'Edutainment' the buzzword

Mums and dads in Bahrain who are having a tough time keeping their children amused can now enjoy a cup of coffee in peace while their young ones get busy at BizziBeez - a space dedicated to developing creativity and imagination in the little ones.

Here children are encouraged to spend as much time as they like, indoors or outdoors, doing whatever they like and in whatever order they choose, with or without their parents' help.

Housed in a spacious, sunlit, brightly-painted and clean villa in Budaiya, the activities are designed to suit the tastes of every type of child - the artist, the builder, the lively, the curious and the silent kinds.

Even the very young ones who are just learning to walk can find themselves at home in a special room dedicated to developing their physical abilities.

BizziBeez is a collaborative venture of three Bahraini sisters who opened their dream project a few weeks ago. The large play house is designed by Eman Shakib, 37, Suzie Shakib, 35, and Sara Shakib, 29, and is dedicated to "edutainment".

Suzie says that the concept took two years to crystallise. She explained: "Children are often directed towards structured activities whether in school or at home. BizziBeez breaks that norm. We have eight or nine programmes that entertain while educating children aged zero to eight. There is only free play at the centre. We promote quality time between parents and children and there is no teaching."

Eman added: "This is a place created by mothers for parents. We have eight children between us who are between 22 months and six years of age and we know exactly what they want. While the young ones engage themselves parents can enjoy a cuppa at the Beelicious cafŽ where we sell sandwiches, muffins and snacks."

Every games station has one or two supervisors in place to keep an eye on the little ones. All the material has been sourced from the USA to assure safety and quality standards.

Sonya Adrian, teacher at the Children's House Montessori School, who had brought her class of pre-Montessori students to spend the morning at Bizzibeez, said: "We heard of this place when one parent had organised a birthday party here.

"We liked it very much because it's clean, there are lots of educational activities geared to stimulate children of this age. It's a big space that can accommodate a big group. Tomorrow we will be bringing our baby class and Montessori class to have a fun day outside school."

BizziBuilder, the Lego area is the first welcome attraction for children. Three tables that can seat three attract the budding engineers to build, break and rebuild with their tiny hands and fingers. They can then move into the BeeMart, a shopping area where the young ones can mimic their parents in the supermarket. This room is equipped with mini trolleys, food items on low shelves, bags and a cash register with money.

Bee Active for the zero- to two-year-olds is a colourful soft play area with padded walls. Here adults are welcome to come and sit with the children. The room has no curtains and children can look out to the green garden, swimming pool and play area.

Suzie said: "Here tiny toddlers develop motor skills. They can crawl over the rainbow or under the tunnel and jump on tiny soft horses.

"They can run, climb, roll and fall and will not get hurt. Here they perfect their walking and enjoy the freedom of doing what they like. We have also placed a mirror in this room as babies love looking at themselves."

The next stop is the Bee-casso room where budding Picasso's can dabble in finger painting, water colours or clay modelling and use a variety of brushes, sponges or stencils to create their objet d'art.

There is an ample variety of paper strips, stickers, alphabets, rollers, paint bins and crayons all that can be used on their paintings. Suzie said: "Children are free to draw on paper, on the table, on the easel or on the wall. They can take their work home or leave it on the drawing racks here. This is suited to the 3-plus children."

The clever ones can find their way to Brainy Bee - a special room designed to develop cognitive skills. Games that can increase a child's understanding of shapes, alphabets, spellings and the human anatomy are available here.

There are books, English and Arabic puzzles, items that help children to learn to button and tie laces, and learn spellings of three, four and five letter words. Interesting toys, such as puppet alphabets and holders that help children develop pre-writing skills, are also available in this room.

Outdoor activity is encouraged at the Bee Leisure and Beecycles area. Plenty of bikes and trikes keep the physically active busy. Others can go to the Bee Pit where pink and blue sandpits supplied with a variety of sand box toys and shovels are found. Slides, swings and a swimming pool complete the fun picture.

BizziBees also has a BeeRetail that has puzzles, stacking and sorting games suitable for zero- to eight-year-olds. They also have attractive nursery furniture for sale such as rocking boats, kitchen sets, book shelves, mounted easels and storage bins.

l To get to BizziBees turn right from Med Cafe in Budaiya and follow the road. They are open from 8am to 6pm, seven days a week. Entry fees are BD5 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and BD4 on all other days. There is no extra charge for accompanying adults and children less than six-months. Call 17595909 for more details.