Brand Story
29 Mar 2023, 05:52 GMT+10
What if parents could take all the things their kids love about forest school, but enjoy them in the warm and dry with a hot cup of coffee in hand?
That's the inspiration behind Bristol's brand-new play space and cafe: Out There Indoors.
Created by Out There, Bristol's first forest school kindergarten, it offers a calm, nature-inspired alternative to noisy soft play centres.First developed in Scandinavia, "forest school" is about much more than being outdoors, according to the Bristol-based duo behind the new venue, Jenny Brough and Mika Georgelin.
"Forest school is about allowing children to explore - to take risks and challenge themselves, building their confidence and resilience in the process. Out There Inside brings that ethos inside to create a really unique play environment", Jenny explains.
Located in Zone C of the Paintworks, the Scandinavian influence carries through to the space itself. The bright, airy play cafe is filled with natural materials and carefully chosen resources to promote self-directed play.
From sensory items to loose parts, role play to small world resources - even tree climbing has been given an indoor spin with a climbing wall to promote physical movement and exploration.
The different, nature-inspired approach applies to the cafe too. A familiar face in the Bristol restaurant scene, Co-Founder Mika wanted to focus on quality and simplicity.
Partnering with Matter Wholefoods, a local organic fruit and veg supplier, the cafe serves fairtrade, single-origin coffee alongside a seasonal range of toasties, soups and salads, with mini toasties and healthy tapas for little ones.
"Finding a place you can eat out as a family where kids are actually welcome and able to be themselves is hard. We wanted to create somewhere families can enjoy a simple, nutritious meal together as part of the Out There Indoor experience" Mika adds.
More than just a space, the husband-and-wife team hope that this forest-school spin-off could be the start of a whole new movement and approach to indoor play. "I've had this idea of creating a soft-play-that's-not-a-soft-play since 2017. Seeing it come to life, we kept joking that it was a 'hard play' and the idea has stuck.
"Hard not only because wood is the main material in the space, but also because play is a serious business for children, it's hard work! We're proud to have built a space that enables children to try hard things and prove to themselves just how resourceful, capable, and independent they are" Jenny wraps up. Out There Indoors is now open. Sessions for 0-4 year olds and their siblings up to 7 years can be pre-booked on the website and the play cafe is also available for birthday parties. About Out There Indoors
About Out There Kindergartens
About the founders Jenny Brough & Mika Georgelin
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