Get on the TumbleBus
A playground on wheels? That’s the TumbleBus, and it’s a place that kids love. So do their parents
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Making music: Kalyn Kirshner, Angela Sykes, Trevor
Tokairin, Madison Chang and Taylor Moniz
The start-up process to get TumbleBus here in Hawaii involved Voss meeting with the woman who originally came up with the idea in Indiana. From there he purchased a bus already set up, and received training. Unlike a franchise, once the bus was purchased and initial training completed, the business became an entrepreneurship for Voss, where he was given the freedom to an add his own ideas.
“We’ve added is a rope swing, a rock wall, different trapeze bars, zip bars,” says Voss. “So they give you a foundation and then your imagination can take you from there. We teach everything from gymnastics to soccer. We try to introduce kids into everything, so once they get through with TumbleBus they want to go and do soccer or karate or anything physical.”
TumbleBus boss Ben Voss gives
Liam Fukuyama, 22 months, a hand
Parents can also rest assured that Voss and his assistant Brandie Freund have both been through a training program by a nationally recognized leader in preschool gymnastics, Patty Komara. Voss also remains active by competing in marathons. He mentions this to emphasize just how demanding nine classes in one day are. Keeping up with the 350-400 kids TumbleBus picks up each week requires lots of endurance.
Geared toward children ages 2- 5, TumbleBus Hawaii is already paying regular visits to 20 preschools schools throughout Oahu, including three Alphabetland locations, Carey School, Cornerstone Early Education Center, Daycare@Kaikala’s, Hawaii Kai Baptist Child Care Center, Kailua Baptist Preschool, KCAA Pre- Schools, Makiki Christian Church Preschool, Mililani Baptist Preschool, Mililani Missionary Preschool, Mililani Presbyterian Preschool, Mililani YMCA, Nuuanu Baptist Church PreSchool, Nuuanu Preschool, Olivet Baptist Preschool, Queen Emma Preschool, Rainbow School and Teddy Bear Daycare.
“Debbie’s (and Stacey’s) child care (Taylor’s group, pictured) is the only one like that where we do younger children and only go once a month,” says Voss. “We try to do day care, but they are the only ones who are consistent and organized. They’ve constantly had at least 15 kids every time. They are the exception though, not the rule.”
Debbie and Stacey’s unique arrangement started about three years ago, when they decided to combine their at-home child care centers located just blocks apart and reserve the bus once a month.
“TumbleBus comes at 11 a.m. here every third Thursday of the month and the kids just love it,” says Debbie Kaikala, day care provider and president of the Oahu Family Childcare Business Association. “We knew they only did preschools, but we could meet the quota and thought it would be great for the kids.”
The average class has 15 kids, with a minimum of 10. At preschools where visits are scheduled weekly, parents are billed monthly for the four $10 visits. For Debbie and Stacey’s group, the kids line up with their $10 at each visit, handing it over to “Uncle Ben,” which is for some their very first experience paying with actual money.
Classes are constantly changing in theme and equipment. During my visit on the TumbleBus the theme was “Frogs.” First the kids stretched like frogs and then they danced and hit sticks to a song about frogs. After the music and dancing, Voss and assistant Freund explained the “froggy obstacle course” that the kids/frogs were to hop their way through. First kids hung from rings, then did backward rolls to the trampoline where they jumped, then they “ribitted” their way across the monkey bars, and finally they hopped on the lily pads back to the start to begin their froggy journey all over again.
The kids loved it. The older children (ages 3-4) caught on quickly and raced through the course, while the younger ones needing more assistance restlessly moved from one activity to the next with an uncertain sense of direction. One thing was for sure, there wasn’t an unhappy face in the bus.
“With children ages 2 to 5, they’re brains are developing at such a rapid rate that exercise actually helps stimulate the nerves to connect the nerves together,” says Voss. “So the hand-eye coordination skills, the gross motor movement skills, are all improved by hanging on the bars, jumping on the dots, and tumbling. It’s all going to help them with following directions, interacting with other children, drawing, the list just goes on.”
Samantha Lohman crosses the horizontal ladder
while Makena Alcover awaits his turn
In addition to classes, TumbleBus Hawaii is available for birthday parties. The party format includes supervised free play, an obstacle course, a climbing mountain, relay races, parachute games, party games, an award ceremony, prizes and a group picture. And the birthday keiki receives a TumbleBus shirt. Costs for parties is $200 an hour for up to 15 kids. A mini castle can be added for an additional $50 an hour.
After experiencing TumbleBus for myself, I have confidently added it to my kid-tested and mommy-approved list. Now it’s just figuring out why kids love Teletubbies.
For more information about TumbleBus, call 230-8408 or visit www.tumblebushawaii.com
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