HIPPOHOPP BLOG
Get to know HippoHopp, your healthy green indoor party and play place. Check our Indoor Playground Blog for updates and news.
How An Indoor Playground Can Be GREEN
HippoHopp Has GREEN Indoor Playground
Being green takes a little extra work and costs a bit more (….ahem! quite a bit more than being non-green), but to us, it’s worth it. Being green means protecting our health as much as not harming our environment. Our kids are worth it, our employees are worth it and your health is worth it. All of the things we insist on in our home are what we want for HippoHopp … even though making these eco-friendly practices work on such a large scale can be challenging.
- Non-VOC Paint – Indoor playgrounds are big spaces and if there are volatile organic compounds being emitted from all of the walls and the ceiling that is really going to add up. Going with non-voc paint is a no-brainer.
- Lead-Free Play Equipment – Yep, it can be in there! Even though we all know its harmful effects, large inflatable play equipment can still have lead in it. Although legislation has been put into place in the last 5 years to limit the amount allowed in the equipment, it is still legal for a certain amount to be present. It is also possible to invest in higher quality certified lead-free equipment which is the safest way to go and all HippoHopp equipment is certified LEAD FREE.
- Recycling – We are proud to recycle as much as we can from our facility and don’t mind paying extra for the recycling dumpster to do it.
- Non-Toxic Cleaning Supplies – We partner with Healthy Green Schools and use only super-effective and yet still non-toxic cleaning supplies that are not harmful to people or the environment. It is possible to get hospital-grade disinfectants that kill all of the bad bacteria and virus germs that we worry about and will not cause and/or aggravate serious heath conditions in kid or adults.
- The Little Things Add Up – Lots of small stuff that is hard to notice… composting in the café and kitchen, bpa-free receipt paper that can be recycled without contaminating the rest of the recyclables, switching to led lights from the old-fashioned gym lights in our warehouse space, using fans to circulate the air and help out the a/c units, offering local and organic items on our menu…
HippoHopp’s Healthy Holiday Food Options
Healthy Holiday Food Options
The holidays are, once again, upon us and so are yummy comfort foods, sugary snacks and LOTS of grab-n-go meals. The goal is always to run the season and not have it run us, but we all know that doesn’t happen as much as we would like. So, knowing you’re going to be busy focusing on to-do lists, activities, kids’ school performances, Healthy Holiday Food Options is the best thing we can do for our bodies is fill it with healthy food and keep it active.
While you’re on the go during this busy season, you can rest knowing you can take the kids to HippoHopp and they’ll be able to fill their bodies with healthy, all natural junk food alternatives. HippoHopp’s HippoCafe not only has snacks they will love but full meals, too.
Our menu options are all made in our kitchen using only the healthiest of ingredients … even offering gluten-free and dairy-free selections. Smoothies are also made with nutrition in mind, as well. Try our Green Energy, Cranberry Cleanser, Chocolate Banana or Happy Hippo smoothies – all with nutritional boosts we all can use around the holidays. Kids love them and parents approve! From good ol’ fashioned PB&J to more traditional ‘kid food’ like chicken nuggets, we’ve got dinner covered.
Mealtime for you is just as important! Our enticing “Grown Up Food” will make deciding difficult. From our organic Splendid Spinach Salad to Hearty Homemade Soups, Fresh-to-Order Veggie Quesadillas and Homemade Hummus, fresh sandwiches, Black Bean or Turkey Burgers, Oh My! …and lots more to choose from our Healthy Holiday Food Options.
Make HippoHopp your destination for holiday meet-ups with friends and family! Grown ups can fuel up with Salad, Smoothie or Fresh Sandwiches and Soup or talk over coffee or High Ph water while kids eat, then play and get their Winter exercise in!
Should You Go Vegan with Your Kids?
Should You Consider Going
Vegan with Your Kids??
Veganism is a rapidly expanding diet change for people of all lifestyles, for a variety of reasons. Health, dieting, and environmental consciousness are all great reasons to consider making the switch. It isn’t an easy one. As “The Thriving Vegan” says in her blog, “there are tons of stereotypes that vegans are forever hungry, weak and nutrient deficient.”1 And beyond social pressures, there are health concerns, and a host of inconveniences. Not to mention simply missing the taste of meat and animal products. But still, many proponents of veganism consider it more than worth the effort.
Source: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a5/94/27/a594277393ce4665a5f066d9b3f0fff2.jpg
Even plenty of meat-eaters see the benefits a vegan diet could provide. It’s not exactly controversial. There’s very few downsides as long as you’re smart about it and make sure to get all the nutrition your body still needs. But there’s a growing question among vegans, health experts, and parents: should I make my kid be vegan?
It’s a complicated question. To some, making your kid be vegan looks like imposing your worldview on an impressionable mind. But at the end of the day, parents all have to make diet decisions on behalf of their children. From the very beginning: breast feeding or formula? And as they grow up: how much sugar is okay? What “brain foods” should I send them to school with? School lunch, or pack a bag? There’s already so many questions for parents about their kids’ diets, that going to the extreme of veganism or vegetarianism isn’t as much of a stretch as critics suggest.
Still, there are concerns. Recently a couple in Australia were sentenced to 300 hours community service for failing to give their daughter sufficient nourishment while keeping her on a vegan diet.2
But it is possible, experts say. The key is caution, and doing so with the guidance of a pediatrician and dietician. Some necessary vitamins and nutrients are difficult to find without using animal products. Vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, iron, protein, and fiber are particularly important. Vegans can find substitutes or take supplements.
Source: https://media2.fdncms.com/portmerc/imager/u/original/24193769/1541105185-screen_shot_2018-11-01_at_12.03.10_pm.png
Another huge concern is simply not getting enough calories or protein. These are concerns for vegans of all ages, but with children — especially infants and toddlers — small mistakes can go a lot further. As a parent, your top priority is obviously your child’s health. The good news is, it can be done. And it can be done completely safely. You won’t find all the details in this post, it’s something you need to spend a long time researching and discussing with your doctor.
The good news is, the tide is changing for vegans. Vegan restaurants and grocery options are becoming more and more accessible, and therefore more affordable.3 For instance, the very company you’re reading this post on offers vegan options at their in-store cafe! https://hippohopp.com/hippo-cafe/
Going vegan is a difficult decision to make and follow through on, but with enough support and caution, it can be the right thing to do.
1 https://thethrivingvegan.com/vegan-struggles/
2 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/24/health/vegan-parents-malnourished-baby.html
3 https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/going-vegan-getting-easier-more-popular
My Favorite Hippo’s Name Is Hilda!
Meet HippoHopp’s Hippo Named Hilda!
Hip Hop
Hip Hop Hippo
HippityHopp
HoppHopp
Hophop Hippo
HippoHoppo
Hippity hop
Hippo hop
Hippohop
HippoHopp!
Whatever your little one calls us is FINE with us…hope to see you hippity hop hop in soon.
During this back-to-school season when the weather is perfect outside we really miss our little hoppers at HippoHopp! This is the time when we reflect on how to engage and inspire our young crowd to play, exercise and socialize when they eventually return after several weeks away – often on a different day and time to accommodate a new schedule. On your next visit come see what is new or different … we can’t wait to hear what you think.
~Hilda the Hippo
Do You Need A Better Indoor Play Place To Take The Kids?
Do You Need A Better Indoor Play Place To Take The Kids?
This is how HippoHopp got started. With 2 boys 22 months apart – and the oldest one a powerhouse of energy who never slept – I needed a safe place to take both kids where they could expend their energy and I would be able to chase after them. As they got older and the little one started to walk (run!), the older one needed a special diet (gluten free, dairy free, organic). I still needed a better place to take the kids but now it also needed to have a toddler area as well as a bigger kid area AND not have junk food displays that caused some sort of melt down either on the way in or the way out. This did not exist at all. At the same time, we were learning all about the toxic effects of our everyday cleaners and even furniture and the negative impact on our children’s health and systematically removing these from our home – and finding a place outside the home that offered this definitely did not exist. The more we wished for these elements in an indoor playground and discussed with our parent friends, the more we realized that healthy and eco-friendly indoor play options were missing in Atlanta!
After 7 years….HERE WE ARE! Still proud to offer a truly non-toxic indoor playground that is lots of fun, a space that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults and a healthy café that offers foods that parents want to serve their kids and adults want to eat. We feature indoor fitness for kids and comfortable seating for adults, free wifi, current magazines and a great view of the play area so adults can have a conversation while kids play.
We hope you will enjoy HippoHopp! Owning a business like ours can be a lot, but getting positive feedback from our regular families and nannies and little hoppers keeps us going. Next time you stop in to play, let us know if there is something you like or something you new you would like to see. Hope you hopp in soon.
