Design your own PERFECT childs activity centre

B

Boris the Good

Banned
Ladies
For what its worth I have to research for 21st century ideas for a new venture being put in operation - in Macau.

For the purpose of this forum the designers are looking for REAL LIFE needs that would be on every mums wish list if they took the child(ren) to a fully equiped activity centre to let them play their hearts out while mum did other relaxing stuff.

Remember - this is for the Childrens enjoyment so seaweed wraps and facials with Chippendales serving drinks can be assumed to be provided already !

We have a LOT of space with 275 sq metres put aside for a themed play design with climbing, slides and ball pond etc.
Add to that a relaxation area adjacent and trained minders if you want to have a complete break.

Also I want to be aware of MULTI CULTURAL ISSUES as the establishment will cover people from all over the world. It will service 3 hotels as well as the local population.

One thought is to put in a state of the art ( for 3 -12 yr olds of an electronic intercative play wall ( a bit like a vertical version of twister - in one mode ).

We have to cater for children up to 16 so compartmentalising for age groups is going to be - interesting. However the total area will run to over 1400 sq metres - so we have hope !

So for newborns to preschool whats your wish list - no expense spared as its going in as part of a casino complex.

ALSO - is there a good example in HK already that you might recommend us visiting to understand.
 
all the outdoor facilities available at Early Childhood learning toys shop at Megabox for preschoolers, would be perfect if they are availble for my 3 monther.
 
Bubbles

"Equipment" for kids to make/blow bubbles, huge ones I mean. Everybody loves bubbles, right? Especially like the ones you see on bubblemagic.com
 
the one thing you must make sure of is that the age appropriate areas are clearly marked and there is someone to "man" them. i sometimes dread taking my 3 year old to the playground as it can occasionally be over-run by 9-12 year olds that dont' give a hoot that there are smaller ones around. and fly through the equipment at, literally, break-neck speed!
 
Yes, a valid point and one that is being incorporated. It also goes that older children don't want what the younger ones do.

At the moment the theming is ( roughly ) Tech / Digital enjoyment, A day at the fun fair and run them of their feet with activity.

There will be a serviced snacks / relax area with menu service and all beverages on tap. Baby intensive area and then the themed parts. The place will be professionally operated.

What we are serching for by means of this Vox Pop is ideas for enjoyment.
 
I agree with the water play for toddlers/preschoolers. water rivers with things to do like build dams, float boat, a water pump and bubble things such as you find in science centers are great for this age. Provide aprons to wear and the floor can be grated so the water falls under the floor.
 
The sensory room at Wise Kids in Cyberport is something my 10 month old loves - chasing the coloured lights projected onto floor and playing with the fibre optic cables. Swings in the shape of animals (mygym has dolphins etc.) are a big favourite.
 
Also a sand pit, outdoor activity type corner would be great, with a little paddling pool and buckets etc - I know it sounds messy but if it is just for say 2 - 4 year olds it could work really well as keeps them busy for ages- What you need is a small 'wall' that keeps this separate from the rest of the play area. But this could be a themed wall where one could do hand painting etc (you'd just need to put one big canvas along it each day and get the child friendly washable paints). Just a thought!:gl:
 
The Mums are going to enjoy it if the coffee and snacks available are good quality!! There are lots of playroom cafes in Australia and UK, but often they skimp on the quality of the food and beverages which is disappointing when you want to relax and enjoy yourself.

I don't mean you have to have the most expensive espresso, but at least make a bit of an effort with the quality rather than writing it off as the cheapest part of the budget.

Ball pits are always very popular, jumping castles etc likewise (though a little risky I guess). My nearly 3 year old loves any big climbing frames, like the huge ones you get at some play centres, with netting for walls, and lots and lots of sections to explore, with slides coming down etc.

We visited this place in the UK, which is what I'm talking about (look at the pictures down the side): http://www.thegiantsden.co.uk/parties.html

I agree that you need excellent, enthusiastic and qualified supervisors (not just staff from other roles in the hotel taking turns looking after the kids' room), don't assume big kids won't want to play with the little kid stuff! You always get ratbag 9 year old boys wanting to jump on the baby equipment and usually in these kinds of places, parents don't supervise their kids very well.

If the supervising staff don't have a genuine interest in children, it will be very obvious, they'll get bored, accidents will happen, nobody will have fun.
 
Just some thoughts:

* a puppet station with a puppet theater and puppets

* a dress-up area with costumes

* consider a scheduled circle time where staff can lead the preschoolers in songs and activities. Circle time is an easy way to redirect toddlers.

* a child-sized village - maybe a grocery store where they can purchase groceries, a post office, a restaurant, a school, etc. Our local children's museum has this and is always well-used.

* smaller spaces where younger kids can go if they need a break from the larger scene. Perhaps you could set them up in the context of listening/reading stations where children can curl up, put on headphones and listen to or read a book or music.

Sounds like a fun project. Let us know what happens.
 
LeahH said:
The sensory room at Wise Kids in Cyberport is something my 10 month old loves - chasing the coloured lights projected onto floor and playing with the fibre optic cables. Swings in the shape of animals (mygym has dolphins etc.) are a big favourite.
Click to expand...

The floor thing sounds interesting and we have found an Electronic Digital activity wall. Noted with thanks.

We have areas set aside for ride ons, just have to decide what type.
 
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snagito said:
Also a sand pit, outdoor activity type corner would be great, with a little paddling pool and buckets etc - I know it sounds messy but if it is just for say 2 - 4 year olds it could work really well as keeps them busy for ages- What you need is a small 'wall' that keeps this separate from the rest of the play area. But this could be a themed wall where one could do hand painting etc (you'd just need to put one big canvas along it each day and get the child friendly washable paints). Just a thought!:gl:
Click to expand...

In line with a previous post about bubbles, we have put aside an area 0f approx 3.5m x 10m to be a wet zone.

Noted all you say with thanks - great input.
 
hkaussie said:
The Mums are going to enjoy it if the coffee and snacks available are good quality!! There are lots of playroom cafes in Australia and UK, but often they skimp on the quality of the food and beverages which is disappointing when you want to relax and enjoy yourself.

I don't mean you have to have the most expensive espresso, but at least make a bit of an effort with the quality rather than writing it off as the cheapest part of the budget.

Ball pits are always very popular, jumping castles etc likewise (though a little risky I guess). My nearly 3 year old loves any big climbing frames, like the huge ones you get at some play centres, with netting for walls, and lots and lots of sections to explore, with slides coming down etc.

We visited this place in the UK, which is what I'm talking about (look at the pictures down the side): http://www.thegiantsden.co.uk/parties.html

I agree that you need excellent, enthusiastic and qualified supervisors (not just staff from other roles in the hotel taking turns looking after the kids' room), don't assume big kids won't want to play with the little kid stuff! You always get ratbag 9 year old boys wanting to jump on the baby equipment and usually in these kinds of places, parents don't supervise their kids very well.

If the supervising staff don't have a genuine interest in children, it will be very obvious, they'll get bored, accidents will happen, nobody will have fun.
Click to expand...

Snacks - there is a big area ( 14m x 10m ) for rest and relax. Snacks for the toddler zone will be waiter service from a central supply in the casino. Better quality control and range + parents who choose to oversee their child don't have to interrupt the child's play.. Beverage on tap from the usual suspects but again we hope to do that through dedicated staff.

Ball pits and climbing we have found a great Canadian designer to make a) a spooky castle b) Pirate ship or c) Space station. The restriction is ceiling height at 4.5m.

Supervisors - As I helped set up my ex wifes ( now very profitable ) daycare centre in UK, I am all booked up on the Ofsted Regs and DFES statutes on child care and education / play. Although Macau has ( as far as I can tell ) no real standards in this area, we will use the UK standard as the benchmark. We have international clients to think of and they need reassurances.

We will also have a 2 level security system with electronic ( I hope ) tagging.

ANYONE - who would care to proffer experiences on Macau childcare systems should PM or e mail me and I would be happy to correspond.
 
Momto5 said:
Just some thoughts:

* a puppet station with a puppet theater and puppets

* a dress-up area with costumes

* consider a scheduled circle time where staff can lead the preschoolers in songs and activities. Circle time is an easy way to redirect toddlers.

* a child-sized village - maybe a grocery store where they can purchase groceries, a post office, a restaurant, a school, etc. Our local children's museum has this and is always well-used.

* smaller spaces where younger kids can go if they need a break from the larger scene. Perhaps you could set them up in the context of listening/reading stations where children can curl up, put on headphones and listen to or read a book or music.

Sounds like a fun project. Let us know what happens.
Click to expand...

For the first three items that sounds good for our Birthday party menu. The shop idea I will note and see how we are for space.

I definitely have thought about books and audio visual stuff as we are going to be multi cultural / language we will probably go with more audio books ( can get a lot of that on a hard drive ) and cartoon / Teletubby / Barney / Sesame Street type video. Tom and Jerry are BIG in China !!!
 
Do have a library where parents and children can borrow (or even rent out) books and other materials --e.g. parenting resources, story books, music CDs, etc.
 
There will be audio visual and the type I have mentioned before. I.E. audio books are more efficient for space and selection of language product.

Unfortunately we will not have the facility to do rental. The average stay of a visitor to Macau is 1.6days. So in most cases we would not have them returned !!
 
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