Discovering Easton: Playseum

If you’re the parent to young children, one question rules above all others when crafting plans; “What are we gonna do with the kids?”

No one wants to be the tablet parent, but we’ve all been there. Stale replays of anonymous YouTube videos keep our little ones in a trance as we get through our errands. It does the job, but I don’t think any parent loves the feeling of detachment that washes over you as watch your kid lose interest in anything outside of that glowing, diabolical rectangle.

Last Saturday, my wife and I were determined not to be ‘tablet parents.’ Enter the BeWithMePlayseum. Located just off Route 50, the children’s play place boats over a dozen interactive playset rooms, an animal showcase, an art studio, and more. I entered with my 3-year-old son while my wife went on her own adventure (a car dealership to fill out paperwork. We dodged that bullet), set to explore everything the Playseum had to offer.

Imagine a series of kid-sized playrooms, all themed around roleplaying and expressive play. Doctor’s coats, miniature grocery carts, scaled-down barns, ovens, stages, and even boats form a tableau for kids to engage in. The goal of the Playseum is simple: give kids an opportunity to play with each other and their grown-ups in spaces made not just for them to expend energy, but to engage in pretend play and flex their imaginations.

My son was drawn quickly to the grocery section, a perfect little recreation of a grocer complete with a teller, carts, a frozen and fresh food section, and a shopping list. He dutifully took a cart and gathered onions, a lobster, and laundry detergent from the miniature shelves. He then brought them to me to be rung up (I was the cashier). He went through about five lists before he was satisfied, and even returned for an encore round on the way out.

He tossed fish overboard on a rocking boat and got VERY into playing firefighter in a fetching coat and hat, perched atop a toy firetruck. While the dress-up stage held little sway for him, he delighted in taking my order at the ice cream shop, carefully selecting my order and placing the plastic pieces together to hand me my toy treat. We made two pizzas to order in a rustic Italian restaurant, wrangled horses and goats in the barn, and lost a solid half an hour looking after a stuffed dog and cat as he played veterinarian.

I was amazed at how easy he took to the play. We had never played at making pizza or playing vet before, but the mini-rooms gave him all the tools he needed so that with only the smallest nudge, he was diving in to try everything. As a parent, I really appreciated that the spaces were remarkably curated, clean, organized, and well-appointed. They were laid out so that a child can instinctively figure out how any playtime might work. And while not everything held his attention (He had no interest in the dentist or the board game corner, despite me thinking they looked very cool), he wanted to stay in the ones he liked for long periods.

And let’s not forget the animals. On the hour, staff would bring out various animals including a rabbit, a dove, a hamster, and even a bearded dragon, for kids to gather around and pet. It made socializing with the other kids there easy, even if they were all playing different games beforehand. He was tickled when he got to pet them, especially the massive unit of a bunny they brought out. We were there for two of those showings.

Our time in the Playseum was almost three hours. We came away with a lot of pictures and good memories. My son was happy to talk to his mother about ice cream, groceries, boats, and bunnies. After the day she had, I got a few jealous looks during the car ride home. It’s safe to say next time, Mommy will get to go to the BeWithMe: Playseum while Daddy does all the paperwork.