Wooden skipping rope in blue, with a pink elephant in a beret and dungarees on the handles and on the tube it comes in. Beech handles, a braided cotton rope and an adjustable length. Part of the outdoor play range.

Specifications

• Handles: imported beech wood, 4.7 inches (12 cm) long
• Ball ends: turned wood, 1.4 inches (3.5 cm) across, painted blue
• Rope: braided cotton, in blue
• Finish: water-based toy paint, as described by the maker
• Length: 3 m for one child, or 5 m for group skipping, adjustable shorter
• Weight: 0.2 kg at 3 m, 0.3 kg at 5 m
• Packaging: a kraft card tube with a blue lid, 15 x 10 x 10 cm
• Character: a pink elephant in a beret and dungarees
• Age: from 3 years, on the maker's own grading
  

Design Features

• Turned beech handles, left bare down most of their length, with a printed band of blue spots at the open end and an elephant on the band
• A round wooden ball where the rope enters each handle, painted to match, which weights the handle and stops it slipping out of a small hand
• Braided cotton rope rather than plastic or wire, so it lands softly if it catches a leg
• Rope, ball ends, printed band and tube lid are all the same blue
• Length adjusts by pulling the rope out through the handle and re-knotting, so one rope lasts several years of growth
• Supplied in a kraft card tube with a pink elephant in a beret and dungarees printed on the side and again on the lid, so it needs no wrapping to give
• One rope per order, in the elephant design

Size guide

The rope is adjustable, so the stated length is the maximum rather than a fixed size. Shorten it by pulling the rope out of the handle and re-knotting.

Safety

• The maker grades this from 3 years. It is not suitable for a child under three
• A skipping rope is a length of cord. It should never be put around a neck, and a child should not play with it unsupervised until they can handle it confidently
• The wooden ball ends are hard and swing at speed. Skipping needs clear space away from other children, furniture and faces
• Ask for an EN 71 report covering the finished rope before it is sold. EN 71-3 matters most here, since it governs the migration of elements out of the paint on a handle a child grips
• Check the knot inside each handle before every use, since that is what holds the rope in
• The maker describes the paint as water based. Treat that as a description, not a certification, until you have seen the test report

Care

• Wipe the handles with a barely damp cloth and dry them straight away
• Do not soak the handles or put them through a wash. Wood swells and the paint lifts
• The cotton rope can be washed by hand in cool water. Untie it from the handles first
• Air dry fully, away from direct heat
• Store it coiled rather than knotted

Usage

• A first skipping rope, at the age where a child is learning the timing rather than counting jumpsThe 5 m length is long enough for two adults to turn while a child skips in the middle
• Adjustable, so the same rope works from first attempts through to school skipping

What is not included

One skipping rope is supplied per order, in the elephant design, in its tube. The other animal designs are sold separately. Styling props shown in the photography are not included.