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Throw a Princess Themed Birthday Party

March 1, 2016 BlastZone Leave a comment

When you’re young, a birthday is that one day a year where your family treats you like royalty. If you’ve got a little princess with a birthday coming up, you can make her big day extra special with a princess themed birthday party. Princesses are like celebrities to young girls. They look up to fictional princess characters in awe and admiration. Hosting a princess party for your girl means she and all her friends get to be something like a celebrity for a day.

Princess Parties are a treat for your little princess and all of her friends as well. While Princess-themed parties are fairly common, the beauty is how flexible the theme is. A great princess party can come in the form of a daytime bash or a sleepover. The details are key. As long as you’re able to put a royal spin on things, you’re set.

Start of by choosing a date and a venue. Typically themed parties are easiest to accomplish at home, but you may find a venue willing to work with your theme and help make the party magical. You’ll want to create a guest list and send out invitations about 3 weeks ahead of the party, giving guests plenty of time to RSVP. Be sure to inform guests of the theme and let them know if costumes are allowed or encouraged.

Once you have the “who?”, “what?”, “when?”, and “where?” decided, you can officially start planning for decor. Knowing the layout of your party space will allow you to plan your decor according to the princess theme. When it comes to a themed party, the decor is essential in helping party-goers get into character. It helps to create a plane of imagination where party guests really are princesses, and you want that feeling to last as long as the party does. You can use tulle, streamers and balloons to transform your room, with accents and details to focus the onto the princess theme .

For a princess party, simple ways to keep your theme are to utilize a royal color scheme. Gold or Silver with accent colors of your choice is a great way to capture the elegance and luxury of royalty while still decorating with a color scheme that your little princess will love. Pink is a popular color among princesses, but unless you’re throwing a surprise party, ask your princess for her input!

Your little lady may be more enthusiastic about decision making that you’d think. Ask her to help with decisions regarding decor, food, and activities. This allows her personality to really show through. It ensures that she’ll love her party, and allows her friends to get a feel for who she is and what she likes. You can have her help choose the food or simply serve her favorites. The beauty of a princess party is that you can choose pretty much any food. At a princess party, presentation is everything. You can find plastic great party ware that mimics the look of fine silver or check for fancy-looking serving trays at thrift stores.

Entertaining your princesses doesn’t need to be difficult. Give them the royal treatment. Recruit some helpers if possible and create a glam station. Use body glitter, stickers, barrettes and stick-on jewels to help guests get into character. When guests get settled in, they can be transformed into princesses with party favors like crowns or tiaras and DIY wands made with art supplies like popsicle sticks and construction paper. You can keep princesses entertained with games like pin-the-kiss-on-the-frog-prince and pass the poison apple (think “hot-potato”). Classic party games like musical chairs can also be made to fit the theme with the right music.

Many birthday parties include a bouncer and your princess party need be no different. The Princess Dreamland Bounce House by Blast Zone is the perfect scene for a royal ball. Princesses can check their wands at the door and then bounce, twirl, and dance the day away. Good luck getting them to come out before midnight! Turn on the tunes and watch them go. The Princess Castle Combo comes with a slide, and can be used with water, adding another element to their royal regalement. Of course, adult supervision is important in monitoring safe play, with or without a Bounce House.

Don’t be surprised if you find yourself getting more excited about hosting the princess party than you may have initially intended. It can be a lot of fun and the magic of make believe can be contagious. Have fun with it and don’t be too caught up hosting to enjoy playing along a bit. Finally, be sure to take plenty of photos. A princess party is the kind of affair you won’t easily forget, but it is also definitely an occasion worth sharing. When you see your little princess all decked out with her favorite friends, you’ll want to take plenty of pictures.

Recap:

Themed Parties put a fun twist on an otherwise ordinary birthday celebration.
A Princess Party is a great way to make the birthday girl feel extra special.
Select a date and venue, and make sure they can accommodate a themed event.
Set up your royal food and decor.
Put a fancy princess spin on your games and entertainment.
Have fun and take plenty of photos.

5 Creative Ways to Use an Inflatable at Home

January 4, 2016January 9, 2018 BlastZone Leave a comment

5 creative ways to use an inflatable.

To some people the appeal of a bounce house is a mystery. Perhaps for lack of personal experience, some might wonder why it is that kids flock to something so simple. The primary objective in a bounce house is to bounce, which could raise some questions among the non-believers. “What’s so fun about that?” they might ask themselves. If you have ever experienced an inflatable bounce house while growing up, you probably get it.

Remember the excitement and curiosity that struck you the first time that you spotted a bouncy castle? From afar it’s a colorful palace that appears to be made up of giant balloons! Up close it’s a safe place to get silly, play games, and defy gravity all at once! Once inside, you’d quickly realize that bouncing was just the beginning. For children, this magical, giant balloon castle could open the windows and doors of your mind. Bouncing definitely happens, but it happens in between the fun and games that are inspired by the bounce house.

Bouncers are not just good for jumping up and down repeatedly, they inspire all kinds of creative play for children. If you’re not convinced that there is more to a bouncer than just bouncing, check out these 5 creative ways to use an inflatable at home.

Set The Stage!

1. Hold a Talent Show or a Dance Contest, using your inflatable as the stage. Arrange a few chairs in front of your bouncer for the viewers. Short on playmates? Mom and Dad, or even a few stuffed animals and toys can act as the audience or judges as the little ones take turns showing off their stuff. With a raised bounce platform, an inflatable makes for an excellent stage. The Superstar Inflatable Party Moonwalk is big enough for one star on the “stage” or for a group performance. The soft bounce platform is great for gravity defying dance moves and the mesh walls allow for visibility from all sides.

2. Have a look-a-like contest. While everyone is inside of the bouncer, call out animals or their favorite characters to imitate. You can draw animals and characters out of a hat or make them up as you go along. One by one, call out a character or animal and give everyone playing time to do their best imitation. The bouncy element adds to the fun and also helps kids really get into character, especially when imitating jumping animals like a frog or kangaroo.

To add a competitive element, grant points to the best imitation each round. Have an adult or extra player stand outside to judge and keep score. The player with the most “best imitation” points at the end of the game wins!

3. Play Crack the Egg. Have everyone playing form a circle in the bounce castle, while one person sits in the center. The person in the center is the “egg” and must curl up into a ball, wrapping their arms around their knees. Using their powerful bouncing legs, the surrounding players bounce around the “egg” trying to get them to let go of their knees, thus cracking the egg.

4. Try some classic games like Red Light, Green Light or Simon Says. Many of us remember these classic games played outside with family or neighborhood friends as children. Both games call for a leader, while the rest of the participants follow the instructions given. In Red Light, Green Light the leader instructs players to bounce and then freeze. When the leader calls out “green light!” everyone starts bouncing. As soon as the leader calls out “red light!” everyone must freeze. Anyone who moves is “out” and the last player “in” wins!

Similarly, with Simon Says the leader is Simon and must speak in third person. When the leader says “Simon says bounce in a circle” everyone must bounce in a circle. The players should listen carefully because they only want to do what Simon says. If the leader simply tells them to sit down on the bounce floor, but does not include “Simon says…” it doesn’t count. Anyone to follow an instruction given without “Simon says…” is “out”. Much like Red Light, Green Light, the last person “in” wins!

Have an adventure in the world of make believe!

5. Play make-believe, using your inflatable to create the world around you. The coolest thing about watching kids as they play is how they can utilize their surroundings to create an entire world of make believe. Inflatables can help to set the scene for many epic adventures.

You’d be amazed to see how easily an adventure develops with an inflatable. The Misty Kingdom can easily become a fortress or a grand palace for your royal highnesses. The Pirate Blaster becomes home to the toughest swash-bucklers on the seven seas! The Rainforest Rapids means kids can spend their days exploring the canopy with monkeys, snakes and sloths! Because the only limitations in the world of make-believe come from within, the possibilities for play are endless.

Guided play is great, but for most kids all you need is a little inspiration. Blast Zone Inflatables are about more than just bouncing. They offer inspiration and an environment that encourages creativity and playfulness.

Recap:

Bounce Houses may seem like they only serve one purpose.
There is more to an inflatable than just bouncing.
There are many different games that can be played in a bouncer.
Game ideas include talent shows, athletic games, and classic games like Simon Says.
Inflatables inspire imagination and creativity.

Bounce Away the Rainy Day Blues: A Guide to Using Inflatables Indoors

November 24, 2015April 18, 2018 BlastZone 1 Comment

Bounce away the rainy day blues with Blast Zone! — Bounce away the rainy day blues!

Rain, Rain, Go Away. Or stay all day, we’ll still get to play! This is the cheer you’d hear if you had an inflatable. We get asked all the time, “can you put a bounce house inside?” The answer to that question is a resounding “Yes!”

Gone are the days where a rainy day meant kids sat at the window, watching listlessly as the rain poured down outside. We live in an age where modern homes are equipped with indoor entertainment. Television and video games may pass the time, but they don’t leave much room for expression. A mind is a terrible thing to waste. While consumable media may be a quick and easy means to an end, getting kids up and playing is an end in itself.

Children can sit for hours without realizing that there is rain falling outside because they are tuned into their screens and tuned out of the world around them. This is no way to sharpen their minds. As the rain starts to roll in, what kids need is true interactivity. If you give kids something awesome to play with, they will create a narrative to go along with it. They don’t need to be spoon fed a storyline the way they are with television or video games. They have the gift of imagination, something that many adults don’t have.

When people think of bouncers, they think birthday parties or community events. These are the bouncers of the past. Today, Blast Zone inflatables come in a wide range of shapes and sizes that allow for a multitude of different uses. One of the many uses being bouncing around at home. Maybe it’s rainy outside, or maybe it’s too hot to play outside safely. Weather conditions definitely play a big role when considering using an inflatable indoors, but perhaps the weather isn’t the reason. You don’t need any reason in particular to set up inside, all you need is a little space.

Rainy days are better with bouncers… Inflatables offer more creative freedom than TV or Video Games…

Making Space

When you’re considering setting up your inflatable indoors or thinking of purchasing a bouncer to be used inside, the first thing to consider is location. Where will you be setting your inflatable up? In a playroom? A basement? Living room? There are no rules! Just be sure to measure your area before hand to ensure that you have the space. We typically recommend at least one foot of extra space on either side of the inflatable to provide a little bit of wiggle room. Even when they are anchored, bouncers tend to move around a bit when they are in use.

In addition to the wiggle room allowed on each side, keep in mind that the blower attaches in the back of most inflatables (though some inflatables feature the blower attachment on the side). You should allow five to six feet of room behind the inflatable for the blower. When you’ve figured out how much available space that you have indoors, compare that with the measurements of the inflatable on our website. The Magic Castle and the Little Bopper are both compact favorites for indoor use.

You can find the inflated dimensions for each item in the “specs” section of the product page. Alternately, you may contact the Blast Zone support team for that information by calling 877-889-4685. Keep in mind that the dimensions on the site cover the inflatable, but you will want to add the additional 1 foot of space for each side plus the 6 feet of space for the blower when determining the fit.

Anchoring

Once you’ve determined where you will set up your inflatable and which bouncer is going to be the best fit for you, it’s time to set up. When setting up an inflatable, the primary concern is safety. Always make sure that your inflatable is properly anchored. When you’re using your inflatable in the grass, you can anchor it using the yellow anchoring stakes but on solid surfaces such as carpet you will need to anchor using weight.

Sandbags for indoor anchoring can purchased for a discounted price when they are added on with the purchase of an inflatable. Our sandbags can be filled with about 25 lbs of sand per each bag. You may not know how to anchor a bounce house indoors, but its as easy as connecting your bounce house to the easy-to-use sandbags.

Placement

Now that you’ve got your inflatable in it’s place and you’ve anchored your inflatable, you can finish setting up. You may have noticed that your setup instructions warn against setting inflatables up on carpet. The general reason for this is to keep you mindful of the surface that you are setting up on. Some carpeted surfaces can be very hard, such as industrial carpeting without padding, but most homes use a standard type of carpeting that is much softer. The main point of the precaution is to advise against using on hard surfaces.

If you feel you’d like additional padding around the entry way, you can also place a blanket, folded or otherwise, to your liking, underneath the entry ramp. Generally, we advise the use of common-sense safety practices at all times. If your location seems unsafe for any reason, do not set up your inflatable there! This would include very hard surfaces, area rugs that are not secured onto the flooring, obstructions, cramped spaces, etc.

Save your furniture from becoming a jungle gym!

Ready, Set, Bounce!

That’s it. You’re ready to have some fun. Simply attach and turn on the included blower and you’ll have an indoor bounce center right there in your own home! If you’ve found a dedicated spot for your inflatable such as a playroom, you can leave your inflatable there between uses. Simply switch off the blower and let it deflate until the next use. If you’re using common living areas for temporary bouncing, you can fold it up when you’re done and store it in a closet or under the bed. It fits neatly into the included storage bag so you don’t have to think about it when it is not being used.

Rainy days don’t have to put a damper on the fun, and your little ones can keep moving even when outdoor play is not possible. Kids get to expend some of that boundless energy, flex their mind-muscles and your furniture maintains its appropriate use instead of becoming a rainy day jungle gym. With indoor bouncing, everyone wins!

Recap:

Rainy days are better with bouncers
Inflatables offer more creative freedom than TV or Video Games
A wide selection means there is a bouncer to fit in most homes
Weighted anchoring and soft carpet surfaces allow children to bounce indoors safely
Having a bouncer means your furniture won’t become a jungle gym

After School Cool: Using a Bounce House to Keep Kids Focused

October 7, 2015January 9, 2018 BlastZone Leave a comment

It's that time of year! BACK TO SCHOOL! — It’s that time of year! BACK TO SCHOOL!

Back-to-School season is upon us. For many children, school has been in session for about a month. Now families are re-working their normal schedules to fit around the school day. Everyone’s day is a little bit different depending on what activities you may have lined up. While some parents may be working out a carpool schedule for after school sports, practices, or music lessons, others are working on getting their kids to finish up their homework and chores before dinner time.

Kids are human too, and they too can get a bit burnt out by a long day’s work. We’ve all heard James Howell’s proverb, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” That might just be true! While of course, there are plenty of things that simply must be done each day, it is also true that breaking the day up with a little bit of fun can make a long day feel a bit shorter.

During the school-day, there is a reason that kids are given recess. They need a break. In fact, according to Larry Silver, M.D. kids who receive a mid-day break from school work display an improved ability to stay on task.

You might find your family somewhere in the spectrum between busy and bored, but we can help you find ways to entertain your children after school. Whether it is in between other activities or all afternoon, there are a lot of ways to offer kids a bit of distraction.

During the back to school season, kids are more restless and rambunctious than usual after focusing on their school work all day. By the time they get home, it’s been hours since recess and they’ve probably been sitting at a desk for quite a while.

If your schedules are tight, finding time for a bit of fun may be no easy feat. Getting kids to step away from what they are working on for even just a few minutes can give them the pick-me-up they might need. You can accomplish this by suggesting a brief activity to refresh their minds.

Taking the dog for a quick walk around the neighborhood (Fido wouldn’t object) is a great way to fill two needs with one deed. No dog? No problem. You can also try challenging them to a quick competition. Race them around the block or challenge them to a dance off (and don’t be too discouraged if they win).

For those days when going outside is not an option, you can still take a quick snack break or a few minutes of movement to stretch and shake out the day’s tension. Brain Den also offers an awesome selection of fun puzzles and brain teasers.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL-MCindoor — The Blast Zone Magic Castle is perfect for outdoor and indoor use!

If you have more free time in the afternoons a bike ride or spending some time outside bouncing on a bounce house is sure to be a welcome distraction, especially if you limit screen time for your little ones.

At first, a bounce house may not seem like a conventional form of entertainment at home but this idea is becoming a more common choice for families due to the easy set up and minimal clean up involved. You may have the impression that bounce houses are only for parties, but bouncers are a great way to get the blood flowing after school.

As the fall season approaches, using an inflatable at home makes even more sense. As the weather becomes unpredictable, a bounce house can be moved inside to avoid the elements. The Magic Castle Bounce House is great because it is big enough to excite kids but compact enough to fit in the house on a stormy day.

The “what” is typically not as important as the “why” when it comes to entertaining kids after school. Keeping them busy does help to keep them out of trouble in addition to supporting their growth in general, but giving them a little time to step away from work and have some fun each afternoon keeps them engaged and focused on the tasks thrown at them each day.

Throw an Incredible Labor Day BBQ

August 25, 2015January 9, 2018 BlastZone Leave a comment

how-to-labor-day-bbq — Squeeze the last bit of fun out of your summer.

When you have a family, you have a million-and-one things going through your head at any given time. During the summer it can get especially hectic. The kids are on break from school, the days are longer, and the heat can drive everyone a little mad. Every now and then, it’s nice to plan something fun that everyone can enjoy. This is where BBQ’s come in. Between getting your family dressed and fed each morning and hoping they’ve had a long enough day to sleep through the night, planning a BBQ is not always the easiest thing to accomplish. Don’t panic! We’re here to help. This guide will help you to plan an amazing end-of-summer BBQ that will make your neighbors wish they were invited.

Food

grilled-veggies-labor-day-bbq — Mmm. Grilled veggies.

When you’re planning a BBQ, the first thing that comes to mind is food. This is where we sometimes find ourselves stuck. A BBQ is all about the food. Your first mission is deciding what to serve. While making your decision on what to serve at your BBQ, think about your guests. Do any of your invited guests have a special diet or any food allergies to consider? Gluten free? Low Carb? Paleo? Vegetarian? The possibilities seem endless. All diets and special lifestyles can be accommodated for a BBQ, you just want to make sure that you will have something for everyone.

This also goes for kids. Do you have any picky eaters coming over? When entertaining, it’s always a great idea to have a few kid-friendly food items. Some kids love adventurous foods. Some kids will eat things like teriyaki chicken kebabs or spicy grilled pineapple, but many kids do better with very simple foods. Hamburgers or hot dogs are usually fail proof when it comes to kids.

At a BBQ, the meat is usually the main event. Go for quality over variety. Rather than having several options, decide on one or two different things to serve as the main dish, like pork sausage and classic BBQ chicken. This gives people choices without breaking the bank or requiring the use of multiple grills. Some other great and simple options would be meat and veggie kebabs, ribs, or keep it classic and serve up hamburgers and hot dogs for all!

Hors d’oeuvres, sides and desserts are also just as important to a BBQ as the main course. They help to balance out your meal and provide color to your table. Both are very important elements to hosting an unforgettable BBQ. Make your big day as relaxing as possible by preparing your side dishes and desserts the day before. When deciding on what to serve keep in mind that on a summer day, cold dishes go best with foods coming hot-off-the-grill. Using the freshest ingredients you can find will make even the simplest salad go off the charts in flavor.

Entertainment

blastzone-big-ol-bouncer-bbq-fun — Blast Zone “Big Ol Bouncer” Bounce house will keep the kids out of your hair.

When you’re hosting a BBQ you may be busy flipping food on the grill, but there will always be time to take a breather. Even if you are keeping yourself busy, keep your guests in mind. You’ve invited them over, and should have some form of entertainment planned. Music is definitely a must to fill up any awkward silences or lulls in conversation.

If your back yard BBQ turns into a dance party, you’ve gotten very lucky! Just in case that doesn’t happen, have something fun available to your guests like games or even a few packs of playing cards. Don’t be too rigid when it comes to entertaining your guests. You will probably find that the adults at your party will entertain themselves by chatting with you or other guests. Because we never see our family and friends as often as we’d like, catch-up is usually one of the best games to play over a delicious BBQ dinner.

While we’re talking about entertainment, let us not forget about the kiddos! You have a few goals when it comes to kids. Keep them busy, give them options and let them have their space (this means the grown-ups get their space as well). With kids, you want to keep them busy because if they aren’t off doing their own thing, they might be looking for ways to entertain themselves. This can be dangerous around a fiery grill and possibly annoying to some of your guests. Having multiple options will come in handy because not all kids are the same, and they may not all be interested in the same activity.

Further, some children might find a given activity fun for a short time, but wind up feeling bored later. This is especially possible if your BBQ is going to be an all-day affair. Set up an area stocked with coloring books or arts and crafts, as well as interactive toys or areas to play sports and burn off some of that energy that we wish we could borrow as adults.

Inflatables are a great idea for BBQs. They give kids the freedom to bounce or slide all day long. If you have a lot of kids to entertain, the Big Ol’ Bouncer is a great choice as one of our biggest home-use bounce houses. You might have a hard time getting them out of the inflatable at the end of the evening, but getting them to sleep that night will be a breeze. Read our helpful guides to keep the kids safe when playing together on our bounce houses.

Having all of this set aside in a designated area will not only make clean up easier, it also allows you to designate the best area for them, keeping them far from areas that may not be appropriate. You don’t want kids suffering the blinding burn of BBQ smoke blowing right into their eyes, or eating up all of the strawberries you’ve spent the summer growing. This also gives kids the opportunity to mingle on their own and maybe make some new friends. A lot of kids like to be independent, and having their own space to play allows them to decide what they want to do with their time at your BBQ.

Timing

blastzone-labor-day-bbq-grill — Man look at all the steam. It’s hot in there!

With your food and entertainment all planned out, your final concern is with Timing. Making sure that the day unfolds smoothly isn’t as hard as it may seem. You can plan your backyard seating and prepare most of your cooking the day before. Put your meats in their marinades and prepare your hors d’oeuvres, sides, and desserts in advance, to be refrigerated until it’s time to eat. On the big day, get your tables and chairs set up out back and roll out your inflatable if you will be using one. Getting your inflatable set up earlier in the day allows you to get it going for the kids with the flip of a switch. You can roll it out flat, stake it down and attach the blower so that when your guests arrive, you can simply turn on the blower to start the fun.

Get your grill started before your guests are set to arrive, so that you can socialize and get your guests situated while it heats up. If you are cooking your meats low and slow, start early enough that you can serve up dinner BBQ about 45 minutes to an hour after guests arrive. This gives everyone time to transition from go-mode to relaxation mode. This is important for guests who have to make a long or inconvenient trip to your home. It allows everyone to get comfortable as well as ensuring that no one misses the boat if they are running a little late for any reason. Now that you’ve got everything mapped out, it’s time to enjoy the day. Eat and socialize and enjoy the warm weather, these moments are memories in the making.

Commercial Inflatable Regulations by State

July 15, 2015January 9, 2018 BlastZone 1 Comment

As a business owner, or the operator of a “public” inflatable device, there are a lot of considerations: Safety, Insurance, Market Demands, Pricing – the list goes on. These do not apply exclusively to Inflatable Rental Companies, Indoor Bounce Centers and FEC’s – Even institutions like Churches, School and Camps need to be concerned about Liability and Compliance. A “Public” inflatable device should be considered any Inflatable Bounce House, Inflatable Slide, Etc where the public or a congregation has access to the fun. So if your institution or business offers the Inflatable for use by the public, this pertains to you. And while Inflatables are fun for kids, the compliance is definitely for adults.

Most operators of Inflatable equipment rely on the device manufacturers to comply with the various regulations, but ultimately this may be difficult or even impossible for the inflatable manufacturer to provide. Why? Because on top of the various over-arching governing bodies that regulate the manufacturing process, various state and local authorities may have their own regulations. Translation: Your local government may ask you to do some extra stuff above and beyond what the manufacturer does during manufacture. Thankfully, most governing bodies simply adopt the same manufacturing standards that are required of the manufacturer, but some go further.

So who are these various governing bodies that come into play?

First and foremost, is ASTM international, an acronym for American Society for Testing and Materials. This body creates committees to provide manufacturing guidelines for both Commercial Constant Air Inflatables, which falls under the scope of the manufacture of amusement devices, f2374 and a newer standard specific to home-use inflatable devices, F2729.

According to ASTM,

“ASTM standards are voluntary in the sense that their use is not mandated by ASTM. However, government regulators often give voluntary standards the force of law by citing them in laws, regulations, and codes.”

While the ASTM guidelines may not be considered law, sometimes laws will adopt the ASTM standards into a law, making them mandatory. The 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), by the Consumer Product Safety Commission also adopts ASTM incorporates standard F963 Safety Specification for Toy Safety as part of the law.

bounce-house-regulations-per-state — Blast Zone Test Facility often has hundreds of players per day

So the Consumer product safety commission and ASTM pretty much have it covered, right? So what does the operator need to worry about? As an operator, you are still responsible for local and state regulations, which may incorporate these guidelines, and add additional guidelines for you to follow. One important standard when it comes to fire departments is the NFPA 701 , which the National Fire Prevention Association states, “This standard establishes test methods to assess the propagation of flame of various textiles and films under specified fire test conditions.” Most manufacturers who comply with ASTM can also provide a certification that materials comply with NFPA 701.

New Jersey and Pennsylvania also require “type certification,” where the manufacturer must apply for certification on specific structures in order for operators in these states to be able to use the devices in these states. For a comprehensive guide to state-level requirements, BounceHousesNow.com has put together a nice guide by state. To check out requirements for your state, follow their link database.

So to summarize:

Buy from a reputable manufacturer
Make sure your chosen supplier complies with CPSIA and ASTM Standards
Make sure your supplier provides NFPA 701 testing certification, and acknowledges this on the warning label
Check the State regulations List
Check with state and local governing bodies and Fire Departments.

And as always, follow safety guidelines, and Have a Blast!

Save Water: How to Disable your Blast Zone Water Cannon

May 22, 2015January 10, 2018 BlastZone 1 Comment

We often receive calls asking how to disable or turn off the water cannon on your inflatable water park, while keeping the flow of water to the sprayer above the slide. This is super easy, and below we offer 3 simple ways for you to accomplish this feat of engineering. Choose any of the 3 methods that is easiest for you.

1) The easiest first: Bend over the supply line to the cannon, and zip it closed. Simply “kink” the hose before it attaches to the water cannon, use a zip tie to keep it kinked, and unscrew the hose fitting that attaches to the cannon.

zip-tie

2) Use a “Hose Cap” to cap off. This cap is available, typically for $1 or less, at your local hardware store. Often this is sold for drip irrigation, as an “end cap,” which includes a piece we won’t need. You only need the cap, so unscrew the cap from the coupling (the coupling below has the white sticker on it, while the cap is screwed on to the left side of it). You may discard the part shown with the white sticker, or repurpose it as a mantel decoration as you see fit. With the Blast Zone supply tube to the cannon unscrewed from the cannon itself, just screw the female cap onto the orange male hose fitting that would normally screw into the cannon. When you want use the cannon again simply unscrew the cap and then screw the hose back into the cannon!

cannon-cap1 cannon-cap2 cannon-cap3

3) Use a 3/8″ insert ball valve. This is our favorite hack, because you can leave the hose connected to the cannon and simply turn the valve on and off to toggle the cannon on as desired. With the 3/8″ plastic insert ball vale in hand, simply cut the hose in half a foot down from the cannon’s orange male attachment, and slip the hoses onto each end of the valve. Zip tie the two sides of the hose tightly to the valve and continue having fun in the sun with or without the water canon! Make sure to install the valve on the main sprayer system line, and do not cut or modify the short hose that is installed in the cannon itself, since that piece is engineered to be the exact size to fit through the cannon.

cannon-valve

We’ve got a handful of valves here, so if you own a Blast Zone Water Park with a water cannon, and you’d like to add a shutoff valve, shoot us an email with your order number and we’ll be glad to send you one at no charge.

Using Blast Zone Inflatables Indoors

April 13, 2015June 29, 2017 BlastZone Leave a comment

Using Blast Zone Inflatables Indoors

Kids don’t always have to go outside to burn off energy or have some inflatable fun. If weather or other factors don’t permit, prepare for a bouncing good time inside. You can keep the kids off the furniture, and keep them jumping on the Blast Zone Inflatable by following these tips to use your inflatables safely indoors.

Anchoring

Blast Zone inflatables must always be anchored for safety purposes. Indoors, use the optional sand bags in place of ground stakes. These sand bags simply fill with play sand and tie onto the same loops where ground stakes would be used indoors. Each set of sand bags includes 8 bags. You’ll need to provide the sand yourself.

Blast Zone takes anchoring very seriously. These anchors will keep your indoor inflatable in one place, so kids stay safe, and will also keep the underside of the inflatable from rubbing against the floor. Sand bag anchors can also be used outdoors, as a standalone anchoring system, or even as a supplemental anchoring system in conjunction with the ground stakes, especially if you have loose soil.

Soft Surfaces

Your inflatable must have a nice, soft surface underneath. A carpet with a nice pad should do the trick.

Perimeter Clearance

Each side of your Blast Zone Inflatable should have approximately 6 feet of clearance, so plan space accordingly, and choose an inflatable that will fit your space. Also keep in mind that Blast Zone Inflatables have an inflation tube on the back that attaches to the blower, so allow 6 feet for this component (The inflation tube, and blower connected together). Blowers must not be placed in location where debris could be sucked into the motor from household items such as fireplaces, cat boxes, etc. The blower needs to be pumping air, not soot into the inside of your inflatable!

Clear Height

Make sure to choose an Inflatable Bouncer or Inflatable Combo for indoor use that will clear your ceiling! Many Blast Zone Bounce Houses and Bounce Combos are designed to clear standard ceilings, while still providing safe netting enclosure heights.

Water Slides

Your kids probably think it’s a great idea, but no, don’t use your waterslide inside! Come on now!

So when things get cold, or your kids just want to play inside, have fun bouncing safely by following these simple guidelines!

Use Approved Sand Bags Anchors to properly anchor your inflatable indoors.
Always set up your Blast Zone Bouncer on a soft surface when using it indoors.
Allow 6 feet of clearance between the perimeter of the inflatable and any obstructions.
Make sure the top of your inflatable bouncer or combo will clear the ceiling.
Save the garden hose for the garden.