3 ideas to give your boss to have a jumping castle at your Christmas party

When it comes to Christmas parties most boss's don't like spending the money and are always looking for cheaper alternatives to "reward" their staff for the years efforts. So we have put together a few not so expensive options for you to get a jumping castle in the mix  for this years xmas party if it hasn't already been organised. These days there are adult jumping castles and hire activities that can entertain all ages.

1.  Family day BBQ in a local park,  Year in and year out we at Castles 4 Jumping are always having family fun days for corporate business's in local parks. Being a community area it doesn't cost a thing to gather there for a BBQ.  Its a Relaxed neutral location anyone can come and go as they please. At Castles 4 Jumping we have jumping castle packages that can cater for everything from tables and chairs to balloons and your jumping castle all starting from $350. To have a jumping castle in  park the business needs 20 million public liability and aware of the conditions of operating in that council area so picking a hire business to supply you will keep you onside with the local council. Castles 4 Jumping service Brisbane City Council, Logan City council, Ipswich City Council, Beaudesert regional Council and Gold Coast city council areas regularly and are well known by all these councils. Castles 4 Jumping can even recommend parks with great facilities in your area and even specific spots in those parks to avoid in the heat of summer. 
   
2. End of Year Party at the Boss's house, This one is a popular one as the boss is always open to entertaining everyone at his humble abode. A jumping castle in this case means the children are kept entertained while the adults are enjoying their fair share of beverages and out of work socialising with their colleagues. From as little as $250 the kids can be entertained all night long while the adults can enjoy there time socialising. 
   
3. Work place challenges -- Everyone has someone they work with they would secretly love to go to town on given half a chance, well our bouncy boxing and sumo suits give you that chance !! From as little as $300 you could face off in the ring against your boss for a charity cause or just for pure laughs in front of all your work mates. What workplace would not love that opportunity ?  Why not get the ball rolling with a draw and have bets being placed for a charity xmas do and all proceeds going towards a great laugh and a worthy cause. 
   

Now is the time of year a lot of business's will start booking these types of events , so don't waste any time suggesting to your boss what you think this years Christmas party ideas should include. Have a Merry Xmas and i hope you have a cracker of a xmas party. 

3 examples of Australia day fun

It is a growing tradition to celebrate Australia day with the family. Most Australians will celebrate doing all sorts of genuine Australian things to enjoy this one day a year. This year most of us have a day to recover so i predict this Australia Day will be a little unlike others with hang overs and a second day to tidy up instead of going straight back to work. So here are 5 ideas to get you started in the ideas department for this years celebrations.

1. Get on the water.

A lot of people like to get wet on Australia Day , this can include having a bbq around the pool or heading to a near by beach or local pool. Aquatic sports are big with Australians, such as Jet Ski's , sailing , motor boating , tubing , swimming at local beaches and fishing can all be observed on a huge scale on any given Australia day. Being the hot part of the year most people aim to cool off during their celebrations. Often Jumping castles can be seen driving around the streets in people back yards and in public areas like parks with giant slides and water play type of jumping castle on offer for kids and adults alike.

2. Sliding around

Sliding around is fast becoming a very popular activity on Australia Day for outback Australian looking for a bit of wet fun. Often these aussies will have machinery from their properties to help create these giant slides . They often find a decent hill and if they're lucky one with a dam at the end and they dig a big channel right down to the water . They then line it with builders plastic, add some suds and away you go check out the video below for the growing amount of posts every year with this getting more and more extreme every year.

3. Catch a flick 

This may not seem like your average idea for Australia day , however a lot of Australians are escaping the heat and heading to the cold air conditioning of the cinemas. This is peoples last chance to fit something else in with the kids before they go back to school, and sometime you can snag a bargain as its the end of the school holidays and most of the theatres are showing the kids movies on their last screening that they have at a discounted rate before back to school. Some councils will opt for a ever more trending outdoor theatre community screening.

What ever you have done in the past or are planning to do , have a great Australia Day break with the family and enjoy what it means to be Australian.

What are innovative parents doing for kids parties in 2018 ?

Each and every year you come to that time you need to start thinking about your child's next birthday party. Every parent gets the feelings of pressure to make it everything your child wants and that you can afford. We all know the usual party games like pin the tail on the donkey, pass the parcel and musical chairs along with the lolly buffets and a grand cake that your trying to get rid of at the end of the party. This is at just about every party iv been to in the past. Something has seemed to change in the past 2-3 years at the parties iv been attending...

So what are Mums and dads of Brisbane doing to spice up your run of the mill birthday parties for their kids? 

1.  Hire a jumping castle to entertain the kids instead of trying to organise so many games for the kids. Let them play to their little hearts are content. What better way to burn off the sugar rush and give you time to actually mingle with the parents of the children attending your party. Jumping castle hire is becoming a very fast growing industry for young families wanting to entertain bigger and bigger parties every year. Jumping castle hire can be a entertainer for all ages right up to adults. Jumping castle hire is dependant on weather so if its a raining day you might want to read up on jumping castles and wet weather or you might find yourself in a stressful situation trying to figure out a back up plan. 
   
   
   
   
   
2. Location parties can be a great choice for keeping the mess and stress away from your home. Places like fast food outlets such as Mcdonalds and Hungry Jacks have been around for a long time and they offer the security of still going ahead even if the weather turns bad. However there are other places that you may not have thought about. 
   
                                                          
   -Try one of 5 roller rinks left in Brisbane, these places such as Digi Roller Skating in Browns plains offer some of the cheapest options for kids parties per head and can be extremely fun for kids of all levels of skating. From beginners to advance everybody can have fun including the parents which is something a bit different to your usual birthday party.   
   
    - Bunnings is now offering kids parties for that different approach to the trending DIY space of renovating and home projects with specialty run work shops for the kids. Fo ra while now Bunnings have run school Free holiday workshops for kids to attend along with parents to encourage the parents into their locations. It seems a little odd but why not ? 
   
    -Specialty Parks are popping up everywhere with new interactive spaces like dry water parks and special interactive play equipment. Having a kids birthday party in any park in your council area will require you to apply through council to have the party if its over 50 people. This is usually free and easy to do online. A lot of parents are going the extra distance and hiring a jumping castle or a face painter or kids party entertainer to add to the atmosphere. The council will usually require their public liability for them to attend your party however if you are using a legitimate business you should have any issues.
   
3. Hire specialty Equipment such as Sumo Suits or Bouncy Boxing to entertain your children.   Some of the best parties iv recently been too friends of mine have had these and they are such a great idea to get all the parents talking about your party. They make for some great photos and even better stories to tell.

Regardless of your budget or your expectations these simple and innovative ideas parents of Brisbane and south east Queensland are now going to are starting to shape a new experience for kids of this era. The future is going to be overwhelming and interesting in the birthday space for our kids kids over the next 20-30 years.

Christmas is just around the corner , Here are some tips on planning your xmas celebrations

Its that time of the year again , your having family and friends around for the annual Christmas party or you might be even the organiser of the work Christmas party, so where do you start ?

with so many options out there the good old fashioned BBQ at home is the way top go about it however with every year there is a need to trump last years party. So here is a few ideas for planning your work or home Christmas party to get your mind going.

1. You can try spicing up your average BBQ at home or any party with a jumping castle hire. These days jumping castles are not just for kids , they have adult jumping castles for hire too !! The adults at your party will let lose after a few beverages to show the kids a thing or two.

2. Hire special food machinery such as a fairy floss machine or a cocktail machine . Most of the business's that supply jumping castle hire in Brisbane have these machines for hire along with snow cone machines and popcorn machines. Usually you will get a discount if you hire a few items from the same party hire place.

3. Challenge your guests with some Sumo suits or bouncy Boxing. Sumo suits come in kids and adult sizes. For a great laugh and activity that doesn't not need a lot of room Sumo suits are a great entertainer and ice breaker for your Christmas Party.

4. Have a secret Santa- but make it subject to a shop or theme - for instance Bunnings, BCF or Super Cheap Auto and set the budget at $10-$20. Having a activity like this will stimulate the conversation away from the same old talk of work and current affair issues. This will bring laughter and fun to the party.

5. Hire a entertainer , you might think hiring a entertainer might be a little over the top however having a entertainer can often steer the rest of the party in a more upbeat and fun direction after they have left . they give you experiences and laughs to talk about for the rest of the party and can entertain kids too giving the adults some time to talk to other adults with out having their children interrupt.

6. Table and chair hire , most people forget about seating and food space until the last minute . Hiring some tables and chairs for your party can take the edge of stressing about it last minute when you realise you have so many people coming.

7. Balloons and decorations can add atmosphere to your party with doubt. Doing this your self can also be very stressful and add to the time and preparation that goes into having a Christmas party at home. You can usually source these through Big W or a lot of the $2 shops such as Dollars and Sense, The Reject Shop and Spotlight can inflate and supply these ready for pick up at a very small price .

So hopefully these few suggestions will inspire you for your next party. If you are looking to save some time and money and want to get all this taken care of in one booking through one business, Castles 4 Jumping do all this and more in jumping castle packages in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Ipswich areas. You will also find other jumping castle business's in Sydney , Melbourne , Adelaide and Perth that offer similar deal as a package price.

inflatable play grounds - Are they really that safe for your children ?

Inflatable play grounds such as Inflatable world and Jumpin 4 Fun are quickly popping up in suburbs every where. They are quickly becoming the new craze for birthday parties and wet weather weekend fun for families. But how safe are these places for your children ?

Children's injuries are now starting to hit the media commonly to do with these types of places. The last one to be broadcasted was of a little girl disappearing down between two jumping castles in one of these playgrounds.  So what is it that could go so wrong in a big soft play ground ?

There have been reports of supervisors as old as 15 years old supervising children on these inflatable play grounds. Im no risk expert but as a parent im starting to see a trend that is suggesting the supervisors role is not being really met through a 15 year old student. Paramedics have commented on constantly being called out to these venues with head clashes, broken arms and legs and over exhaustion . So it begs the question what sort of training are theses attendants getting to be able to supervise one of these areas at these play centres ? Given the recent horrific deaths at Dreamworld and the current coronial inquiry i wonder if the recommendations handed down will have any effect on these pop up inflatable playgrounds ?
With this all being said and as a parent you have to wonder if these jumping castle  business's have your child's safety in the forefront of their operations or are they simply trying to run at the cheapest possible costs ?

As parents we can not cotton wool our children from having good old fashioned safe fun. Injuries will all ways be apart of this in one way or another , however being mindful of the risk and previous injuries that have occurred is a great starting point to being a informed responsible parent. So my advise to you is to always keep a keen eye on your children in these inflatable play grounds .

Wet weather and jumping castles ... Do i ,dont I ?

Early this year we seen record monthly rain fall for February and March in Brisbane. This begs the question is it worth booking a jumping castle for your upcoming party ?

Stressing out about the weather is one of the most common ways mums and dads in Brisbane spend at least some of their time trying to avoid when planning a birthday party for their children or even a back yard bbq get together for friends and relatives. 

Running a Jumping castle and party hire business in Brisbane we come across this a lot and a lot of people stressing about loosing their money or getting nervous about the potential of bad weather. 

Iv attached a article that might help with this if its coming up to a event you want to plan and are worried about the weather ruining your plans for jumping castle in Brisbane. There is some reassurance with this article . 

 Jumping castles in Brisbane - Wet weather advice

A Jumping Castle explodes in the UK - What went wrong? How to make sure this doesn't happen to you in Australia

Another horror story of a jumping castle injuring another child was posted in recent weeks. This time the jumping castle didn't blow away with children inside , it did what everyone thinks was the impossible, it exploded !  read the article here - Girl dies after jumping castle "explodes" in the UK

So how does a jumping castle just explode?
You would think this is what the jumping castles were designed not to do. You would be right in thinking that. Jumping castles on the most are built to distribute pressure through cells stitched into the jumping castles. These are the round jumpy parts that you bounce on. Each cell has small holes in the ends to allow the transfer of the air to move from one cell to another as the weight is transferred as riders bounce off the inflated cells. You would also notice when you stand close to a jumping castle it has air coming out of it everywhere, this is because the jumping castle is kept at a constant pressure to insure the cells are inflated enough to hold the riders. To moderate the pressure it is slowly released through the stitching. Over time and in different temperatures the stitching will release more or less air making the jumping castle firmer or softer. The older the jumping castle the lower the pressure it tends to hold due to the stretching of the stitching. In hot climates or even on hot summer days in Brisbane jumping castles will hold a higher pressure due to the canvas and the stitching tightening and shrinking from the heat.

In the instance in the UK, the operators would of had the maximum number of blowers attached to the jumping castle to give the jumping castle its maximum weight capacity to insure the most users at any one time to maximise profits. However it appears the operator has not given the temperatures or the environment any consideration when doing this.

In my experienced opinion this incident has occurred due to the temperatures on the sand and on the beach. When you set a jumping castle up on the sand, the jumping castle also moulds into the sand which also limits the airflow and escape of air at the base of the castle (this is part of regulating the escape of air through the stitching). This along with high temperatures off the sand , maximum pressure from all blowers and the the hot air being pumped into the jumping castle straight off the top of the sand has all had a compounding affect in the stitching letting go in the most distressed part of the ride. This would usually be the bouncy section the riders use. Sadly this has then exploded under the pressure and catapulted the young 4 year old meters into the air, ending in the severe injury she suffered.

So how do you stop this from happening ?
In Australia we are now being implemented by insurance companies to have risk assessments in place to help identify and reduce the risks of this happening again. This has started coming into effect in the wake of the Dreamworld Thunder river rapids ride malfunction. Although it is not regulated it is a very good starting measure by the insurance companies to start taking the risk away from riders of amusement rides. Is this going to be enough ? The government will also be under pressure from the coronial inquest to either regulate the Amusement Parks industry or put measures in place to regulate all rides and amusements in Australia all together under one legislation. Only time will tell if the current government will take the findings of the inquest and implement all the recommendations.

At Castles 4 Jumping we now have this in place for any public event or private event in a public place to insure the safety of riders to insure we do not have a repeat of this situation from any one of our jumping castles. At Castles 4 Jumping we have had this in effect for over 12 months now and have found it to be very useful in reducing the potential of hazards or injury to riders. We Asses everything from environment to the general safety of the riders from heat and exhaustion.

 If you are thinking of hiring a jumping castle or already have one booked for your next party or event we would highly suggest you ask your provider if they have any of these measures in place or are implementing them in the future. Jumping castles are not unsafe or are they a danger to children or adults that want to use them when they are monitored and operated within all safety limitations and recommendations. Finding the right operators and asking the right questions will eliminate these horror incidents from occurring in the future and insure the safety of your friends and family.