December 8, 2009 | in:
open gyms,
winter
Eve having the world’s best time in The World Room at Be With Me in Bethesda
Ohhh, guys. You are not going to Be-lieve how adorable and fabulous is Be With Me – The Children’s Playseum in Bethesda. It’s the area’s newest indoor play space and it is jam-packed with learning, fun and creative options for your kids, babies and toddlers.
Located right on Wisconsin Avenue next to Orvis, it’s open for drop-in fun every Monday through Saturday from 9:30am to 6pm. At just $5 per person, it’s a great price for all that your child receives in a visit. He or she can
- Create art and make crafts in the art studio
- Enjoy song and story times each day catered to specific ages of attendees
- Make discoveries in the science lab
- Get gorgeous in the beauty salon and dress up lounge
- Mix up some cookies in the play bakery
- Shop ’til she drops in the mini-play Safeway
- Play with REAL LIVE PETS in the pet shop
- Hold a jam session in the music room
- Look for fairies in the garden
- Cuddle up in Grandma’s House (the cutest room in the whole place, in my opinion)
- Learn about other cultures in the World room (this was Eve’s fave place in the joint)
Eve receiving professional art instruction…while mom went and received a free chair massage at the grand opening shin dig
Eve and I attended the Grand Opening Day at Be With Me and we had so much fun, we would have stayed ALL DAY. And the folks there would have let us – when you buy a pass you are free to leave, go have a snack and then return for more play! Only the meters outside and my dearth of quarters limited our fun to two hours of bliss.
Shopping in the mini-Safeway…”just like you Mama!” Because I always buy 8 boxes of cake mix, Palmolive, 12 onions and one lone orange.
After two years of APISS-ing, my kids and I consider ourselves pretty much open play space connoisseurs. But we were just blown away by this place! And not only fun and innovative, the owners are incorporating green practices in their play space and have secured sponsors for many of the awesome rooms. Staples is a sponsor in the art area, Bethesda Pet has sponsored the pet shop, Safeway the grocery store and more creative partnerships. Another cool idea: Be With Me is also coordinating moms and nannies groups and afterschool programs – get the information here.
Channeling Meg White…she already has an adoring younger guy groupie
Be With Me is open throughout Hanukkah, only closing early on the first night, Friday December 11 at 4:30pm. Then for Christmas they will be taking a Holiday Break and closed Dec 23-29. Prior to Holiday Break, Christmas and Hanukkah fun will be going on at the playseum so be sure to stop by.
In short, if you’re looking for fun things to do with your kids during the day or on Saturdays, or a neat new place for your playgroup to meet, get thee to Be With Me. Tell them Large Marge APISS sent you!
BE WITH ME PLAYSEUM
1-888-5PLAYSEUM
7000 WISCONSIN AVE
BETHESDA, MARYLAND
HOURS:
M-SAT 9:30AM-6PM
ADMISSION: $5 PER PERSON
HOLIDAY PRICES MAY VARY
Be With Me is a slam dunk!
As the weather freezes and we’re all forced to look for indoor places to play, I’m reposting my review of Interactions, and will be posting about new indoor place spaces in the DC area all week long!
The APISS kids and I went to try out Interactions Learn and Play in Kensington, a new open gym and play space that opened in January. Interactions is independently owned by a group of local parent entrepreneurs that sought to create a community space for families with young children to learn together.
The kids and I had A BLAST and we had the entire place to ourselves!
The facility was safe, inviting, extremely clean and packed full of fun and educational toys and equipment. There are separate areas for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, making music and physical play. Each play station or activity is labeled with the skills your child will acquire and exercise in that station. My kids loved the ride on train, kid coaster, ball pits, singing on a kid karaoke machine, the climbing station and every other half-hour the staff inflates the small, non-threatening moonbounce with slide. When my kids got tuckered out on all the physically-stimulating gear, they moved on to more cerebral play like puzzles, word games, practicing writing their letters on dry erase cards, blocks and interactive books.
The target age range for Interactions Learn and Play is 0-4 years. I brought my not-yet-in-kindergarten 5 year old with me and he had as much fun as his almost 3 year old sister. However, kids much older are discouraged to preserve a safe environment for younger attendees, unless an older child is there to help his or her younger siblings.
Interactions is open for families to drop in and play with their children Monday-Friday from 10am-7pm, no reservations required. They’re also open on Saturdays from 10am-1:30pm, but those Saturday hours are subject to change so call 301.946.1010 before coming by on a Saturday. They also host
interactive birthday parties for kids age 1-4, and you can host your playgroup or moms’ group here too! Parents stay and play and learn with their kids, you do not drop-off.
The cost is $12 for the first child, $6 for additional siblings. Right now they take cash only, so hit the ATM before arriving. If you fall in love with the place, you can purchase discounted family passes for 6 visits/$60 for 1 child, 6 visits/$90 for a two-child family and 6 visits/$120 for a three-child family and so forth.
Families are welcome to bring lunch and snacks to eat in the lobby area, but unfortunately are not allowed to go out and come back in again later that day after grabbing lunch or a nap. So pack some fruit and cheese – our grumbling tummies (and bad mommy’s snack-less bag) cut short our play time to my kids’ dismay. There is a large, clean, super-well equipped family restroom right in the heart of the play area, making it easy for kids to take potty breaks without missing too much of the action. You can safely step away with one child and still hear if your other kid needs your help. Since I’m in the thick of potty-training my almost 3 year old, having the restroom nearby and accessible was key. There’s a changing table, mini-potty for little ones, diaper pail and various anti-bacterial supplies.
In summation, I believe Interactions Learn and Play is a great indoor play and learn option for babies up to prekindergarten kids. Located in the heart of Kensington and right off the Connecticut Avenue/Kensington exit on the Beltway, it’s conveniently located for many Montgomery County and DC-area families. I liked that the place wasn’t crowded, but I hope that APISS readers check it out and more families attend. Supporting a new, independently- owned local business is so important, especially one that offers the much-needed resource of drop-in indoor play options during the week.
Interactions Learn and Play
Open Gym and Play Space for Kids 0-4 years
3809 Farragut Avenue
Kensington, MD 20895 MAP
Phone: 301.946.1010
Hours: Monday – Friday 10am – 7pm
Saturdays 10am-1:30pm (call first, Saturday hours subject to change)
Closed Sundays & Holidays
$12 per child, $6 per sibling, cash only
The response to Becky Hill’s earlier guest post was fabulous! Thanks so much for all your kind comments – she’s a great writer and a connoisseur of kid-tastic fun. I bow to her greatness. We’re so lucky to have another review by Becky of a local open gym outing she and her three boys checked out.
Photo courtesy Sport Bounce of Loudoun
Our second adventure took us in the opposite direction to Virginia, near Dulles Airport to the Sport Bounce of Loudoun.
I know there are other moon bounce places in the area, I believe there is one in Columbia, MD [Note: It's Jump Zone in Columbia and they have open play on Wed., Thurs., and Fri. - click here for details!], but our friends invited us to Sport Bounce in Virginia, so off we went.
Sport Bounce is a 10,000 square foot warehouse with about 7 large moon bounces, slides and obstacle courses. It was clean and well organized. There is a playroom and smaller moon bounce for the under 2 crowd.
They have open bounce twice a day Monday-Friday until September 7th, and open bounce once on Monday and twice a day Tuesday-Friday when school starts. Weekends are reserved for birthday parties, but you can also book the place for your playgroup or club for a private bounce and reduced per-person rate.
Photo by Becky HillMy three guys bounced until the couldn’t possibly sweat anymore and give it 2-thumbs up (that’s 6 thumbs, 8 including mine!) Everyone must wear socks – if your kids are wearing sandals, don’t forget to pack them when you go. No food is allowed during open gym out of respect for food allergies, and I learned from other parents that even when busy it’s still not that crowded (my friend goes during the school year and tells me how empty it can be.)
AND if you grownups want to get in on all the fun, they have a family open bounce on Thursday nights where you can bounce too!
After open bounce is over, if your little one is still moaning and crying about having to leave, there’s a McDonalds just a short drive from Sport Bounce (ask for directions) where they have an indoor play area.
Directions are very easy, however, if your MapQuest sends you via Dulles Toll Road be prepared to pay almost $5 in tolls each way. It will take you approximately 40 minutes from Silver Spring.
Adults supervise their kids for free, the first child is $10, additional siblings are $8, and toddlers 18-24 months are $6 if using the smaller moon bounce only.
It’s no secret that APISS looooooves FunFit in Rockville. Check out my earlier post on FunFit’s Open Gyms and the super time my kids have in the indoor moonbounce, roller coaster and various playstations. But this rainy week of wondering how you’re going to make it through you should love FunFit too – they’re offering free drop-in classes this Wednesday and the opportunity to drop your child off this Tuesday and every single Tuesday while you work, workout or run errands! Here’s the deets:
FunFit Earth Day Open House Wednesday April 22 10am – 7:30pm
Bring your child on Wednesday to do celebrate Earth Day with fun activities and play, as well as demo the variety of non-competitive, stress-free and stress relieving active classes. Parents are welcome to participate in every class for no charge. Special needs participants are welcome in every class. Here is the Wednesday schedule:
10am FunFit Tots 6mos-4 yrs.
10:30am Yoga 3-6yrs.
11:00am- 12:30pm – Kids Can Cook all ages
11:30am Bayou Buddies 18mos.-6 yrs.
1:00pm Preschool Prep 2-4 yrs.
1:30pm Maze Fun & Games all ages
1:30pm SMART Kids (sloppy science/messy art)
2:00 – 3:00 – Kids Can Cook
3:00pm Sports & Games 3-6yrs.
3:30pm Circuit (5-13yrs) & Nintendo Wii (all ages)
4:00pm Ballet 3-5 yrs.
4:45pm Ballet 5-7yrs.
5:30pm Sports & Games & Circuit 5-10yrs.
6:00 Kids Can Cook 5-13yrs.
6:30 Cheerleading 5-10yrs.
FunFit Moms Morning Out/Kids Pizza Party Every Tuesday 10:30am-1pm! Drop off your kids age 2-8 years (pottytraining not required) for a party while you take some time for you. Just $24/child, $20/sibling for the entire time, $10 for one hour, or purchase multiple passes and save. Register online at least 24 hours ahead of time or call 301-975-0099 to reserve your children’s spots and reserve yourself some “me time.” Hey, this is cheaper than a nanny share and much more fun for your kid too! Hurry now, as each Tuesday party is limited to 16 kids.
FunFit is also offering Open House Registration Specials that you can obtain online today-Wednesday, or at FunFit until close of business Wednesday:
- Free Unlimited Open Gym with any class or camp registration.
- Buy 1, get 1 Free: Register for a Class & bring a sibling for FREE or get a 2nd class for the same child FREE!
- Register for a Camp & a sibling is 50% OFF
- Book a Birthday Party & get a Free Half Shabang – a bonus package for your party plus an extra $25 OFF your party price (a savings of $70.) This discount does not apply for the smaller Build-A-Birthday parties.
FunFit
17511 Redland Road Rockville, MD 20855
Driving Directions
301-975-0099
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Several local parents and I wrote essays in The Washington Post Weekend Section today on our favorite out-of-the-ordinary, exciting indoor play options with our children.
I wrote about the NASA Goddard Space Flight Visitor Center:
An Out-of-This-World Afternoon
A visit to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Visitor Center is a winter weekend staple in our family. The minute we enter the center and walk through the archway of photographs of the universe from the Hubble Space Telescope, the kids are mesmerized. Both of my children have learned a great deal about our universe and are completely fascinated by space from their weekend play with the vast interactive displays and models. Kids are welcome to touch and experience the mechanisms of real telescopes, satellites and rocket flight hardware.
My 2-year-old daughter, Eve, loves the big bin of space-travel-themed toys and the dress-up chest. Her preschool bravado is fierce when she climbs into a real Apollo pod while wearing a NASA flight suit. My 5-year-old son, Charlie, is obsessed with the “Science on a Sphere” exhibit, a movie of animated data viewed on a six-foot-diameter rotating suspended globe. Both kids sit quietly in awe for the entire duration of the film, which is a testament to the splendor of the production. Even though the show’s subject matter is a bit over Eve’s head, she adores watching the light display.
Charlie always picks up activity pages and a scavenger hunt at the front desk and loves to chat with the friendly volunteer manning the desk. His sweet-talking usually nabs him coloring pages of spacecrafts, mazes, NASA books and one time even a gorgeous full-color wall calendar of Hubble photographs. My husband and I? We always pick up coffee and reading material before bringing the kids here. At such a contained, safe, stimulating destination, we, too, can enjoy ourselves . . . by relaxing as the kids’ synapses fire away. – Jessica McFadden
NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT VISITOR CENTER Off Soil Conservation Road and Explorer Drive, Greenbelt. Open Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday-Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. 301-286-3978 or http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/visitor. Free, and parking is free and abundant.
May you all enjoy a great winter weekend…maybe one of these indoor play ideas will inspire you!
