The 2008 National Kidsafe ?Fun Day? was held in Carlton on October 20th.  Approximately 80 people, including day care and school groups, attended the event, which highlighted that children?s play can be fun as well as safe.  

The children were provided with many fun activities to partake in, including a jumping castle, face painting, circus activities, bubble blowing, and colouring-in sheets. The mini jumping castle provided hours of entertainment, as did the vast and varied activities provided by Westside Circus. The kids had lots of fun hula-hooping, and even the adults had a play as the parachute turned into a rainbow cave.  The face painting table was popular with little faces transformed into colourful butterflies and superheroes.  The area was awash with colour with bubbles and bright orange balloons filling the air.

Parents and carers had the opportunity to speak with a consultant about safety in the home, and to have their car child restraints checked by a professional.  

Kidsafe provided growth charts, fact sheets and brochures on child safety issues for attendees to take home. The morning tea also proved to be a huge hit with children and carers alike. The door prize of a St John First Aid Kit was awarded to a lucky parent on the day.

The day was a success with positive feedback from parents and carers, and most importantly, lots of laughter and happy faces from all the kids who came along.

Similar successful events were run by Safestart in the cities of Geelong and Casey. Kidsafe acknowledges and appreciates the support provided by Safestart in spreading the child safety awareness message across Victoria.

Kidsafe appreciated the in kind support provided by many sponsors on the day:

• A & A Jumping Castles for donating the jumping castle and their time for the day
• Baby on Board for providing free child restraint checks for parents with cars
• Bakers Delight for providing scones for the parents and kids to feast on.
• Homesafe for providing free home safety advice for interested parents
• Melbourne City Council for sponsoring the marquee and the circus act, as well as promoting the event to their child care centre?s and playgroups
• St John Ambulance for donating the First Aid Kit.
• The face painters for donating their time and expertise

Kidsafe Victoria looks forward to continual collaboration and spreading the safe play message?after all, child safety is no accident!