Searching for a new activity for your kids? Then meet my guest blogger Petite Adventurer, who knows a thing or two about saving money with young children:
I'm a mother of two (ages 2-and-a-half and 1 month) and currently on maternity leave. Professionally, I'm a retail buyer, always on the look-out for scoring good deals and finding amazing products; it's twice the fun when I manage to shop and save for my household. I believe parenthood takes you on a unique adventure -- my family loves trying new restaurants, discovering new activities and places to go to.
Petite Adventurer attended Playtown, Mississauga's newest indoor playground, during their grand opening on February 21st, 2015. Check out Petite Adventurer's Playtown review below:
Playtown is definitely a fun-filled day for the imaginative child. It’s essentially an miniature play “town” that consists of a raceway, construction house, vet office, fire station, house with a farm yard, restaurant, theatre, salon, grocery store and a small main street with retro metal cars and a fuel pump station.
The details in place for each section of play are impressive. At the vet office there are smocks, stethoscopes, pill bottles with cotton to imitate meds, stuffed animals, bandages, first aid kits and even little cages. For active kids, there are slides in the construction site and the fire station, plus the raceway has little PlasmaCar racers to zoom around in circles.
FYI...
There's a limit to how many people can enter the building due to the fire code, which is a good thing. However, when we arrived with our group of family friends, the last family of four to arrive were told they weren't allow in for another two hours. This could be problematic if you arrive at a time where you want to play, but can’t because the centre is full. When Playtown was asked how they were going to manage this situation in the future, I was told that since we came on their grand opening day – the busiest day – it shouldn’t be an issue on regular days. However, I still recommend calling ahead on the weekends to make sure you get in.
There's a limit to how many people can enter the building due to the fire code, which is a good thing. However, when we arrived with our group of family friends, the last family of four to arrive were told they weren't allow in for another two hours. This could be problematic if you arrive at a time where you want to play, but can’t because the centre is full. When Playtown was asked how they were going to manage this situation in the future, I was told that since we came on their grand opening day – the busiest day – it shouldn’t be an issue on regular days. However, I still recommend calling ahead on the weekends to make sure you get in.
In my opinion, Playtown is best for ages 2-and-a-half to 6. From what I observed at the grand opening, older, more physically-active boys would find the facility less interesting. Out of the group of families I came with, one active 5-year-old boy took awhile to get into imaginative play. But older girls adored giving pretend makeovers in the hair salon, performing on the theatre stage and serving imaginary customers in the restaurant. If you have kids under the age of 2, they can play with a train table or a play yard with soft toys.
Good To Know...
- If you visit Playtown, feel free to pack snacks and drinks because there's a small rest area with a microwave, plus a single-serving coffee machine for adults. Playland also sells healthy snacks and juice.
- The rest area has a flat-screen TV that focuses on all play areas, which is an awesome way for moms and dads to relax and supervise older kids from afar.
What do you think makes a great indoor playground? Share your comments below.
