After watching Jon and Kate Plus Eight, I wanted to try a little Gymboree on my Peter. Searched around online for awhile, and discovered that the closest Gymboree to us in Utah County is way up in the Salt Lake are. Looked around some more, and found the Little Gym in Orem. From the description, I'm guessing they are very similar, although I'm not totally sure.
I signed up for a free class, and got a call right away to schedule when I could come in with the little dude. We went to the class (which was in fact, free) and received little pressure to actually join the club, which was nice! They also gave us a free t-shirt, which is very cute.
When we first got there, the woman at the desk was on the phone, and my boy was pounding on the door to the gym area which was made of glass. I told him no-no, and tried to pull him away, which made him scream. Seeing as the receptionist was on the phone, I took him out to the car to sit until our class started. Noticed his nose was running, tried to wipe it, which made him scream bloody murder. Next thing I know I hear a small woman's voice behind me saying "Oh! Are you leaving?" Turn around and see the receptionist standing right behind me! She looked frightened, and I believe she thought I was beating my poor kid or something. Tried to explain I was just wiping his nose, to no avail. The rest of the time waiting for the class to start was spent with this lady explaining that it's ok if Peter doesn't want to play with the other kids, we want to encourage them to do whatever they want, it's ok if Peter bangs on the glass door, it's ok if Peter wants to play with my printer and pound on my keyboard. *sigh*
Obviously, those of you considering taking your kids to the Little Gym probably don't have as bad of luck as I do, so this won't happen to you, and the receptionist will probably not assume that you're a terrible parent who abuses their child.
In the class, we sang a song (which was just London Bridge with different words thrown in), and all the parents and the teacher said Hello to each child by name. That was very interesting, I think that the kids liked hearing their name called by so many adults. Peter was definitely intrigued. Then they tried to have all the toddlers do a little run around in a circle game. All of this Peter was not interested in, in the least. All he wanted to do was go look at the bars that the older, real gymnastics-taking kids use. The whole class period.
They had a big blow up, mat thing, that they used as a trampoline, and the other kids seemed to enjoy that too. Peter was instead interested in the large machine being used to inflate the mat. While the other kids were playing on the balance beams and running around the place, Peter wanted to play with the air conditioning unit. The only thing Peter did have real interest in, was when the teacher helped the kids do a real somersault (which he has been practicing at home for awhile now), and the playing with balls. The bubbles were over too quickly for him to realize what was happening.
Basically, he ran around doing everything except what the other kids were doing.
To sum it up, I think the Little Gym is a great idea for an older toddler, one who can join in group activities, and follow simple directions. But it is incredibly expensive (that's from my perspective, and we are on the low end of the income spectrum, so it may not be expensive for you), and my 17 month old dude was not interested enough to warrant me paying that much. It would also be a good place if you are wanting your child to be involved in gymnastics, because they can come here when they're very young, and by the time they're ready to do the more complex gymnastics moves, they are already very familiar with all the equipment and the staff.
Here is the website if you want to check them out: http://www.thelittlegym.com
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
East Bay McDonald's
I am going to cover any place you can take your kids, including fast food restaurants. Because, as parents with small children know, not all fast food restaurants have areas that are appropriate for children under a certain age (age varies depending on climbing skill of child, IMHO).
The Mcdonald's at 1225 South University Avenue, Provo is great for taking your smaller children to! They have completely rebuilt their playground recently, and there are many things to do for your toddler. There is a small slide, with a small tunnel that is perfectly sized so that your little one can climb up all by themselves! There are also a number of musical toys, such as a large guitar that makes strumming noises when you touch it, a keyboard that your child can step on, and the slide itself is a piano and organ that both make the appropriate noises.
On top of that, they also have a little basketball area with small kick balls. Peter loved grabbing those balls, he just took it around the whole play area with him. There is another small slide that is toddler sized, underneath the older kids playground. And... I'm not sure how to describe it... a roller, you know? One that you can go under or over to get to a little tic-tac-toe board, except it has planets on it. I'm sure parents that take their kids to playgrounds will know what I mean. And all of it is toddler sized.
This is an awesome Mcdonald's to take your little ones too, I love it! And the best part is, Mcdonald's is super cheap. The only thing you have to be wary of, is the fact that parents are not attentive at all at fast food joints, so especially for toddlers you gotta watch out for them getting stepped on by older kids.
The Mcdonald's at 1225 South University Avenue, Provo is great for taking your smaller children to! They have completely rebuilt their playground recently, and there are many things to do for your toddler. There is a small slide, with a small tunnel that is perfectly sized so that your little one can climb up all by themselves! There are also a number of musical toys, such as a large guitar that makes strumming noises when you touch it, a keyboard that your child can step on, and the slide itself is a piano and organ that both make the appropriate noises.
On top of that, they also have a little basketball area with small kick balls. Peter loved grabbing those balls, he just took it around the whole play area with him. There is another small slide that is toddler sized, underneath the older kids playground. And... I'm not sure how to describe it... a roller, you know? One that you can go under or over to get to a little tic-tac-toe board, except it has planets on it. I'm sure parents that take their kids to playgrounds will know what I mean. And all of it is toddler sized.
This is an awesome Mcdonald's to take your little ones too, I love it! And the best part is, Mcdonald's is super cheap. The only thing you have to be wary of, is the fact that parents are not attentive at all at fast food joints, so especially for toddlers you gotta watch out for them getting stepped on by older kids.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Children's Museum at Discovery Gateway
My boy, Peter, he is 17 months old. So as he ages, I will probably take him back to locations we have previously visited to see if they are more suitable at various ages and stages of development. Let's talk about him for a moment so you can compare him with your own children. He is rambunctious and loves to around (duh, he is a toddler) but still, some lucky mothers out there may have a very sedate child. He doesn't seem interested in really playing with other children at this point, but I'm sure that will change with age.
And here we go with the review.
It was slightly difficult finding it at first, being from Utah County and not being familiar with the Salt Lake area. The directions on their website and Google maps were not friendly at all. They asked us to find a road that we could never really find. We ended up trying to find it for a half an hour.
But boy is this place fun! I loved it. I always have, ever since I was a kid. I think it is somewhat engaging for adults, so it is a great place to take your kids. The prices are 8.50 per person. Which is a little steep for so young a child. There is a lot to do here, however, and my husband and I both agreed it would be a great place to go if you have more than one child. There are different exhibits, and some cater to a slightly older crowd. So if you've got two adults, it is a good place to entertain your toddlers and 3-12 year olds at the same time. They have a ball exhibit where you place balls into tubes and they get sucked and pushed by the air, which Peter was only interested in for the balls. Slightly too mature an activity for him. They have an exhibit with a mini crane where you can load up foam blocks and move them around with pulleys. Also too old for him. They have a miniature house where your little ones can play house with a little couch, refrigerator, etc. Still too old. Water play, with little cups, and faucets and water wheels. Also too old, also a little too tall for him. Farm area with a life-size horse you can sit on, as well as reading about agriculture. A mini grocery store where your older children can pretend to be cashiers, and the little ones can take little shopping carts and pick out all their favorites and have them scanned. A gas station and cars, to practice filling up for when they finally turn 16. An arts and crafts area, an area about storytelling with puppets. A studio where your children can film themselves pretending to be news anchors. And a real life life-flight helicopter with most of the original buttons and switches, so they can pretend to be pilots.
And finally, the area of interest for our little one. The 3 and under area. He absolutely loved it. We got to sit back and relax while he ran around and played uninhibited. Little see-saws, and a tiny tree house with a 2 foot ladder with books and small chairs. A small slide, a little stick clubhouse. Books, toys, etc. There is also a small area within this area for children from 9-18 months. And a nice couch for nursing mothers in a small unimposing nook. They have parenting magazines that you can read, and all the other parents are extremely attentive.
We actually watched one father put down his infant child and leave, and when the kid crawled away another parent noticed him escaping from the area and returned him. I thought it was incredible that she even noticed a baby that wasn't hers getting away.
It's a great place to take your kids! Although, a little expensive if you've only got one toddler to take like us.
They also have classes on different things that you and your children can attend.
And here is the URL in case you are interested: http://www.discoverygateway.org/
And here we go with the review.
It was slightly difficult finding it at first, being from Utah County and not being familiar with the Salt Lake area. The directions on their website and Google maps were not friendly at all. They asked us to find a road that we could never really find. We ended up trying to find it for a half an hour.
But boy is this place fun! I loved it. I always have, ever since I was a kid. I think it is somewhat engaging for adults, so it is a great place to take your kids. The prices are 8.50 per person. Which is a little steep for so young a child. There is a lot to do here, however, and my husband and I both agreed it would be a great place to go if you have more than one child. There are different exhibits, and some cater to a slightly older crowd. So if you've got two adults, it is a good place to entertain your toddlers and 3-12 year olds at the same time. They have a ball exhibit where you place balls into tubes and they get sucked and pushed by the air, which Peter was only interested in for the balls. Slightly too mature an activity for him. They have an exhibit with a mini crane where you can load up foam blocks and move them around with pulleys. Also too old for him. They have a miniature house where your little ones can play house with a little couch, refrigerator, etc. Still too old. Water play, with little cups, and faucets and water wheels. Also too old, also a little too tall for him. Farm area with a life-size horse you can sit on, as well as reading about agriculture. A mini grocery store where your older children can pretend to be cashiers, and the little ones can take little shopping carts and pick out all their favorites and have them scanned. A gas station and cars, to practice filling up for when they finally turn 16. An arts and crafts area, an area about storytelling with puppets. A studio where your children can film themselves pretending to be news anchors. And a real life life-flight helicopter with most of the original buttons and switches, so they can pretend to be pilots.
And finally, the area of interest for our little one. The 3 and under area. He absolutely loved it. We got to sit back and relax while he ran around and played uninhibited. Little see-saws, and a tiny tree house with a 2 foot ladder with books and small chairs. A small slide, a little stick clubhouse. Books, toys, etc. There is also a small area within this area for children from 9-18 months. And a nice couch for nursing mothers in a small unimposing nook. They have parenting magazines that you can read, and all the other parents are extremely attentive.
We actually watched one father put down his infant child and leave, and when the kid crawled away another parent noticed him escaping from the area and returned him. I thought it was incredible that she even noticed a baby that wasn't hers getting away.
It's a great place to take your kids! Although, a little expensive if you've only got one toddler to take like us.
They also have classes on different things that you and your children can attend.
And here is the URL in case you are interested: http://www.discoverygateway.org/
What I Intend...
I intend this blog to be a sort of go-to site for learning about different places to take your kids. I'm trying to take my baby boy to everything there is possible to do. I will try to explore all possible kid-friendly businesses. I know that I have searched the internet trying to find someone with a list of sites to take my toddler to in Utah, and I have not found one that was as in depth as I was looking for. So I'm trying to remedy this problem for other mothers out there in Utah County and beyond.
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