Excerpted from CBI Magazine, June 2009

Youth Revolution

"She loves it here," her mother, Kim, says. The

observation is welcome, but unnecessary—

Drew’s beaming smile says it all.

Drew Blakely, 2, peers out from the lobby window at the 2,000-square-foot Interactive Arena with obvious longing.

The fact that the shock-absorbing Taraflex floor is imported from France, has a 98% rebound-accuracy rating for bouncing balls, and is infused with an antimicrobial shield that kills fungus on contact doesn’t matter to her.

The carefully choreographed interactive video displays beamed onto three walls from multiple ceiling-mounted LCD projectors—operated by a bank of PCs running proprietary software designed for optimum visual impact and age-appropriate involvement—is appreciated on some level, but not her central focus at the moment. She likes the brightly colored activity stations of various shapes and configurations, but doesn’t care to comment on how each specifically addresses motor-skill development, balance, and coordination.

All she knows is that kids are out there playing with their parents and having fun. They’re climbing ramps, crawling through tubes, and jumping on her personal favorite—the trampoline.

Even though her face is still flushed and her blond hair a little bit sweaty from the 50-minute session she’s just finished, she seems more than ready to do it all over again.

At two years old, Drew has been coming to the Great Play facility in Redmond, Washington, once a week for one-and-a-half years.

"She loves it here," her mother, Kim, says. The observation is welcome, but unnecessary—Drew’s beaming smile says it all.

Original Story in CBI