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Check out these indoor play options
Posted on Thu, January 28th, 2010
Written by: Jacqueline M. Domin,
email: dominj@spotlightnews.com
A few years ago, Cindy Snearly was looking for something to do with her 15-month-old.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of places to go,” she said.
Snearly decided to change that by creating a place that catered to young kids and their parents. In 2006, she opened Joyful Jumpers in the basement of the Colonie Alliance Church.
Looking like a brightly colored rec room, Joyful Jumpers has a ball pit, a soft train, tunnels and more for kids to enjoy. There’s also an adjoining kitchen where parents can heat up coffee and other treats.
“Most people who come are very appreciative of it,” Snearly said. “Everybody seems to really enjoy it.”
That may be most true in the winter, when parents can’t take their kids to parks and playgrounds to burn off energy. The good news for local moms and dads is that there are a lot more places to take kids during these cold days than Snearly found just a few years ago. In Malta, there’s TreePaad. Clifton Park is home to the Tiny Tots Tea Room. Tumbling Tykes is on Route 7 in Latham.
Joyful Jumpers is unique in that it’s a nonprofit. Snearly wanted to keep prices low, so open play is $5, and all of the money that Joyful Jumpers brings in goes right back into the operation.
Laura Dalton of Niskayuna brings her 15-month-old son to Joyful Jumpers and said it’s fun for both of them. She enjoys the chance to chat with other adults, while her son particularly likes the Cozy Coupes and other big cars in which he can ride.
“He loves it here,” said Dalton, who added she likes Joyful Jumpers because it’s clean and safe.
Snearly said she tries to constantly update Joyful Jumpers. When it opened, she had two wooden slides, but they proved cumbersome to move around, so right now, there aren’t any big slides. She hopes to get some new slides soon and said parents aren’t shy about letting her know what kind of things they’d like to see at Joyful Jumpers.
Here’s a look at the other indoor play centers and what some local moms think of them.
Nice pad
Patti Garrand and Candy Cross originally opened Tree Paad in Glens Falls. In late 2009, it moved to Malta, where it is “the largest party and play center in the area,” according to its Web site.
TreePaad is a multi-faceted play center. There’s a tot area where toddlers can climb and play. A few feet away is Fort Ballocity, a three-story play area and indoor playground featuring thousands of foam balls. One of the unusual features of Fort Ballocity is that it’s big enough to accommodate both parents and adults -- Garrand and Cross wanted everyone to be able to take part in the fun.
Lizabeth Sorensen, a mom from Saratoga, visited Tree Paad with the Saratoga Mama, a moms club, in late December. She has two children, ages 2 and 5, and liked that the younger one could enjoy the toddler area while the older one explored Fort Ballocity.
“There’s something for everyone,” she said.
The flip side is that it can be hard to keep track of kids when they’re in different parts of the facility, Sorensen said. She thinks a good solution is going with a group, like she did. One of her fellow moms recently had a baby, she said, and Sorensen sat with the newborn and her own daughter in the toddler area while the other mom kept an eyes on their kids using Fort Ballocity.
Sorensen said she used to take her kids to the play area inside the Wilton Mall when it was cold out, but that’s small and her children quickly outgrew it. She had been to a birthday party at TreePaad when it was in Glens Falls and was excited to learn it was moving.
“I’m really grateful we have another option,” she said.
I'll tumble for ya
Like Tree Paad, Tumbling Tykes has an area for the younger kids. But when Kelly Razzano of Latham takes her kids – a 2-year-old girl and 4-year-old boy – they like to use the indoor playground, which boasts a ball pit, ride-on cars, plastic houses, jungle gyms and more.
“There are two trampolines there that are great for jumping,” Razzano said, noting that she knows her son will take a good nap after visiting Tumbling Tykes because he spends so much time on the trampoline.
Tumbling Tykes is located on Route 7 near the airport. It can sometimes get crowded, Razzano said -- she combats that by going in the early morning.
One of her favorite things about Tumbling Tykes, she said, is that it offers open play whenever it’s open, so she doesn’t have to worry about driving over there and finding it’s closed for a class or other activity.
Razzano is also a big fan of Tumbling Tyke’s Friday drop-in program. Parents are invited to leave their children at Tumbling Tykes for up to three hours while they take care of other things.
“I hate dragging the kids to the grocery store when it’s so cold out,” Razzano said. “It’s nice to be able to go someplace you trust.”
Time for tea
Tiny Tots aims to let kids’ imaginations run wild as well as their feet. There are play houses, a dress-up stage and a puppet theater. Beyond that, there are the typical indoor playground amenities.
“It’s basically all the stuff you have in your yard in the summer,” said Elizabeth Russell, a mom from Wilton.
Russell typically takes her kids – she has an infant and a 2-year-old – to the library when it’s cold out, but Tiny Tots Tea Room, on Crescent Road in Clifton Park, is a fun alternative. She recently met a friend there, and they enjoyed hanging out while the kids played.
The Inside Scoop
• Joyful Jumpers is in the basement of Colonie Alliance Church, 32 Lapham Drive. It offers open play from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday to Friday, as well as from 3:30 to 6 p.m. on Thursdays. Visits cost $5, with discounted punch cards and memberships available. Discounts are also available for multiple children.
For information, call 396-7885 or visit www.joyfuljumpers.net.
• Tree Paad is at 2381 Route 9 in Malta. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays except for special events and school vacations. Hours the rest of the week are Wednesday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Toddlers can play for $4, while older kids will need to pay $8 for up to two hours in Fort Ballocity. An unlimited play pass in Fort Ballocity is $12 per child. TreePaad also offers memberships.
For information, call 289-5475 or visit www.treepaad.com.
• Tumbling Tykes is at 1050 Troy Schenectady Road, Latham. It is open Mondays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon and Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Visits are $9 per child, with a 10-visit pass available for or $70.
For information, call 783-0767 or visit www.tumblingtykes.org.
• Tiny Tots Tea Room is at 1536 Crescent Road in Clifton Park, in the CVS Plaza. Hours are Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesdays, noon to 2:30 p.m.; Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visits are $7 per child and $3.50 per sibling $3.50, with children younger than 9 months paying half price (free with a paid sibling). Punch cards and memberships are also available.
For information, call 348-1050 or visit www.tinytotstearoom.com.
Readers had this to say
Nobody has made any comments about this yet... you could be the first. Comment about this article.
Posted on Thu, January 28th, 2010Written by: Jacqueline M. Domin,
email: dominj@spotlightnews.com
A few years ago, Cindy Snearly was looking for something to do with her 15-month-old.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of places to go,” she said.
Snearly decided to change that by creating a place that catered to young kids and their parents. In 2006, she opened Joyful Jumpers in the basement of the Colonie Alliance Church.
Looking like a brightly colored rec room, Joyful Jumpers has a ball pit, a soft train, tunnels and more for kids to enjoy. There’s also an adjoining kitchen where parents can heat up coffee and other treats.
“Most people who come are very appreciative of it,” Snearly said. “Everybody seems to really enjoy it.”
That may be most true in the winter, when parents can’t take their kids to parks and playgrounds to burn off energy. The good news for local moms and dads is that there are a lot more places to take kids during these cold days than Snearly found just a few years ago. In Malta, there’s TreePaad. Clifton Park is home to the Tiny Tots Tea Room. Tumbling Tykes is on Route 7 in Latham.
Joyful Jumpers is unique in that it’s a nonprofit. Snearly wanted to keep prices low, so open play is $5, and all of the money that Joyful Jumpers brings in goes right back into the operation.
Laura Dalton of Niskayuna brings her 15-month-old son to Joyful Jumpers and said it’s fun for both of them. She enjoys the chance to chat with other adults, while her son particularly likes the Cozy Coupes and other big cars in which he can ride.
“He loves it here,” said Dalton, who added she likes Joyful Jumpers because it’s clean and safe.
Snearly said she tries to constantly update Joyful Jumpers. When it opened, she had two wooden slides, but they proved cumbersome to move around, so right now, there aren’t any big slides. She hopes to get some new slides soon and said parents aren’t shy about letting her know what kind of things they’d like to see at Joyful Jumpers.
Here’s a look at the other indoor play centers and what some local moms think of them.
Nice pad
Patti Garrand and Candy Cross originally opened Tree Paad in Glens Falls. In late 2009, it moved to Malta, where it is “the largest party and play center in the area,” according to its Web site.
TreePaad is a multi-faceted play center. There’s a tot area where toddlers can climb and play. A few feet away is Fort Ballocity, a three-story play area and indoor playground featuring thousands of foam balls. One of the unusual features of Fort Ballocity is that it’s big enough to accommodate both parents and adults -- Garrand and Cross wanted everyone to be able to take part in the fun.
Lizabeth Sorensen, a mom from Saratoga, visited Tree Paad with the Saratoga Mama, a moms club, in late December. She has two children, ages 2 and 5, and liked that the younger one could enjoy the toddler area while the older one explored Fort Ballocity.
“There’s something for everyone,” she said.
The flip side is that it can be hard to keep track of kids when they’re in different parts of the facility, Sorensen said. She thinks a good solution is going with a group, like she did. One of her fellow moms recently had a baby, she said, and Sorensen sat with the newborn and her own daughter in the toddler area while the other mom kept an eyes on their kids using Fort Ballocity.
Sorensen said she used to take her kids to the play area inside the Wilton Mall when it was cold out, but that’s small and her children quickly outgrew it. She had been to a birthday party at TreePaad when it was in Glens Falls and was excited to learn it was moving.
“I’m really grateful we have another option,” she said.
I'll tumble for ya
Like Tree Paad, Tumbling Tykes has an area for the younger kids. But when Kelly Razzano of Latham takes her kids – a 2-year-old girl and 4-year-old boy – they like to use the indoor playground, which boasts a ball pit, ride-on cars, plastic houses, jungle gyms and more.
“There are two trampolines there that are great for jumping,” Razzano said, noting that she knows her son will take a good nap after visiting Tumbling Tykes because he spends so much time on the trampoline.
Tumbling Tykes is located on Route 7 near the airport. It can sometimes get crowded, Razzano said -- she combats that by going in the early morning.
One of her favorite things about Tumbling Tykes, she said, is that it offers open play whenever it’s open, so she doesn’t have to worry about driving over there and finding it’s closed for a class or other activity.
Razzano is also a big fan of Tumbling Tyke’s Friday drop-in program. Parents are invited to leave their children at Tumbling Tykes for up to three hours while they take care of other things.
“I hate dragging the kids to the grocery store when it’s so cold out,” Razzano said. “It’s nice to be able to go someplace you trust.”
Time for tea
Tiny Tots aims to let kids’ imaginations run wild as well as their feet. There are play houses, a dress-up stage and a puppet theater. Beyond that, there are the typical indoor playground amenities.
“It’s basically all the stuff you have in your yard in the summer,” said Elizabeth Russell, a mom from Wilton.
Russell typically takes her kids – she has an infant and a 2-year-old – to the library when it’s cold out, but Tiny Tots Tea Room, on Crescent Road in Clifton Park, is a fun alternative. She recently met a friend there, and they enjoyed hanging out while the kids played.
The Inside Scoop
• Joyful Jumpers is in the basement of Colonie Alliance Church, 32 Lapham Drive. It offers open play from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday to Friday, as well as from 3:30 to 6 p.m. on Thursdays. Visits cost $5, with discounted punch cards and memberships available. Discounts are also available for multiple children.
For information, call 396-7885 or visit www.joyfuljumpers.net.
• Tree Paad is at 2381 Route 9 in Malta. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays except for special events and school vacations. Hours the rest of the week are Wednesday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Toddlers can play for $4, while older kids will need to pay $8 for up to two hours in Fort Ballocity. An unlimited play pass in Fort Ballocity is $12 per child. TreePaad also offers memberships.
For information, call 289-5475 or visit www.treepaad.com.
• Tumbling Tykes is at 1050 Troy Schenectady Road, Latham. It is open Mondays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon and Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Visits are $9 per child, with a 10-visit pass available for or $70.
For information, call 783-0767 or visit www.tumblingtykes.org.
• Tiny Tots Tea Room is at 1536 Crescent Road in Clifton Park, in the CVS Plaza. Hours are Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesdays, noon to 2:30 p.m.; Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visits are $7 per child and $3.50 per sibling $3.50, with children younger than 9 months paying half price (free with a paid sibling). Punch cards and memberships are also available.
For information, call 348-1050 or visit www.tinytotstearoom.com.
Readers had this to say
Nobody has made any comments about this yet... you could be the first. Comment about this article.