On days like we've had this week, I think a lot of parents feel a little sense of dread. Wake up to dreary weather and there’s only so long you can spend doing yet another puddle jumping session in the park.
So we were so excited when we were invited down to spend the morning at the gorgeous Be Weird, Be Wild, Be Wonderful - it was the perfect day for it.
Based in Longwell Green, they are a female-owned business who have a play hub aimed at children up to five years of age.
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Jo and Claire both have Education and Early Years backgrounds and are extremely passionate about learning through play.
Transferring that passion to create something Weird, Wild and Wonderful, the play hub opened in October 2019.
The hub is full of authentic and natural open-ended resources that encourage children’s curiosity with creative and imaginative play, with resources and plenty of space for babies and toddlers to explore and discover.
The ladies have such a warm and welcoming environment, it's easy to see how passionate they are about child development and play.
Speaking with local mother, Kate McManus, "The no toys approach to play is perfect, my little one can play with 'mobile phones', wooden shapes, he especially likes the sparkly filled bottles.
"He can crawl up and down their big space whilst watching the other children, explore the sand pit, roll the balls around and use their furniture to practice standing.
"There's so much room to do all of these things and I can see that he's learning so much."
The hub is completely 'Covid safe', all sessions are booked in advance, hand sanitiser is provided as well as wipes and all adults are required to wear a mask.
This space is unique and feels like a little safe haven for the children.
They have seating areas incorporated into the play space for a comfortable play environment, so you can be quietly sipping on a tea or coffee (provided in their reusable cups with child safe lids) or eating some of their delicious homemade cakes with the comfort of knowing your child is in a safe and calm space filled with open ended resources.
They offer a lunchtime menu and plenty of homemade sweet treats by the wonderful Bristol-based Yummy Scrummy Catering.
Their kid's meal trays are genius, served in a muffin tray, you are able to choose six different items from an extensive list, there really is something for everyone, even the fussiest toddler!
I spoke with a parent who is a regular with their child to find out what keeps them coming back.
Sammi Stephens comes weekly and her toddler loves it because, "it is a calm and chilled out environment and my little one can always find something to occupy themselves with.
"With soft play you end up stressing out about where they are but here you get a chance to relax and do some imaginative roleplay! One eye on them and one eye on the cake!"
As I walked around, I noticed the walls were filled with gorgeous artwork, trinkets and gifts that had all been made by small local businesses. I spoke with Jo, the founder, who said, “Here at the Play hub, we love to champion local businesses so we want to share the little love for wonderful brands, created by brilliant minds.”
“The majority of these brands are local, independent businesses, fuelled by the same passion - creating what they love.”
Beautiful keepsakes, happy children, yummy food and more. It's a thumbs up from us!
