Sprog and Sprocket

Tag: Children’s Entertainment

  • Sprog & Sprocket vs Bounce House & Inflatable Rentals

    Sprog & Sprocket vs Bounce House & Inflatable Rentals

    So… it’s like a bounce house, right?

    Did you know bounce houses have been around nearly 60 years?! That’s quite a long time to not have a real alternative to choose from! One question we get asked a lot when people haven’t seen any pictures of our Soft Play or Portable Playground is – “so is it like a bouncy castle rental?” It happens quite a bit! So we thought it would be a good idea to explain briefly why Sprog & Sprocket is different to a Calgary bounce house rental company.

    We Don’t need Electricity or Noisy Blowers like a bounce house

    Whether it’s a bouncy castle, inflatable obstacle course, inflatable slide, moon bounce (whatever that is!), they all need a noisy blower which also requires access to a power point (or a generator). You’ll also need a BIG space!

    Now, a bounce house is fun, don’t get us wrong – we love them too!
    BUT…
    • have you ever seen 15-20 kids on one at the same time? If so, how safe did you feel watching them? Were the little ones able to play safely alongside the older ones?
    • Were they able to bounce non-stop for 4 hours without tiring?
    • What about children with a physical limitation or a delay in their physical development – a bounce house or inflatable generally excludes this group entirely!
    • And if you haven’t yourself tried to climb up the side of a big bounce house you have probably witnessed someone else doing it!
    Aesthetics

    Something else to consider. What was the view like at the event? Did the inflatable take away from the aesthetics of the party venue? Let’s be honest, large inflatables aren’t exactly subtle!

    Here’s where Sprog & Sprocket differs from your regular party rental company and may give you something to consider when looking at birthday party ideas in Calgary –

    • We have rental options for crawling age babies up to 9 year olds
    • Our Soft Play rentals are specifically for the 5 and under age range
    • Our Portable Playground will safely allow up to 20 kids play!
    • We don’t need any electricity to operate our play equipment
    • There are no noisy blowers!
    • Our Portable Playground is on two levels but still fits in any standard height (8ft) room!
    • We can set up indoors (even in your home) and in many outside locations around Calgary
    • Birthday parties are the obvious choice – But! We’re also perfect for wedding rentals, big family gatherings, corporate event rentals, stampede breakfasts
    • There is no stop/start play like a bounce house, once the kids get playing, they’re entertained for hours on end with just minimal supervision needed.

    I hope this helps explain the major differences between our play equipment and more traditional bouncy castles and inflatables!

    Pop over and see a ton of photos of our setups over on our Facebook page!  Instagram more your thing? We’re over there too >> SproSpro Instagram

    Find more information about our Portable Playground HERE and information about our Toddler Soft Play Spaces HERE.

    If you have a party or a family friendly event coming up give us a call on 403 719 7776.  We’ve already started booking up for Christmas 2018!

    Serving Calgary, Cochrane, Airdrie, Chestermere & Okotoks.

    Thanks for reading,

    Simon 🙂

     

     

     

  • You’re Mental If You Don’t Read Our Blog Series On Community Hall Rentals! (Scenic Acres)

    You’re Mental If You Don’t Read Our Blog Series On Community Hall Rentals! (Scenic Acres)

    So you’ve decided to host Calgary’s most awesome kid’s party and don’t fancy holding it at your house – Now what!? Choosing a Calgary Community Hall that fits your needs!

    As if you don’t already wear enough hats through the week (cleaner, driver, bum wiper, negotiator, etc..!) –  you’ve now taken on the job of being a kids party planner. Yay!

     

    You’ve made the wise decision (we might be biased here) to not book a bounce house rental or get stressed out in one of the crowded indoor play places. Congratulations! By hosting a Sprog & Sprocket Soft Play Party or being one of the first in North America to have your very own play centre with our Portable Soft Play Playground, you have taken step one in kids party planning enlightenment!

     

    Now, what about where to host the party? Well, Calgary’s Community Centres have fantastic hall spaces and are a great option for hosting a kids birthday party! Luckily for you, we have the inside scoop from each hall we set up in! We’ll be documenting our findings in a series of blog posts, with the idea of helping you select the perfect calgary venue and making planning your kids birthday party as easy as possible.

     

    The series starts in the North West of Calgary and we begin with Scenic Acres Community Association…

    Scenic Acres Community Association
    8825 Scurfield Dr NW
    Calgary
    T3L 2A8
    Tel: (403) 547 9589
    www.scenicacres.ca

     

    What Is The Access Like?

    The first thing we look at when viewing a community hall is what the access to the space is like. It should be important to you too as it’s not just us bringing in our play equipment, you will also likely be bringing in birthday cake, party decorations, food and a herd of excitable party animals!

     

    Not having any stairs to climb here is super helpful, and when planning your party equipment rental whether with us or another event rental company, it is something we always look out for. Parts of the soft play equipment can be very heavy and not able to go up/down staircases.

     

    Community Hall Features:

    Mountain Views

    As soon as you walk through the door at SACA, you can see the community hall space to your right and you may also be slightly distracted by the INCREDIBLE mountain views across the back. The hall’s large and panoramic windows show off the view and really elevate the space into something quite special.

    Kitchen

    Another great feature of SACA is the kitchen attached to the mail hall. From the kitchen, there is a large open hatch into the hall and all utensils and cooking equipment are clean and in good working order. It is important to note that the kitchen is ‘residential’ and so you aren’t able to prepare meals from scratch due to fire regulations, but you are welcome to bring in any prepared foods and use the cooker to heat them and maintain their serving temperatures.

    • Residential kitchen: all major appliances
    • Basic mixing bowls/utensils/serving trays
    • 12, 36 or 100 cup coffee makers
    Amenities

    Next to the kitchen is the storage room where you will find tables and chairs – all good quality and clean with very easy access to bring them in to the hall and move them out at the end of your rental.

    • 24 rectangular tables 6 feet x 2.5 feet
    • Chairs for 125 people
    • Built-in sound system: CD/Cassette/MP3 capacity (speakers in ceiling)
    • Microphones
    Size

    Depending on the size of your party, you may also wish to use their boardroom as an additional party/cake/present opening room. The main hall is 1600sqft (12m x 13m) so you would need to be throwing a pretty big bash to need that extra room, but it’s good to know that it’s available!  It’s also bright and spacious with lots of wall space to put up your party decorations and accomodates up to 36 people!

    Other info

    Some other features of SACA which makes for a good choice as a birthday party venue are fantastic access from Stoney Trail and Crowchild Trail, a large parking lot and friendly and helpful staff. They are a very busy community hall and we recommend booking your birthday party or event with lots of notice.

    In fact, when you’re looking into your soft play rental or playground rental with Sprog & Sprocket, we advise reserving your date with a minimum 3 month notice. It’s April at the time of writing and we do have Christmas party bookings in the diary).

     

    Can we easily set up the Portable Playground at Scenic Acres? YES

    Can we easily set up a Toddler Soft Play Package at Scenic Acres? YES

     

    Have you hosted an event at Scenic Acres Community Association? Leave us a comment, we love hearing your thoughts and ideas on what makes a good birthday party location!

     

    Thanks for reading : )