That is a question that I get asked very frequently when I tell folks that I have a drama café. "Is that like a indoor play gym with both slips and rock climbing structures and trampolines?" I guess that's what happens if you introduce an entirely new idea to your city.
Indoor playgrounds have existed for a while, and there are lots of of them in our town of Burlington and neighbouring cities of Oakville and Hamilton. They're the places you take your children to when they want to burn off their energy when it is too cold out to visit the park, or whenever 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 really at an indoor park the notion of Chickadee Family Cafe was born in my head. 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 ran down slides and through mazes. I crouched into miniature corners chasing my little guy around and came out completely exhausted (proceed, insert jokes about how out of shape I am here).
When I arose in the drama structures, I looked around me at the other parents. Many were standing around trying to keep a visual on their kids' whereabouts. Some were phoning their kids arcade games' titles, hoping that they were not stuck in a maze...'cause c am on, we all know no adult really wants to have to climb all the way up those arrangements to regain a crying kid. Mostly, they looked bored and exhausted. Maybe their children awakened at 6am too.
I had fun with my son, that had been the major purpose of visiting the indoor playground, but at a place filled with other moms and dads around my age with kids around my son's age, there was a huge 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. However, the air did not really lend itself to using an actual conversation.
I started to research what else was out there to get some superior mommy -- son time which didn't need me to crawl on my hands and knees and squeeze my butt through a tunnel match for a toddler. I found play cafes. Play cafes are comparatively new to Canada, but are around the UK, Australia and the US for several years. A play café blends the needs of both parents and kids, fueling parents with caffeinated beverages while providing ample play space for kids to explore and have fun.
Play cafes accept the community-focused approach of a café and incorporate a play area for kids. In Chickadee Family Caféwe provide that coffee shop atmosphere that you are used to sipping your latte in as well as an enjoyable child-friendly environment filled with creative and toys based drama activities. Once the play area is closed and the kiddos are in bed, our space can easily transform into a day assembly space for parent workshops, a couples' date night or a meeting location for mompreneurs.
While most indoor playgrounds either don't offer food or function up fast food choices or vending machine snacks, a drama café is a full-service café with espresso based drinks and a hearty menu of healthy snacks and lunch items.
A drama café is a bridge between an early years' center and your local trendy café.
I expect that helped to clarify the gap between an indoor park and a play café.