This is a question that I have asked very frequently when I tell people that I have a play café. "Is that like an indoor play gym with both slips and rock climbing structures and trampolines?" I guess that is what happens when you introduce a totally new idea to your town.
Indoor playgrounds have been around for a while, and there are many of them in our town of Burlington and neighbouring cities of Oakville and Hamilton. They're the places that you take your kids to when they wish to burn off their energy when it's too cold out to go to the park, or when you don't want them to tear your house apart. They're the places where your children can run throughout mazes, climb ropes, and slide down slides and let out all the mad!
It was actually at an indoor playground that the idea of Chickadee Family Cafe was born within my head. I had taken my afterward two-and-a-half year old into a favorite indoor play space within our hometown Burlington and tried to keep him up as he ran down slides and through mazes. I crouched into tiny corners pursuing my little guy around and came out utterly exhausted (go ahead, insert jokes about just how out of shape I am here).
When I emerged in the play arrangements, I looked around me at the other parents. Many were standing around trying to keep a visual on their own kids' whereabouts. Some were phoning their kids' names, trusting that they weren't stuck in a maze...'trigger c'mon, we all know no adult really wants to have to climb all of the way up those arrangements to regain a crying child. Mostly, they seemed exhausted and tired. Perhaps their kids woke up at 6am too.
Don't get me wrong, there was plenty of laughter and giggles. I had fun with my son, which had been the main purpose of visiting the indoor playground, but in a place filled with other moms and dads around my age with children around my son's age, there was a huge opportunity for building connection with my community that I believed was completely missed. As a new resident of Burlington I wished to associate with other parents. But the air did not really lend itself to using a real conversation.
I began to research what was out there for some quality mommy -- son time which didn't need me to crawl on my hands and knees and squeeze my butt through a tunnel fit for a toddler. I discovered drama cafes. Play cafes are relatively new to Canada, but are around the united kingdom, Australia and the US for years. A drama café blends the requirements of both parents and kids, fueling parents with carbonated drinks while providing ample play area for kids to explore and have fun.
Play cafes take the community-focused way of a café and incorporate a play area for kids. At Chickadee Family Café, we supply that coffee shop atmosphere that you're utilized to sipping your latte in as well as a fun child-friendly environment full of toys and imaginative based play actions. Once the play area is closed along with the kiddos are in bed, our space can easily transform into an evening assembly area for parent workshops, a couples' date night or a meeting location for mompreneurs.
While most indoor playground equipment playgrounds either don't provide meals or function up fast food options or vending machine snacks, a play café is a full sized café with espresso based drinks along with a hearty menu of healthy snacks and lunch items.
A drama café is a bridge between a historical years' centre and your regional trendy café. Most play cafes provide parent and child classes and parenting supports through workshops and support groups, many things you can anticipate in Chickadee Family Café.
I hope that helped to explain the gap between an indoor park and a play café. We can not wait to open our doors and invite you to experience the difference for yourself.