Genius gems millburn nj windows#

(I had to bribe my kid with a juice box to get him to leave.) It's educational, it's beautiful, and most of all it's FUN-the sort of fun that inspires creativity, curiosity, and a sense of accomplishment. That adds up, especially if you bring more than one kid. That said, parents do have to pay for the experience: admission is $15 for everyone over the age of 2. It's sophisticated but not stuffy-a nice alternative to the louder, more hectic play gyms and bounce houses that are awesome for kids, but sometimes not so much fun for parents. It's true that Genius Gems feels more like a hands-on museum / learning center than your typical play space. In addition to her background as an educator, Romanoff said she drew some inspiration for Genius Gems from hands-on exhibits at museums she's visited with her own children, like the Boston Museum of Science and the Children's Creativity Museum in San Francisco. It's this kind of open-ended, child-driven play and exploration that Jennifer Romanoff wants to foster, using everything from basic building blocks and magnets to more complex tools like robots. In another room off the other side of the main area was a long table where kids worked with 'mystery boxes.' Each child got a box, and each box was filled with materials like pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, and pom poms, which the kids could use to create whatever they wanted. These little Ozobots will follow patterns drawn with special markers. RELATED: 20 STEM Summer Camps for NJ Kids 'Everyone's got a creative force in them, and everyone has some destructive force,' Romanoff added with a laugh. Hopefully the physics will sink in at some point at that moment, all my little guy comprehended was the pure joy of making the magnetic structures collapse and clatter to the ground. 'They're learning the concept of 'force equals mass times acceleration,'' said Romanoff's husband, Marc, who came up with the idea for the activity. The idea was to build a magnetic-tile structure and then roll the ball down the ramp and see if your structure could withstand the ball's impact. My 3-year-old couldn't quite get the gist, but the older kids were very into them (so was I).Īlso in this room was a large table with two wooden ramps and a heavy ball.

On the day we visited, kids were gathered around a couple of tables playing with Ozobots-tiny round robots that can be programmed to make certain movements by following colored lines drawn with special markers. Off the main space is the project room, where kids can take part in design challenges, competitions, and games. One of the staff members-who are on hand to demonstrate and facilitate activities-helped him use magnetic tiles to build a box that would catch the balls, and he squealed with delight when the balls dropped in. On the wall were pieces of clear plastic tubing that had been affixed to magnets, and my little guy spent a good 40 minutes arranging these into zig-zagging mazes and dropping ping pong balls through. My son had a blast making magnetic ball mazes. Made of perforated, powder-coated metal and back-lit with colored lights, the wall itself looks like it's made of giant magnetic tiles. The main action, for my son at least, was the magnetic interactive light wall-at 20 feet long and six feet high, this sculptural structure is definitely a stand-out. The magnetic interactive light wall is a highlight of the space. RELATED: New STEM-based Play Space Will Offer Magnetic Fun for NJ Kids Between Genius Gems and The Busy Bee, which opened in Millburn in March, Essex County parents now have two great indoor play space options, without having to schlep to Routes 10 or 22. My son was engaged and entertained for a solid two hours, and I was impressed-not only with the clean, modern aesthetic of the place, but with the simple yet ingenius offerings on hand.

Happily, my only job was to hang out in the bright, beautiful space and watch my 3-year-old play, occasionally jumping in to build alongside him.

My first thought was that this was an amazing place my second was, 'I'm so glad I don't have to clean up all these tiles.'

Genius gems millburn nj windows#

It was an incredible sight: thousands of brightly colored magnetic tiles lay strewn about-in kaleidoscopic piles on the floor, in towering formations created by little builders, in geometric patterns on a giant magnetic wall-and the sunlight that poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows set everything aglow. 'Goodness, have you ever seen so many Magna-Tiles?!' a mom exclaimed to her toddler on a recent day at Genius Gems, the brand-new STEM-based play space that opened in Millburn on May 3.