I am looking for a place I can go and stay with my daughter while she plays with other children her age. I went on vacation in Georgia and they had this place called Playtime Toddler and you would just drop in anytime and let your kid play with others if there were others there or he/she could just play with all the toys. It was awsome to watch her play with other kids. And it was great because I don't really want to drop her off at a daycare. It' was like 8 bucks for the day and I got to talk with other Moms, unfortunatly I live like 12 hours away. Is there anything like that in the Silver Spring, Rockville, Gaithersburg area?? I know there is the little Gym, but that is sooo expensive.
You may want to try MyGym. I've never been there, but here is the link to thier website. www.my-gym.com
Hi K., there's a gym located in Silver Spring called Silver Stars Gymnastics. They have open gym days on Thurs and fridays. I have attached the website for you. There is also a gym in the Gaithersburg area but I can't remember the name of it. I hope this helps. Also check your local Giant, or Whole Foods there is a local FREE parents magazine that lists the businesses in your area. You may find something through that as well.
Little Sprouts in Darnestown off of Route 28 has open play, music classes, etc.. it's a pay as you go place and it's not very expensive.
Also try the libraries. My twins are now almost 3 and we would do the free story times at the Rockville and Gaithersburg Libraries all the time. You can find the schedule online, also Little Sprouts has a website. Musikids also has an open play and they are in Rockville and Bethesda.
Funfit in Derwood also does open play.
Good Luck!
I attended a fabulous playdate for ages 12 months-5 years, 2 hours and for free, held at a local elementary school (for me, at Carlin Elementary School.) It was an Arlington county program. Maybe they offer a program like that where you live? I would suggest calling your county recreation office for more information. They had several structured activities, like storytime, free play, a snack, drawing time and playdough time. It was neat to see my 15 month old son sitting and eating a snack at a table with other kids, and learning to share the many toys they had for them to play with.
There is a place a bit away in Annapolis called the Chesapeake Children's Museum http://www.theccm.org/index.htm
You make me nostalgic. When my older three kids (10, 12 and 14) were young, there were places like this all over Montgomery County. They were called the Parenting Resource Centers and they were in school classrooms, set up like a preschool classroom and manned by a staff member. For $20/year (yes! I kid you not!) you could go and play any time with your children, and they were always full of happy people. I absolutely loved it and all my friends did, too.
Now I have another (surprise) baby, born eight years after the now-10-year-old, and somewhere in the interim after the others aged out of it, the Resource Centers lost their public funding and were closed. It's a real bummer.
Anyway, these days the only place I know is in Derwood at the corner of Redland and Muncaster Mull. It's called Funfit and does cost, but I think the fee for the free play time is something like $6/visit, which isn't too formidable. Good luck!
There is a new place in Reston,Va. (not super close to you but not really that far either if you go outside rush-hour times)called At Play Cafe. I haven't used it since my daughter's much older, but it seems to be a toddler play-place with an attached small cafe and seems to be drop-in plus they have some scheduled classes too.There may be other At Play Cafes in the area; they're new and I'm not sure if they're part of a chain.
Also, check your Montgomery County parks and recreation department website or catalogue! Here in Fairfax County there are plenty of county parks & recreation center classes for toddlers like "Wiggles and Giggles" which lets the kids use loads of great play equipment like huge foam mats and big shaped foam pieces they can climb on. I bet Montgomery has similar things. Parents do have to participate -- in our classes there was a teacher who did songs and finger plays at the start but parents do need to be part of that and to supervise their kids while playing. Remember, at 14 months, your daughter isn't really going to be playing "with" other kids so much as "around" them.
Sometimes local churches host what they usually call "Moms' Day Out" groups where you do not have to be part of the church to participate. I'm not sure but at least some of these are ones where you drop off your child for a few hours (it's not day care!). I think some are run as co-ops, meaning you have to agree to participate as a caregiving mom a certain amount in order to be able to leave your child there at other times. They also may arrange it so you're there with her and not just dropping her off. I've seen these advertised on church signs.
Have you considered a local playgroup? You would get to know other parents and your daughter might make some long-term friends. Plus, they're free. The trick is finding one that meets at times good for you and has moms with whom you "click." Look here on Mamasource or put up a poster in your local grocery store or search online! We were in a playgroup that met in people's houses from the time my daughter was about three months until she was well into preschool and it was a source of friendships for me as well as play for her. Good luck!
Hi K.,
Have you tried playwise kids in Columbia, Md?
http://www.aparentinsilverspring.com/
This is a good resource. There is a calendar of events to the right.
Check out the open gyms:
Open Gym at Leland Community Recreation Center in Chevy Chase
When
Thu, Aug 21, 10:30am – 12:00pm
Where
4301 Willow Ln Chevy Chase, MD 20815 ###-###-####
Description
Open play every Tues and Thurs from 10:30am-noon.
