Great ideas for kids

Thrill them, excite them, then send them home exhausted. Or pick up a few cool gifts that'll have the helpful side effect of keeping them occupied for hours. Here's a few great ideas when buying for the youngsters in your life.

Experiences for kids:

Kids' recording studio - £65 from ActivitySuperstore.com
Get an insight into how top music stars record their songs. A chance for youngsters aged seven to 17 to record vocals over the backing track of their choice, as well as tips on how to get the best out of their voice. Friends and family can join in too.
Kids' Spy Camp - £49 from Buyagift.com
The fun location where youngsters get to learn how to operate hidden cameras and listening devices, crack codes and play shoot-out with laser-tag guns. Hang on a minute. Are you sure their parents will want them back afterwards...?
Junior Karting - £39 from Virgin Experience Days
A chance to try out the open-wheel racing experience on exciting circuits around the country. After all, even Lewis Hamilton had to start somewhere - and this is it! Instruction and safety briefing are all part of the package.

Breaks for kids:

Disneyland Resort Paris breaks - now booking until April 2008, free nights and special deals for kids.
It's hard to beat the magic of Disney. Choose from AdventureLand, DiscoveryLand, FrontierLand and FantasyLand for something to keep everyone entertained, or visit Walt Disney Studios Park and the Disney Village. Offered by Leisure Direction.
Haven holiday parks - 34 locations around Britain
Haven parks keep the most active families happy. Sports, kids' clubs, water fun for all ages - available to dip in and out of as you like. Flexible accommodation and eight great regions to explore for the perfect family break.
Legoland Windsor theme park breaks - from £110 for a family of four.
Legoland will capture kids' imaginations, with rides, thrills and eight different areas to explore as well as the Imagination Centre where they can build their own Lego creations and extras such as erobatic displays. Stay close by in historic Windsor. Offered by Play-and-Stay.co.uk

Gifts for kids:

iPod Shuffle 1GB Orange - £49 from PC World
This neat little music player weighs less than 16 grams and has a battery life of 12 hours. It plugs into a computer to make managing your music easy. Best of all, it has headphones... guaranteed to be a popular gift that keeps boys or girls quiet for hours.
Dragonfly - £44.99 from Hamleys
This amazing flying robot works indoors or out and has an ultra-light body and crash-resistant structure to make sure it - and everybody else - comes to no harm. The controls are dead easy - make it swoop, dive or flutter for maximum fun.
Personalised bear - £19.99 from Letterbox
These big, cuddly bears come with their own chunky sweaters in red or blue. And each can be personalised with the name of your choice, which is embroidered in gold capital letters on the front. A wonderful gift that will be cherished for years.