We've found heaven, and it has a bouncy castle

It's tough to find cheap indoor activities for under-fivers in this town. When both I and the baby were crawling the walls this winter, too often we had to pay for our escape from the Land of Stir Crazy. For playdates we've tried the Children's Museum (pricey at $7), the West Portage Y ($12 for a family of 4), and Bimi Sushi (half-price sushi on Mondays and Tuesdays). I know lots of people swear by the play areas at McDonald's or Indigo or St. Vital Centre. One friend takes her little guy to the play area at the airport, but of course you have to pay for parking. This city is in dire need of warm public space for toddlers.

This week (thanks to Brent!) we found Winnipeg's toddler and parent paradise: the Ride and Play program at Earl Grey Community Centre. The bright, open gym space is filled with ride-on toys (from radio flyers to scooters), a couple of play houses, the aforementioned bouncy castle, and a craft table. They've got train sets and building toys and for pre-crawlers, there are exersaucers and play mats. Alison the coordinator has thought of everything, including bins for toys that have been "slimed" and need to be disinfected. I think the only thing that could improve the Ride and Play is a couple of massage chairs for parents to sit in while on kid watch.

Admission is just $2 (not $3 as stated in the Free Press article). The drop-in program runs Tuesday and Thursday mornings and Wednesdays from 9:15-2:30 p.m., and every session ends with a grand finale involving clean-up music and balls and ribbons. Good times!