All posts by Ryan Schappert

Returning to School in September

Some recommendations and requests as teachers, staff, parents and children prepare to start a new school year in September.

Tips to Get Back to School Ready

Realistic Expectations Returning to School this Fall

Whether you are relieved or worried about schools re-opening this September, we wanted to provide as much information and insight for our customers as possible. The re-opening of schools is a huge endeavor, and we think it is important to realize we must keep our expectations realistic if we are to get through this together.

Everything is NOT back to normal yet!

It is important to start by saying everyone needs to be ready to put in a little bit of extra effort to keep not only your family, but everyone else’s, safe! Extra effort can mean anything from ensuring you are timely, extra patient, prepared with supplies needed for the day, etc.

We think the extra patience & understanding is the most important, and will go the furthest in helping us all get through this together. This thought has been bringing me back to a recent photo that we would like to share with you. While it is not necessarily geared toward teachers & school staff, we think the sentiment is very applicable for most situations these days!

For the Parents: Patience Padawan!

Once again, we are urging you to be patient + helpful towards all school staff. As many of us know, teachers were already feeling under pressure about class sizes, resources, and support before the pandemic. Imagine feeling that way at work before the pandemic began… returning to work knowing it was going to be full of children you want to keep safe could definitely be a scary thought. Not to mention all the new policies and procedures you have to adopt!

Ensuring your children have all of their own school supplies will definitely help teachers keep everyone safe. They don’t need to look around for extra supplies and compromise their supervision of students being safe, nor would their extra supplies need to be shared between students over the course of the year. Ensuring you and your children are timely will also help teachers/staff/volunteers keep to a safe schedule when it comes to checking in and out. This last piece of information had to be quickly addressed when day cares re opened, which is why we thought to mention it. Teachers are expected to limit interactions with students to their specific class(es). If the teacher is expecting one thing, and your child is there when they are unprepared, there are not many other options other than you having to wait in the car with your child for the teacher or appropriate staff to be ready to receive them safely.

For the Teachers: The Rights to Recess!

Amid concerns of social distancing the easiest answer for questions about Physical Education and Recess is a simple, ‘no’. We completely understand the need to make tough decisions if we are not prepared to do things as normal, safely. However we do see the need to follow industry professionals’ advice and PRIORITIZE RECESS + RECREATION.

Typically, recess is the only unstructured time that provides children with physical, emotional, and social development, which are fundamental for mental well-being, school engagement & learning. We must ensure this time is meaningful, which requires as much to stay the same as possible. Unstructured play is important and meaningful at every age but specifically for younger children.

What matters most for children at recess are friendships, social connections, and feelings of connected-ness and belonging. They are less concerned about their break from school or physical activity, so simply taking a break from class, or providing “recess packs/boxes” to individual students will not cut it.

Recess may be the children’s only chance for outdoor self-directed play. With increases in screen-time, urban density, neighborhood violence, fear of abduction or injury, and lack of accessible/affordable recreation, there are less and less opportunities for children to partake in self-directed recreation and leisure outside of school.

Rights to Recess:

Canadian Schools have a responsibility to help provide recreation & leisure to children. As a member of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Of the 54 articles, one of the most overlooked and unprotected of the rights is Article 31, “the right to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child.”

Schools are not exempt from playing a role in supplying this right to children. Schools have a responsibility to ensure the recess environment is inclusive, fully accessible, secure from the effects of social harm and appropriate for all genders, ages, stages, and abilities.

It is not always easy to ensure your children and students have the recreation and leisure time they require. We made that our business over 17 years ago and we are not going anywhere. We have been updating our policies and procedures constantly throughout this pandemic to best suit our customers needs. We are always here for you, so please do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like some help providing some extra recreation for your children! Also, feel free to browse our other blog posts from this year if you are looking for more information on our updated policies and procedures.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL AND TAKE 20% OFF YOUR NEXT RENTAL! 905-646-JUMP (5867)

TOP 5 NHL PLAYOFF RENTALS

It’s a big year for the Stanley Cup. The first professional sports organization to hit their playoff schedule since the start of the pandemic.  Here’s our list for the top 5 rented items for Playoff Parties.

Number 1: 20′ Movie Screen

2014 stanley cup movie screen
We’ve set it up ourselves for hockey games.

Take the biggest sporting event in Canada to the next level. With a 20′ Movie Screen, it doesn’t get much bigger than that! Our movie screen not only plays movies, but it can be hooked up to any HDMI connection so that the game can be played live with big sound too. If you are planning a big party in a big location, this is the item for you.

Number 2: SnoKone Machine

snow cone machine rental

What would the game be without snacks? Sure you have the nachos, chips and dip all ready to go, but some people have a sweet tooth. Adding SnoKone to the mix has been growing in popularity over the past few years and is always a favorite with kids. Great way to become one with the ICE!

Number 3: Dog House Mini Putt Golf Game

Has your friend bet on the wrong team? Send them to the OFF-SEASON appropriately with our Dog House Mini Putt game! A great budget friendly way to add some fun to your viewing party.

Number 4: Fantasy Hockey

Pre-game like a pro with our Fantasy Hockey. This inflatable target gallery is perfect for all the hockey players who want to show off their skills and have fun with their friends/family. This awesome unit will definitely get everyone excited for the game. Why not keep track of your shots and make it a competition?

Number 5: Popcorn Machine

popcorn machine rental

Everyone loves popcorn and with easy pre-packs, there’s no chores of measuring or mixing. Bonus, we take care of the clean up when you rent a popcorn machine.

Used Equipment For Sale!

We have a variety of used equipment for sale. Please review the items & pricing below. Feel free to give us a call if you have any questions or requests! 905-646-JUMP(5867)

All inflatable equipment comes with appropriate number of blowers to inflate.


Fun Train Toddler Unit – $1000.00

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Turtle Belly Bouncer – $1000.00

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Looking Forward to Phase 3

Phase 3 is COMING! Whether you are an event planner, or a parent looking for additional entertainment, phase 3 will bring with it new guidelines for all of us to follow. We here at Niagara Inflatables pride ourselves in helping our customers find the best product for their event, and are just as committed to safety procedures and cleanliness as ever!

As the Niagara Region and surrounding areas get the green light to move into Phase 3 with the rest of the province, we wanted to be sure you have the information needed to make proper decisions for your community & sporting events, business sales, festivals, fundraisers, birthdays, etc. 

Read more about the details of Phase 3 reopening by following this link.

Niagara Inflatables is OPEN! We are currently available for all rentals during Covid-19 with some adaptations. During this time, all bouncers will be cleaned while we set-up. You can read details of how cleaning works here. We ask that social distancing is respected while we are on site. What this means for all deliveries:

  • Please give us the details of where you would like the bouncer placed and where we will be plugging in the blower on the phone with our sales staff. OR
  • Let us know upon arrival, but please keep your distance – shouting works great!
  • If you have any specific information about your property that a delivery team would need to know, please let our sales staff know in advance.
  • Please keep children inside during set-up – we know they are excited to hop on, but for our safety please wait until staff have left the property.
  • Please direct children off the bouncer when it is time for pick-up. Normally we are happy to do this for you – but for the time being we need everyone to be cleared away so we can begin sanitizing and taking down the bouncer.
  • Make sure you are only letting children from your household (who have been in quarantine together) onto bouncers.

NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF!

 Understanding many of our customers still have concerns regarding product safety during these times, we also wanted to highlight some of our equipment that would work best for “SOCIALLY DISTANT” fun! 

These products feature little to no contact between participants. We would absolutely encourage the use of gloves, masks, and hand sanitizer for the operating staff, as well as the sanitization of any of the small contact points shared between guests. We have the option of bringing our sanitizing spray, which you can read more about here.

Movie Screens

Looking for a customer/staff appreciation event idea? Tired of arriving at the Drive-In hours early to reserve your spot? Give us a call to chat about our movie screens and A/V packages! We have three screen sizes available to suit any event!

Dunk Tanks

Another great ‘socially distanced’ product would be our dunk tank. Easy to sanitize if your guests are only given the option to throw. Have people dunk the birthday person on their special day as they are doing their driveby parade! Keep this idea in mind for the following products!

Disc Golf

Add some fun that most of your guests have never tried before! Sanitize the Far Range and Short Range frisbee’s after your guests complete the nine holes and your social distance event should remain safe!

Mini-Putt

Another fantastic way to add some fun to your event! Our 9 Hole Mini-Putt is another rental that would require minimum sanitization as you should only need to sanitize the balls and clubs between each participant. 9 holes normally takes several minutes to finish, so there isn’t too much pressure on your operating staff.

Axe Throw/Fantasy Sports

Our Axe Throw and Fantasy Sports are easy to sanitize as you would only need to sanitize axe handles, sports balls, etc. Alternatively, you can request all of your guests to wear gloves!

Bouncy Castle, Rockwall, Photo Booth, Game, and Entertainment ...

Shooting Gallery

Much like everything else on the list, simply the airsoft guns would need to be sanitized between guests’ use!

High Strikers

Consider one of our high strikers (adult or child) for your next event!

Kiddie High Striker | Niagara Inflatables

Adapting to Covid-19

Niagara Inflatables is OPEN! We are currently available for all rentals during Covid-19 with some adaptations. During this time, all bouncers will be cleaned while we set-up in your yard, and will be cleaned afterward, before the bouncer comes down. You can read details of how cleaning works here. We ask that social distancing is respected while we are on site. What this means for bouncer deliveries:

  • Please give us the details of where you would like the bouncer placed and where we will be plugging in the blower on the phone with our sales staff. OR
  • Let us know upon arrival, but please keep your distance – shouting works great!
  • If you have any specific information about your property that a delivery team would need to know, please let our sales staff know in advance.
  • Please keep children inside during set-up – we know they are excited to hop on, but for our safety please wait until staff have left the property.
  • Please direct children off the bouncer when it is time for pick-up. Normally we are happy to do this for you – but for the time being we need everyone to be cleared away so we can begin sanitizing and taking down the bouncer.
  • Make sure you are only letting children from your household (who have been in quarantine together) onto bouncers.

These easy adjustments will keep our staff and you safe and allow completely contact less delivery! Please call us at (905) 646-5867 if you have any questions about these safety measures or our products.

COVID-19 – How Bouncers and Equipment are Cleaned

With the recent news of COVID-19 now being present in the Niagara Region, we want to share an update about how bouncers and other rental equipment is cleaned at Niagara Inflatables!

We use a cleaning product called SPRAY NINE to clean all of our bouncers and other rental items (carnival games, interactives etc.) Spray Nine is an extremely effective cleaner when it sits on the product for at least 45 seconds – and it doesn’t use bleach or corrosive chemicals!

With 30 seconds of contact it can kill the following viruses:

  • Influenza A2 Virus-ATCC VR-544
  • Rhinovirus Type 37-ATCC VR-1147
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus-ATCC VR-26
  • Adenovirus Type 2-ATCC VR-846
  • Herpes Simplex Virus Type I-ATCC VR-733
  • Herpes Simplex Virus Type II-ATCC VR-734
  • Coxsackie B3 Virus-ATCC VR-30
  • Norovirus- via Surrogate Virus ATCC VR-782
  • Rotavirus-Strain WA
  • HIV-1**-Strain HTLV-IIIB
  • Hepatitis B Virus**-DHBV16 Strain
  • Hepatitis C Virus**-ATCC VR-1422
  • Poliovirus Type I-ATCC VR-192
  • Pandemic 2009 H1N1 Influenza A Virus-
  • ATCC #VR-333(H1N1)

With 45 seconds of contact it can kill the following bacteria:

  • Salmonella entenca-ATCC 10708
  • Escherichia coli (E. coli)-ATCC 35150
  • Staphylococcus aureus-ATCC 6538
  • Staphylococcus aureus – MRSA-ATCC 33592
  • Staphylococcus aureus – CA-MRSA-NARSA NRS123
  • Streptococcus pyogenes-ATCC 19615
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa-ATCC15442
  • Enterobacter aerogenes-ATCC 15038
  • Shigella dysenteriae-ATCC 13313
  • Bordetella pertussis-ATCC 12743
  • Listeria monocytogenes-ATCC 19117
  • Klebsiella pneumoniae-Carbapenem Resistant-
  • ATCC BAA-1705
  • Escherichia coli-Carbapenem Resistant-CDC 81371

 

This is why Spray Nine is our favourite product when it comes to ensuring your health and safety! If you rent one of our inflatables or other products for your event, you can be sure that it has been sprayed clean. Feel free to ask us to clean it in front of you, there is no harm is being extra safe.

 

 

March Easter Egg Madness!

The weather is getting warmer and we are just a few days away from enjoying a beautiful Easter weekend with friends & family! If you are looking for something to do with the kids come visit us at events below or check out the link for other Easter egg hunts closer to home!

FRIDAY MARCH 30, 2018 @ Stamford Fireman’s Park in Niagara Falls
(10:00 AM – 1:30 PM, 2275 Dorchester Rd, NF, ON)

SATURDAY MARCH 31, 2018 @ Jaycee Park in St Catharines
(9:30 AM – 1:00 PM, 543 Ontario St., St Catharines, ON)