Necessity is the mother of inventions they say, which is why some of the new play zones in the city are the perfect answer to hapless parents looking to keep their children engaged this summer. Set up by some young parents, who failed to find the right venues to take their children to over the holidays, these places cater to all the need for fun and entertainment children might have these summer vacations. So from a dedicated zone that allows children to jump all they want in an inflatable castle, to a café with an attached play area and a place that allows children to explore their creative side parents can take their pick.
Inflatable fun
Launched just over a month ago, Jump Zone is all about providing children with a safe play area. The attached café is perfect for parents to relax as their children have a ball, while enabling them to keep a watchful eye on them. According to Abhinandan Reddy, the owner of Jump Zone, it was the lack of proper play zones for children that prompted him to set up this space. “I have a three-and-a-half year old daughter and we found that there were very few places that we could take her to in the city where she could have fun her way.
Cities abroad have such facilities for children, but there’s a paucity here, which is why we decided to set up a place exclusively for children. So there are inflatable castles and slides apart from a volleyball court and an obstacle course as well. The play area is separated by a glass partition from the cafeteria to let parents monitor their children as they unwind over a cup of coffee,” he says. Spread over 3,800 sft this play area also has a separate party area for birthdays and other occasions.
Jump Zone, Madhapur
Something for the parents
For Anand and Jinal Shah the lack of restaurants that allow parents to dine in peace while their children get to run around and play prompted them to set up Bumble Bee Café. This indoor play area spread across 2,000 sft allows children to play in a sanitised and temperature controlled environment. Designed for children between the ages of 0 and 7 Bumble Bee has everything from a trampoline, merry-go-round, pretend and play toys, doctor houses and even a toddler section. “Bumble Bee is my wife Jinal’s brainchild and is aimed at letting parents relax and have a peaceful meal while their children are busy playing in a safe environment. The café offers vegetarian continental food options and we charge on a per hour basis for the play area for children. We’ve found a lot of women hosting kitty parties here, while their children are kept busy in the play area,” says Anand, partner at Bumble Bee Café.
Bumble Bee Café, Madhapur
Exploring creativity
Designed to be more than just a play area, KiDiHOU challenges a child’s mind and creativity with its well thought-out activities. The museum is spread over two floors and has activities like a construction corner, a science experiment to teach children about the laws of gravity, a supermarket to let them buy and bill their own products and even a clinic. Conceptualised and launched by Niranjan Vasireddy, KiDiHOU also has an area where children can paint on a collapsible wall any way they like.
Even the design of the place encourages creativity with its chandelier fashioned out of cups and pencil shaving and paper shred décor. “We encourage parents to spend time with their children at KiDiHOU because it is they who can best encourage them to engage their creative sides. We believe in experiential learning and our activities are designed in this manner and to prove that education can be fun,” says Vidat Latha, the museum director.
