Maya’s Review of Bizzy Bee & Giveaways (on until April 9th)!

Meet Maya! A stay-at-home mom and blogger who has an 18 month old son named Kyle and loves adventure! (Sound familiar? ) I recently met Maya and she agreed to have her review of Bizzy Bee as a guest post on my site. She is doing 2 FANTASTIC giveaways from Bizzy Bee (Beaches, Toronto): One entry into the Princess in Training Workshop ($30 value) and 1 free day of summer camp ($40 value)!

You can check out Maya’s site here and enter into the contest via her site. AND/ OR you can also win by naming a place you take your kids to that’s not yet in the OTG directory (you can search the directory at the top right hand side of my site, and comment below on this post) until April 9th (you can have multiple entries this way!). And you can read more about Bizzy Bee here (they’re doing an Easter egg hunt on Wednesday from 2-4pm for $7) and in the OTG directory!

 

A few weeks ago, on a dreary weekend day in Toronto (unlike the weather we’re currently experiencing), my husband and I decided to hit up a local play center with our son Kyle. It was too cold to play outside, so we were stuck in-doors or running around doing errands most of the weekend until we realized we didn’t do anything “fun” for Kyle. So we got in our van and headed to Bizzy Bee Play center in the Beach. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised.

Bizzy Bee was vibrant with happy kids playing with every kind of toy imaginable, going down slides and running around with enormous  grins on their faces. It wasn’t hard to see why the kids were having so much fun, the place was FULL of toys, activities and crafts. Everything was kept nice and clean and tidy considering the amount of kids that were there. Brenda, the owner, an early childhood educator, ensures that the place is kept safe and enjoyable for everyone.

Tucked away in the corner of the room were some couches and chairs where a few of the parents were “hanging out”, chatting and sipping coffee and tea (complimentary of Bizzy Bee’s).

Of course John and I were jealous  of these “lucky” parents. Their kids must have been older than Kyle. I mean, how else are they just able to sit there and relax while we were busy playing with and following our little guy around the centre. There’s no way we could sit down and enjoy a quite cup of coffee, but knowing the option is there for when Kyle gets older or more independent is nice. Next to the adult sitting area is a nice kitchenette which includes a sink, microwave, cups, utensils, paper towels and other useful items. This is a perfect place to heat up your child’s lunch.

Or if you forgot to bring lunch (oops!), there’s a pizza store in the same building. Just bring up a slice or two as most parents do. There are also cute small picnic benches for the kids to sit and enjoy their snack or meal.

After several hours of going up and down the slide and playing with the train set (and yes, we have the same one at home, but it’s obviously not the same), it was time to go-home. To say the least, we had a hard time getting Kyle to leave.

Bizzy Bee Playcentre offers several options for childcare. We did the “Stay and Play” which is $6 per child for the whole day. They also offer “Drop and Shop”, a babysitting service where you leave your kid with the staff while you go and shop (or anything else that you need to get done). This service is only $11 an hour per child. Similarly, if you want to go out for a nice, dinner in the Beach, they have a “Drop and Dine’ option from 5 to 9 PM. The Playcentre’s most popular service is the birthday-party package. Bizzy Bee specializes in birthday parties for kids ages 0 to 6. For $199, you receive a complete party package which includes, on top of access to the play center, face painting, invitations, balloons, coffee, tea, juice, tableware & decorations!

 

Just in time for Easter, on Wednesday April 4th from 2-4pm, Bizzy Bee will be hosting a community Easter Egg Hung.  If you’re around, come and join in on the fun 

Also new this year, special Disney characters are going to appear at Bizzy Bee’s once a month. They are the only play center to provide this offering in Toronto. Princess Aurorawill be arriving April 28th with her special trunk of princess gowns, crowns and wands. Her lovely guests will learn how to move in a gown, curtsey, wave and walk like real princesses! This lovely Adventure ends with Pizza, Pink Lemonade and Friendship. If you have a princess or two in your life, you don’t want to miss out on this event. If you mention that you saw my review, you will receive 2-for-1 access for this event in April.

Another exciting program that’s going to take place at Bizzy Bee’s  this summer is the Magical Musical Adventures camp (ages 2.5 – 6 years) featuring a different special guest every week from the Fairytale Palace. For example, the theme for one week will be “Under the Sea Adventure”. Children will spend a week with Ariel and her friends creating wonderful seashell crafts, playing games, singing and dancing. Other themes include Peter Pan, Tinker bell, and Captain Hook, different princesses such as Belle, Cinderella and even Prince Charming. For $40 a day, or $150 a week, this beats most daycare options in the city. Why wouldn’t you put your kids here?!?!

 

For more information on their programs and services, visit their website at:http://www.bizzybeeplaycentre.com/

John and I (and of course Kyle) were really impressed with the Playcentre that I just knew I had to do a Giveaway.

 

GIVEAWAYS

*Please go to Maya’s site to enter OR/ AND leave a comment below naming a place you take your kids to that’s not in the OTG directory already (search the directory using the search box on the top right hand side of my site)!

(Open to Toronto and surrounding area residents only)

 

You might be one of the two lucky readers who will win one of the following from Bizzy Bee Playcentre!

1) Waived entrance fee to the Princesses in Training workshop in April ($30 value)

2) 1 day free of summer camp ($40 value)

Two (2) lucky readers will be selected at random on April 9, 2012!