[Boris the Good]

Noted with thanks. Not something I would have remotely thought of.

[LeahH]

The sensory room at Wise Kids in Cyberport is something my 10 month old loves - chasing the coloured lights projected onto floor and playing with the fibre optic cables. Swings in the shape of animals (mygym has dolphins etc.) are a big favourite.

[snagito]

Also a sand pit, outdoor activity type corner would be great, with a little paddling pool and buckets etc - I know it sounds messy but if it is just for say 2 - 4 year olds it could work really well as keeps them busy for ages- What you need is a small 'wall' that keeps this separate from the rest of the play area. But this could be a themed wall where one could do hand painting etc (you'd just need to put one big canvas along it each day and get the child friendly washable paints). Just a thought!

[hkaussie]

The Mums are going to enjoy it if the coffee and snacks available are good quality!! There are lots of playroom cafes in Australia and UK, but often they skimp on the quality of the food and beverages which is disappointing when you want to relax and enjoy yourself.

I don't mean you have to have the most expensive espresso, but at least make a bit of an effort with the quality rather than writing it off as the cheapest part of the budget.

Ball pits are always very popular, jumping castles etc likewise (though a little risky I guess). My nearly 3 year old loves any big climbing frames, like the huge ones you get at some play centres, with netting for walls, and lots and lots of sections to explore, with slides coming down etc.

We visited this place in the UK, which is what I'm talking about (look at the pictures down the side): http://www.thegiantsden.co.uk/parties.html

I agree that you need excellent, enthusiastic and qualified supervisors (not just staff from other roles in the hotel taking turns looking after the kids' room), don't assume big kids won't want to play with the little kid stuff! You always get ratbag 9 year old boys wanting to jump on the baby equipment and usually in these kinds of places, parents don't supervise their kids very well.

If the supervising staff don't have a genuine interest in children, it will be very obvious, they'll get bored, accidents will happen, nobody will have fun.

[Momto5]

Just some thoughts:

* a puppet station with a puppet theater and puppets

* a dress-up area with costumes

* consider a scheduled circle time where staff can lead the preschoolers in songs and activities. Circle time is an easy way to redirect toddlers.

* a child-sized village - maybe a grocery store where they can purchase groceries, a post office, a restaurant, a school, etc. Our local children's museum has this and is always well-used.

* smaller spaces where younger kids can go if they need a break from the larger scene. Perhaps you could set them up in the context of listening/reading stations where children can curl up, put on headphones and listen to or read a book or music.

Sounds like a fun project. Let us know what happens.

[Boris the Good]

Originally Posted by LeahH

The sensory room at Wise Kids in Cyberport is something my 10 month old loves - chasing the coloured lights projected onto floor and playing with the fibre optic cables. Swings in the shape of animals (mygym has dolphins etc.) are a big favourite.

The floor thing sounds interesting and we have found an Electronic Digital activity wall. Noted with thanks.

We have areas set aside for ride ons, just have to decide what type.

[Boris the Good]

Originally Posted by snagito

Also a sand pit, outdoor activity type corner would be great, with a little paddling pool and buckets etc - I know it sounds messy but if it is just for say 2 - 4 year olds it could work really well as keeps them busy for ages- What you need is a small 'wall' that keeps this separate from the rest of the play area. But this could be a themed wall where one could do hand painting etc (you'd just need to put one big canvas along it each day and get the child friendly washable paints). Just a thought!

In line with a previous post about bubbles, we have put aside an area 0f approx 3.5m x 10m to be a wet zone.

Noted all you say with thanks - great input.

[Boris the Good]

Originally Posted by hkaussie

The Mums are going to enjoy it if the coffee and snacks available are good quality!! There are lots of playroom cafes in Australia and UK, but often they skimp on the quality of the food and beverages which is disappointing when you want to relax and enjoy yourself.

I don't mean you have to have the most expensive espresso, but at least make a bit of an effort with the quality rather than writing it off as the cheapest part of the budget.

Ball pits are always very popular, jumping castles etc likewise (though a little risky I guess). My nearly 3 year old loves any big climbing frames, like the huge ones you get at some play centres, with netting for walls, and lots and lots of sections to explore, with slides coming down etc.

We visited this place in the UK, which is what I'm talking about (look at the pictures down the side): http://www.thegiantsden.co.uk/parties.html

I agree that you need excellent, enthusiastic and qualified supervisors (not just staff from other roles in the hotel taking turns looking after the kids' room), don't assume big kids won't want to play with the little kid stuff! You always get ratbag 9 year old boys wanting to jump on the baby equipment and usually in these kinds of places, parents don't supervise their kids very well.

If the supervising staff don't have a genuine interest in children, it will be very obvious, they'll get bored, accidents will happen, nobody will have fun.

Snacks - there is a big area ( 14m x 10m ) for rest and relax. Snacks for the toddler zone will be waiter service from a central supply in the casino. Better quality control and range + parents who choose to oversee their child don't have to interrupt the child's play.. Beverage on tap from the usual suspects but again we hope to do that through dedicated staff.

Ball pits and climbing we have found a great Canadian designer to make a) a spooky castle b) Pirate ship or c) Space station. The restriction is ceiling height at 4.5m.

Supervisors - As I helped set up my ex wifes ( now very profitable ) daycare centre in UK, I am all booked up on the Ofsted Regs and DFES statutes on child care and education / play. Although Macau has ( as far as I can tell ) no real standards in this area, we will use the UK standard as the benchmark. We have international clients to think of and they need reassurances.

We will also have a 2 level security system with electronic ( I hope ) tagging.

ANYONE - who would care to proffer experiences on Macau childcare systems should PM or e mail me and I would be happy to correspond.