Peoria: Rainbow Play Systems

Rainbow Play Systems of Central Illinois
2916A Alta Lane
Peoria, IL 61615
Phone: (309) 690-3333
E-mail: clathrop500@sbcglobal.net

There was an impending storm over Peoria for the entire afternoon today and I was running out of indoor things for Lydia to do. Lydia and I went to music class this morning and had a great time. She loves watching and mimicking the teacher as we pretend to be animals on the zoo train. We visited with parrots, monkeys, and zebras today. Lydia knows the signs for each of the animals and also was able to echo the names of the animals as well. I just love hearing her vocabulary growing.

We had morning music class at Kindermusik, lunch and naptime before 2pm. This left us with a chunk of time to fill. After an hour that included painting, crayons (even on the kitchen floor) and reading of a large stack of books, I decided that Lydia needed to get out and play. Although the walk to the park is short and easy, I was worried that we would get there and have a storm. At the same time I was trying to decide what to do, I received notice via facebook that Rainbow Play Systems was hosting guests for free today. They have a showroom of playground equipment and are located within 5 minutes of our house. I know they have hosted birthday parties and playdates, but we had not been able to visit until today.

With the temperatures at 85 degrees and very muggy outside, it was the perfect venue for Lydia to cool off and burn off some energy. They had 4 models of playsets in their showroom as well as some basketball hoops, balls and picnic tables. When we arrived, there was only one other family in attendance. After about 10 minutes, they left and Lydia and I had the play area to ourselves.

Lydia and I swung on the swings together for awhile before Miss Daredevil determined that she was prepared to execute all four levels of slides, including the most daring tunnel slide. I am always hesitant to allow her to exercise her independence, but I also value her willingness and tenacity to try new things. Since we were in the confines of this playspace and I felt that I could monitor her closely, I allowed her to climb to the top and attempt the slide independently. She did all the slides multiple times with ease! She constantly reminds me that I need to revisit my preconceived notions of her abilities and allow her to test her boundaries in the safety of my supervision.

A good chunk of our time there was spent observing Lydia attempting to pick up two balls concurrently. This is not an easy feat for many adults, but Lydia spent a good 15 minutes trying to finagle a way to pick up both the pink and blue balls. The situation ended when Lydia decided that she could kick one ball and carry the second ball to her desired location.

At Rainbow, Lydia also used the word "miss" for the first time in context when I missed shooting a ball into the basketball hoop. Coupled with "oops" she found it entertaining that Mommy wasn't as good of a basketball star as Lydia was. I found it entertaining that Lydia used the base of the basketball hoop as a stage more than a support system for the hoop. I loved watching her dance and jump!

Toddler Fun Factor: 3/5: Rainbow was a great respite for a gloomy day when we were in search of an indoor activity. Lydia enjoyed the equipment, but did the equipment is more geared towards older kids that can climb and swing independently. Lydia enjoyed all of the slides, but several of them were too fast. There is a basketball hoop that is lowered, but still too tall for kids Lydia's height. We were able to spend less than an hour there.

Parent Pleasers: 2/5
There were clean bathrooms with a changing table, but that was it. The parking was on a gravel driveway. There were no windows. There were three chairs to sit on, so I imagine if it had been busier, that would not have been convenient. We brought our own snacks, but I didn't see anywhere to purchase additional food or beverages if necessary.

Car Seat Curb Appeal: 1/5
Rainbow used to be on Willow Knolls with a sunlit show room. It is now off of Alta Road in a warehouse building with no sunlight. Parking is on a gravel driveway with little curb appeal.

Overall Impact: 2.5/5
We had a nice time at Rainbow, but on a nice summer day, it is not an ideal location to have a playdate. On a rainy or cold day in which a busy toddler needs to run off some steam for an hour or so, it would be okay. Other Notes from their Website:

• Let your children enjoy all the display Rainbow Play Systems inside and out. Play with our Goalsetter Basketball Hoops.
  
  
• Unlimited time for only $5 per child 2 years and older.
  
  
• Mondays through Fridays only. Sorry -- no evenings or weekends.
  
  
• Call for availability as this service is not available when parties are scheduled.
  
  
• Party room is unavailable for use for Playdates.
  
  
• Please remember there is no food or drink allowed in our showroom.