WAIKOLOA VILLAGE — Big Island Play Space is a happy little corner in Waikoloa Highlands Shopping Center, filled with toys, noise and a kid-size fire station with its own kitchen. There’s plenty of room for dancing, yoga and other classes, and lot and lots of childhood energy.
On Messy Crafts Day last week, moms and their children sat on the floor, busily making Father’s Day cards with construction paper, pom-poms, paste and stickers.
Atlas Kennedy, who is not sure if he wants to try the pom-poms, prefers to put the stickers on his fingers. As does Bear, the son of the owner-operator Annie Gibbs, who runs Big Island Play Space with her husband, Gus Rodriguez, and a team of creative teachers and helpers.
“Waikoloa doesn’t have any enrichment classes,” Gibbs said. “We were driving with Bear to Kona every week.”
She, Gus and Bear came to the island from Denver about a year ago with a background in business and the entrepreneurial spirit. She wanted to fill a void in the Waikoloa community — a place not just for day care, but for socializing and continued learning for children and their parents too.
“I cannot wait to see what we can create for our community,” Gibbs said.
The doors opened in April, welcoming families for a variety of activities and classes such as open play time, ballet class, belly dancing, hula, salsa and yoga. Older kids can drop in for one of the coding workshops, or learn to build their own NeoPixel goggles.
Parents are able to join their kids for some of the yoga and dance classes, or sign up for one of their own. Big Island Play Space also offers beginner’s Spanish and French language instruction.
“I work at night,” Morgan Mattox said, Atlas’ mom. “It’s nice to have some time to kind of decompress in the morning, and hang out with other kids. There are other play spaces in Kona, but they are so far away.”
Prices are reasonable: $10 for two-hour open play time, which makes Big Island Play Space a convenient and affordable option. On Tuesdays, there’s a restorative yoga session for adults, which is free. Others, like Wednesday’s tutu-making class and bubble dance party, are only $25 per child and $10 for each additional sibling.
Different classes are designed for different age groups, and those for kids four and under require a parent to attend. Big Island Play Space is also available for birthday parties and other fun celebrations.
Big Island Play Space is open Monday through Saturday (except for holidays) from 9 a.m. to closing, depending on the class schedule. Contact Annie at 631-2486, email info@bigislandplayspace.com or visit bigislandplayspace.com for questions or more details.
