Climbing tables and chairs, hopping up curbs and onto benches, and basically scurrying up and over any type obstacle in sight. That would be most kids. So sometimes you want to take it a step farther (or higher) than simply scaling the sides of your furniture at home.
Give them a mountain.
We found ours at Rock Oasis, a family-friendly climbing gym in Leslieville in Toronto’s east end.
Here, kids as young as 4-years-old (like this one above) can try out climbing – either with a parent accompanying or a staff member if your child register them for a program. (See ‘Low-Down’ below for details.) With a parent or staff in TOw, kids have access to almost the whole facility, including the auto-belay and top rope sections of varying difficulty. And all kids, plus younger siblings, can burn some extra energy and build more climbing confidence in the large Kids Play Zone.
Here are a couple more peeks at the peaks:
Auto-belay.
Kids Play Zone.
TRIP TIPS:
Getting there: Easily accessible by TTC, car or bike. Free parking is available at the rear of the building. It’s a 20-min walk south from Chester or Pape Subway Station (or you can take the 72 Pape bus from Pape Station.) Take the 506 Carlton Streetcar along Gerrard East, get off at Carlaw and walk two minutes south.
Low-down: It’s open 365 days a year from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. More photos. Children under 14 can be belayed by their parent or staff. Kids as young as 4 can give it a go, as long as parents accompany or their child is registered in a program.
Cost:
- $12 per child per session. $6 for harness rental. (Includes access to the Kids Play Zone.)
- $20 for one-time Parent Belay lesson that teaches you how to mange the safety rope so kids can climb any route in the facility.
- $10 for one-time Parent Auto-Belay lesson that teaches parents how to monitor their children on the auto belays.
- $12 per child to play in the kids climbing structure with slides and tunnels and mini climbing walls.
There are after-school programs (pick-up from some east end schools) and birthday party options. There is a Facebook group East Side Climbing Parents for parents to climb in a group.
Speed up the process by signing the waiver online.
More places to climb: Round up of indoor climbing gyms in Toronto.
In the hood: For littles to play and climb, head to Sprouts on Carlaw just north of Queen St. E. Nearest parks and playgrounds are south Hideaway (along Dundas at Pape), Greenwood (along Dundas or Gerrard at Greenwood Ave) and Jimmie Simpson (south along Queen E). McCleary Playground is across from Jimmie Simpson.
CONTACT:
www.rockoasis.com
Suite 204 – 388 Carlaw Ave.,
Toronto, ON M4M 2T4
416.703.3434
infotoronto@rockoasis.com (for info only)
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