This is a question that I have asked very frequently when I tell people that I own a drama café. "Is that like an indoor play gym with both slides and rock climbing structures and trampolines?" I guess that is what happens if you introduce a totally 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 if it's too cold out to visit the park, or when you do not want them to tear your house apart. They're the places where your children can run around through mazes, climb ropes, slide down slides and let out all of the crazy!
It was really at an indoor park the notion of Chickadee Family Cafe was born within my head. I had taken my then two-and-a-half year old to a popular indoor play space within our hometown Burlington and tried to keep him up as he raced down slides and through mazes. I crouched into tiny corners pursuing my little man around and came out completely exhausted (go ahead, insert jokes about how out of shape I am here).
As soon as I arose from the drama arrangements, I looked around me at the other parents. Many were standing around trying to keep a visual in their own kids' whereabouts. Some were calling their kids' names, hoping that they weren't stuck in a maze...'cause c am on, we all know no grownup wants to have to climb all of the way up those arrangements to retrieve a crying kid. Mostly, they seemed exhausted and tired. Maybe their children awakened at 6am too.
Do not get me wrong, there was lots of laughter and giggles. 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 children around my son's age, there was a massive chance for building relationship with my community that I believed was completely missed. But the atmosphere did not really lend itself to having a real conversation.
I began to research what was out there for a few quality mommy -- son time that didn't require me to crawl on my hands and knees and then squeeze my butt through a tunnel match for a toddler. I discovered drama cafes. Play cafes are comparatively new to Canada, but have been around the united kingdom, Australia and the US for years. A play café blends the requirements of both parents and children, fueling parents with caffeinated beverages while supplying ample play space for children to explore and have fun.
Play cafes take the community-focused way of a café and incorporate a play space for kids. At Chickadee Family Caféwe provide that coffee shop atmosphere which you're used to sipping your latte in as well as an enjoyable child-friendly environment full of creative and toys based play actions. When the play space is closed and the kiddos are in bed, our distance can quickly transform in a day meeting space for parent workshops, a couples' date night or a meeting location for mompreneurs.
While most indoor playgrounds either do not provide meals or serve up fast food choices or vending machine snacks, a play café is a full sized café with espresso based beverages along with a hearty menu of healthy snacks and lunch items.
A drama café is a bridge between an early years' centre and your local trendy café.
I expect that helped to clarify the difference between an indoor park and a play café. We can't wait to start our doors and invite you to experience the difference for yourself.