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The Wonder Room opens, offers creative journey for kids

BY KEVIN J. ROGERS
kevin@theballstonjournal.com

Ballston Spa welcomed a new space for kids to stretch their imaginations with the Jan. 28 opening of The Wonder Room on Route 50. “I just wanted to create a space where kids can come and explore and create things on their own,” said owner Chris Stack. “I think it’s important to nurture that in children.”

The Wonder Room is “an informal, home-like indoor/outdoor space where children will have the freedom to play and explore at their own pace and on their own time,” according to their website. The emphasis is on cooking, play and creative art, with additional adult programs for parents and professional development programs for early childhood educators.

Logo courtesy Chris Stack

Stack, a Ballston Spa native, received her master’s in Early Childhood Education from the College of St. Rose and worked in a variety of settings, including the Children’s Museum and Head Start, before deciding to open her business. “I just decided to try something on my own,” she said. Stack owns the business, but is working with another educator mom, Lauren Cohen.

The Wonder Room is actually an interconnected four-room facility, with a fenced yard for outdoor play once the weather turns warmer. Two of the key rooms are the Creative Art Room, an open art studio specially designed for children, and the Toy Lending Center, where members can borrow “store bought, teacher-made, and exclusive Wonder Room products,” according to the website.

Family memberships are $120 per year, and include 1-3 children and at least one adult living at the same address. Included in the family memberships are free admission to drop-and-play activities, borrowing privileges in the Toy Lending Center, and discounted admission to cooking and special programs.

Individual memberships for adults are $45 per year and also include borrowing privileges, as well as discounted admission to grownup programs. Non-members pay a nominal admission fee for activities, generally $5 for drop-in play and variable fees for the enrichment programs. There is also an extensive list of special activities with variable rates.

The Wonder Room currently focuses on activities for children in the 5-11 year old age group, but come September Stack plans to open The Wonder Room School for children 3-5 years of age. Classes will be limited to 12 students with sessions held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 9 to 11:30 a.m. The emphasis at the school will be on “social skills and community building” through use of a “themed, experiential, inquiry-based curriculum.” The fee for the three day per week program will be $2100, with a $30 registration fee and a $50 fee for field trips, to be scheduled monthly.

And Stack has scheduled a Wondergarten program beginning on March 7. The drop-off kindergarten enrichment program will be conducted over three eight-day sessions in March, April and May for children 4-6 years of age. Sessions will be held on Wednesdays and Fridays from 1-2:30 p.m. Fees for the sessions will be $75 for members, $85 for non-members.

Current hours at The Wonder Room are Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., but “drop-in hours will change by the season,” Stack said. Saturday is reserved for special events. The school is closed on Sunday.

The Wonder Room is located at 896 Saratoga Road (Route 50) in Ballston Spa. For information visit their website at www.thewonderroomschool.com or call 518-602-0237, or email thewonderroomny@gmail.com. The school can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thewonderroom.

 

 

 

 

 

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