[blindkid] never stands still

Sat Jun 12 04:28:58 UTC 2010

I appreciate your kind words, thanks. I tend to agree about the  
trampolines-- it seems like all of the elastic loops and straps and  
bungee solutions just don't last at all. The steel springs can break  
but until they do, they seem to work consistently. Elastic seems to be  
slowly loosing its "spring" from the first jump as the mats slowly  
"ooze" closer and closer to the floor....

Anyone who gets one of these for the first time, please do make a  
point to keep the tension as evenly balanced as possible as you attach  
the springs or bungees or you could risk bending or even folding the  
frame.

On Jun 11, 2010, at 1:39 PM, Heather wrote:

> No worries, that is great, very helpful.  even with the hastle  
> factor, I think springs would be better for us.  The one we have has  
> a bungy chord that you are to wrap all of the way around the frame,  
> while threading it through ilets.  We worked at it for three tries,  
> over thirty minutes with a lot of four letter words, sweat dripping  
> into eyes and pinched fingers, and it would only go half way  
> around.  I'm pretty strong, and Jim is a United States Marine for  
> crying out loud.  The only way we even got it up has been through  
> hanging a bag with two heavy bowling balls from one end while  
> securing it to a beam in the basement to stretch the blasted thing  
> out for two days strait.  .  Springs,that need replacement, sound  
> more my thing. The jumpaline thing, I should qualify.  It's great if  
> you have one child only, who starts using it at 12 to 24 months of  
> age, with supervision, and you don't own any cats, and you find it  
> on clearance.  We found a 100 dollar sort for about 30 and figured  
> if it popped we wouldn't be out that much, and it has held up for  
> six months thus far.  Once we have more children though, we will get  
> one of those larger net enclosed models from the great site you sent  
> a link for.
>
> It just strikes me that as a sighted father of a blind daughter,  
> just how much you have done and thought of to do for her physical  
> education.  Your suggestions, resources and thought process are  
> miles ahead of some OT people I know who have masters degrees and  
> certification for both Early Childhood Development and Occupational  
> Tharapy.  My sighted dad's big thing was art. He gave me an  
> apreciation for colours, shadows and light, adapted art projects  
> that I don't know any other blind person to have ever done with  
> artistic and efficent result.  He really has a gift that way, and I  
> think you do regarding the physical education and movement  
> component.  Your daughter is lucky to have you.
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Holloway" <rholloway at gopbc.org 
> >
> To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org 
> >
> Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 1:38 AM
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] never stands still
>
>
> Sure,
>
> The best we've found so far (our fifth small trampoline) has been our
> Bazoongi 55" Junior Combo Trampoline with Teclon Pad. (That's the
> official name on the web site.) I mention this with some reservation
> because we have had some problems with it, but it  has been better
> than our first four... All of these small units seem to be within a
> foot or less from the floor.
>
> It has steel springs which I thought would solve everything over our
> previous elastic and bungee "springs". Well, the springs mount into
> little slots in the frame. Jump enough and the edge of the punched
> slot and the hook of the spring rub one another. The holes get longer
> while the springs get thinner. After about six months, springs began
> to break. (The hook ends simply snap off.) They sent replacements but
> then I realized the frame was getting damaged (slots tearing to the
> center of the frame, my oversight-- could not see that before I took
> it apart to add the springs though). They sent a new frame but then I
> realized they sent the wrong frame (too small, their mistake). They
> sent another frame but then I realized we were short on springs from
> the first batch (also their mistake). Finally they sent 40 more
> springs and I replaced every one again. All this took several weeks
> and I expect to have springs failing again this fall sometime and
> suspect the frame could be getting unsafe a few months after that.
> People at Bazoongi were very nice and polite and all parts and
> shipping to date have been free but the hassle factor is still pretty
> high.
>
> Bottom line is that any of these $100-range products simply seem not
> to be designed to last for a terribly long time.
>
> The Intex Jump-O-Lene (I assume that's the one?) looks fun, but my
> first reaction is the sides look low enough that a jumper could vault
> over the side. Also, ultimately most of these blow-up units spring
> leaks and deflate. This becomes a huge pain, re-inflating over and
> again until the leaks are so fast that you can't use them anymore.
> Adult weight may also pop them if you have to crawl in to rescue a
> child with a "boo-boo", for example. Usually patch kits are included
> but these often fail to stop the leaks properly. The trampoline above
> has about 6 feet of surround netting so there's no chance of that,
> though you can fall out the door if the netting tears up or the "door"
> is not closed.
>
> For something smaller than the Bazoongi we have, I'd probably look on
> their same page at the 48"  Bazoongi® Bouncer. (Comes in pink or
> orange camo.) This one is $100. (The next one up is only $7 more.) The
> key difference is that the 55" unit has no actual handle but tall
> sides with netting while the 48" has no surround netting but does have
> a padded, "inverted-U" handle. Smaller kids could probably do better
> with the handle, but if they do let go, there is no safety net so
> think of that when you set it up. All of these small units (like the
> 48" and the 55") seem to be within a foot or less from the floor.
> Carpet with a pad is better than a hard floor. Pillows around it might
> help, but put them out far enough to catch a rebounding child.
>
> Here is the Bazoongi page:
> http://www.bazoongi.com/trampoline.htm
>
> You could also go in the inflatable bounce house direction of you have
> enough space and can tolerate the noise of the blower. Honestly, I'd
> want a basement room to use these inside but they are great to softly
> stop a fall and the surround nets are strong. However they'd
> completely fill most of our living rooms, especially when you factor
> in the blower that has to run all the time it is up. Better for most
> of us to find outdoor space but then you have winter snow and summer
> mosquitos to factor in or whatever local frustrations mother nature
> will throw your way.
>
> I hope that helps a bit.
>
> If anyone else has some better recommendations, please jump in with
> them. I know of more durable solutions but they are in the larger
> trampoline and bounce house realm. They require a chunk of outdoor
> space and are from several hundred dollars to up in the $1000-plus
> range for even the lower end offerings in that arena.
>
> Richard
>
>
>
> On Jun 10, 2010, at 11:31 PM, Heather wrote:
>
>> Richard, this might be off topic, but since you brought it up,  
>> could  you please recommend a good quality small toddler trampoline  
>> and  then maybe one for slightly larger kids?  We baught Jeremy one  
>> when  he out grew his baby jumper at around 12 months old, but the  
>> one we  got was a pain to set up, has very little bounce, is very  
>> small  considering the amount of space it takes up and is already  
>> showing  signs of ware and tare and Jeremy only jumps about thirty  
>> to forty  minutes a day.  It's funny that you mention all that your  
>> daughter  does on hers.  Jeremy loves to watch TV, listen to the  
>> radeo, sing,  talk to himself, or his checkered towel, his version  
>> of a security  blanket, even look at books or pet the cat who has  
>> learned that for  pats he needs to stand on the table where  
>> Jeremy's bouncing hand will pat, but not hit him while meowing up a  
>> storm to go with the  toddler babble.  I am always having to stop  
>> him from bringing his  sippy cup or finger food snack up there with  
>> him.  In a pinch for  time with Jeremy in a pissy mood I have even  
>> managed diaper changes  and clothing changes while he jumped  
>> lightly.  lol  He never jumps  for more than five minutes at a  
>> time, but he will do it through out  the day, and if thwarted by  
>> time constraints, it is clear that his  mood and receptiveness to  
>> learning suffers if he can't jump.  His  other thing, that I will  
>> post about and ask some thing about later  is going up and down and  
>> up and down our stairs for up to an hour  and forty minutes with  
>> various games and make-believe employed while  doing it.  So,  
>> second the trampoline recommendation, add the  recommendation for  
>> something called a jumpaline, a mini bounce house  for the living  
>> room that Jeremy also recommends, as he has one of  those at Jim's  
>> house and the trampoline at mine, , and request  recommendations  
>> for spacific trampolines that pass the Kendra ceal  of approval.
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Holloway" <rholloway at gopbc.org
>> >
>> To: <empwrn at bellsouth.net>; "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for   
>> parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2010 2:18 PM
>> Subject: Re: [blindkid] never stands still
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