That is a question I have asked quite often when I tell people that I own a play café. I guess that's what happens when you introduce an entirely new idea to your city.
Indoor playgrounds have been around for a while, and arcade game (www.twitarcade.com) there are lots of 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 want to burn off their energy if it is too cold outside to go to the playground, or whenever you do not want them to tear your house apart. They are the places where your children can run around through mazes, climb ropes, slide down slides and let out all of the crazy!
It was actually at an indoor park the idea of Chickadee Family Cafe was born in my head. I'd taken my then two-and-a-half year old into a popular indoor play space in our hometown Burlington and strove to keep him up as he ran down slides and through mazes. I crouched into miniature corners pursuing my little guy around and came out completely exhausted (go ahead, insert jokes about just how out of shape I am here).
When I emerged from the play structures, I looked around me at the other parents. Many were standing around trying to keep a visual in their kids' whereabouts. Some were phoning their kids' names, trusting that they weren't stuck in a maze...'trigger c'mon, most of us know no grownup wants to need to climb all of the way up those structures to regain a crying child. Mostly, they seemed bored and exhausted. 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 was the major aim of going to the indoor playground, but at a place full of other moms and dads around my age with kids around my son's age, there was a massive opportunity for building connection with my community that I felt was completely missed. As a new resident of Burlington I wished to associate with other parents. But the atmosphere didn't really lend itself to having an actual conversation.
I began to research what else was out there for a few quality mother -- son time that didn't require me to crawl on my hands and knees and then squeeze my buttocks through a tunnel fit for a toddler. I discovered play cafes. Play cafes are comparatively new to Canada, but are around the united kingdom, Australia and the US for several years. A drama café blends the requirements of both parents and children, fueling parents with caffeinated beverages while supplying ample play space for kids to explore and have fun.
Play cafes accept the community-focused way of a café and include a play space for kids. At Chickadee Family Caféwe supply that coffee shop atmosphere which you are used to sipping your latte in as well as an enjoyable child-friendly environment full of toys and imaginative based drama activities. When the play area is closed and the kiddos are in bed, our distance can easily transform into an evening assembly area for parent workshops, a couples' date night or a meeting location for mompreneurs.
While most indoor playgrounds either don't offer food or function up fast food choices or vending machine snacks, a play café is a full-service café with espresso based drinks and a hearty menu of healthy snacks and lunch items.
A drama café is a bridge between a historical years' center and your local trendy café.
I hope that helped to clarify the gap between an indoor park and a drama café.