Have a Ball and Get Wet, too! Ultimate Beach Ball Sprinkler
Written: Jul 24 '04
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Pros: Water play, cools you off on a hot day
Cons: It's for children!
The Bottom Line: No pool? No Ocean? Bring water fun to your front yard and get soaked with the Little Tikes Ultimate Beach Ball Sprinkler.
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| mommykd's Full Review: Little Tikes Ultimate Beach Ball Sprinkler |
It's hot. Hot, humid, sticky - you name it! Visit Georgia in mid July and you'll know what I mean. Especially when you are spending it in an in home daycare center full of kids and trying to find ways to keep them cool and entertained. The neighbors have a pool, and we are welcome to use it any time and all the time. However, state regulations will not allow us to take the children swimming in more than 2 feet of water without a lifeguard present. Not only that, when you add my kids, some days we have 8 or 10 kids there, and that's too many squirmy little bodies for 2 adults to monitor anyway. Enter into our lives the Little Tikes Ultimate Beach Ball Sprinkler.
Little Tikes Ultimate Beach Ball Sprinkler is a combination of outdoor water play and bouncing, rolling beach ball fun. Inflate the ball, hook it up to a garden/water hose and watch the fun begin. Water sprays out of four different spray heads - 3 on the sides and one on the top. It can be kicked around the yard just like a regular beach ball, or a water pouch in the bottom of the ball can be filled with about 1/2 gallon of water to make it a stationary sprinkler. The ball inflates to 88 inches in circumference. For ages 18 months and up. (and up, and up)
A Great Big Ball and Fun for ALL
Inflation was fairly easy. There is only one chamber, and I used a hand held air pump. It took about 5 or 10 minutes. Hooking the ball to the hose was as simple as hooking the hose to the water spigot. Turn on the water and Whoosh! the fun begins! Water pressure/flow can be controlled by how hard you turn on the water - I turned the water on full force and it didn't pop the hose away from the ball like some water toys will do. The kids playing the first day ranged in age from 3 to 8 and they all had a blast. From running around the ball, to kicking it at each other, they squealed and giggled so much, I felt a twinge of jealousy. Ah! The joys of childhood to run through the sprinkler on a hot summer's day!. The 8 year old was slightly embarrassed because she didn't have a swimsuit and was playing in her clothes, so I seized the opportunity then and there. Ready! Set! Go! - clothes and all I ran through the sprinkler too! It felt so good, I played right along with them for 1/2 hour.
Ups and Downs and All Arounds
Playing with the Ultimate Beach Ball Sprinkler in kick play mode was fun, but it seemed like one of the spray fountains was always facing more on the ground , and we had to keep adjusting the hose to make it stand up straight. However, this mode did allow us, I mean them to enjoy other variations of play. I held the ball over my head which allowed the children to run under the spraying fountains. (Yes, I got drenched) Filling the water reservoir provides stationary play and less chance of someone getting hurt from pushing and kicking. The kids also played by backing up to the ball and letting the fountains spray them in the back, blocking the fountains with their hands and then letting go for a big splash, and even trying to drink from the sprays.
Overall - We had a Ball!
The Little Tikes Ultimate Beach Ball Sprinkler is a great way to beat the Summer heat when swimming is not an option. It is fun for all ages (including this 36 year old). The spray from the water fountains is not so forceful that it hurts but is forceful enough to give you a good soaking!
www.little tikes.com Product #4989
*** Availability may be limited at this time. I had a hard time locating a store near us that has it in stock. Closest Target or WalMart that had one was 1 1/2 hours away. Most online retailers were listed as out of stock when I order ours, but I eventually located it at FSToys.com for $11.99, and it was delivered within 3 days.***
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 11.99
Type of Toy: Playscene
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years
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Epinions.com ID:
mommykd
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Member: Lisa
Location: Georgia
Reviews written: 118
Trusted by: 17 members
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