Blue House

Earlier this week, the little girl had a playdate at the atelier at Blue House with her little friends. The PSI level was starting to soar that day and I was in two minds if we should leave the house and go ahead with the playdate. But then I was curious to see the place as I knew that the atelier was Reggio-inspired, and so we went ahead and I'm glad we did.

The playdate was for a one-hour free play and discovery at the beautiful and spacious atelier at a special price of $15 (usual price is $18). There were many areas for toddlers to safely explore and experiment on their own which is just what I love.

Exploring an overhead projector and seeing the images on the wall

 Making shadows on the wall

Experimenting with a bouncing basket 

Playing in a mirror tent  

 Testing the wooden ramp with different vehicles

Catching bubbles at the end of the session

One hour was too short to explore all areas but that was the last session of the day. There were other areas that she didn't get to explore and a few that she did but I didn't take any pictures. I know she could easily spend 2-3 hours exploring the atelier but at $15 an hour, and that is the promotional rate, it is on the steep side. And the next time we are there, we would have to pay the lifetime registration fee of $50.

I don't like to rush the little girl when she's playing and I know that day when it was time to go home, she wanted very much to continue playing. In fact when I wanted to leave, she rushed to the wooden ramp to touch the vehicles again as I think it's one of her favourite spots. Her other favourite activity there was slotting straws and bottle caps into containers. She does that at home a lot and I would have thought that she would do something else when she was at the atelier.

So as much as I love the place and its many invitations that pique the children's curiosity and encourage free play and exploration, I doubt I would be a regular there. The place is far from home (half an hour by car) and like I mentioned, the hourly rate is rather steep. What I would do though is try to create some of the invitations at home like the ramp for her to play with her construction vehicles. Wish me luck!