Program: Peek-a-boo and Play-mania

Location: Port Coquitlam Recreational Centre Mabbett room

Cost: $3/ each drop in fee, $5/2 children

When: Monday 10-12 am

Parking available: yes and free

Last week of unofficial summer vacation for my daughter- I say unofficial, as she is on vacation full time, not registered to any daycare program. Having had my second child just a month ago, we haven’t really been able to check the local toddler programs in Tricities, therefore now, equipped with two babies, not just one, we start to wander around and check all the community centres around and see what they have to offer.

First and foremost, I made sure I have all the recent brochures and activities guides, online or hardcopies. Good enough, we found lots of options now starting September. As of this year, apparently they don’t distribute the guides by mail anymore, they can only be found online, or if you really want a hardcopy, you will need to check with your local community centre or library. I got mine for Coquitlam from the Central Public Library by the way.

My intention here is to just give a short review of the kids friendly places we visit, add in some pictures and hopefully other moms will feel inspired in making their decisions.

The first one on my list is Port Coquitlam Recreation Centre or REC Centre. Full address is 2150 Wilson Avenue Port Coquitlam, BC  V3C 6J5. And in case you find it strange that the entire location is surrounded by a construction site, do not worry, the centre is fully functional inside and they have parking available as well. The centre is under renovation for the following 3 years it seems. Here is the link in case you want to know more about the location or whether you want to check more about the program.

The program they have available on Mondays from 10- 12 am is called Peek-a-boo and it’s located in a very large and generous location, with a lot of options for the kids, aged 1-6 years. You will find everything from open gym time with mats to run around, balls, ride in cars and wagons, drawing/ painting stations, craft area

It is a drop-in program, $3 per child, $5 if you have two. You pay at the reception, where there are also volunteers helping around, probably due to the construction going on.

The coordinator, a very nice lady, introduced herself and told us what we can do and how the program runs. Basically, free play for an hour and a half, and story time at the end. The free play time can include craft, drawing, a lot of movement if they want to, my daughter decided she wanted to try out all the kids ride in cars and bicycles they had. There were a few and separated from the rest of the activities, this way you wouldn’t disturb the others. Trying may be a bit too much for her, she is only 18-months old, mommy helped her ride them and even try one herself.

There is washroom available, the main play area is well lit, clean, with a space to leave your luggage and lots of chairs if you need one to breastfeed, like in my case, with my son.

One thing I didn’t like was that although the room was large and suitable for kids play, getting there from the main hall in the centre was a bit challenging. There are some stairs that separate the spaces and you can’t really get the stroller with you. You need to leave it outside, before you take the stairs, which for me can be a bit challenging if I were alone. This time I had my mom with me, helping me with the kids, but on my own, dragging two babies and the diaper bag, backpack in my case, would have been a bit too much.

All in all good place to bring your child if walking. I wouldn’t recommend the place for crawlers, although with a bit of creativity, you can find things to do.

Some pictures below.

That is all from here for now. Hope you enjoyed it!

Happy playing around!

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Also, share your experience if you happen to visit this location!

Sorina