Monthly Archives: December 2016

Back to School

Why Kids Need to Be Competitive

Many people today would argue that competition and children don’t belong on the same page. Even in little league children are taught not to heckle the other players while on the field. In some cases kids, have been awarded trophies even when they didn’t win teaching children to compete is no necessary at all. In this week’s blog, we point out some positive aspects of fighting to win that might make you think twice before signing your child up for the next sport.

Healthy competition helps children during their development for a multitude of benefits. They will be faced with people in their careers who will always challenge them. By learning the right ways to compete early on, they are at the advantage when they become adults. In addition to that statement, they become accustomed to winning and losing and can systematically concur either a win or loss.

Working hard at something and sticking with it is a valuable lesson in life. Learning skills both motor and through cognition gives kids the advantage as they become stronger both mentally and physically. Social skills are enhanced as they learn how to develop and interact with other children competing for the same things.

Children who learn how to compete in a wholesome way also learn how to problem solve; they build self-esteem and more efficient throughout their lives.

Working in groups is something your son or daughter will most likely encounter at some point in their lives. By allowing your kids to participate in games and sports, they are learning practical ways to react to competitive situations that will allow them life skills.

The words effective competition gives a pretty good description that creates an atmosphere of where kids want to participate, and that’s also good for parents too.

Healthy competing takes place with the adults first. Don’t stress out before a big game. Rather talk with them about thinking positively. Speak to them about their accolades and accomplishments. The focus should be on what they’ve achieved individually as well as with their team. Ask them what they would have done differently, and speak with them about the other players and how they grew from winning or losing.

By taking yourself out of the competition and teaching your kids, the positive side to competing will help you both change the perspective on his or her performance.

For More Information on our rental equipment or to reserve your bounce rental today, visit our website at: https://www.southfloridabounce.com/. Connect with us on Social Media at:
https://www.facebook.com/SouthFloridaBounce, https://twitter.com/SBounce, and
https://plus.google.com/102602010368213075186/about

Blog, Event Planning

Dealing with the After-Holiday Blah’s

The season has come and gone and now everyone who is blasé with vacations, toys, sweets, etc., is now looking for anything to say those horrific words “I’m bored.” As a parent, these words muttered together with that sniveling whine can make you quiver with angst. What do you do? We’ve got the answers right here in this week’s blog.

Hint, Hint: (of course, we’re not going to tell you to rent a bounce house or anything until the end, where you’ll be looking to put us on speed dial)

There are a million, gazillion, trillion answers online. By visiting places like Pinterest and Parenting Magazine, you can find a ton of great games, projects or whatever else floats your kid’s boat. Here’s a one we found ideal for staying home.

The Fizzy Candy Cane Experiment is totally awesome and a great way to rid your children of cavities. Plus, it’s a science project, so it’s okay. You’ll need the following to conduct the process:

  • Leftover Candy Canes
  • 1 Box Baking Soda
  • 1 Bottle Vinegar
  • Any Color Food Coloring
  • A baking pan that’s deep
  • Measuring Cup
  • Spoons

Follow these steps:

  1. Spread all the baking soda out on the sheet.
  2. Place Candy Canes on top of the baking soda and try to spread them out evenly.
  3. Mix food coloring with a cup of vinegar.
  4. With a spoon have each child drop vinegar mixture onto the baking soda in the pan.

If all goes well, there’s going to be a lot of fizz and the colors from the food coloring plus whatever dye is in the candy canes will create beautiful designs of foamy color. If you didn’t like the idea of this project, let’s move onto the next.

Another idea to keep in your boredom briefcase is local activities online.

  • Take your kids to an outdoor yoga camp for a day.
  • You can do a Google Alert for free events in South Florida or Coral Springs.
  • Consider visiting one of the many museums in South Florida. Check to see if they have any days open to free admittance for kids.
Bounce House Rental

Teaching Kids to Be Competitive in a Healthy Way

One single aspect of being a parent is to raise our children to become successful in life. We should teach them things like how to be competitive. However, learning to compete in a healthy way is far more fun and a lesson they’ll carry for the rest of their lives. Here are a few tips you can take from the parents at South Florida Bounce to teach them how to be competitive without becoming a bully.

Give your child recognition for their strengths. Most of what our children learn come from their home environments. Boys and girls of all ages are always seeking approval from their parents. It’s not a difficult thing to do telling them when they have done something well. Rather than focusing on your kid’s weaknesses, concentrate on their strengths. Focusing on your son or daughter’s strengths helps to build their self-esteem, and they won’t have a desire to belittle other children.

Next, find sports and activities they are good at and then motivate them to stick with it. When you find an activity like soccer or dancing and your child has natural talent, drive them to build on that skill and watch them flourish. Don’t make your child stay with something if he or she is unhappy. Forcing a kid to do something will only discourage them, and they might take it out on someone else.

Competing with others is an important lesson to learn. Kids need to learn how to stand up for themselves. They need to hone in on how to take an idea and complete all the tasks to make them believe in what they can do. Teach your kids to work through their challenges and problem solve their way to a more desirable result.

Involve your children in group activities. Parties, little league, ballet, etc., are all activities where your kids can gain new skills and learn to share winning and losing. These types of life events can enhance your children to understand equality of one another, and that’s something we could use today.

Failing is a part of the process. You probably will be uncomfortable with this more than little Bobby or Jenny. However, if you get them to comprehend failing teaches us all how to improve and become better at something, they may look at life differently.

Of course, we don’t have all the answers, but with these important tips, you can help you son or daughter compete in a healthy way learning about…well, life!

For More Information on our rental equipment or to reserve your bounce rental today, visit our website at https://www.southfloridabounce.com/. Connect with us on Social Media at: https://www.facebook.com/SouthFloridaBounce, https://twitter.com/SBounce, and https://plus.google.com/102602010368213075186/about

Blog, Bounce House Rental

Best Kid-Friendly Apps for 2017

Take a look at the Google Store or iTunes, and you’ll soon realize there’s an app for just about anything. You’ll certainly never run out of apps to select when it comes to parents and adults. But, for 2017 we found some of the best ‘kid-friendly’ apps for your child to enjoy.

The Toca Life Vacation App is available for iPad, iPhone and Android devices. What’s cute about this interactive game is it allows your child to take a vacation and travel to different destinations and includes plenty of touch screen activity such as changing clothing, emptying luggage and a ton of other fun stuff. This app isn’t free but can be purchased for a flat fee. This one is super cute and guaranteed to keep kids entertained for hours.

Duck, Duck, Moose has plenty of learning apps that allow kids to interact with puzzles for everything from learning new vocabulary to games like “PuzzlePop.” These types of games are fantastic for hand to eye coordination as well as memory skills. Just about any of their apps are sure to be a winner for your son or daughter.

Who doesn’t love Angry Birds? We just think the little piggies and all the fun graphics are a hoot! Again, these types of games promote hand to eye coordination as well as memory and depth of perception if you want to get technical. All we know is both kids, and grown-ups love this app!

This app is a little on the steep side as far as price goes, but it’s a great one for teaching kids their multiplication tables in fun and easy to learn menu. If you’re son or daughter is having a difficult time remembering their time’s tables then this app might help as it’s rap for kids that’s friendly and clean. The music helps them learn through a different channel of their cognition.

PBS Kids app is another learning tool that allows your child to brush up on skills like spelling and even science. There are mixed reviews that had to do with upgrading that seem to have been fixed now, and the app is FREE, so it’s worth a try.

Bounce House Arrow is another great game where the kids have to bounce a ball to a victory line. Not as much fun as renting one of our monster bounce houses or waterslides. But hey, it’s still a good time for kids of all ages when they’re bored.

These are a few of the best apps we could recommend for 2017. Let us know what apps your kids love by leaving us a comment.

For More Information on our rental equipment or to reserve your bounce rental today, visit our website at https://www.southfloridabounce.com/. Connect with us on Social Media at: https://www.facebook.com/SouthFloridaBounce, https://twitter.com/SBounce, and https://plus.google.com/102602010368213075186/about

Blog

Just Common Sense?

In a recent article found in Parenting Magazine, the author highlights some excellent points for do’s and don’ts of taking photos of your child. Rather than adhering to photography 101, they mention the safety issues of making her son’s pic and then distributing it across all your social media channels. Today’s world has become hazardous when it comes to places such as Facebook and Instagram. While we don’t want to discourage anyone from sharing family events and the like, we do think many of the tips in the article were valid. As parents, ourselves, we want everyone to have a safe and happy life without putting our kids in danger. In this blog, we expound on some of the important points you should know.

The first point they make is not to take pictures of your kids during their bath time. It’s downright sad to say they have a point that these types of photos can get into the wrong hands. While we think, kids are adorable, it’s their safety that counts.

Next, up, posting shaming videos may seem innocent but, it’s also something that can make a real mess. We’ve all seen a few videos on Facebook and Twitter where a child pouts or tells off a parent. The article claims this can be devastating in the long run. Not exactly sure how or why but they also advise this type of photo opportunity can cause a child to become stressed or develop anxiety. While this may be true, we do think this is an over the top statement by the author.

Now we know shaming and bath time are out, when do you know when to take a photo? The time may not be right if your child attends a private school where uniforms are worn with a school logo. This can tell perpetrators where your kids go to school. Be sure to give your kids proper instruction when babysitting or attending events. Children should be taught that people can find them online and places like Facebook aren’t good to advertise addresses, situations where they’re home alone or what school they go to. It may seem like common sense to you, but to your kids, it might be a different story.

Lastly, the author gives some excellent advice on not taking photos during unsafe activities. The picture isn’t the important part, the safety of yourself and your children are. People taking pics of your kids while you aren’t looking at all angles of a situation can be dangerous. Parents could be reported if they’re taking photos of their children sitting on their laps while driving a car when they should be in a car seat, can get you into some serious trouble, on top of backlash from your followers. The best suggestions we should think twice before grabbing your smartphone.

For more information on planning your party or event, contact us directly.

Blog, Bounce House Rental

Holiday Carnivals With Inflatable Fun

The holidays are a great time to hang out with family and friends. It’s also an excellent opportunity to visit one of the many holiday carnivals or festivals in the area. Many of our rentals will be out in the South Florida area making kids of all ages happy. In addition to the kids being happy, adults are delighted to know they can rent a bounce house, waterslide or obstacle course to make their event complete. Check out some of the best rentals available for this year’s fundraisers and festivities.

Disco Dome – If you’re guests like music and dancing this bounce house is one they will love. They can bounce to the joyous sounds of seasonal music or their favorite top forty. Whatever the case may be the speakers are enough to be heard in the next county. We know your kids or adults will get a big kick out of this inflatable.

Radical Run – For indoor and outdoor events where kids can let off some steam, consider our Radical Run obstacle course. Equipped with a 25ft slide and almost 90feet long this super rental is phenomenal for child participation. It’s also an excellent way to burn off some calories after eating all the carnival food.

Escape from Alcatraz – This obstacle course introduces several maze type tunnels, and plenty of places for kids to crawl, climb and bounce till their hearts are content. The only thing your child will need after a day of escaping Alcatraz is a comfortable bed! Whether this is a child or adult party, the fun continues for hours with any of our obstacle courses.

Total Meltdown – It seems kids these days stay competitive. Why not let them challenge each other to a complete meltdown that is interactive and gets them from behind the video games. Rather than sitting in front of the TV or computer, they can be a part of the action. This inflatable is ultra-safe and allows up to 8 players. On top of burning calories, this is a game that helps develop skills such as balancing and strategizing.

The Hurricane – Since Hurricane Matthew blew over most of South Florida, we’ve got another hurricane that’s taking its place. The Hurricane waterslide continues to be one of our hottest rentals and is perfect for the hot winter days in SoFlo. We can turn any parcel of land into a featured attraction with this 40-foot-tall monster waterslide. Be sure to book early as this is one of our most popular.

No holiday carnival can be complete without some activity. We provide you with the fun and entertainment that will turn your fundraiser or event into one that is memorable for years to come.

Contact us today for your rentals.

Blog

4 Family-Holiday Traditions

During the magical times of the season, everyone tries to focus on holiday maintenance perhaps a little too much. We find the holidays are traditional and can bring families closer together despite everything you may be hearing. Here are some of our favorite family traditions you can share with your next of kin and children.

  1. Cookie Bake Off
  2. Decorating the Tree
  3. Wrap Session
  4. Elf on the Shelf

With the cookie bake off you’ll need to create a variety of cookie dough ahead of time so make time for prepping. Make it easy and start a week before the bake-off, freeze the dough. Trust us; your life will be saner. Our relatives make a night special and bake their best pastries then everyone gets a box that includes the variety. Not only is this fun, but it’s also great to work with relatives who don’t get a chance to see each other that often.

We think it’s safe to say that decorating the tree can be one of the highlights of the whole year. Regardless of who you are, if you decorate a tree, you’ll probably agree there’s something so special about that time when dad’s pick up their little boy or girl to place the topper on the tree.  Who doesn’t love watching the kids put all the candy canes on the same branch? We can’t forget tinsel in the dog’s business either. (We hope you have a smile on your face right now) Decorating the tree is always a joyous event no matter what age you are.

The wrap session is best when done by neighbors. Trust us; this one can be tricky. Since the holidays like Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanza are about connecting with people, why not host a wrap session and invite friends and neighbors to help you wrap gifts while catching up? One way to organize this type of gathering is to have everyone bring their kids gifts and wrap the presents one person at a time. This method can work well if you keep it organized since it saves time with the extra helping hands.

Elf on the shelf is one of the greatest ideas anyone ever. These little figurines have been around forever, and we’ve had the pleasure of finding that little elf in places like the bathtub, laundry room and even behind the toilet as a tactic to poddy train.

Whether you’re hanging out with a family before or after the season, make sure you carry your family traditions as a way of bringing each other together to build long lasting memories.

Blog, Event Planning

South Florida Bounce and Winter Events

BBQ Recipes for Your South Floridian Parties, Events, and Holiday Celebrations

This time of year, is one of the most favored in South Florida. The holiday decorations, kids excited for a multitude of reason and the temperature is ideal for having large parties and events outdoors. Here are a few recipe’s just right for you to test out on your guests that just might make your family favorite list!

South Florida Beef Brisket

Ingredients:

4 lbs. of Beef Brisket

Garlic Powder

Kosher Salt

Onion Powder

1.2 lb. of bacon cooked and drained (crispy)

¼ C Brown Sugar

3 Tablespoons of ketchup

1/3 C Apple Cider Vinegar

Sear the brisket in a frying pan until it’s cooked with a crispy crusty shell. Transfer to a slow cooker or barbeque grill and cook until tender.

Crock Pot Cook on high for up to 4-6 hours. If you bake it in the oven go low and slow at 275 degrees, the crust locks in the juices and stays crunchy. Bask the juices. If you grill this bad boy, then leave it on for 5-6 hours and at 275.

This smoky, robust brisket is perfect for small family gatherings. The ingredients without accurate measures next to them allows you to use these spices at your leisure and to your preference. When you get a bite for the first time, you’ll be calling to thank us!

Bacon Brussel Sprouts

The mix of bacon and Brussels sprouts is an exciting way to serve this super food and keep it super tasty. Buy bacon from the deli or by it uncut and then chop in chunks sear until well done. Add your sprouts, sprinkle with a light layer of garlic powder and a handful of pecans. Add a tablespoon of real butter. Once it’s melted, sauté the veggies, nuts, and meat until the sprouts are tender.

Healthy Green Latkes

Ingredients:

  1. 2 eggs scrambled
  2. 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  3. one teaspoon baking powder
  4. 3 Tablespoons matzah meal or flour
  5. 1 small onion
  6. 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  7. one large potato
  8. 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  9. Handful of Fresh Kale
  10. peanut oil

Chop the kale after it’s been washed and drained on paper towel. Grate the potato drain on paper towel. Heat oil in a pan. Mix eggs and then add the vegetables, eggs, and dry ingredients. Form pancakes into balls and heat in hot oil till crisp, smash to pancakes after the bottom of the ball is crisp. Drain before serving.

 

These are just a few great recipes to try that you’ll enjoy, be sure to share with your friends and family. Best Wishes during the Seasons.