the latest news at playlab!
WE ARE CLOSED, EFFECTIVE SATURDAY MARCH 14
Hello PlayLab Families,
Given the news about many local closures and cancellations, and general concern about the coronavirus, PlayLab will be closed beginning March 14, 2020.
Both locations will be closed for at least a week as a precaution and safeguard for the public health. This was not an easy decision to make financially, for ourselves, but we believe it was the right thing to do for our community.
During the closure, we plan to evaluate the current situation with our team and consider whether to close for a longer period of time, and pay attention to how long authorities recommend the other closures to last.
Sincerely, Carrie & Jason PlayLab Founders
A LETTER TO OUR FAMILIES ABOUT COVID-19
Dear PlayLab Families,
As the novel coronavirus begins to affect our local communities we felt it was important to reach out to our families directly to share with you the steps we are taking at both our locations to help keep you, your children, our employees, and our own family safe and healthy.
The health and safety of the families who play in our spaces has always been our top priority and we are closely monitoring this rapidly evolving situation. Our playspaces, as well as each of the toys, are cleaned, sanitized, and disinfected daily as a part of our normal operating routine. We currently use, and have always used, disinfectants approved by the EPA to be effective on COVID-19. In addition to that, hand sanitizer dispensers are found throughout the spaces so that visitors can use them frequently.
In addition to keeping our playspaces, facilities, and toys clean, we also require our team to be on the lookout for anybody showing symptoms of illness, including the symptoms of the COVID-19 illness, and requiring them to leave immediately and return when they have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours.
We are also asking for your cooperation in helping our efforts. If you are feeling unwell, or have any nasal discharge, persistent coughing, rashes, vomiting, please refrain from visiting us.
Based on the guidance published by various health agencies, including the CDC, we are confident that our locations continue to be safe. We will continue to look to health agencies for guidance on best practices as the situation develops.
-Carrie & Jason Shoup, PlayLab Founders
PlayLab's Wellness Policy
We wanted to take a moment to remind you that the health and safety of your family is incredibly important to us. Our team works hard to make sure the space and toys are as clean and safe as possible each time that you visit, because we want parents to feel confident that PlayLab is a healthy environment for play and exploration.
To help the efforts, especially regarding the concerns about coronavirus:
It is recommended you wash hands throughout the day, especially after eating, using the bathroom, and doing diaper changes.
Wash hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds on each occassion.
Please make use of our hand sanitizer dispensers throughout both playspaces (as well as the outdoor sink at Eagle Rock)
If your child puts a toy in their mouths during their visit, please put it in one of the "Mouthed/Dirty/Soiled Toy" bins in the spaces, and our staff will clean and sanitize it.
Please make sure your family is healthy and symptom-free before visiting.
Anyone who displays symptoms of illness such as persistent cough, runny nose, or rash will be asked to leave and return on a day they feel better.
We can work together to look out for those in our PlayLab family who are most vulnerable to illness such as pregnant moms, infants, and newborns. As always, we appreciate your support in making PlayLab a safe and special place for families to play. Thank you.
New Music Class at Eagle Rock: "Little Folkies"
Little Folkies is coming to PlayLab Eagle Rock in April, on Wednesday and Saturday mornings! Little Folkies is an award-winning folk music class for children ages 0-5 and their parents and caregivers. Their amazing instructors are all natural, sincere, energetic, engaging, and professional musicians proficient on their instruments such as guitar, banjo, fiddle, ukulele and talented singers, as well as dedicated music teachers.
The class is 40 minutes long and is a perfect arc that engages students throughout with a repertoire of wonderful old and original folk tunes. Classes feature finger play, hand movement, clapping, singing along, call and response, dance, and hands-on, all-acoustic, live instrument jamming with sustainable wooden instruments and much more.
If you are interested in the 6 week Wednesday Series, click here for registration
If you are interested in the 6 week Saturday Series, click here for registration.
(PS- You can save $35 off the course if you enroll by March 31st!)
For more info on Little Folkies, visit their website here!
STORYTIME Returns!
We are so excited to be introducing a weekly dollop of storytime into the PlayLab universe! Starting March 5th at PlayLab Pasadena, every Thursday at 10am come join Miss Annabel for a half hour of fun with words and music; we'll be reading a few short, toddler-friendly tales and singing some sing-a-long songs together.
MUSICAL NEWS: Broadway Babies coming to PlayLab Eagle Rock! (Feb 26)
Were you lucky enough to catch Broadway Babies' performance at our Eagle Rock grand opening party? If not, no worries!
The duo returns to rock PlayLab Eagle Rock on February 26th, 2:30pm-3pm, singing a mix show tunes and kid-friendly songs.
The show is included with your admission or membership.
PlayLab Presents: Parenting Without Shame, Blame, or Punishment
February 22, 6pm-730pm at PlayLab Pasadena
Join PlayLab as we host James Bigelow’s “Parenting Without Shame, Blame, or Punishment”, an evening of reflection on the practical ways parents can re-frame learning for their children and themselves.
Understanding how our early experiences of regret and shame inform how we parent our own kids.
Learn how to move from shame, blame and punishment to loving and learning together.
Replace "Power-Over dynamics" with collaboration and respect.
To get your tickets, click here
OPEN HOUSE/PARTY at PlayLab Eagle Rock- January 26th
Please join us for an open-house party, celebrating the opening of the new Eagle Rock location!
(Yes, we did open 2 months ago, but better to celebrate late then never at all :)
We will be featuring lots of special stuff, like messy play, a musical performance from Broadway Babies, and much more!
It’s included with your membership or admission, and happening Sunday, January 26th, from 2pm-6pm.
New "Parent & Me" Class coming on Friday mornings in January!
Friday mornings 9:00-9:45am at PlayLab Pasadena
January 24th, 2020-February 28th, 2020
6-Week Session $180 Child / $240 Siblings
In this 6 week series, being held Friday mornings beginning January 24th, Lab Parent-Child families can expect an engaging and meaningful program. A mixed-age group allows for the "family group" dynamic (sibling learning), which creates a socially-rich learning environment.
A typical class begins with unique and simple songs with which we greet one another and share the season. Songs are largely selected from Waldorf Education and taught through repetition. Songs include gestures, may include a variety of natural props, such as play silks or rhythm instruments.
We transition to group activities and family crafts through an apron song. Crafts involve layered learning that include dynamics such as sensory play as well as creation of keepsakes. A sample of a craft may be watercolor painting on wool felt. Such an activity, for example, is process art that inspires wonder and results in a beautiful wall hanging for the home.
Activities are developmentally appropriate based on whole-child curricula and informed and inspired by Waldorf Early Childhood. The class is organized and taught by Betsy Edelberg.
To learn more or sign up, please email: info@playgrouplosangeles.com
Black Friday Sale is live!
Our holiday sales have been a big hit in the past, so we’re bringing them back for 2019! For a limited time only, you can take advantage of the following two deals:
1 Year Membership to both the Pasadena AND Eagle Rock locations: $600!
That’s a savings of $120 compared a reoccurring membership subscription and a savings of $180 when compared to purchasing one month at a time.
You can claim this deal in person at either of our locations by paying in full, or head to our online SHOP to purchase as a subscription and pay in six installments.
12 Pack of Day Passes good for both the Pasadena AND Eagle Rock locations: $100
That’s a savings of $44 compared to buying individual passes!
Happy holiday season to all and we hope to see you soon!
Pasadena's "Late Shift" Tuesdays Are Coming to An End, as of 11/19/2019
Over the summer we decided to test out extended “Happy Hours” on Tuesday evenings- it was fun, but all good things must come to end! We’ve decided to pause the Late Shift program for now, as we work on getting our new Eagle Rock location up to speed. Hopefully we will resume the Late Shift again in the future; if it’s something you want and miss, please let us know!
PlayLab Eagle Rock is now OPEN!!!
We are so proud to announce that PlayLab Eagle Rock is now officially open! It is beyond exciting to share this with you all- we’ve built a brand new space that features half outdoor play, and half indoor play! Outside, we’ve got a big, beautiful wooden terraced deck, big A-Frame playhouse, and giant 200 square foot sandbox.
Indoors, we’ve got two playrooms filled with fun stuff like Nugget cushions, costumes, play kitchens, and more. We’ll be adding more stuff to it in the coming weeks, and want to hear what you think!
To learn more about our new space, check it out here:
PS- if you’ve got a PlayLab membership, you can use it at either location for unlimited visits :) If you don’t have a membership, you can get one here.
"PLayLab Eagle Rock" Updates: Construction Begins!
We’ve been hard at work on the new Eagle Rock location- today we began building the outdoor decking area, as well as more interior touch ups.
Exciting! It’s wonderful to see it coming together.
We’ve also set up the website for the new location, which is just a landing page at the moment: https://eaglerock.goplaylab.com/
New PLAY Music Class for Wednesday morning!
New Class Announcement! PLAY Music's Wednesday class begins October 2!
Sunday’s sessions are FULL! Can’t make the weekend classes? We’re running an additional PLAY Music series for Wednesday morning! A 9 week series takes place every Sunday morning from 9:30am-10:15am. Learn more about the class here.
PLayLab’s 2nd Location is Coming!!
We are very excited to announce that the 2nd PlayLab location is happening, and we’re coming to Eagle Rock!
More details will be forthcoming- we’re making a space that offers both indoor and outdoor play. Stay posted to watch our progress and updates; we hope to open it by late October/early November.
We hope “PlayLab Eagle Rock” will be great, and hope that you will love it, and hopefully we can keep growing and building more PlayLabs throughout Los Angeles :)
Nanny Enhancement Training- coming Sept 7
We are hosting a special training evening for nannies and caregivers who want to learn new skills to make them stand out amongst their competition! The evening will talk about RIE trainings, caregiver-focused CPR training, getting business insurance policies, and more! This will be held on September 7, from 630pm-930pm.
The event will be conducted in Spanish, with an English interpreter present.
To register or ask questions, contact bebetterworkbetter@gmail.com.
Attention Monday Visitors!
Our main entrance (in the parking lot) is going to be closed tomorrow while the trees are trimmed. You can still park in most of our spots in the parking lot, but please enter the building through the front, on Walnut St, at the entrance circled here.
There is also 2 hour street parking on Catalina, which might be more convenient, since it’s a shorter walk.
We apologize for any inconvenience and expect the work to be finished by 3pm.
Anniversary Sale- Special Prices on Memberships, 10 Pack of Day Passes
Since we’ve turned two, in addition to our anniversary party, we decided to run two special offers:
-One is a 2 Month Membership, good for unlimited visits for 60 days for your immediate family!
Even if you already have a current PlayLab membership, or are going to be taking some trips this summer- no worries; you can activate this any time; you don’t have to use it right away. The usual price for a membership is $65 per month, but this offer is $100 ($50 per month, a total savings of $30)
-The other special is our popular 10 pack of Day Passes - now with 2 extra passes, for a total of 12 day passes!
This is also $100, which works out to about $8 per visit (a savings of about $144, compared to buying individual day passes at $12 a pop). And the passes never expire, so you can use them at your own pace.
Wondering which one to get? If you’re planning on visiting us at least 4 times a month, the membership is more cost effective. If you’re planning on visiting us less, go for the 10 pack, er, 12 pack. Oh- and don’t wait too long; this offer ends July 28th.
Order them here, and we hope to you see you at Saturday’s party!
Save the Date! PlayLab Anniversary Party- July 27
Attention all interplanetary party people!
Join us on July 27 to celebrate our second anniversary with catering by @mendocinofarms, decor and photo op by @cwkidslifestyle, sensory pool by @mylleshop, interactive music fun, play dough, messy play area, and more!
All this is included in your membership or admission
New BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT GROUP begins July 2
Seeking a new team of fellow moms? Come meet other new moms and receive breastfeeding support and advice from a board-cerified lactation consultant (IBCLC).
Every Tuesday from 1pm-3pm (cost is $5)
Taught by Josée Pound, who has provided clinical and in-home support to families in Los Angeles for over 5 years through her private practice. For additional information on the support group, visit www.joseepound.com/supportgroup