RIP Kid Zone

We do both with Young Master Berlina. And he loves both.

I can’t help but remember when I was a little kid, seeing the occasional AWESOME park with cool and/or unusual equipment to play on (like the rocket park in Dubbo, for example), and wanting desperately to run and climb on it. Some of these indoor play places have that level of appeal to my little guy, and I see no reason not to occasionally let him have a turn.

That said, I prefer outdoor parks, but given Canberra’s climate, there are times when outdoor parks just aren’t practical.

I liked the indoor playcentres when the kids were little because, frankly, I could drink coffee in peace, have an adult conversation with the friends that we met there and let the kids have a great time in a constrained space (and ergo I didn’t need to watch their every single move). I couldn’t give a rat’s arse what people (especially people who aren’t at home with small kids every single day) think about that. We also spent plenty of time outdoors at ‘real’ parks, but I really enjoyed the indoor places in winter. Sue me.

I feel sorry for kids nowadays. All their fun has to be made for them, organised, sanitised. Where I grew up, we’d all go outside and play around the district. there was a playground down in the space between teh houses, there was the street, there was paddocks behind other houses, we had bikes… the possibilities were endless. Rainy days meant we got wet, unless there was something we coudl do under someone’s carport or verandah.

Come to think of it, this is how it worked both here in Canberra and down the coast too.

I imagine our parents knew where we were, but they didn’t have to watch us play.

And good on you, S-S-A, for getting up and fixing something rather than sitting back and whining that the government shoudl do it.

Not having ever been to Kid Zone but recently been to both the Brand Depot and DFO kids play areas for birthday parties, I can say that they do serve a purpose for all the reasons above and more.
The best comparison I can give is when I was a kid (growing up in Sydney), Luna Park was the ultimate place for fun and I can compare these places to Coney Island in the eyes of a 3yo. Hell even I had fun playing with my young fella on some of the activities and watching the fear, joy and amazement on his face when he went down the slides was something that will stay with me forever.

BTW, allbids.com.au have been flogging all the stuff from kidzone, I think most has gone but there might be something left for you to set up your own little kidzone.

Oh, really? The door’s that way!

; )

Don’t worry Granny i’m old enough to get confused on here too!

But that is the wrong thread! Oh, well! I’ll post it over there too.

*chuckle*

If monomania is the police then that is my first very, very, very negative experience from which I may never recover.

Nothing wrong with a bit of variety in kids activities.
I’ve been told by a reliable source that Westfield wanted far too much rent on the new lease.
All the play gear was sold off on allbids a short while back. There’s still a few bits and pieces left.

As someone said – a big difference is the fence around the outside – if more (any) outdoor parks in Canberra had that, we would go there more often.

Those reminiscing about outdoor parks probably went there when they were old enough not to run on the road. One parent can wrangle one unruly pre-schooler outdoors. Once you are outnumbered, the indoor places where they can’t run away are a godsend.

So don’t take them. My kids have always enjoyed both very much.

Take your kids (especially 2 to 4 yo like mine) to your garden variety park, and then try Kid Zone, Kids Rampage, Kid City, Monkey Mania, etc… See which they like better (and don’t kill themselves on).

dvaey and s-s-a: we have a lovely video of the littlelimbo doing her first accidental somersault ever, at Kidzone. While this is no major feat for a two year old, littlelimbo has some gross motor delays meaning physical activity is not only difficult but extremely tiring and sometimes dangerous. So a place like kidzone provided a soft landing with few kids around. Littlelimbo goes to our local park all the time and we spend heaps of time outdoors, but the delays mean that we can not always allow full on activity. The fatigue sets in too, sometimes resulting in painful accidents on hard bark landings like we have at our park.

So too much of a long story, but I am asking you to think about why people might use such a place, the last thing I need is for someone to try and make me feel guilty about a bit of activity that matches the equipment we use at physiotherapy regularly. We will miss the place.

We do both. Try to cram that into your peanut-sized brain.

Actually, sorry s-s-a.

I do think it’s fantastic that you cleaned up all those local playgrounds. It’s great to see that kind of community spirit, and I agree that outdoor playgrounds are a wonderful and necessary facility for the healthy growth and development of children.

Yes, indoor playgrounds have their own problems but they do serve a purpose. I guess I was feeling defensive because of the earlier comment about “what kind of a parent”.

who said anything about rain? i said when it gets cold. i dont want to be standing out in the freezing cold while my daughter plays on the equipment.

when’s the last time it rained anyway???

That’s your choice, s-s-a.

Most outdoor playgrounds are not fenced, and this can and does make a difference to many parents.

I’m not forcing you to take your kids to an indoor playground. If you don’t like it, don’t go.

My daughter with a disability enjoys the ballpits in indoor playgrounds, as there are not many activities she can participate in with outdoor playgrounds.

But if you really need to judge me, by all means feel free.

when you have kids dvaey, then you can have an opinion on this…

Rainy day outdoor activities are possible. I’d much rather my daughter experience include walking down the street in wellies, raincoats and umbrellas floating sticks down the river (ooops… I mean gutter) than driving her and paying money for the privelige of climbing, sliding, jumping indoors.

Playgrounds in disrepair? Several summers ago I got stick of the dust and food spills on the playground slippery dips in our area (making them none too slippery at all), so one morning I put my then-3yo in the bike trailer and grabbed some cleaning rags and a can of cheapo Mr Sheen-style cleaner and we polished at least half a dozen local slippery dips to make them actually slippery again. Problem solved!

Maybe a parent who wanted to have a cup of coffee in peace in the mall without having to jump up every second and chase a small child

Sorry Granny but I don’t believe “peace” is a word you can justifiably use when talking about small children, in particular indoor play centres!

Those parents who like something different every now and then. We used to go there about once every two months for something different. Granny has pretty much summed it up.

Granny +1

testify!

when you have kids dvaey, then you can have an opinion on this…

considering that most of the playgrounds in canberra that we enjoyed as kids have fallen into disprepair (weston park, kambah advneture playground etc…) these are an option as the weather gets cooler.

Maybe a parent whose child has different neurological needs from others. Maybe a parent who wanted to have a cup of coffee in peace in the mall without having to jump up every second and chase a small child. Maybe a parent who was looking for somewhere child-friendly to stop and have lunch, or just wanted to give the kids a treat after being dragged round a boring shopping mall for hours. Maybe a parent who still wanted their kids to be able to enjoy climbing and jumping and sliding and playing even though it was raining. Maybe a parent who was open to a diversity of experiences for their children. Maybe a parent who just wanted to live and let live and didn’t expect that to be an invitation to others to judge them for their choices.

I’m curious, what kind of parent thinks its a better idea to pay for a child to play indoors in a plastic playground, than take them out into the fresh air (for free) like every other generation before them has done? Maybe the demise of this business shows more parents are coming to their senses and realising that what they pay for, is available scattered all over Canberra, for free.

This is really sad, Special G. Kidzone was one of the first of its kind – if not the first. It leaves behind happy memories for many Canberrans.