RWIs at Your Pool Posted on April 15, 2019April 9, 2019 by Justin at PoolDues RWI = recreational water illness A fun topic, I know. But there’s a chance you’ll have to deal with this at least once at your pool this summer. RWIs include a variety of infections including gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, and wound, but the most common RWI for pools is diarrhea. The CDC has some good materials about how chlorine works to kill germs, but the important points to know are: Chlorine doesn’t kill germs immediately. Some germs (like Cryptosporidium, which causes diarrhea) can live in chlorinated pools for days. The more contaminants in the water (like pee) the more diluted the germ-killing ability of chlorine. When dirt and sweat rinse off our bodies in the water, the chemicals break down these things rather than kill the germs. If you smell “chlorine” you’re really smelling the interaction of chlorine with pee, poop, dirt, and/or sweat, not the chlorine itself. If there’s an overpowering chlorine smell, the pool is extra dirty! (Unless you’ve accidentally added way too much chlorine.) Best practices: Keep pee, poop, sweat, and dirt out of the pool Stay out of the water if you have diarrhea Shower before entering the water Don’t pee or poop in the water Teach children not to pee or poop in the water Take children for bathroom breaks regularly Change diapers in a designated diaper-changing area (i.e., not poolside) Don’t swallow the water Teach children not to swallow the water Admittedly, it’s not a glamorous (or interesting) topic, but better safe than sorry 🤢 Spend some time educating yourself and your members about RWIs and you’ll all be happier in the end.
Healthy and Safe Swimming Week Posted on April 10, 2019April 9, 2019 by Justin at PoolDues The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sponsors a Healthy and Safe Swimming Week, which is happening May 20-26 this year. Why not use that week to promote healthy and safe swimming practices to your members? Memorial Day falls on May 27th this year, which means most pools will be opening sometime during the week of May 20th – the perfect time to remind your members about pool safety! The CDC has lots of promotional materials, so it’s super easy for you to go online and grab some images (look below at the gif with diarrhea!) for your website or Facebook page, and print out some posters for the pool. Click here for buttons and banners for your website or your pool’s Facebook page. Click here for infographics Click here for posters – lots of printable posters about pool operation and swimmer hygiene
How to Host a Movie Night at the Pool Posted on April 1, 2019March 27, 2019 by Justin at PoolDues Movie night at the pool is not the easiest event you’ll pull off all summer, but it’s such a great memory for the kids that it’s totally worth the upfront time to get it all put together. This is the kind of event your members will remember all year long and look forward to from year to year. What you’ll need: Movie screen Projector Sound system Inflatables Snacks Movie Screen There are lots of options for outdoor movie screens. Pre-built screens – just unfold or set up and you’re ready A simple Amazon search for “outdoor movie screen” will give lots of options Inflatables – just blow up and you’re ready A simple Amazon search for “outdoor movie screen inflatable” will give lots of options DIY – you’ll have to build these yourself, but they may prove the cheapest option PVC pipes and a white sheet (here’s a video tutorial) Hang a sheet between 2 trees Hang a sheet on the clubhouse wall For the DIY options, make sure you have something black behind the sheet otherwise the projection will simply pass through the sheet. If you hang a sheet on a wall, you’re all set. If you’re building your own setup or hanging a sheet between trees, you should think about putting a black sheet or back trash bags behind the white sheet. Projector First, see if any club members have a projector at home. If not, there are some relatively cheap options on the market. Again, a simple Amazon search for “outdoor movie projector” gives lots of options. This is a great time for a crowd-funded product in your store – set up a new product in your Pool Dues store and have people chip in some money to buy the club a projector. Some things to think about when you’re looking at projectors: You need a minimum of 2,000 lumens. If you go higher than 2,000 you can start the movie earlier. In other words, 2,000 is the lower limit for brightness that will show up on a large screen, but you’ll have to wait until it is completely dark to start the movie. Choose a projector with 3,000 lumens and you can start the movie shortly after sunset (i.e., before it’s truly dark out). Make sure the projector can connect to whatever device you’re using to access the movie. You’ll need a cable to connect the projector to your laptop to show Netflix or Amazon Prime movies, or to connect to your Apple TV or your Amazon Fire TV if you want to show movies from your iTunes account or other online movie databases. Some projectors even connect to your iPhone. Most projectors these days come with the correct cords, but double check that the projector comes with the right cord for your needs. Sound There’s a good chance someone at the club has wireless Bluetooth speakers they can donate for the night. If not, here’s another time you can put a crowd-funded product in your Pool Dues store! You can also buy outdoor speakers that can connect right into the projector. Inflatables What’s more fun than lying in a pool on an inflatable flamingo while watching a movie?? Encourage members to bring their inflatable rafts to make for a laid-back movie watching experience. With that said, we understand that some clubs have rules about inflatables in the pool, and we also understand the very real safety issues with inflatables in the pool. Particularly when there are a lot of inflatables in the pool and it’s dark, it’s way too easy for a child to slip under and not been seen under all the floats. It’s super important that movie night is highly supervised by parents and lifeguards, and it may be worthwhile to set an age limit on the event (like tweens and up). Snacks Obviously, you’re gonna need glow-in-the-dark bracelets and glow sticks! And popcorn! And soda! And candy! And all the fun things!! One Final Thought If you’re going to charge money for movie night, it’s important that you only charge for the food, extra lifeguards, purchased items (e.g., projector, inflatables, etc.). By law, you cannot charge money for the movie itself – that is copyright infringement. But you already knew that, right?! Your neighborhood club is not a for-profit venture – you’re there to provide a place for safe and fun family time. Any money charged for an event (whether it is movie night, a BBQ, a keg, or tween night) is money that members are paying to help fund the event, not to make your club a profit. By law, you are not allowed to make a profit off showing a movie unless you have copyright permission from the studio.
Use Your Pool Dues Storefront for Crowd-Funded Purchases Posted on February 26, 2019March 1, 2019 by Justin at PoolDues Does your club need new playground equipment? Or updated tennis scoreboards? What about a kegerator? These are types of things that some of your members want but not all members want. So why not use crowdfunding to pay for items that only a portion of your members will use? If the whole club isn’t going to use an item, the whole club shouldn’t have to pay for it. For example, families with young children should help pay for a new swingset. Tennis players should help pay for a new scoreboard. Beer drinkers should help pay for a kegerator. (Read our discussion about kegerators here.) Here’s how your Pool Dues Storefront can help. Administrators can use the Board Member Dashboard for this. Create a new product in the store for the item, such as a new swingset. Set a suggested price. (We think a suggested price of $20 is about right for any type of crowd-funded item, regardless of the type of item. People don’t think too much of dropping 20 bucks for something, and while it might take longer to purchase the item if people only pay $20 a pop, you’ll never buy the item if you ask for a large donation that no one pays.) Include a name-your-price option so that people who really want the item can pay more to get it purchased faster. Send out a newsletter and use your social media feeds (like your Facebook Group) to let members know about the crowdfunding campaign. Use Club News to let members know how far along the campaign is. Create a new Headline or News Item At the bottom of the page, unfold for fundraising options to add to your headline Select your item from the pulldown menu and the real-time amount currently fundraised will show! Pool Dues has all of these capabilities built right into your Storefront, so all you need to do is type in the name of the item, type in a price, let your members know about it, and you’re set! Your Pool Dues site is so easy to use that it automatically calculates how much progress your fundraising campaign has made to-date. So why not use variable pricing to crowdfund specific items for your club? Try it out and see how easy it is to get the right people to pay for new and fun things at the club!
Tween Party Night Ideas Posted on February 15, 2019February 22, 2019 by Justin at PoolDues [spb_text_block animation=”none” animation_delay=”0″ simplified_controls=”yes” custom_css_percentage=”no” padding_vertical=”0″ padding_horizontal=”0″ margin_vertical=”0″ custom_css=”margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;” border_size=”0″ border_styling_global=”default” width=”2/3″ el_position=”first”] Tween Party Night Ideas Those of us with tweens in our lives know how much they love their iPads, iPhones, and XBoxes and how fickle they are about what activities they’re willing to do. Why not throw a tween night at the club? Let’s get these kids away from their devices for a few hours and let them actually interact with each other! Here are a few ideas to keep your club’s tweens engaged on a tween party night: [/spb_text_block] [spb_image_banner image=”2695″ image_size=”full” content_pos=”left” content_textalign=”left” animation=”none” animation_delay=”200″ link_target=”_self” width=”1/3″ el_position=”last”][/spb_image_banner] [spb_text_block animation=”none” animation_delay=”0″ simplified_controls=”yes” custom_css_percentage=”no” padding_vertical=”0″ padding_horizontal=”0″ margin_vertical=”0″ custom_css=”margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;” border_size=”0″ border_styling_global=”default” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] Poolside movie night – set up a screen by the pool so kids can float on inflatables in the pool while watching the movie Indoor movie night – have kids bring their pillows and blankets to get comfy while watching the movie Team trivia Ice cream bar Popcorn bar Build your own pizza bar Group Mad Libs Name That Tune Balloon badminton – set up a badminton net and use either badminton racquets or hands to pass a ballon across the net Talent show Board games Twister contest Video game tournament Interactive scavenger hunt – have kids take pictures of scavenger hunt items Photo booth with props Stargazing Pumpkin carving Tie-dye tshirts Ping pong tournament [/spb_text_block]
Summer Games for Your Neighborhood Pool Posted on June 5, 2018February 20, 2019 by Justin at PoolDues [spb_text_block animation=”none” animation_delay=”0″ simplified_controls=”yes” custom_css_percentage=”no” padding_vertical=”0″ padding_horizontal=”0″ margin_vertical=”0″ custom_css=”margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;” border_size=”0″ border_styling_global=”default” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] Spend a little of your social budget this year on ramping up the game collection at your neighborhood pool! [/spb_text_block] [spb_text_block animation=”none” animation_delay=”0″ simplified_controls=”yes” custom_css_percentage=”no” padding_vertical=”0″ padding_horizontal=”0″ margin_vertical=”0″ custom_css=”margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;” border_size=”0″ border_styling_global=”default” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] Let’s go over this far-from-exhaustive list of games that can entertain kids (and adults) at the pool this season. Remember that 10-15 minutes out of every hour is adult swim and that’s 10-15 minutes kids can spend annoying their parents to go home or 10-15 minutes when they socialize with other kids playing games. Lawn Games Is your neighborhood pool lucky enough to have some truly useable lawn space? Mine is. We don’t have a high dive, we don’t have a slide, but we got lawn! And when it’s adult swim, that’s where the kids go. They’ll play ball-wall against the guard shack, freeze tag, frisbee, you name it. And of course, whatever their Social Director can afford to spend money on for them to play with. Fortunately, lawn games are relatively cheap. Here’s a few… [/spb_text_block] [spb_text_block animation=”none” animation_delay=”0″ simplified_controls=”yes” custom_css_percentage=”no” padding_vertical=”0″ padding_horizontal=”0″ margin_vertical=”0″ custom_css=”margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;” border_size=”0″ border_styling_global=”default” width=”1/2″ el_position=”first”] Bottle Bash (aka Beerspee) This is a favorite among adults and kids. Opposing teams of two try to knock down a plastic bottle on top of a pole using a frisbee. If the receiving team can’t catch the frisbee, the throwing team gets 1 point. If the receiving team’s bottle drops, the throwing team gets 2 points. If both the frisbee and bottle drop, the throwing team gets 3 points. We play until 21, and you must win by 2 (so a bottle drop must win the game). In the adult version, we require one hand to be holding a beer. This game gets my highest recommendation as Social Director! [/spb_text_block] [spb_column col_sm=”6″ padding_horizontal=”0″ width=”1/2″ el_position=”last”] [spb_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJHbmcpGu0s&t=4s” remove_related=”yes” autoplay=”no” full_width=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] [/spb_column] [spb_divider type=”standard” text=”Go to top” top_margin=”0px” bottom_margin=”30px” fullwidth=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] [spb_text_block animation=”none” animation_delay=”0″ simplified_controls=”yes” custom_css_percentage=”no” padding_vertical=”0″ padding_horizontal=”0″ margin_vertical=”0″ custom_css=”margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;” border_size=”0″ border_styling_global=”default” width=”1/2″ el_position=”first”] SpikeBall This game is described as volleyball meets four square. I’ve just ordered this for my neighborhood pool, but I’m going to predict now it’ll be a big hit. This is a 1 vs 1 or 2 vs 2 game where the same rules of volleyball apply (only two ball touches allowed), but you spike the ball into the net, and the other team has to return the spike or lose a point. [/spb_text_block] [spb_column col_sm=”6″ padding_horizontal=”0″ width=”1/2″ el_position=”last”] [spb_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RULU1m9_008″ remove_related=”yes” autoplay=”no” full_width=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] [/spb_column] [spb_divider type=”standard” text=”Go to top” top_margin=”0px” bottom_margin=”30px” fullwidth=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] [spb_text_block animation=”none” animation_delay=”0″ simplified_controls=”yes” custom_css_percentage=”no” padding_vertical=”0″ padding_horizontal=”0″ margin_vertical=”0″ custom_css=”margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;” border_size=”0″ border_styling_global=”default” width=”1/2″ el_position=”first”] Target Frisbee Does your pool have some extra floatie tubes in the lost and found? I’m guessing yes. Well, check out this DIY video on how to turn those tubes into goals for target frisbee. [/spb_text_block] [spb_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZXyMm-_A-A” remove_related=”yes” autoplay=”no” full_width=”no” width=”1/2″ el_position=”last”] [spb_divider type=”standard” text=”Go to top” top_margin=”0px” bottom_margin=”30px” fullwidth=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] [spb_text_block animation=”none” animation_delay=”0″ simplified_controls=”yes” custom_css_percentage=”no” padding_vertical=”0″ padding_horizontal=”0″ margin_vertical=”0″ custom_css=”margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;” border_size=”0″ border_styling_global=”default” width=”1/2″ el_position=”first”] Hearthsong Wonder Wave Okay, this isn’t really a game, but I’m sure the neighborhood kids will make it into one somehow. And it seems perfect for kids in wet bathing suits. [/spb_text_block] [spb_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfQIfPrfLTE” remove_related=”yes” autoplay=”no” full_width=”no” width=”1/2″ el_position=”last”] [spb_divider type=”standard” text=”Go to top” top_margin=”0px” bottom_margin=”30px” fullwidth=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] [spb_text_block animation=”none” animation_delay=”0″ simplified_controls=”yes” custom_css_percentage=”no” padding_vertical=”0″ padding_horizontal=”0″ margin_vertical=”0″ custom_css=”margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;” border_size=”0″ border_styling_global=”default” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] Honorable Mentions… Cornhole – A few years ago Cornhole probably would have been higher up on my list, but let’s be real: it’s lost a little of its luster. But hey, if your pool has a set sitting in some closet, dust it off and break it out. Bocce Ball – I love bocce ball, and I’ll suggest to the Board until the day I die that we need to build a real court. But until that happens, it’s hard to justify kids throwing around the world’s hardest balls willy nilly on the lawn. In theory, you could play bocce ball without an official court. [/spb_text_block] [spb_divider type=”standard” text=”Go to top” top_margin=”0px” bottom_margin=”30px” fullwidth=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] [spb_text_block animation=”none” animation_delay=”0″ simplified_controls=”yes” custom_css_percentage=”no” padding_vertical=”0″ padding_horizontal=”0″ margin_vertical=”0″ custom_css=”margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;” border_size=”0″ border_styling_global=”default” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] Pavement Games [/spb_text_block] [spb_text_block animation=”none” animation_delay=”0″ simplified_controls=”yes” custom_css_percentage=”no” padding_vertical=”0″ padding_horizontal=”0″ margin_vertical=”0″ custom_css=”margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;” border_size=”0″ border_styling_global=”default” width=”1/2″ el_position=”first”] 4 Square – Hugely popular among the kids, this game requires nothing more than a four square grid painted on the pavement and a bouncy ball. Ping pong – If your pool can find the space (and budget) for a good OUTDOOR ping pong table, this makes for an amazing addition to the club. Adults and kids will love it. You probably won’t love replacing balls and paddles, but that’s what Amazon is for. A decent outdoor table is about $600. Hopscotch – If you’re painting the pavement for 4 Square, save a little paint and make a cool hopscotch board too. A classic game that’s still entertaining to kids. [/spb_text_block] [spb_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3snA-57CiX8″ remove_related=”yes” autoplay=”no” full_width=”no” width=”1/2″ el_position=”last”] [spb_divider type=”standard” text=”Go to top” top_margin=”0px” bottom_margin=”30px” fullwidth=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] [spb_text_block animation=”none” animation_delay=”0″ simplified_controls=”yes” custom_css_percentage=”no” padding_vertical=”0″ padding_horizontal=”0″ margin_vertical=”0″ custom_css=”margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;” border_size=”0″ border_styling_global=”default” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] Clubhouse Games [/spb_text_block] [spb_text_block animation=”none” animation_delay=”0″ simplified_controls=”yes” custom_css_percentage=”no” padding_vertical=”0″ padding_horizontal=”0″ margin_vertical=”0″ custom_css=”margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;” border_size=”0″ border_styling_global=”default” width=”1/2″ el_position=”first”] Tiki Toss / Ring Toss – This just involves swinging a ring, which is attached to a string, in an arc so it attaches onto a metal hook. I’ve made about 5 of these in my backyard (about one per kid), as they are an incredibly easy DIY project and the materials cost next to nothing at your local hardware store. I’m filing this under “Clubhouse Games” since you’ll probably want an overhang of some sort to attach the string to. Board Games – Got some closet space in your pool clubhouse for board games? Build up a collection of classic games by sending out a newsletter to your membership about donating any old sets they have lying around. You’ll quickly get enough board games to occupy the kids during short (or long) swimming breaks. [/spb_text_block] [spb_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrsN-CLo52s” remove_related=”yes” autoplay=”no” full_width=”no” width=”1/2″ el_position=”last”] [spb_divider type=”standard” text=”Go to top” top_margin=”0px” bottom_margin=”30px” fullwidth=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] [spb_text_block animation=”none” animation_delay=”0″ simplified_controls=”yes” custom_css_percentage=”no” padding_vertical=”72″ padding_horizontal=”78″ margin_vertical=”0″ custom_css=”margin-top: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;padding-top: 72px;padding-left: 78px;padding-right: 78px;padding-bottom: 72px;background-color:#cfe0ff;” border_size=”0″ border_styling_global=”default” back_color_global=”#cfe0ff” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] Bright Idea: Your Pool Dues payment portal is the perfect way to fundraise any of these “bigger ticket” items for your neighborhood or community pool. That Wonder Wave above is about $200. If 20 families donated $10 each, you’ve got it paid for. Pool Dues is all about making it EASY for members to pay their dues and ANYTHING else! You can create an unlimited number of products / services that your pool wants to sell or raise money for. [/spb_text_block]
