A-Ha! Play & Learning Center (CLOSED) in New York, NY 10021

A-Ha! Play & Learning Center (CLOSED)459

in New York, NY 10021

about A-Ha! Play & Learning Center (CLOSED):

Closed May 13, 2009

A-Ha! uses the power of play to create unique parent-child workshops designed to build important foundational skills in infants and young children, ages three months to three years.

The program is based on immersive themed environments called "PlayLabs," where children explore dynamic sensory materials on which they can have an effect and where they find little problems to solve. PlayLabs rotate every two weeks, and include concepts like Light & Shadow, Clay, Pouring, Paper, and more.

Created with child-development experts from Harvard, the Brazelton Institute, and several world renowned infant & toddler centers, the A-Ha! programs honor a child's intrinsic drive to master his environment, and serve as a conduit for parent-child connection. Parents and caregivers learn how to be more effective play partners, and how to build on a child's initiatives.

A-Ha!'s 3000 square foot play space is often open for drop-in play (check the website for a current schedule), and offers a la carte arts and crafts activities (for an additional fee, which varies with project). Children can make hand print plates, build a stuffed animal, paint pottery, and more.

Birthday party packages at A-Ha! start at $995.

The on-site toy store carries unique developmental toys, specializing in open-ended play and learning materials for children from birth to five years.

I have been taking my 3 year old and 15 month old to A-ha since they were both little babies. I find it to be one of the best indoor playspaces I have ever visited. Very well kept and clean, so many toys and things to do to keep them busy for a long time on rainy days or really hot or cold days. They were so generous, they donated their space for special needs kids to have a place to play on a busy Saturday. The kids had so much fun and were able to enjoy themselves without fear of being teased or told to hurry up. (which we have encountered at the playground.) The staff is very friendly and so kind to our special kids and all our friends whenever we go there. I'm so glad I live closeby, but I would definitely travel more than a few blocks to go there as well. A-ha is a great place to play and learn!

max's mom nyc

report abuse

Unlike most drop in spaces with a limited amount of gym equipment, A-Ha! a great diversity of stuff that really engages my child. They not only have the bounce houses and climbers but more importantly have puzzles, magnetic tiles and lots of blocks to build with. They have dress up and pretend areas; puppets; musical instruments. With all this variety sure things get a little messy from time to time, but my child does not mind; he loves it.

Davidsmom

Upon entering, be wary of the unfriendly man who appears to be the owner and shouts "take off your shoes" (he clearly has no social graces or any idea how to interact with loving parents and babies). The space is unclean so I wonder why they ask everyone to take off their shoes. Classes also do not reflect the expansive knowledge base that they apparently tout (at least not in the whopping $18 trial class I took). Most activities were tablestake. Instructors appear very disorganized and not team oriented (e.g., as I approached the reception desk one teacher said "I'm a teacher - not a cashier") Not sure I would want my baby to learn manners or values from them.

anonymous

I was very excited to participate in a trial class with my baby. However, the $18 trial class was clearly a sunk cost. First, be prepared for the most unwelcome greeting from a portly man (whom I presume has no idea how to interact w/ mothers or babies), then wait 20 min for the instructors to get their acts together. While waiting in the strange smelling lobby, one instructor said, "all we do here is teach mothers how to laugh with their babies". Finally, when we are taken downstairs into a dimly lit, unclean room for the babies, we are shown things to do that every well-read mother knows (e.g., similar to ideas like playing mozart for babies). Given their knowledge base, I'm surprised out how poorly they prepared, delivered and conducted the trial class.

I went with my child (9 months), two friends, and a friend's 11 month old. My friends and I are all teachers, and we were less than impressed, especially for $18. The toy store was the cleanest and best organized part of A-ha. As for the play area, many of the toys seemed broken or old. A mirror in the infant area was not attached to the wall and several outlets throughout the play areas were exposed, including one with a scented oil air freshener plugged in. There is no staff supervision which means that if other caregivers aren't being diligent things could get unsafe very quickly. It would benefit from having a staff member circulate to pick up and clean toys periodically. Overall, we had a good time and stayed out of the rain, but I don't think we'll go back.

ScareyG

AHA learning offers great classes for children of any age, starting at 3 months. Throughout the classes they have different themes such as water&ice, mirrors, marks and blocks. Very kid-friendly atmosphere and competent teachers. They take pictures and videos of each child during class which are posted on-line so that grand-parents can watch those as well which is a nice idea. The package includes 5 visits to their play room with tons of toys.

This play and learning center has amazing facilities: - Classes that are not like any other in the city. These guys know child development and create creative exploration environments around interesting themes like Light & Shadow, Water & ice, Balls & Ramps - Indoor Playspace is huge with great early learning centers such as dramatic play, puzzle play, and lots of gorss motor stuff like a bouncy house and climbers. - Arts & Crafts have a better range of options then most places and they emphasize the process of building the end product which is a great learning experience. -Also an great toy store and birthday parties especially for the younger years.

Francesca White

pregnancy	parenting	for parents	community	product guide	seasonal	local	videos	polls & contests

Activities & Resources

Blogs & Sites

A-Ha! Play & Learning Center (CLOSED)459

about A-Ha! Play & Learning Center (CLOSED):

tips:

getting there:

rate and review this attraction:

reviews: 9 reviews

You Might Also Be Interested In: