Welcome to Roo’s World
My daughter was a preemie and we were in “quarantine,” avoiding large crowds during flu and RSV seasons, for the first two years of her life. Since then we’ve enjoyed the many wonderful indoor play spaces and children’s museums in the Seattle area. However, because of her prematurity and developmental delays, she often is overwhelmed by the large number of children, bright lights/colors and, noise levels of those play spaces.
After visiting an amazing play space in Florida (Bay & Bee), inspired by Maria Montessori and Reggio-Emilia, I decided to take my early childhood Montessori training and experience to create Roo’s World of Discovery. I originally wanted to open a Montessori school but the licensing requirements by the state were too daunting (it could come down the road). I further researched and/or visited other similar play spaces across the country including Recess, Sod Room, Growth Spurts, Nest, and others.
We also have a boutique shop featuring eco-friendly toys and books for babies and children as well as products for pregnancy and motherhood. Be sure to stop in and see what’s in stock.
ALL children and families are welcome. However, those who might benefit most from this type of environment include children who are/have:
- Introverts, and shy away from larger, noisier crowds
- Developmental delays
- Physical delays/disabilities
- Sensory processing disorders
- Medically fragile
- Receiving physical or occupational therapy
Roo’s World of Discovery is not just for the little ones
As a first-time parent and a stay-at-home mom, I frequently felt isolated and alone. As a first-time parent of a child with special needs, I felt even more isolated and alone. Roo’s World is a place to connect with other parents and caregivers:
- Do you have a new baby? Come meet other parents, ones who are taking the same journey as you and some who’ve “been there and done that”
- Are you discovering that your child has developmental delays? Talk to other moms who are a little farther into the journey
- Do you work during the week and wish you could be a part of a regular play date group with other families who have a kiddo with a special need? Hang out with other working parents on a Sunday morning and connect
- Dads, come hang out with your little one and a bunch of other dads on Saturday mornings.
Roo’s World of Discovery is your home away from home
Leaving home with a little one is a challenge and can turn even the lightest packer into a bag lady. To make getting out of the house easier, we offer:
- A changing table (and extra diapers/wipes, if you need)
- Bumbo chairs in the restroom, so you don’t have to worry about your little one crawling away
- Step stools for your toddler to easily wash his/her hands at the sink
- Socks for purchase in case you forgot yours!
- Quiet music in the background to inspire your child’s development
- A calm and relaxing ambiance that encourages peaceful playful learning
- A space to bring all of your children even your newborns with a Baby Bjorn bouncer to free up your hands to play with your older ones
- Snacks or a fresh cup of coffee or tea – we all know what it takes to keep up with our little ones! The first one is on us, if you’re a member, ☺ and everything is available for a nominal price
- A nut-free zone to keep our little ones with allergies safe
- A Montessori-inspired play and learning environment at a fraction of a typical annual Montessori school tuition
- An eco-friendly environment
Roo’s World of Discovery is a safe place to visit
There is no guarantee that your little one won’t get sick by visiting a public play space but we do our part to try to prevent the spread of infectious illnesses! With families in mind who have medically fragile children or who are newly born and haven’t yet been able to receive their vaccinations visiting Roo’s World, we take special care to use green cleaning products to sanitize our toys and space daily to ensure a healthy play and learning environment.
We follow King County’s Department of Health guidelines and would be very grateful if you also follow these guidelines to keep all of our little ones safe and healthy.