Adult-only nursery sees people pay to nap and play with kid-style entertainment
An American has set up a kindergarten for adults, offering a range of toddler-style entertainment - from arts and crafts to building with blocks, and even nap time.
The over-18s who want to enjoy a nostalgia-filled day pay £6-£12 per two-hour session, filled with activities based on real nursery schools.
Soleil Kohl was inspired to create ‘Big Kid Kindergarten’ while researching young children's playtime for her Master’s in Early Childhood Education.
Through her work as an early childhood educator, the 25-year-old was inspired by the magical way kids perceive the world.
“We believe that if everyone were a little sillier, we would not only understand each other better, but we would also add more grace, kindness, and joy to our everyday interactions,” she says.
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Participants, many of whom according to organisers leave with new friends after these play sessions, are all over the age of 18 (mediadrumimages/Big Kid Kindergarten)“The primary focus of our project is bringing play approaches to all aspects of life, a term we call play-based living and research shows that play isn't just for kids, but for adults too,” she says.
Play therapy is used by some psychologists to help adults with childhood trauma and hands-on, creative experiences have also been found to help old people immensely.
Soleil Kohl from Colorado, US, was inspired to create the project while researching play in young children for her Master's in Early Childhood Education (mediadrumimages/Big Kid Kindergarten)Participants wanting to explore their playful side at ‘Big Kid Kindergarten’ come from a wide range of backgrounds, from therapists to engineers, and many leave play sessions with new-found friendships.
“It's so fulfilling to see the ways we rediscover the wonder of play, and at the same time heal some childhood wounds,” says Kohl.
“My favourite part, more than anything, is seeing a group of strangers come into a room and leave as friends,” she adds. “It's rare that we get to have that now, when so many things seem to turn us against each other.”
The unique idea blossomed from Kohl years of experience as a early childhood educator, inspired by the ways that kids see the world 'full of magic, character, and charm' (mediadrumimages/Big Kid Kindergarten)‘Big Kid Kindergarten’ had its international debut at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August, with footage showing over 300 participants, and has since garnered significant online attention with over 1.6 million views on TikTok and over 6 million on Twitter.
Although the general reception towards 'Big Kid Kindergarten' has been positive, there are others who think the fun-seekers should just grow up.
“For some reason, it's acceptable to be a parent playing on a playground because it's for the child, or to act silly and come up with games with them, since it's for them, not you,” Kohl responds to the negative comments.
“However, when there is no kid in the picture, all of a sudden playing gets seen as too childish, weird, strange, or embarrassing.”
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“We're here to pose the question: What's so weird about having fun?" she adds.
From arts and crafts to building blocks, these grown-ups pay £6-£12 for two-hour flexible sessions based on real nursery schools where participants can experience a nostalgia-filled day full of toys, crafts, and even a nap time (mediadrumimages/Big Kid Kindergarten)Paying customers can enjoy a variety of activities and games in the centre equipped with a building area, where they can find with blocks and cars.
They can also get creative with Play-Doh and paints in the arts and crafts area or settle down in the designated cozy area, filled with pillows, blankets and cuddly toys.
They have no need to worry about quizzes, homework or lesson plans though, the sessions are very much play-based.
Kohl asks: 'What's so weird about having fun?' (mediadrumimages/Big Kid Kindergarten)“What we're learning is how to simply exist in one of our earliest forms: at play, with others,” says Colorado-born Kohl, who has big aspirations for ‘Big Kid Kindergarten’, now her full-time venture, and has plans to host pop-ups in Austria, Switzerland and Spain.
She says her friends have been instrumental in her work, letting her test out her playtime ideas, although some have found it a little strange.
“Some of my friends find what I do a little silly, but being silly is part of what we do,” she adds.
“We want people to let go of the pressure to be good enough, or to only show sides of themselves that they are 'supposed' to.”
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