Tag Archives: special event rentals

Blog, Event Planning

An Indoor or Outdoor Event? Things to Consider

There are many of the same concerns and details connected with an event whether it’s held indoors or outside. However, there are some major differences of which every host needs to be aware. The primary concern will be the comfort of guests, enabling them to enjoy themselves.

Budgetary Concerns

There’s a myriad of outdoor options that are free to use and they may even contain grills for a BBQ and playground equipment to entertain children. Be sure there’s ample shade, a canopy or tent for a respite from the heat and humidity. For those that will be renting a hall or other building for indoor festivities, it’s essential that hosts know exactly how much they have to spend. Indoor venues can be expensive.

Capacity Limits

Know how many will be in attendance and make sure the venue is up to the task in terms of space and seating ability. Keep in mind that there are often guests that won’t RSVP, but will show up anyway. Never rent a space sight unseen. Take the time to actually view the venue for space, functionality, cleanliness, and sufficient bathroom facilities. Amenities can be more of a problem at a free outdoor venue so choose carefully.

Entertainment

Older individuals may be content to sit and talk, while younger attendees won’t be so easily pleased. An outdoor venue allows for a greater range of potential activities, but bear in mind that permits may be required. An indoor event is limited in the array of amusements that can take place.

Weather

There’s no controlling the weather and outdoor events are at the whims of Mother Nature. Rain, wind and lightning will have guests scrambling for their cars since the majority of outdoor events won’t provide any type of shelter unless the host rents tents or canopies. An indoor event eliminates those problems and will be air-conditioned.

For More Information on our rental equipment or to reserve your bounce house or waterslide rental today, visit our website at https://www.southfloridabounce.com/

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Event Planning

Big Fun for your Small Gathering

Small gatherings deserve the same amount of care and a fun factor equal to major events and you can achieve that goal in a variety of ways. There’s a myriad of methods to liven up a small gathering that’s as much fun for adults as children. The following are some suggestions in no particular order.

Costume Party

You don’t have to wait until Halloween to hold a costume party. The best part is that you can choose from dozens of themes ranging from spooky to historical. The Wild West, pirates, zombies, and themes derived from TV shows and films are especially popular.

Escape Room

These are great for groups of 10 or less. A word of warning – while they’re great fun, some are not appropriate for children under a certain age or those that are impressionable. Different themes are offered and each adventure typically lasts for an hour as you put together clues and solve puzzles to escape.

Inflatables

There are rentable inflatables to accommodate any space requirement. The range of inflatables encompasses water slides, bounce houses, and full-size board/lawn games, along with inflatable options for carnival fun.

International Potluck

If you don’t feel like fighting the crowds for a dinner out, have guests each bring a dish from a different country. It doesn’t matter whether they make it themselves or bring pre-made restaurant food – bonding over food is a worldwide custom.

Mechanical Rides/Games

If you’ve ever had a yearning to try your hand at bull riding, you can rent one of the popular rides for your gathering. Bungee trampolines, rock climbing walls, interactive experiences, and robo surfers are other options that can be rented.

Movie Night

It’s easy to hold a Hollywood premiere night in your backyard. You’ll need a projector and if you don’t want to spare the money for a screen, a large white sheet makes a serviceable alternative. The same idea can be repurposed for a football party and there are food machines that can be rented for the event that includes popcorn, hotdogs, and sno-cones/shaved ice.

For More Information on our rental equipment or to reserve your bounce house or waterslide rental today, visit our website at https://www.southfloridabounce.com/

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Allowing Screen Time

Parents don’t want their children spending too much time in front of TVs, phones or tablets and they also need to be cognizant of the content they’re kids are watching. There are thousands of fun and entertaining apps from which to choose.

Small data allowances and poor internet reception are very real problems for many families, especially those in rural and underserved areas in cities. The following are just some of the apps that parents have found to be worthwhile when allowing screen time for their children and some have the added bonus of not requiring Wi-Fi or data.

Busy Shapes

Designed for ages 2 and over, it provides a digital playground where kids can explore, learn and it’s based on Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Artificial intelligence enables the app to automatically adjust and keep kids challenged as they become more proficient. It’s available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Android operating system. The cost is $1.99 and doesn’t require Wi-Fi or data.

Khan Academy for Kids

This is an enormous database of activities with multiple learning themes for ages 3 to first grade that encompasses the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework and Common Core standards. It contains books, videos, games, songs and other activities. In many ways, it functions as a digital preschool teacher. It’s available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, and Kindle Fire. It’s free and doesn’t require data or Wi-Fi.

Project Noah

The app is being redesigned and will be launched again in the fall of 2020. The citizen science app enables students to document sightings of different wildlife species. Participants earn digital patches for their submissions and can view local and worldwide sightings. The app also contains missions that students can join based on their specific location. It’s available for iPhone and Android operating systems.

For More Information on our rental equipment or to reserve your bounce house or waterslide rental today, visit our website at https://www.southfloridabounce.com/

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Fun Ways to Explore Nature with Kids

With the rigors and responsibilities of everyday life, adults can lose sight of the importance of exposing children to nature. There are dozens of fun ways for parents to explore the natural world with children of all ages that aren’t expensive and will instill a love of nature in youngsters.

Everything from the weather to rocks is just waiting to be discovered. Families don’t have to live near a forest or the beach to explore nature, though those locales can surely be included. Exploring nature is a fun and easy way to learn about the natural world. It’s a great way to relieve stress and children will also be learning disciplines that include math, science, and biology.

A walk in the park, nature trail or even the backyard provides healthy exercise and is one of the best ways to be up close and personal with trees, indigenous flowers, and wildlife. Children can collect leaves and identify different types of trees, learn about plants to avoid, and be taught about the preservation of endangered species.

For those with an artistic flair, buy a sketchbook and let them draw what they see. Younger children often enjoy finding colorful leaves and pressing them between the pages of a heavy book. Go on a seed hunting expedition to find different types of seeds and talk about how they’re transported from one location to another.

Even the weather has possibilities. Have kids keep a journal of the weather conditions at the same time each day. They can record the type of clouds they see, especially vibrant sunrises or sunsets and what caused the colors, and what the air smells like after a rain. It’s also an excellent way to teach kids about signs of incoming storms and precautions they should take.

Everyone loves a scavenger hunt and parents can create one with a nature-based theme. Send children out to find items such as three different flowers, aromatic leaves, pine cones, acorns or different types of rocks. Plants aren’t the only things to discover in nature.

For More Information on our rental equipment or to reserve your bounce house or waterslide rental today, visit our website at https://www.southfloridabounce.com/

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Ways to Help Your Child Gain Confidence

You want your child to mature into a confident adult and to do that, you have to begin helping them gain confidence as children. There are numerous ways that you can help your child build confidence by utilizing research-based strategies and you can even make it fun.

Ask for Advice

Adults like to be asked for their opinion and children blossom when they think you value their ideas. Ask for their advice in regard to age-appropriate situations.

Give Them Tasks

Giving a child age-appropriate jobs and responsibilities teaches them that they can do things on their own. It can be helpful to call new activities “special” to encourage them to try new things.

Let Them Fail

As long as their physical, mental or emotional health isn’t at risk, it’s imperative that children be allowed to try something even if they fail. That’s how children and even adults learn, overcome and innovate.

Spend Time Together

Just being in the same house isn’t the same as spending quality time with your child. Take time to play together, eat a meal, go for walks, and engage in other activities that demonstrate you like to be with them and enjoy their company. It can also be helpful if you have more than one child to set aside a specific time alone with each child without a sibling present.

Stay Positive

Shaming and criticizing children makes them afraid to try for fear of your reaction. It makes them less confident and they turn inward. It’s also important that children not hear adults denigrate themselves, their abilities, or others.

Unconditional Love

Children that know they’re loved even when they make poor decisions or mistakes have the confidence to try new things. Praise them right away on the effort they put forth rather than the outcome and be specific so they learn to be proud of their accomplishments.

For More Information on our rental equipment or to reserve your bounce house or waterslide rental today, visit our website at https://www.southfloridabounce.com/

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Blog, Event Planning

Planning your Family Reunion

Family reunions are a fun tradition and families have unique ways to celebrate this tradition. South Florida is ideal for family reunions with warm weather, plenty of sunshine and beautiful landscape it’s the ideal place for every type of party. Here are some tips for planning your family reunion that will keep you smiling in the sun!

Preplanning is crucial for this type of event and applies in particular if there will be people flying in or driving long distances. Contact the local hotels to see if they offer any group discounts. In most cases, they will allow such a thing if there are multiple families lodging at the same time.

Invite those who can attend in harmony. In many instances, these are family gatherings that allow families to reconnect and that’s the whole idea.

The food and drink are an essential part of a family reunion. Be sure to consider religious and food preferences as not everyone enjoys the same types of diet.  Set a budget for food and consider catering with a local business so you can concentrate on other things.

Games and activities are paramount to keep everyone engaged and promote bonding. Keep the party going by offering both kids, and adult themed features such as charades, twenty questions to bounce houses and waterslides. The more thought and planning you do, the more successful your family’s event will become.

For More Information on our rental equipment or to reserve your bounce house or waterslide rental today, visit our website at https://www.southfloridabounce.com/

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Fun on the Road

Road trips can be a lot of fun, but they also present a challenge in terms of keeping kids entertained. There are dozens of miniature, magnetic versions of popular board games and card games. There’s also the indispensable coloring book, but they can only distract for so long. Don’t be afraid to use electronic devices to keep kids occupied. The following are some popular ways to keep kids of any age occupied on a road trip.

LEGO®

From beneath the ocean to outer space, miniature LEGO® kits are available for any interest. They take up little space, provide hours of fun, and teach kids a variety of skills while they’re assembling the project. It’s helpful to place them in an inexpensive plastic box to keep track of the pieces.

Movies

Some vehicles are equipped with backseat screens and entertainment systems that can essentially transform them into a rolling movie theater. Systems can also be bought separately and installed in vehicles. To complete the effect, pack appropriate snacks for the kids to munch while they view the films.

Tablets and Kindles

Download games, educational apps, or books to a tablet for on-the-road fun. There are options for youngsters of all age groups, ensuring that everyone has age appropriate entertainment. Kindles and similar devices are excellent for downloading books, along with read aloud selections for younger kids.

Traditional Road Games

These include looking for and tallying license plates from different states or being the first to spot a specific item along the way.

Be Prepared

Be sure to plan ahead for bathroom breaks. It’s also a good idea to bring a Frisbee or ball for children to play with during rest stops so they can really stretch their legs and get some exercise. Don’t forget backseat organizers – they provide a place for kids to put all their amusements and snacks, and some include cup holders.

For More Information on our rental equipment or to reserve your bounce house or waterslide rental today, visit our website at https://www.southfloridabounce.com/

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Hot Dogs From Around the U.S.

Hot dogs are a staple of backyard BBQs and they’re no longer the one-size fits all that you may remember from your childhood. Available in regular lengths of six inches to foot-longs, they can be smothered in any condiment imaginable. The only unvarying constant is that hot dogs come in packs of 10 and hot dog buns remain an eight-pack.

While there are dozens of hot dog brands, some are more popular in certain regions of the U.S. and even the choice of condiments and buns can be a bone of contention among die-hard enthusiasts. The following words of authority on hot dogs come from the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

New York Dog

It’s topped with sautéed onions and tomato paste, sauerkraut, and spicy brown mustard, though all-beef franks are typically completed with sauerkraut, melted cheese and Thousand Island dressing.

Chicago Dog

A Chicago dog has chopped onion, pickle relish, yellow mustard, medium-hot pepper, tomato slices, and a dash of celery salt served on a poppy seed bun.

Coney Island Dog

A Michigan favorite, the hot dog is smothered in chili sauce, mustard and onion.

Cleveland Polish Boy

The Polish Boy can be a hot dog or kielbasa. It begins with the meat, followed by a layer of French fries, sweet BBQ sauce or hot sauce, and a layer of coleslaw.

Sonoran Dog

Popular throughout the southwest it originated in Hermosillo, Mexico. It’s a bacon-wrapped hot dog topped with grilled onions, green peppers, relish, chopped tomatoes, mayonnaise, mustard, jalapeno salsa, shredded cheese, and pinto beans.

Rockie Dog

The foot-longs are topped with onions, grilled peppers and sauerkraut.

New Jersey Dog

An Italian hot dog rests in a pizza bread bun, topped with onions, peppers and deep-fried potatoes.

Texas Dog

It’s a hot dog covered in chili, cheese, and jalapenos.

Kansas City Dog

These are topped with melted Swiss cheese and sauerkraut on a sesame seed bun.

Fenway Frank

Boiled and grilled, it’s served with mustard, relish, and Boston baked beans on a New England-style bun.

Reindeer Hot Dog

The hot dog is typically made of caribou, served in a steamed bun, and onions that may be sautéed in Coca-Cola®.

West Virginia Dog

The hot dog is topped with chili, coleslaw and mustard on a steamed bun.

Philadelphia Dog

This is an all-beef hot dog with a fish cake, topped with spicy mustard and sweet coleslaw.

Cincinnati Coney

Hot dogs are topped with chili and grated cheese.

Hot Dogs for All

There’s a hot dog for everyone in the U.S., from the cream cheese covered dogs in Seattle to the coleslaw and Vidalia onion-topped dogs favored in the south. No matter what they’re topped with, they’ve been a hit since German immigrant, Charles Feltman, sold the first hot dog on Coney Island in the 1860s.

For More Information on our rental equipment or to reserve your bounce house or waterslide rental today, visit our website at https://www.southfloridabounce.com/

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Ways to Reduce Your “Single Use Plastic”

The U.S. generates more than 30 million tons of plastic waste each year and it’s not even the top producer. Those levels continue to escalate and only seven percent is recycled. It breaks into trillions of little pieces that pollute the ground, water, and kills wildlife. Plastic waste is a severe environmental hazard around the globe.

You don’t have to alter your lifestyle to be environmentally responsible. Just a few small changes can make an enormous difference. The following are some of the easiest ways to make a difference and reduce single-use plastic.

  1. Don’t use plastic straws, even at eateries. Buy a reusable glass or stainless steel straw that you can take with you anywhere you go.
  2. Buy a plastic or insulated steel water bottle instead of purchasing bottled water. It can be refilled almost anywhere and you’ll be saving money.
  3. Instead of disposable razors, invest in one that uses replaceable blades.
  4. Bring a reusable, cloth shopping bag to take home purchases at stores or farmer’s markets and remember to wash them often. Plastic grocery bags take 1,000 years to degrade. Say no to plastic produce bags and containers.
  5. Choose matches over disposable lighters or use a metal lighter that can be refilled.
  6. Forgo plastic silverware at home. You can also request that restaurants not include plastic utensils in take-out orders.
  7. Consider keeping a set of bamboo eating utensils for dining at informal eateries and on the go.
  8. Take lunches and snacks to work, school or outings in reusable plastic containers and bags.
  9. Not all plastic jugs can be recycled. Purchase products such as juice and laundry soap in recyclable packaging whenever possible.
  10. Buy fruits, veggies, pasta and cereal in bulk and repackage at home in reusable containers. It also saves money.
  11. Don’t buy fruits and veggies in individually packaged cups. Buy a large can and preserve leftovers in reusable containers.
  12. Rethink frozen meals and convenience foods.
  13. Learn what’s recyclable and what isn’t. Most cities offer curbside recycling programs.

For More Information on our rental equipment or to reserve your bounce house or waterslide rental today, visit our website at https://www.southfloridabounce.com/

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Summer Movie Guide for Kids

Rain and inclement weather is inevitable at some point and for rambunctious kids, it’s the perfect time to sit in an air-conditioned theater and watch a good movie or stream it at home. There’s an impressive line-up of animated features to appeal to younger children, along with selections for teens and tweens. Among the most popular selections are the following, in no particular order.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – Hiccup is rescuing captured dragons and finds a new species. Grimmel the dragon hunter is responsible for the near extinction of dragons and Hiccup determines to find the Lost World where dragons can be safe and live in peace.

A Dog’s Way Home – Based on the novel, when Bella the dog is scooped up by animal control, she must escape and undertake a 400-mile journey to be reunited with her human boy.

The Kid Who Would be King – When a 12-year-old boy pulls Excalibur from a stone, with the help of Merlin he must create a new Round Table, face the sorceress Morgana and knight the entire student body to fight her before returning the famed sword to the Lady of the Lake.

Shazam! – Billy Batson is a teen that can transform into an adult superhero, but has all the problems of a modern kid. He must learn to use his many abilities to send the evil Sivana back to the Rock of Eternity and return the Eye of Sin.

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu – In this live-action Pokemon movie, Pikachu meets an adult insurance agent named Tim who can speak and understand him. During their investigations, they learn that the consciousness of Tim’s father has been fused with Pikachu.

Aladdin – The live-action Aladdin is the retelling of the famous story with Will Smith in the role of the genie.

This year’s crop of kids movies are good fun with multiple themes. There’s an emphasis on character s that learn to be confident, caring and social-minded.

For More Information on our rental equipment or to reserve your bounce house or waterslide rental today, visit our website at https://www.southfloridabounce.com/

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