Sassy Mama Tries: Extreme Fun

Are you looking for something to do with the kids before school starts?  Or have you, like me, been here all summer and now desperately need a new scene?  Yes it’s true mamas, I was the crazy one who stayed in Dubai for most of the summer (violins please), so after exhausting all the soft plays near home, I decided to stretch further afield.  I had heard some really good reports about Extreme Fun in Motor City (my little ones had loved the J3 Mall branch, until it closed for refurb) so off I went, two kids in tow, to undiscovered territory.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the play centre very easily.  It is located just a little further up from Spinneys, on the opposite side of the road and over a set of traffic lights.  When we arrived I was also happy to see that there were already quite a few mums and children enjoying themselves – they must all have been up just as early as us which made me smile and gave me comfort that I wasn’t the only tired mama around.

When you enter Extreme Fun you can see two distinct areas – a soft play younger area and a huge jungle gym.  The soft area had the familiar slide and ball pit that most of these play centres have now, and which all young kids adore.  There was also a big house split with different activities such as a builder’s workshop and a dolls house.  My youngest daughter got exploring in this area, cooking up a storm in the kitchen and enjoying the market stall full of fruit and vegetables.  She then moved on to the wall activities (anything with things that you can push or turn appeals right now) before a long stint riding on the rocking horse and playing with the toy piano.  She was a very happy little busy babe indeed and I was pleased that there were lots of options in this area for young children with a typically short attention span.  Other favourites among the kids playing that day included the train set and the lego boards.

My eldest daughter went straight to the jungle gym.  Mamas if you have a child that forces you to join them in this activity, like mine, then I’m warning you to get ready to face a proper workout.  After 15 minutes running up and down and enjoying the slide, I was the first to beg for a drink break.  After only 2 minutes (of course!) we were back in action, and this time I really looked further into what was available.  Aside from the big and small slides, the jungle gym has a trampoline, swings a plenty and lattice tunnels taking the kiddies through the maze.  The highlight, which seemed to attract constant attention and a traffic jam of eagerly awaiting toddlers, was what I call the roller slide.  A conveyor belt of rolling rods that the kids bumped down on their bottom (or tummy!) and that created so much fun and a lot of very wide little grins.

The time seemed to disappear at Extreme Fun.  Before I knew it our 2 hours were nearly up and I just about had enough time to sneak a peek at the party room and the activity corner where your little one can colour, draw and even paint your own pottery (ceramic fun!).   There are also many classes that you can sign up to as well, from cooking to art and much more.

As I was feeding my youngest her packed lunch in the café, I took a quick glance at the menu on offer.  The kids menu presented the usual nuggets, pizza, burger and popcorn but I was happy to see two types of pasta available, which my toddler would have been perfectly happy with, had we not had to rush home. What about the mamas, I hear you ask?  Don’t fret ladies, you can easily enjoy a coffee, drink or snack in the café with full view of both play areas.

When we were nearly out the door I turned around and realised that I hadn’t quite fully computed how popular this place was.  In the small time I was there it had become super busy, but luckily the area is quite large and so you don’t really feel like there are that many people stepping on your toes.  Extreme Fun is literally that, extremely fun!  Both my daughters loved the play centre, probably more than a lot of the others we had been to, and they both fell asleep in the car before we even got half way home, exhausted from their morning of excitement.

Extreme Fun
Motorcity (opposite Spinneys)
Tel: (+971) (0)4 4525543
www.extremefunuae.com 

1 hour – 40 Dhs, 2 hours – 50 Dhs, Full day – 100 Dhs
Entertainer Kids have great deals here too!