C'ville Entremom

 As Summer comes to an end and all of the fun activities like the pool and camp are closing shop for the season, you may be asking:  what is left to do?  You could take the kids to the same old park or… you could grab the kiddos and go check out Explorations Play Studio.

Explorations is a play studio that is aesthetically and purposefully designed to entice children to explore and discover.  Owner Nicole Root describes the play studio as “an oasis for children where the joys of free play and natural exploration have been preserved.”  Sample exploration activities include:  sensory tables (flour w/sifters, shiny seeds with basket scoops or sand with rocks and shells), sniff and compare trays, choosing interesting items to weave through the upright weaving loom and building with hundreds of hardwood blocks or an array of natural and manufactured “treasures.”

Explorations caters to families with children ages 2 to 9 and has a wide range of offerings from weekly classes to private parties to monthly events.  Families can sign up for a 10 week session or drop in during Open Studio times.  There are designated times for free exploration, but there are also teacher guided opportunities focusing on Creative Drama, Art, Spanish and Yoga.  Explorations is also available for birthday parties, field trips, homeschooling, play groups and teacher workshops.

Nicole, a progressive Kindergarten teacher by trade, wanted to combine two of her passions and start a business in the Charlottesville community.  Her 1^stpassion is providing open-ended materials for children to be creative using their own inner drive.  Her 2^ndpassion is creating an appealing space for children.  Nicole states that “Little Gym focuses on the physical component of development and Music Together focuses on the musical component, why can’t I focus on the free play component?”  Well, lucky for you C’Ville, that is just what she did! 

So how does Nicole run her fabulous studio and raise two girls, Madison (9) and Chloe (5)?  Nicole says that it is tough!!  Luckily, she loves being a Mom and she loves being an entrepreneur, so she wouldn’t have it any other way!  Whenever life gets too stressful, she heads on over to Bikram Yoga or goes for a run!

Explorations advertises in Albemarle Family and in C’Ville Weekly, but mostly depends on their database and word of mouth to find new clients.  If you’d like to find out more about Explorations Play Studio visit www.explorationsplaystudio.com.  Explorations Play Studio is located 1919 Commonwealth Drive.  Prices start at $15.00.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, August 20th, 2009 at 9:29 pm and is filed under Family Fun, Local Resources. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.