“Moms love confined spaces and healthy food options at new indoor playscapes” |
| Moms love confined spaces and healthy food options at new indoor playscapes Posted: 05 Mar 2011 11:20 PM PST A little girl races by on her way to the tree house. Other kids slide and climb. There's some yelling, some running and some laughing. A few moms chat about sleep, diapers, food. The usual. It's just a typical day at Rochester Play, one of several indoor play places in metro Detroit. Popular with stay-at-home moms, families looking for a place to celebrate a birthday or anyone hoping to exhaust a child on a rainy or cold day, these indoor play places -- which often feature climbing walls, foam wedges, toys and trampolines -- are the place to be for the 10-and-younger set. • Join the discussion: Detroit.MomsLikeMe.com Experts say that many indoor play places are popping up as parents look for ways to get children moving, and they offer a break to busy, frazzled moms. Many of the latest crop of fun spots feature healthy menus for kids (yogurt, fruit, veggies, milk), and drinks and snacks that appeal to the mommy demographic (coffee drinks, salads, etc). "I love it here!" said 5-year-old Owen Smith, his face red and sweaty after a round at Rochester Play. "I like all of it. I like the slide. I like to climb." After he dashed off, mom Michelle Smith, 38, of Rochester Hills, said she is glad she found a place like Rochester Play. Owen and brother Riley, 3, she said, have a lot of pent-up energy. "It's big and there is so much to do," Smith said. "It is better than them sitting by the television all day." In recent years, there has been a push to give children more chances to be physically active, said Paul Gordon, PhD, director of the University of Michigan's Laboratory for Physical Activity and Exercise Intervention Research. The movement has undoubtedly received an extra boost by first lady Michelle Obama's crusade against childhood obesity. The embrace of unstructured, active play is "a real shift," said Lori Warner, PhD, director of the Hands On Parent Education Center at Beaumont Children's Hospital in Royal Oak. "Parents used to send their kids out to play. But now, parents don't really do that. Neighborhoods aren't like that anymore. But the need is still there. Parents want their kids to be getting exercise," said Warner. (Page 2 of 2) Being physically active helps children sleep better, releases endorphins -- the feel-good hormone -- and is good for developing brains, she said. "It's common sense. It's better to run around for three hours than to sit on the couch for three hours." In the Rochester area alone, there are at least three indoor play places: Kiddie Klub, which opened three years ago; Rochester Play, which opened in September, and Boogie Babies, which opened in August. Possibly the oldest, and best known, in the area, however, is Jungle Java, which opened in Canton in 2003. There are also Jungle Javas in Ann Arbor and Farmington Hills and, according to its Web site, one is expected to open in Clinton Township this month. The owners of Jungle Java could not be reached for comment. Katie Schoeneman, 32, of Southgate said she welcomes clean, safe and nonstructured places to take her children. "It gives them a chance to be a kid and run around," she said. She takes her 4-year-old, Hunter, and 1-year-old, Evan to Funtastic in Woodhaven at least once a week. " Many mothers said they prefer indoor play places to the playscapes typically found at fast food eateries or malls because they seem cleaner, and their children aren't tempted by greasy fries and sodas. Moms also like the fact that the new play places are enclosed and access is limited -- their children can't easily run off. "We hear a lot from moms who have babies and toddlers," said Candice Sprout, who manages the privately owned Kiddie Klub. "They love coming here because they can sit with the baby while the toddler burns off energy." Shannon Burt, 31, of Troy takes her children to Kiddie Klub at least once a month. She likes it because there are things to do for her son, Elijah, 3, and daughter Greta, 18 months. Also, it's clean, the staff is friendly and it seems safe. "It's a big hit," Burt said. "It's so much better than the mall play area. It's enclosed, too, so your kid can't just run off. And you can stand and talk to other moms without having to chase your kid everywhere. Your kid is always nearby." Kate Schamanek, who owns Rochester Play with her husband, Jeff, says one of the reasons they wanted to open their businesses was because of their own children. Schamanek said she didn't like indoor play areas at the mall and fast-food restaurants. "Our children love to play," she said, "but we couldn't find a clean, comfortable place. That's why we created this. We clean with greener products. We have recycle bins. We have organic, healthier food options. It's a place where you can come with your kids and watch them have a good time." And business, local owners say, is booming. Most owners say they see anywhere from 30 to 100 children per day and host an average of four to six parties a day on the weekend. "Even in a down economy, parents don't skimp on their kids," said Stephanie Kryk, who owns Funtastic -- a national chain based in California -- with her husband, his brother and his brother's wife. "It's been great. We bring our kids to work with us." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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