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When the folks at the Patchogue Family YMCA installed a gleaming, 30-foot high indoor playground in the lobby, they knew the children would go gaga for it.
They were a bit surprised the grandparents took to it so well.
“This is for kids of all ages,” stresses Donna Boyle, the Y’s executive director.
She uses the term lightly — kids — because all are encouraged to climb.
“We have the grandparents going up in there,” she said. “It’s so great because they’re exercising, they’re sweating.”
In fact, as soon as any adult inquires about the YMCA’s Adventure Zone, the staffers are quick to kick off their sneakers for a full, guided tour upward.
Since the Adventure Zone opened in March 2015, the Y saw a rush of single members upgrading to family memberships, Boyle said.
And that’s all according to plan.
“We’re really trying to be the family staycation destination of Long Island,” Boyle said.
Tina Norbut, the local YMCA’s childcare director, said the Adventure Zone is the perfect way to show kids “school isn’t just about learning the ABCs.”
“This gets them to have fun and socialize,” she said. “Jumping, leaping and playing together is so important.”
The best part for parents? The kids are known to sleep quite soundly afterward.
(All photos taken from the Adventure Zone’s top level.)
Top photo: Bella Cassidy, 3, of Patchogue.
