A Thursday in Daddy-Daughter week (aka Daddy as a week off work!) brought us to Gravity at the Xscape Shopping Centre in Glasshoughton. It is a bit more of a shopping centre as there are the usual out of town shops, but also a leisure section with a cinema, indoor crazy golf (going to that next time!) a ski slope, as well as Gravity, which is a trampolining centre.
We went on a Thursday morning to the Toddler session. There was about 12-15 pre-school children there, but it didn’t feel squashed at all. However, you you need quite a bit of space! They advise you to arrive 20 minutes before the start of the session. This is really good advice as you have to fill out a waiver form on a terminal (not easy with a toddler!). You then go and pay (or register if you have purchased online) and then get your funky orange socks on in the changing rooms!
The changing rooms are basic, because they don’t need to be anything else really. If you want to get changed, there are small cubicles. However, I am not sure if you could cope with a toddler in there. There are lockers (free to use) with a digilock which means you don’t have to worry about losing the key!
One word of warning, it does get hot and it is energetic. As such, dress you and your child appropriately! Dress as if you are going to the gym and you won’t go far wrong. Also, take lots of juice for after for the big and little ones!
So, having got ready, what else is there to say….?! The session is an hour long (which is just right!) and it is basically free-play on the trampolines. There are a few props including dressing up clothes, a parachute and balls which varied it up a bit. All in all, it was a good way to get everyone some exercise without going to a playgym.
You might be reading this and thinking how can an hour jumping on a trampoline be fun. However, if you like your exercise and want to go back to your youth a little, then it is a perfect (and different) way to spend an hour. The atmosphere is good as it is dark with neon lights and loud, upbeat music (think Baby Rave North) and the time just flies. We had a drink break half way through (Heidi is 2 ½ years old). This gave us both a chance to get our breath before starting again!
There are separate under 5 trampolines for during normal times but if you can get to a toddler session, do it as the small trampolines are probably not big enough for active legs. They do say they during non-toddler sessions, under 5’s can go in the main area and “mix” with the adults. However, I’m not entirely sure that would be a good idea but then again, I haven’t been to a “normal” session.
There aren’t mainly places where you take your toddler and you actually want to go without them next time. However, Gravity is one of those places and we will be coming back again soon!
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This sounds like so much fun! I love jumping on a trampoline and so does my 3 year old. As the weather gets worse I feel like we need more indoor places to run off some energy. I really like the sound of a toddler session too! Thanks for sharing – this is something we will try out soon. Thanks for linking up with #yorkshirefamily
My Uncle is an international trampoline judge so I always loved going to visit him in the school holidays and having a bounce during his lessons! I’d love this as much as my kids I’m sure!
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