This is a question that I have asked quite often when I tell folks that I own a play café. "Is that like an indoor play gym with both slips and rock climbing structures and trampolines?" I guess that's what happens when you introduce an entirely new concept to your city.
Indoor playgrounds have been around for a little while, and there are many of these in our city of Burlington and neighbouring cities of Oakville and Hamilton. They are the places that you take your children to when they wish to burn off their energy when it is too cold outside to go to the playground, or whenever you don't want them to tear your house apart. They're the places where your children can run around through mazes, climb ropes, and slide down slides and let out all the mad!
It was really at an indoor park the notion of Chickadee Family Cafe was born within my mind. I had taken my afterward two-and-a-half year old into a popular indoor play space within our hometown Burlington and strove to keep him up as he raced down slides and throughout mazes. I crouched into tiny corners chasing my little guy around and came out completely exhausted (go ahead, insert jokes about how out of shape I am here).
When I emerged in the drama arrangements, I looked at the other parents. Many were standing about trying to keep a visual on their own kids indoor playground' whereabouts. Some were calling their kids' names, hoping that they weren't stuck in a maze...'trigger c'mon, we all know no grownup really wants to have to climb all of the way up those structures to regain a crying kid. Mostly, they looked bored and exhausted. Maybe their kids woke up at 6am too.
Don't get me wrong, there was lots of laughter and giggles. I had fun with my son, that was the main aim of going to the indoor playground, but at a place full of other moms and dads around my age with kids around my son's age, there was a massive opportunity for building connection with my community that I felt was completely overlooked. As a new resident of Burlington I wanted to connect with other parents. But the atmosphere did not actually lend itself to using a real conversation.
I began to research what was out there for some superior mommy -- son time that didn't need me to crawl on my hands and knees and then squeeze my butt through a tunnel fit for a toddler. I discovered play cafes. Play cafes are comparatively new to Canada, but are around the united kingdom, Australia and the US for several years. A drama café combines the requirements of both parents and children, fueling parents with carbonated drinks while supplying ample play space for kids to explore and have fun.
Play cafes take the community-focused way of a café and incorporate a play area for children. In Chickadee Family Café, we supply that coffee shop atmosphere which you're utilized to sipping your latte in as well as a fun child-friendly environment filled with creative and toys based play actions. When the play space is closed along with the kiddos are in bed, our distance can easily transform into an evening meeting space for parent workshops, a couples' date night or a meeting place for mompreneurs.
While most indoor playgrounds either do not 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 local trendy café.
I hope that helped to explain the difference between an indoor park and a play café. We can not wait to start our doors and invite you to experience the difference for yourself.