pool might be better bought there in a supermarché.

I've spent hours (and hours) researching and deliberating and this is the best choice for this summer, despite no pool. A lot of the options with private pools weren't gated and if I'm working I absolutely wouldn't feel comfortable with the children out in the garden on their own with that set-up.

I'm happy with the choice of gîte. It might not have a pool but it has a lot of other things going for it.

A big supermarket like Carrefour will have loads of outdoor toys/paddling pools etc. I’d just buy over there.

When are you going? Now or do you mean in August summer?

If summer a kids play sprinkler mat, and small paddling pool

Boules set - the neoprene sand type ones, less lethal if 3 year old throws them

kids badminton rackets and shuttles

Footballs

large ish play sandpit type cars and toys.

Chalk

Bubbles

Games to play at table or indoors like labyrinth

Badminton set that all packs down into a carry case - you see them on the beach, ours is from Amazon.

Swingball from decathlon also packs down into the base.

Amazon have sets of bubble wands in various shapes and sizes which again come beautifully flat packed in a cardboard box. I'd suggest buying the bubble mix in France though.

Thanks all. Stupidly, it hadn't occurred to me to get a few things when we're there. I'll suss out the garden situation and if there's a tap/hose for water stuff when we're there and then decide.

Coincidentally I just popped into TKMaxx and managed to get a swing ball set and a hoop throwing game for £15, so I'm pleased with that!

Sorry, should have made that more clear! We're going for the whole of August so it will (hopefully) be hot and sunny for most of the time.

Be aware that if you do not have an EU passport, it is illegal for you to do work in France, of any kind.

Obviously the chances of you being caught having a day on your laptop are fairly small, but for example you might want to not mention it to any neighbours if you get chatting.

This doesn't make sense as a blanket statement. I don't have an EU passport. I travelled to our French site, worked for 3 days, came home. Fairly confident I didn't do anything illegal.

Do you mean that by working in France the OP could be creating an issue for her employer? Because that is absolutely true. Although how much work someone can do in sole charge of 3 under 8s is probably debatable anyway.

You can be as confident as you like, but it's still illegal for UK citizens to work in most EU countries without a work permit. Exactly what counts as "work" varies from one EU country to the next (because they have sovereignty — for example, whether you can staff a stand at a trade fair varies, is it "productive work" or "a business/sales-related meeting"?), but basically, UK citizens are now in the same position as Canadians, Nigerians, and Japanese: They cannot turn up in an EU country and do remunerated work, even if that just involves sitting in front of a computer connected to the VPN of the company back home.

Of course in practice this would be hard to detect, but it's the law, because it's a pretty basic principle of law that where you are "doing work" is where you are physically located. Many EU countries now have "digital nomad" visas to allow people to work "back home" legally while sitting in that country.

I'm not telling the OP not to do it, because we all make our own choices on these matters, but I would recommend that she doesn't advertise the fact.

What about those Velcro pads where you throw a ball and catch it in the Velcro? Sorry I don’t know what they’re called!

Frisbee if there’s a bit of space

Skipit

Skipping ropes

Twister

Board games that pack up small? Dobble, UNO, Top Trumps

A few different jugs/cups and a basin of water for the 3 yr old?! Mine used to play for ages just pouring water between cups and offering everyone and teddies ‘tea’!

Home bargains have some inflatable water toys in at the moment. A big punch bag that squirts water out of the top, looks fun

Another vote for buying stuff when you get there. Try Decathlon, it's good value and slightly cheaper in France.

Scooters and bikes! And the French are strict on gated pools so I’m surprised there were villas without gates/fences. We usually found plenty of playgrounds in France when kids were younger.

I don't think you do need a visa for under 90 days unless you're working for a French company (ie employed by them). If you did, surely they'd at least ask the question at Border Control when people turn up for 7am flights wearing suits?!

Go to decathlon & get flat pack badminton set, football, soft archery, volleyball.

Decathlon is a French shop so she might as well buy it all there!

Well you are going to be in France … so boule obviously