Review: Have a Bunch of Fun

So, there is a new play place over by out house at Hwy 529/Queenston called Have a Bunch of Fun. I figured since I live the closest, I'd better check it out for all the inquiring minds out there. Tip: Socks are required.

I give it about 2 out of 5 stars. For $12 and change, I can think of a lot of other things that I would enjoy doing with my girls.

I hate being negative on a place that's trying very hard to be a wholesome place for kids, but there are just a lot of things that this particular mom did not "Have a Bunch of Fun" with. And I don't really see the big "educational" fun they are advertising.

First, I'll give you the positives.
- It was clean... I saw them sweeping the floor probably three times in the 1 1/2 we were there.
- It was not crowded. There were several families there but we weren't running over each other.
- They had lots of Melissa and Doug type toys... a puppet theatre, grocery store, kitchen, mailbox.
- There was dress up for cooks, doctor, and fireman (with a fireman pole to side down).
- There was nice open space in the middle and lots of spots for mommies to sit and chat (if your kids are of the age where that works).
- My favorite part was a small corridor/maze with color changing lights that the kids can walk through.

Okay, now the things I did not like.
- They have this really interesting Purple Sand Box. The sand is supposed to be special and wipe off easily without dust. Probably true, but it sticks to clothing that has rough, nubby spots... ie. my socks and Caroline's socks are still covered in it even after a washing. My friend Ysabel said she was going to throw out the clothes her girls wore there.
- Another thing about the sand is that it gets tracked out of the box and all over the rest of the place. They have rubber foam flooring which I'm sure is impossible to completely sweep, so even if you avoided the box, it would still be all over your feet.
- There are at least five sets of stairs because they have creatively elevated some of the play areas. All well and fine, except that we have gates on our stairs for a reason and I had to help Charlotte up and down the stairs at least 50 times. My back was killing me when I got home.
- There is an art area, which didn't have any rolls of paper left and just a handful of copy paper. And there is a bookshelf of books in the corner - which I'm sure is destruction waiting to happen for some children.
- The slides!! They are so steep! Caroline came barrelling and somersaulting off of them. She thought it was a blast, but not mommy. Thankfully they have three mats at the end. I couldn't let Charlotte go down them at all. I sort of helped her slide from halfway down and she was still plopping on her bottom.
- There are these weird metal slats inset in certain sections of the "upstairs" section's carpet. It just seemed like a hazard to me.

Okay, so that's my review for anyone that was wondering. Some of you may really like it. I'd just much rather go to the Children's museum and get the full blown experience... esp. since I have a membership there already. Or if I want indoor fun and a workout, I'll go to Toddler Tuessday at Ruckus room for a whopping $4 - hey, I could go three times.

Maybe, I'll try going again when the girls are old enough to play on their own and I can sit and chat with other moms in the cafe area.