Walkodile - Questions & Answers

Q. What happens if a child using Walkodile® falls over?

A. Nothing - a falling child will not lead to the rest of the group falling over too. Individual children have fallen over during trails & no effect was evident to the rest of the group. In fact, our safety advisers said that if the mass of the other five children is greater than the mass of the falling child, it's impossible for the falling child to make the rest of the group fall. Furthermore, their report stated a child falling linked to the product is an advantage, because the child has more time to react to the fall as they're falling at a slower rate because they're linked to the other children. And of course if a child does fall, the supervisor can give it as much attention as needed, as the other children in the group cannot wander off.

Q. Why is Walkodile® needed?

A. We know from years of research that childcare staff & parents want a product like Walkodile®. Also most educational experts agree that outdoor education is important for children & Walkodile® encourages more outdoor learning to take place. What's more using it with early years children means better learning opportunities are created.

Road safety organisations agree that walks with children outwith school or nursery creates many risks. They say children make unpredictable pedestrians - traffic coping skills are complex, therefore children do not have the ability to judge speed, distance & danger accurately until at least 8 years old. Young children are also much smaller than adults & therefore more difficult to see.

Q. How do you know Walkodile® works?

Q. How does Walkodile® work?

A. The product links a maximum of six children to a central flexible spine, which they hold on to whilst they walk. Each child is fitted with a high visibility, adjustable safety belt & the sections of the spine are joined together. When the group is ready, staff link the children to the central spine using a 2-way safety clip. Finally, staff put their high visibility vests on & the group is ready to go.

Q. What is Walkodile® made from?

Q. Where does the adult supervisor position themselves during the walk?

Q. Does using Walkodile® mean that schools & nurseries can use less staff to accompany children on a walk?

Q. What if the children are crossing the street, & a vehicle approaches at speed & they need to get off the road quickly - won't Walkodile® make their escape more difficult?

Q. What do parents & children think about the product?

Q. What ages of children can use the product?

Q. Can the children negotiate stairs when using the product?

Q. What happens if one child misbehaves while using Walkodile®?

Q. How many children can use the product?

Q. How do you know the product is safe for children to use?

A. Many successful trials have shown the product is safe. Also, the Ergonomics & Safety Research Institute (ESRI) at Loughborough University carried out a safety audit on the product's design. They identified design improvements which were incorporated into the final design. They commended the product & applauded Red Island for its intelligent & thorough approach to design. The product was designed by The Design Unit, at De Montfort University, Leicester. Walkodile® was tested by STR Laboratories in Reading - Europe's largest childcare product testing facility. They subjected the product to testing carried out on similar childcare products & Walkodile® passed each test.

Questions & Answers