You recently may have read about Boomerang being at risk of closure. They had a few weeks to turn it all around otherwise the doors of Boomerang would have closed for good. Thankfully Trewan Sands Children's Trust, tsctrust, came to the rescue and gave the centre the money needed to stay open. So for those of you who don't know about Boomerang, I am going to tell you all about it in this blog and share Charlotte's and my experiences of visiting the centre and what we love about it. Specifically the wonderful Pea Pods sessions. |
The centre has three interactive rooms, a Cafe with seating, changing facilities and classroom where they regularly run sessions, children's tea parties and bookable birthday parties.
We are not local to the centre but after all the wonderful things we had heard about it, we decided it was definitely worth a visit. We were not disappointed, it is worth every penny and is surprisingly cheap and the price you pay allows you to stay at the centre all day, if you wanted. For information about opening time and prices, please follow this link.
Boomerang is a registered charity and relies solely on its visitors and donations to keep it running. Each room has all sorts of exciting attractions and has been adapted to make it accessible for as many children as possible. It is on one level, making it easy for people with mobility difficulties to get about and all rooms have a hoist to assist all in the access and enjoyment of the centre.
We have just started to slide her down the slide and she loves it. Her little face lights up and she gets so excited. The problem is she hasn't figured out that she has to go up the steps to get to the slide and once she has come down it, she wants to climb back up it and throws a little tantrum when you try and show her the difference. (Naughty Charlotte).
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According to the Boomerang website "The sensory room at Boomerang is an area to relax, it’s a calming and non-threatening environment with many features. It contains a sensory bed, large bubble tube, colour-changing ball pool, infinity panel, fibre optic curtain and projector lighting.
The projector lighting changes when noises are detected meaning that children of all abilities can interact with them. This room is ideal for children who don’t enjoy being in the sometimes noisier soft play areas. Fibre optic tubes come out of the floor as well as being fitted into a curtain." |
Now however, since being able to walk, its a new adventure for her. She has recently found the soft padded stairs which she can attempt safely. I know even if she falls down them she isn't going to hurt herself because the room is like a big padded pillow, but it doesn't stop me from walking behind her (over protective mum alert).
Charlotte loves being thrown into the ball pit, where she can sink into the balls, watching the lights change colour and of course eating the balls is her favourite activity as they seem to be simply delicious. She also loves what we call 'spaghetti lights', climbing up to the bubble tube and admiring herself in the mirror. The room also features the light box, a light up blower and a sensory bed with a fibre optic curtain which Charlotte loves to explore. Its funny watching her run to the blower to set it off each time it stops, she is amazed by it.
According to the Boomerang website "The soft play area helps to develop skills including; cause and effect, colour & number recognition and gross motor skills with a selection of slides, swings, ball pool, musical instruments, trampoline, tunnels and infinity hut.
Every surface is soft padded making it safe for children of all abilities. The area has two ‘wavy’ slides side by side and a further spiral slide. The lower level features a shallow ball pool, large soft play shapes, lots of hiding places and musical instruments. A hoist allows children with limited mobility to access the soft play area. The upper level has tactile areas, a see-through tunnel and gives children access to the three slides." |
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According to the Boomerang website "Our state-of-the-art interactive learning environment encourages the use of the senses as well as fine and gross motor skills.
Ceiling-mounted projectors create a unique affect allowing children to interact with various games on the floor. these include playing a piano, rustling leaves, kicking a football, attracting frogs, disco dancing and catching fish. The games and interactive experiences change every few minutes to keep children interested. This also ensures there’s something that children of all abilities can enjoy." |
Pea Pods is our favourite reason to visit Boomerang. Its a 40 minute session filled with fun, laughter, giggles, songs, dancing and sensory experiences.
The sessions are run on a Monday & Friday for 3 weeks. They also run taster sessions that cost £5 for a one off session. Both are worth every penny and Charlotte and I spend our week looking forward to them and the exciting things we are going to do. Prices include a play in the centre before or after for as long as you like, which I think is amazing value. |
Our favourite part of Pea Pods is getting messy and stuck in. Sarah always warns us the week before this will happen, so you have chance to prepare and bring something you don't mind them getting dirty in. I always say if Charlotte's messy, she's had a great day. That's what children do make mess and get messy and I must say she has a ball doing it. Its always fun when Charlotte is covered in paint or some sort of mess and then wants a cuddle. So be warned - any mums considering Pea Pods need to wear a comfortable outfit that they don't care about getting dirty, if you have a child like mine that is.
Charlotte has developed so much since starting Pea Pods. We don't generally have very many visitors and so Charlotte really struggles to adapt a large group of people but now you can see how comfortable she is and how she wants to get involved and play with the other children. Its even given us ideas for things to do at home and we have been painting, playing with rice, pasta and play dough just like we do at Pea Pods. |
Boomerang also offers birthday parties which are bookable with exclusive use of the centre and its play rooms. For more information visit their website http://www.boomerangcentre.co.uk/parties-events/childrens-birthday-parties/.
Boomerang is an amazing centre that's well worth a visit. As you can see from this blog post there is so much to enjoy and you can spend as much or as little time there as you like. Its a great day out and your children will come home happy and exhausted.
For more information about Boomerang visit www.boomerangcentre.co.uk. You can also visit them on facebook www.facebook.com/boomerangbury or follow them on Twitter @Boomerangplay