south hills pittsburgh | Crayons and Drywall : Family & Home

Sam and I visited Gymsport with a friend and her daughter earlier this week. It’s located at 98 Vanadium Road in a big warehouse. It’s a gymnastic and cheerleading gym but they have Preschool Playtime Monday through Friday 9-12 AM which is open gym time for kids age 5 and under.

It’s $5 per hour or they sell a 5 visit pass for $20 (cash only).

They have trampolines, giant foam block pits, uneven bars, rings, balance beams, a small climbing wall, a zip line and other random gym equipment.

We got there at 9:30 AM and there were about 2 or 3 other parents and kids there. It got busier around 10 so we’d probably stick to getting there early. We stayed for one hour and Sam (and I) were totally worn out by then.

Here’s Sam sitting on the long trampoline.

And running down down the trampoline toward the foam block pit. The only problem with this trampoline was that the other end just kind of ended with just a very thin mat on the floor. Sam kept running from one end to the other and we kept having to make sure our kids didn’t just run right off.

They have this slide into a foam block pit and a small trampoline to the right of it that was a big hit. There is also a small zip line but Sam didn’t quite get the concept of it yet.

There was a gymnastics class while we were there on the other side of the gym.

Here’s the little trampoline built into the floor that all the kids really liked.

I didn’t take any pictures of the one other area that is included in Preschool Playtime. It’s where they have the balance beams and bars and a mini vault.

We had a good time at Gymsport and will definitely be back! Especially in the Winter when we’re looking for indoor activities. The customer service isn’t great (not unfriendly, just not especially friendly) but it’s also kind of nice to be left alone to just do your thing.

Gymport Athletic Center (412) 220-1195

98 Vanadium Road, Building C (you enter and park in the rear of the building)

Bridgeville, PA 15017

$5 per hour or 5 visit pass for $20 (cash only!)

I put out a request on the South Hills Mom’s Facebook page a while ago looking for a Parent’s Morning Out program in the area. A friend of mine who lives in the East End takes her son to one of these programs and she highly recommended it so I was hoping to find one for Sam. If you’re not familiar with what it is, it’s basically a daycare type program that usually runs a few hours once a week (or more) to give moms and dads a small break without the commitment of a normal daycare.

I found one that I liked and signed Sam up for every other Wednesday through the Summer. It’s 3 hours in the morning and they do a craft, read stories and play outside on the playground. There are 11 kids in his class, age 18 months to 3 years with two adult caregivers and one high school girl. It’s $18 each time I take him. I believe the cost for two kids is $30. Each mom provides a prepackaged, healthy snack in the beginning and they are given a snack in that three hour period. It’s not a preschool program. It’s supposed to be a ministry to the parents. It’s mostly just socialization and play time for the kids.

I love it and would definitely recommend it to stay-at-home parents out there. Running errands without a toddler diving out of the shopping cart is amazing.

Churches (that I know of) that have this type of program in the South Hills area:

Westminster Presbyterian Church http://www.westminster-church.org/ Upper St. Clair (by Target)
Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church http://www.beverlyheights.org/ Mt. Lebanon (Washington Road)
Christ United Methodist Church http://www.christumc.net/ Bethel Park (by Village Square across from SHV)
Pleasant Hills Community Presbyterian Church http://www.pleasanthillschurch.com/ Pleasant Hills
St. David’s Episcopal Church http://www.stdavidspeterstwp.org/preschool/mothers-day-out/ Peters Township