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ited The Discovery Center, our local
<br />children's museum, and watched the
<br />kids at play. We spied on children in
<br />playgrounds, preschools, and local
<br />play groups. Eventually we put to-
<br />gether the Play House.
<br />How we did it.
<br />~'e decided to organize the room
<br />into separate play areas. We placed
<br />the baby area-soft toys, a huggable
<br />activity rug-in front of park
<br />benches, where parents could relax
<br />between play ing and swooping. Adja-
<br />cent to the baby area is the quiet
<br />area, with tables and chairs, where
<br />gro~v-n-ups and children share art sup-
<br />plies, books: toys, and puzzles. A play
<br />kitchen stands nearby.
<br />We set up the active area in the
<br />back corner of the room, roped off
<br />with safety- nets. It's equipped with
<br />huge rubber balls, play mats, and
<br />foam-rubber animals. Close by is a
<br />slightly less frenetic climbing-and-
<br />sliding area-a few climbing pyra-
<br />mids and blocks, some padded mats,
<br />a four-seater rocking rowboat that
<br />doubles as'a footbridge when turned
<br />over, and a sturdy wood slide-safe
<br />for toddlers but acceptable for older
<br />children too.
<br />One corner of the room is occu-
<br />pied by the most popular toy in the
<br />room, the sand table. Much of the
<br />kitchen equipment-pots, brooms,
<br />and cups -winds up here. When
<br />kids grow tired of the sand table,
<br />they can wander a few feet away to
<br />the make-believe corner, which fea-
<br />tures apuppet theater, a chalkboazd,
<br />and a storefront all in one.
<br />Actual use of the room is fluid; the
<br />kids move from one area to the next,
<br />by ones or twos or in a big parade.
<br />Visually, the wall-to-wall carpeting
<br />and colorful murals pull the rootn to-
<br />gether. We decided against having re-
<br />corded music on regularly because
<br />it's nicer when the kids provide their
<br />own sound effects. But sometimes
<br />someone brings in a children's tape.
<br />How it works.
<br />We've discovered, the fewer rules
<br />the better. Children must be accom-
<br />panied by an adult at all times;
<br />everyone helps to limit the chaos.
<br />The Play House is open Monday
<br />through Friday, 9:00 .~.~t. to I:00 P.ivt.,
<br />whenever school is in session. No ad-
<br />mission fee is charged. Two pazks-
<br />department staff members are on
<br />hand whenever the Play House is
<br />open, to greet the parents and chil-
<br />dren, make newcomers feel at ease,
<br />and help keep it safe and tidy.
<br />There is an official limit of fifteen
<br />children at one time. To avoid disap-
<br />pointments or long waits, parents are
<br />sometimes advised to call the parks
<br />department in advance and to re-
<br />serve an hour of play. In fact, no one
<br />has er-er been turned away at the
<br />door or been sent home before he
<br />or she a~as ready to go.
<br />By the spring of that first year, Eli
<br />had returned to day care, and we
<br />were back to life as usual. But on
<br />April Fool's Day a y. ear later, we
<br />slowly climbed the steps together
<br />for the opening of the Play House.
<br />-lay or Crabbe, a stranger to both of
<br />us, stopped to take Eli's other hand:
<br />The Play House room was filled with
<br />administrators, the press, and, best of
<br />all, parents and their children, eager
<br />to get down to the business of play-
<br />ing and being together. Dave Cody
<br />remarked in his opening-day speech,
<br />"Every parent who lives in Bing-
<br />hamton knows that the long winter
<br />can be hard on small children who
<br />are forced to remain indoors. In open-
<br />ing this playroom, ~c-e hope to pro-
<br />vide pazents and children the oppor-
<br />tunity to leave home and have some
<br />fun without having to brave the ele-
<br />ments or pay a fee."
<br />The Play House has been, from
<br />the very start, a rousing success. It
<br />draws parents of every age and back-
<br />ground. Family-day-care providers
<br />bring their kids; grandparents come
<br />to spend the morning; parents bring
<br />one child or a few. As one woman
<br />remarked, "It functions a lot like a
<br />playground, only it's more intimate.
<br />You can be instantly talking with
<br />someone as if you were the best of
<br />friends, or off by yourself. And it's
<br />never the same two days in a row."
<br />There has already been talk of
<br />opening more Play Houses in other
<br />Binghamton schools. Everyone
<br />wants to use it. And whenever I in-
<br />vite my now three-year-old son to a
<br />playground, he says, "Okay. I;et's go
<br />to the indoor one!" OO
<br />Liz Rosenberg is the author of sereral chil-
<br />dren's Cooks. the mos[ recent of which is The
<br />Scrap Dol! (HarperCotlins(. She teaches English
<br />and creative writing at the State University of
<br />New York a[ Binghamton.
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