I realized that I never blogged some of the indoor play places we enjoyed when Eli was younger. When Eli and his buddies were under two, the group of friends we hung out with met up there often. As the kids got more active, I think we shifted more to outdoor parks. Parents going back to work and kiddos heading to preschool cut down on our attendance too.
EPWORTH PLAYGROUP (Berkeley)
One of our favorites was Epworth Playgroup, and Eli went every week for a year. (Click HERE to see the post on Epworth.) Epworth requires registration and is designed for kids to attend regularly. Although less spontaneous, registration is nice because you see the same kids/parents and get a better chance to make new friends. You also know the space isn't going to get too crowded.
GYMBOREE (El Cerrito and other locations)
Gymboree also requires registration and has programs designed for wee ones. I didn't register Eli, but I did take him to try it out when he was four months old...
They did some neat things I wouldn't have thought to do -- like letting the babies look down into a mirror. They also spun pretty colored balls on top of the mirror. Eli loved it.
Over the years we've lived here, we've attended birthday parties and some of the online discount sites offer cheap sessions. Eli always has a great time. I've been very impressed with the staff and the imaginative ideas they share, but the play equipment is great too.
WEE PLAY (Alameda)
If you're looking for drop-in indoor play places, one of our favorites was Wee Play in Alameda. Basically, there is a huge space that used to be the auditorium of a high school (now a city recreation building) and they fill it with tot toys. Kids from crawling age up to age three can explore as they'd like. Wee Play staff usually offers coloring pages and some singing for kids who are interested. We loved getting out of the house, but it also gave Eli a chance to test drive all sorts of toys. Although it was something of a trek for us, it is only $6 per kid (adults free) and there are discount passes available. (I heard that if you're willing to help put away toys afterwards, you can get in for free.) Other cities offer programs called Wee Play too, but I don't know if they are the same.
STUDIO GROW (Berkeley and Concord)
Studio Grow is located in an old industrial building, which gives kids lot of space to wander. There are various activity stations including a dance floor and an art room. Studio Grow was a favorite, but it did get pricy. Babies under 12 months are free, but kids and adults have to pay. Admission before 1PM is $9 per person and after 1PM is $6 per person. Extra adults are free and their website does offer some discount packages.
I loved these nature blocks (tree branch slices) so much that we tracked down a set of our own. At Studio Grow they sometimes paired the blocks with rubber insects, but at other times there were plastic dinosaurs.
Eli loved the table with computer keyboards. They weren't attached to anything and didn't do anything, but he loved the click of pressing the buttons. Now that he is old enough to not pry off the keys (and perhaps choke on them) without constant supervision, I need to find one at a thrift store for him. He could use it as a cash register, a space ship control panel, rocket launch pad, etc.
This was Eli's favorite. Kids can place plastic shapes on an old transparency projector. Simple, but apparently great fun!
The ball pit...
The indoor playground and gymnastics area...
Little Guy adored the mini roller coaster. I was so glad when he got big enough to hold on by himself!
Music time. There is singing, but they also pass around instruments.
HABITOT (Berkeley)
Habitot is located in downtown Berkeley. Unfortunately, parking is often tricky. It seems like I was always checking the time during visits to keep ahead of the parking meter, although there are nearby parking decks as well. Children under a year are free, but I think kids and adults both pay $9.75 to enter. (Certain times of the year, military families get in free.) There are discount tickets available on their website and some of the online bargain sites offer discount passes. Habitot has a fairly large budget and is the only one of the indoor play places I know that rotates exhibits periodically. They have an art room with various rotating projects. It's fun to see what's new.
There is a big ventilation fan located at the back of Habitot. In the fall, staff put out apple buckets, tot rakes, and silk leaves. Kids can toss the leaves to swirl in the wind. In the spring, there are silk flowers, silk butterflies, and butterfly nets...
Habitot is squeezed into a windowless lower level of a building, but they really maximize the space and make it cheerful. One wall is a vertical network of tunnels complete with ramps, windows, and safety nets...
One of the exhibits they had was a veterinary clinic complete with stuffed animals, various cages, x-rays on light tables, and lots of doctoring kits...
There is a permanent exhibit room with a small cafe kitchen, counter, and cash register on one side and produce bins with kiddie shopping carts on the other. Tot bliss!
The water play area is pretty amazing. Seems like Eli was always walking around with huge sponges sagging with water, but they do offer waterproof aprons.
Although somewhat of a drive for us, we also enjoyed Super Frank's. This drop-in indoor play place is so large that it offers a restaurant and multiple play areas. Click HERE to see the post about Super Frank's.
PLAY CAFE (Oakland Hills)
One more! A family-friendly cafe with various play zones, Play Cafe is a fun spot for tots. Click HERE to see the post about Play Cafe.
One Mama's Two Cents:
The frustrating thing about indoor play spaces is that when you need them most -- the third rainy day in a row -- everybody else needs them too. Who wants to be in an indoor play place teeming with hyper toddlers?! The registration-only sites help with this, although it means you can't come other than at your class time. Habitot helpfully posts to their website about real-time crowding conditions so you can plan accordingly.
Also frustrating about indoor play spaces is that they can become germ incubation areas. I remember one of my friends wailing that her son always got sick after visiting. (Eli's pediatrician refers to ball pits as "germ pits.") Most of the spaces offer a "yuck bucket," a place where parents can put toys if they've gone in a kid's mouth so they can be cleaned. At Wee Play and Studio Grow, I saw staff circulating with disinfecting wipes, which was nice. I'll be honest that I avoided indoor play places before trips and tried to make sure Eli didn't put his hands or toys in his mouth. But we didn't worry about it overly.
On the other hand, the best thing about indoor play spaces is all the great creative ideas you can glean. I made note of some great art projects, toys, and decorating ideas while visiting various spots.
FYI -- A few other spots didn't blog about: Giggles (Pleasant Hill), Happy Frog (Vallejo), First Five California (multiple locations), The Jungle (Concord, San Jose).
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