The perfect shoe for young adventurers

We have been fans of KEEN children’s shoes since we first discovered them in 2016.

Their shoes are renowned and respected for comfort, performance, kid friendly features and fun, contemporary styling. With a fantastic range of colours and styles coupled with unique features such as protective toe boxes, robust grippy outsoles and highly cushioned midsoles and arch supports, they are the perfect shoe for young adventurers.

It’s been a busy couple of months for KEEN – In March this year, they provided 100,000 pairs, (about $10,000,000 worth of shoes) to those on the front line of the pandemic as part of their Together We Can Help initiative. This month, they have committed to helping in the fight against COVID-19 by donating 100,000 KEEN Harvest Face Masks (manufactured in their own Thailand Factory) to front line retail workers including customer services staff and their families across the world.

KEEN are also keen to help families across the UK adapt to social distancing measures, to help to ensure that the whole family get the important benefits of nature and keep little ones active, healthy & happy by spending time outside or adapting to new ways to bring the outdoors inside during this time.

With a little imagination, there are a number of ways to get the boost of an outdoor fix whilst exploring outdoor spaces in a way that is safe and responsible. As the UK heads into summer conditions, the team at KEEN have come up with a variety of suggestions of some simple nature based activities that can be enjoyed in your garden, at home or in a local safe outdoor space

• Go hunting for Mini-beasts: Gardens and parks are teeming with wildlife now Summer conditions have arrived. From butterfly’s basking in the sun, worms wiggling in flower beds and pretty ladybirds hiding in the grass, take a closer look and earn points for every different type of bug you spot.

• Make a splash on a summer’s day and bring the beach to your back garden! Play water balloon catch, fill up the paddling pool, fire up your garden sprinkler, or grab a hose and a sheet of plastic and coat with washing up liquid to make your very own water slide!

• ‘Camp-in’ at home. Take a staycation in your own backyard. Put up your tent in your garden, slip into a sleeping bag and enjoy a night under the stars.

• Get twitching! There’s never been a better time to start birdwatching – listen out for the dawn chorus and see how many different varieties of bird you can spot each day from your kitchen window.

• Polish up on your map skills – get planning for your next post-lockdown adventure, grab some maps and brush up on your navigation skills. There are some great tips from National Mapping Agency Ordnance Survey.

• Grow your own! Flowers, fruit or vegetables, whether on a windowsill, on a balcony or in your garden, get green fingered by planting some seeds and watching them grow. This is deeply rewarding and connects us with the outdoors.

• Explore local – observing the two metre social distancing rule, take a stroll with family members in either your local neighbourhood and see what you can spot. From rainbow or ‘bear hunting’ in windows, through to looking for different tree varieties if you are lucky enough to live near a park or woodland space, getting outside and under the sky will do body and mind the world of good during these times.

We were invited to review some shoes from the KEEN summer range and the kids could not wait to get choosing their perfect pair.

Eliza and Sebby both opted for the Newport Sandals in their respective sizes. This supportive sandal can take anything kids throw at it, with an adjustable hook-and-loop strap which lets kids put them on themselves, quick-drying webbing which is perfect in and out of the water and a good, grippy sole.

Isaac, at 12, didn’t want sandals, so instead opted for the Targhee Vented Sports Trainers which have cushioned support, all-terrain traction, and a vented upper for breathability on warm days.

They have all lived in their shoes since they arrived as they are so comfy and they have worked as well on visits to the beach as they have in the forest, or just on the road.

Disclaimer: We were sent KEEN shoes for the purpose of a review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.