Splash'n'Bowl

Explanation of Splash'n'Bowl:

• Age range and child interaction:
  • The majority of those who would use such a toy would likely be anywhere from 5-14 years old, but there's really no age limit/minimum for use. As long as you can do a little bit of running and slide on the ground, Splash'n'Bowl is for you
  • The Splash'n'Bowl is simply a new twist on the classic summer water game known as Slip'n'Slide. If you've never had the priviledge to enjoy the massive amounts of fun that Slip'n'Slide alone provides, it's simple to use. You secure a plastic tarp to the ground using stakes, use a hose to continually run water on it, then take off running and slide down the slippery plastic runway, screaming and laughing the whole way. The addition that Splash'n'Bowl provides is the inclusion of bowling in the fun. This new concept has all the same ingredients and techniques for use as a regular Slip'n'Slide, but also has a set of ten inflatable plastic pins that can be placed at the end of the slide. To remain in place the pins would be weighted near the bottom with a small amount of sand contained within. This would provide a soft material for such a use in case a person would happen to slide over the pin, avoiding any bruising, injury, etc. With the new twist that Splash'n'Bowl provides, you're literally bowling with your body, enjoying both the fun of Slip'n'Slide and the competition of bowling!
• Scientific principle behind the toy:
  • The Splash'n'Bowl does an excellent job exposing its users to fluid mechanics, whether they know it or not. By using this toy, you're forced to think about the lubrication that the water provides for the slider, the frictional forces involved, and much more. If you've ever hit a dry spot on a Slip'n'Slide, you know what I'm talking about! You also learn about energy loss, as a matter of fact. If there were no energy loss, the lubricated slide would allow you to keep slipping and sliding endlessly, but that's not the case. The frictional forces, though lowered by the water's lubrication, eventually bring you to a halt, establishing the concept of energy loss.
• Construction cost, durability, and safety:
  • The Slip'n'Slide alone is pretty much a bare bones toy. All you really need is a tarp, some stakes, a hose with a water source, and an open space of grass, all of which, you probably have out near your garage. If you don't have these resources lying around, you can buy the Splash'n'Bowl kit for a relatively inexpensive price. The plastic tarp and stakes are easily mass produced, as well as the plastic inflatable pins. Because of this low mass production cost, the Splash'n'Bowl could likely be produced for less than a dollar per unit, but could be sold for anywhere from $10 to $50, depending on any variations that may be included (longer slide, bigger pins, different colors, etc.)
  • A toy like this should last for years. If it doesn't, you should probably check out your slipping and sliding form, they're probably poor. Provided you're lubricating the slide well enough and you don't pop or tear any of the pins, your Splash'n'Bowl set should easily last 5-10 years, providing many days of summer fun in the sun and water.
  • As mentioned previously, the weight in the bottom of the pins (sand) may provide a bit of a hazard for someone sliding over them, but that risk is relatively low compared to the tie-down stakes. If a slipper or slider would happen to stray from their intended course down the plastic tarp, there's a possibility that they could slide over one of the stakes used to secure it to the ground. To limit the potential for injury, the stakes will be small, blunt, and designed such that very little material sticks up from the ground. Besides this, all slippers and sliders, and bowlers as well should have tons of fun with the Splash'n'bowl with little to no worries at all.