Fly High This Summer With Blast Zone + The Big Ol' Bouncer, Giveaway 6/10

***We received the following product in hopes we would share our honest experiences here on the blog. All photos contained below are original copyright Momma Told Me Blog 2015.

Momma Told Me: It's only natural to want to fly.

When I was a little girl, somewhere between a dream of being a dolphin trainer and an Olympic Gold Medal figure skater, I decided I wanted to be a master gymnast. Momma went out and bought me an orange leotard with a neon star on the chest and aqua leggings (hey, it was the early 90s.) She tied my hair up in a Bam Bam 'pineapple' ponytail and sent me out to the middle of the mat with 5 or 6 other girls my age. I recall they were all wearing girly colors, like baby pink and grey, and I felt as though I was about to learn how to piroutte, rather than walk the balance beam.

In truth I really had no interest in learning a floor routine, dancing with twirling ribbons, or swinging on the bars- it was flying through the air that appealed to me. You see, this gymnasium had a corner in which the entire floor was a giant trampoline. Visit after visit I had watched as my peers soared through the air doing back flips, splits and other maneuvers mid air. Little did I know that was but one form of training in a sport otherwise unrelated, and gymnastics did not translate into 'spend hours on a trampoline fooling around.' It was very hard work!

Needless to say, I am not a world renowned gymnast, and my 'career' barely lasted past week 3, when I took one look at the bars, and the woman asking me to let go of them mid-swing, and burst into tears. We're not all cracked up to make playground equipment tomfoolery look like a fine art performance! Luckily, I did discover a much more suitable outlet for my need to dance mid-air.

Today, locally, parents an guardians pay upwards of $10-$15 an hour to bring their little ones to a building, the equivalent of an abandoned warehouse, and let them loose on a handful of massive inflatable devices. We've shelled out hundreds of dollars to these fine establishments (which can often be quite crowded) on Spring and Summer breaks alone. Then, when a birthday or family event rolls around, the adults find themselves chipping in to rent a bounce house, which can cost anywhere from $100-$250 an afternoon (plus tip.)

To me, few easily obtainable childhood experiences are as wondrous as quite literally dancing on air. Nothing better captures the freedom and magic of being a child quite like feeling one's self entirely free, yet equally surrounded and safe. The ability to jump, dance, skip, kick, and even flip, in a full size bouncer emulates the freedom and creativity every kid needs to nurture their most precious qualities of creativity, independence, and expression.

That's precisely why I advocate owning an inflatable bouncer for home use. The Big Ol Bouncer Inflatable Moonwalk retails for around $400, a fraction of the cost of a few years worth of rentals and bounce-park visits. It measures a generous 12' x 15' footprint and can support as many as 6 kids at once, with a weight cap of 600lbs! Manufactured and sold by Blast Zone, the Big Ol Bouncer is perfect for entertaining yet economical and easy enough to set up/tear down, to use every day this Summer. Not only does it come with it's own UL Listed Blower, for operation, but it's backed by a 2 year guarantee and eaisly folds back into the included carry tote for seasonal storage.

You don't have to be a business or commercial bounce house dealer to own and enjoy an inflatable like the Big Ol Bouncer. Not only were we instantly the coolest house on the block when this puppy went up in the front yard, but it's size and capacity makes any occasion a great excuse for a jump. I never quite realized how many days we would use a bounce house, if we had only owned one! The generous footprint of the Big Ol Bouncer means all of the kids can play, together, at once. Ages 3-10 all happily marched in and played for 4 hours, at first inflation, without a single incident of tears, fighting, or whining.

We were astounded to watch as the big kids helped the little kids up the slide and through the velcro latch door seam, and as the little kids remembered to line up their shoes and take off their glasses before going inside. Furthermore, they played so enthusiastically that we had requests for hydration breaks, from the littles! One by one they'd call for everyone to stop bouncing so a companion could safely exit down the slide to grab a bottle of water before heading back to play. And play they did!

We were quite excited to see the Big Ol Bouncer allowed for dancing, 'zombie tag,' house role-playing, and (of course) bouncing, without anyone ending up with an elbow in the face. The children has plenty of room to move about and interact! We've even been inspired to look into some of Blast Zone's Inflatable Water Parks for the Summer; http://www.blastzone.com/shop/pc/Inflatable-Water-Parks-c3.htm

While the Big Ol Bouncer has, naturally, proven a useful tool for healthy outdoor play, it has also proven a priceless tool for social skills and development. One of our favorite things to do is empty the bouncer out and allow each kid 3 minutes of 'silly time,' to bounce, dance, and flip to their heart's content. With close adult supervision, each child loves to practice their moves in the middle of the bouncer to the cheers of their friends. For added fun, put your camera on a tripod with multi-shot and snap away for those 'in air' shots that make any child feel like a superhero!

The Big Ol Bouncer is made of an impressively lightweight (to move and store,) yet durable nylon material that has so far also been resistant to scuffs and stains. Since the bouncer has joined our family it's appeared, on schedule, every Friday for some much needed 'end of the school week' recreation. We've yet to experience any issues with leaks or tears, though there is a patch kit included with the purchase. But any proper bounce house connoisseur knows it's all about the bounce!

As fun as it is to go to a party and see that inflatable magic Dora the Explorer commercial inflatable castle peeking over the fence in the backyard, nothing quite compares to knowing the bouncer is here to stay. The smiles on these children's faces have yet to fade, and every time our Big Ol Bouncer goes up the magic is just as real as the first time. They spend hours practicing imaginary play and inventing their own games/sports inside that green and blue bouncer. they build social skills, hone manners, show understanding and respect for personal safety and most of all they 'kid.' They float through the air, not a car in the world, with the largest smiles their faces will accommodate, and every bounce is just as satisfying as the first. As an adult, watching these mini humans take part in such wondrous play is *almost* as satisfying as soaring through the air, myself.

But don't take my word for it (okay, don't ask your kids either, they might be a little biased.) If you're not quite sold on investing in an inflatable for home play, check out the giveaway below for a chance at winning your own Magic Castle bouncer from Blast Zone. Explore all of the newest bounce house designs available from Blast Zone in 2015: http://www.blastzone.com/shop/pc/Bounce-Houses-c2.htm and save 10% when you order by phone with special code BLASTBLOG. We'll also be sharing some of our favorite bouncer games and activities this Summer in a special series so keep your eyes on the blog for more fun! Now, tell me, bounce house, jungle gym, trampoline- what was your favorite way to 'kid out' when you were a child?

What Daughter Says: Let your kids feel like they're dancing on air every day with your own inflatable bouncer.

One Momma Told Me reader will win a Magic Castle inflatable bounce house from Blast Zone!

Blast Zone Magic Castle Bouncer