March 2008   View Previous Out and About Articles 

Imaginative Play at INK

A few Saturdays ago, when the weather wasn’t the best for exploring the backyard, we decided to check out Gainesville’s Interactive Neighborhood for Kids (fondly known as INK). We told the kids we were going to a museum, so they were expecting to look at art or dinosaur bones. But unlike a traditional museum, INK is truly child-centered, taking children’s imaginations to a whole new level.

Housed in an inconspicuous, converted brick warehouse, INK is a 45-minute drive from the Atlanta suburbs, so it’s best to make a day of it. We got there after lunch, and our children played until the facility closed at 5 p.m.

INK is focused entirely on play, and learning through hands-on involvement. Nothing is off-limits or unsafe for children to touch. And every part of “the museum” sparks an interest. INK offers unique play experiences for everyone, from the 3 and under crowd to older elementary-school kids.

Structured as a village, INK features a wide hallway that serves as a city street. Open rooms on either side of the street are decorated as kid-sized businesses or institutions. Parents can play along or rest on nearby benches, as children roam the neighborhood – making appointments in the beauty salon, depositing money at the bank, mailing letters at the post office or visiting the dentist. The mini-city also boasts a ’50s diner, a veterinary clinic, a library, a radiology office and a grocery store stocked with healthy goodies, so kids can run their “errands” without getting in a car. They can even stop at the local pottery shop and paint a ceramic dish.

At the end of the neighborhood, children can admire a life-sized wooden tank engine, play with a train set, climb on an old fire truck or pretend to drive a police car. A netted play structure also provides lots of safe entertainment. And, in the next room, a real 1955 Aero Commander 560 aircraft is waiting to be explored.

It’s hard to say what my kids liked best about INK. When asked, they mentioned almost every part of the museum in quick-fire succession. They spent most of their time filling their child-sized shopping carts at J&J Foods, serving me an array of delicious snacks at the diner and inoculating furry pets at the animal clinic. My daughter enjoyed giving me countless spelling tests at the school and examining X-rays she pretended indicated various injuries and ailments. My son was thrilled by the all the vehicles and the netted playground.
A true sign that my children had a great time – they are already begging to go again.

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