I’m always on the lookout for local activities to do with babies/toddlers, especially since Lily has started to be more active. Even more so now she is walking. I remembered when we first moved to Slough, I had found out about the drop-in playgym for toddlers at Phoenix Gymnastics in Windsor, but I never actually took Tyler. A couple of weeks ago, on spur of the moment, I took Lily, and I am so glad I did because she LOVED it!
Basically Phoenix Gymnastics is a place where children have gym lessons, but on most mornings the place is turned into a ‘Playgym’ for under 5’s to play. The area is HUGE! There’s a bouncy castle with a ball pit that looks quite new. Lily kept going back to the ball pit.
There’s gym equipment and beams and steps to climb on (with help from parents obviously – I could not believe how brave Lily was, for a baby who had just started walking a week before!)
There are toys to play with on the wall.
And the cutest little baby gym equipment – miniature treadmills, exercise bikes. There were little 3-year-old kids playing on these, it was soooo cute!
The floorspace is huge, filled with plastic slides, ride-on bikes, see-saws, soft play blocks, baby mats and toys, spinny things – basically the toys you would play on at Toddlers World type places in leisure centres.
At the back end of the room is the gym equipment they use for classes the some of the older children played on (so brave!) and right at the back is a trampoline.
The only downside is the equipment looks quite old, the building looks like it could do with a refurb, apart from the bouncy castle which looks brand new. There was a really strong scent of smelly socks, but I think all gymnastics places have this smell due to the nature of gymnastics. I did have to hold my breath for most of the time, though I guess I am quite sensitive to smelly things!
The Playgym costs £4 for 1 hours play, and I got a card that the lady stamped, so my 10th visit would be free. It is drop-in from 9:15am – 12:30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and 12:45pm – 2:30pm on Wednesdays. The reception area has tables and toys to play with, so you can feed your kids in that room (as you can’t bring food into the gym area). There are cubby holes for shoes and for your bags, so you don’t have to drag everything around with you. And there are loos and babychange inside the room.
Now, if you don’t have a car, this might not be an activity for you – it’s literally in the middle of nowhere. You HAVE to drive there. I’m going to show you how to get there, as I missed the road and then I thought I was in the wrong place – the road is very rural and from the outside it looks like a giant tin warehouse. But don’t let that put you off!
The address is: Phoenix Gymnastics Club, Unit 1, Water Oakley Farm, Windsor Road, Windsor SL4 5UJ
You drive along the A308 from Windsor towards Maidenhead, and the road is a right-turn, but you can easily miss it as it a really rural road! So look out for a little red postbox – that is the road you turn into. There is a ‘Phoenix Gymnastics’ sign on the other side of the postbox.
Drive down this little road, and to the left you’ll see another sign and this metal building that looks like a giant shed. This is it!
Drive in, to the back of the building where there is a car park, and this is the entrance:
Hopefully that helps you find it. It is definitely worth a visit if you want something different to do with your little ones on a rainy day. Lily certainly enjoyed it, so I’ll be visiting again later in the year for sure.
Details:
Address: Phoenix Gymnastics Club, Unit 1, Water Oakley Farm, Windsor Road, Windsor SL4 5UJ
Tel: 01628 778881
Email: info@phoenixgym.com
Playgym Times: Mon-Tues & Thurs-Fri 9.15am-12.30pm, Weds 12.45pm-2.30pm
Price: £4 for 1 hour
