How the bar has been raised for children & parents at The Children’s Play Village
The long-awaited Children’s Play Village is now officially open & Baby About Town were invited to be one of the lucky few first through the doors to check it all out. But great things come to all those who wait, and wait we have, but it truly was worth it. This wonderful child’s play haven just five minutes from Warwick centre, is absolutely ground-breaking for so many reasons and I cannot big it up enough!
“Our incredibly themed role-play areas have been lovingly designed to light up the imaginations of inquisitive and curious children as they explore, discover and play.”
Where else could you spend an afternoon performing in your own sell out show in full racing driver regailia, bathe a poorly giant tortoise and serve lobster & lemons from an ice-cream van? And if that doesn’t get your imagination flowing, then head to the hair salon and jump into today’s story. There is absolutely nowhere like The Children’s Play Village for learning through play…………
Moma Says…… From the moment we stepped through the doors into the brand-new purpose-built play village, we were totally blown away. It looked so very beautiful with its village green, paved pathways & colourful frontages. Both Baby Town and I were just desperate to get in and explore it all. But the proof is in the pudding and Baby Town was the real tester as I watched him run from one play setting to another, bursting with excitement, he had never experienced anything quite like this before. His imagination was on fire, calling “come on mommy let’s play here”.
Baby Town has without doubt, never been so engaged for an entire two hours. Every detail helps in creating a village just for the little people allowing them to immerse themselves entirely in it all and feel like little grown-ups. The hair salon with its straighteners, hair dryers, hair clips, nail bar with files, phone and computer. The Vets with a whole menagerie of pets, give them a bath or examine them and make them all better. The fire station was a popular hang out with its fire engine, full kit with helmet, jacket and trousers, hose & megaphone. And who doesn’t love an ice-cream served from your own van with fruit kebabs and a cherry on the top?!
And just when we thought it couldn’t get any better……. we met the Play Makers! These fun and energetic ladies, all with a drama or childcare background, are there to create excitement with their fabulous themes and stories. They are so engaging with the children and regularly burst into song and dance as they lead the little ones around the village green! I think as it is so child centred and all about them, they claim it as “their space” and lose themselves in being just a child and being in a whole world of fun so they feel super confident and comfortable to get involved with all that is going on.
I noticed that almost every child interacted with each other beautifully in each of the settings, even though most didn’t know each other. A little girl arrived at the Emergency Room and asked Baby Town to help fix her poorly leg, to which he whipped out his stethoscope and proceeded to diagnose a ‘bad leg’ and rub in some ointment with an oversized toothbrush. It is just so beautiful to watch as they all feel so happy to interact with each other and play. Because it is so child-centric, it allows them to feel comfortable and able to interact on their own level.
And now for the grown-ups……. A gorgeous open plan restaurant area with luscious Chesterfields and the ability to keep your eye on your little one whilst sipping your latte. It was light and bright and a lovely space to spend some time. And the food served was on the level of some of our favourite gastro pubs. We had the Little Mermaid sandwich & fries and it was truly awesome, I didn’t eat for the rest of the day either!
At the end of the session, the ‘Tidy Up Song’ was played and the que for all to know that play was coming to an end. I have never seen children so happy to tidy away, I must use this at home!!
We are so extremely lucky that this super awesome little place is right on our doorstep just five minutes from Warwick town centre. In fact whilst we were there, a family from Bournemouth had travelled all the way to experience The Children’s Play Village and have fun like never before.
The Children’s Play Village is the clever creation of Shelley & Alan, co-owners & parents themselves they decided to create somewhere they & their little ones would love to spend time and asked the fundamental question “what don’t we like about all those children’s spaces out there?”. And so they really have created something that works for both parent & child, something really fantabulous.
“Our sole ambition at The Children’s Play Village is to offer a warm, magical and stimulating environment that puts a bright park in imaginative and creative playtime. “
The Children’s Play Village should be the stake in the ground for all child spaces, this is the benchmark; our children deserve awesome. And if this is the standard they grow up to expect then how fantastic will the next generation be?! And us parents want to spend our time in a nice environment too right?. Too many children’s spaces are naff, grubby and below standard. Why? We all deserve fabulous and this place really is all that.
Shelley & Alan are not resting on their laurels and already have other plans afoot, with an outdoor play area and craft workshops to name but a few! These super clever parentprenuers are going to take on the world it seems.
There are three play sessions throughout the day that you can book online. It gets booked up quickly so book in advance.
The Nitty Gritty Need to Know ……
Under 2’s go free? Non-walkers benefit from a discount and babies under 6 months are free.
Café/Restaurant? Yes, simply fabulous! With an adult & child menu, its’ happy times all round.
Parking? Free parking and lots of it.
Loyalty Scheme? No
Breastfeeding friendly? You’re in a room full of moma’s, although so busy there isn’t much time for a snack!
Have you tried The Children’s Play Village yet? Did your little’s love it too? What was their favourite play setting in the village? We would love to hear your thoughts moma’s!
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*This blog & all opinions and views within it are just that, our personal opinion only. We only blog those that we love and are not paid for this. We do it for the sheer bloomin love of it*