That is a question I get asked quite frequently when I tell people that I have a drama café. "Is that like a indoor play gym with slips and rock climbing structures and trampolines?" I guess that's what happens if you introduce an entirely new concept to your town.
Indoor playgrounds have existed for a while, and there are many of them in our city of Burlington and neighbouring cities of Oakville and Hamilton. They're the places you take your kids to when they wish to burn off their energy when it's too cold outside to visit the playground, or whenever you don't want them to tear your house apart. They are the places where your kids can run around through mazes, climb ropes, slide down slides and let out all the mad!
It was actually at an indoor playground that the notion of Chickadee Family Cafe was born within my mind. I'd taken my afterward two-and-a-half year old to a popular indoor playground equipment play area in our hometown Burlington and tried to keep him up as he ran down slides and throughout mazes. I crouched into miniature corners chasing my little man around and came out completely exhausted (go ahead, insert jokes about how out of shape I'm here).
As soon as I emerged in the drama structures, I looked around me at the other parents. Many were standing about trying to keep a visual in their kids' whereabouts. Some were calling their kids' names, hoping that they weren't stuck in a maze...'trigger c'mon, we all know no adult wants to need to climb all of the way up those structures to regain a crying kid. Mostly, they looked exhausted and tired. Perhaps their children woke up at 6am too.
Do not get me wrong, there was lots of laughter and giggles. I had fun with my son, which was the major purpose of going to the indoor playground, but in a place full of other moms and dads around my age with kids around my son's age, there was a massive chance for building connection with my community that I felt was completely missed. As a new resident of Burlington I wished to connect with other parents. But the atmosphere didn't really lend itself to having a real conversation.
I began to research what was out there to get some superior mother -- son time which didn't need me to crawl on my hands and knees and then squeeze my buttocks through a tunnel match for a toddler. I found drama cafes. Play cafes are relatively new to Canada, but are around the UK, Australia and the US for years. A play café combines the requirements of both parents and kids, fueling parents with caffeinated beverages 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 an enjoyable child-friendly environment filled with creative and toys based drama activities. When the play area is closed and the kiddos are in bed, our space can quickly transform in an evening assembly area for parent workshops, a couples' date night or a meeting place for mompreneurs.
While most indoor playgrounds either don't offer meals or serve up fast food options or vending machine snacks, a play café is a full-service café with espresso based beverages and a hearty menu of healthy snacks and lunch items.
A drama café is a bridge between an early 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 playground and a play café. We can't wait to start our doors and invite you to experience the difference for yourself.