Favorite special needs ministry gear: JumpStart Trampoline (on sale at Target, today only!)

Every so often, I'll feature an item that we LOVE in our special needs ministry setting. This trampoline will start us off, because we love it and because it's majorly marked down TODAY ONLY at Target.com (get it here for $54.99; I think it was $75 on Amazon when we got ours).

So why do I like this one best?

  • The triangle shape with legs at each corner: It doesn't rock or flip like the round ones we've tried.
  • 80 pound limit: Higher than many others designed for kids that we considered. We've tested it up to that level without problem.
  • Bicycle bar handles: On other trampolines, I've seen kids flip over the straight bar (or at least try to!). You can't do that with this.
  • The noises: Yes, it can be loud and obnoxious, so we remove the batteries if we know a child who has sensitivity to sound is going to be in the room. However, some of our kids love to control the short noises and choose their own. 
  • Wipes down easily: Gotta keep those germies in check!
  • Textured foam hand grips: A lot of our kids like to touch the handles, even if they aren't bouncing.
  • The colors/design: This isn't the most important reason to get something, but I do like the look of it!
It was difficult for me to assemble, but I'm not the most skilled gal in that area. My husband put it together, and even he needed help in one step (I had to hold something while he put a screw in, I think). I don't share that to dissuade you from getting it, because we love ours, but I want you to know that you probably won't be able to whip this together by yourself.

And, finally, how do we use this? Well, we have a sensory break room where our one-on-one buddies can come with the child they're paired with. The room can be particularly helpful if the buddy notices that a child is going to have a meltdown and can change settings before that meltdown happens. In the sensory room, we have this trampoline, some pretend play toys, hand puppets, a variety of sensory balls (some squishy, some spiky, some stress balls, some textured), Benny the Bull (who we got for $20 or $25 on a deal of the day site), and several different sensory bins. Other than the trampoline and Benny, everything in the room was very low cost. I'll post more about those other items in the future!

We also use the trampoline during respite nights, in which it gets near-constant use for three hours. It has held up well!