New Germantown facility offers 'imaginative' play for kids and slot car racing for adults
Menomonee Falls couple Elizabeth and Hubert Ortin were tired of driving 20 minutes to other communities for their family to have some indoor fun, especially in the winter months. So, they decided to do something about it.
After a few years of planning, the Ortins opened A Kid At Heart Playland in Germantown, W188 N10707 Maple Road, a few weeks ago. Elizabeth said that there are two main sections. One is a play café, which is targeted at kids 8 and younger and focuses on STEM activities. The second area has slot car racing, a kind of racing with powered miniature vehicles.
Ortin said the slot car racing, in which the racetrack is 40 feet long and 14 feet wide, is designed for older kids and adults, and that the play café, is targeted for kids 8 and under.
She called the play café a space where kids can have more "imagination." One of the items, Ortin said, is a magnet wall where there are magnet tiles of things to make and a car with an electric drill that someone can take apart.
"This is something to do in the winter for imaginative growth and development, and a way to stimulate the mind without electronics," said Ortin. She said the concept is like, "Here are the toys and what your mind is going to create out of them."
"It is STEM-focused where kids get to stimulate their mind and not have it stimulated for them," she said. She added that in the play café, all the kids need to be with an adult, and that coffee and juice are available so that parents can have coffee and watch their kids.
Ortin said that with time, she hopes that there can be an indoor play structure. She also said people can use the facility for birthday parties, events or corporate team-building activities.
"Kids can now play with toys that are not their own," she said. Ortin said that her facility is similar to the Big Backyard and Kids in Motion, both facilities in New Berlin.
Ortin said both she and her husband plan to keep their full-time jobs while operating A Kid At Heart Playland. "We want to give back to the community, a place which is safe and clean," she said.
The cost to get into the play cafe is $8 and for the slot car racing, it is $5 for 5-minute increments.
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Hours and more information
A Kid at Heart Playland is open from 9 a.m. to noon and 4 to 7 p.m. on Monday; 9 a.m. to noon and 4 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday; 9 a.m. to noon and 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday; 9 a.m. to noon and 4 to 8 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
The facility is closed on Tuesdays.
The adult-only racing hours are 7 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday and Saturday. For these events, wine and alcohol products are sold.
For more information, visit http://www.akidatheartplayland.com, find A Kid At Heart Playland on Facebook or call 262-293-3046.
Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or cathy.kozlowicz@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kozlowicz_cathy.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New Germantown business offers slot car racing and STEM activities
