10 Reasons Why We Love NUBO

Have you seen the popular meme “How To Be A Mom in 2019: Make sure your children's academic, emotional, psychological, mental, spiritual, physical, nutritional, and social needs are met while being careful not to overstimulate, under-stimulate, improperly medicate, helicopter, or neglect them in a screen-free, processed foods-free, GMO-free, negative energy-free, plastic-free, body positive, socially conscious, egalitarian but also authoritative, nurturing but fostering of independence, gentle but not overly permissive, pesticide-free two-story, multilingual home preferably in a cul-de-sac with a backyard and 1.5 siblings spaced at least two year apart for proper development also don't forget the coconut oil.

For me, this perfectly sums up the challenges of being a modern parent. Life is busy and many of us juggle so many roles and competing priorities. It is not that parenting is difficult, but about managing expectations, both my own and every else’s. If the expectation is that mothers are responsible for all of the above, then we are set up to fail. However, if we have the right support and community then I feel I am able to make better choices that supports a more balanced motherhood that is more fun and less stressful than it needs to be.

NUBO is a play + learn centre that is building a community of like-minded families, passionate educators, employees and dedicated partners, who are empowering families navigate modern parenthood. Here are 10 reasons why we personally love NUBO:

THE PURPOSE. I believe the early years of childhood sets children up for life. Thought leaders like Sir Ken Robinson, advocates that “creativity is the literacy of the future”. At NUBO, its purpose to bring kids and families closer together through its simple, beautiful and purposeful learning experiences. Imagination and creativity are key to this and embodied in NUBO’s vision.

THE ENVIRONMENT. NUBO is a bright, clean and purposefully designed play space that evokes a sense of calm. The concept is progressive, unique and disenthralls the clichéd bright colours, plastic toys and chaos of traditional play centres. Inspired by Montessori pedagogy, NUBO is designed with the child in mind (child size tables, shelves, materials), aimed to encourage children’s independence to learn and progress at their own pace.

THE LIBRARY. My favourite design feature of NUBO is definitely the library. This is no ordinary library, it’s a cosy circular space with entire surrounding wall filled floor-to-ceiling with gorgeous books! Not only that, it also has a number of cute unexpected reading nooks with the central feature of a raised hot air balloon! There are regular story time sessions held here, led by NUBO’s educators, which are fun and interactive for kids across all age groups.

THE FREE PLAY. My kids’ favourite part of NUBO would have to be the ball pit. The design is super fun and it is equipped with a slide that launches straight into the ball pit.

In my experience, many traditional play centres are segmented into age groups like babies, toddlers and ‘older’ kids. This makes supervising two kids, let alone across two locations, really challenging. At NUBO, I can always easily find my kids wherever they are playing. It is completely safe and calm, contrary to traditional play centres where I am in a constant panic to find my kids.

Another benefit of NUBO’s open plan and play zones is that they are perfect for encouraging both independent play and multi-age cooperative play. I love my kids can play and interact with kids of different ages and learning abilities. It helps children learn to be patient, mindful and act as role models for younger babies and also reflects what it is like in the real world and being part of a bigger community.

THE WORKSHOPS. As well as offering free play, NUBO also offers a range of the structured workshops and learning experiences, which is tailored to suit specific age groups and/or developmental stages. These include painting, music, sculpting, science and nutrition, just to name a few. The workshops really add value for us for a couple of reasons:

• There are many types of play that we do not do at home, sensory being one of them. I find it too messy, stressful and I do not like the clean up. So, it’s perfect that I can outsource it to NUBO, my kids can get creative, messy and have fun, while I just sit back and relax!
• Being working parents, we don’t get much of a sense of what life is like for our kids at childcare/preschool. So Chris and I have been really enjoying participating in some of the structured Montessori-inspired play sessions in these groups setting and seeing how our children interact and socialise with other children and educators.
• These new experiences have given me insights to things that my kids have an interest in and potentially new talents to nurture. My eldest for example, has such a logical, engineering mind, whereas my little one loves to move and perform. But at NUBO we can jointly try new things and it’s a brilliant way to get a holistic and well-rounded range of experiences, that I otherwise wouldn’t offer at home.

THE CAFE. I am a not a keen cook myself but I do believe that a healthy attitude towards food and nutrition at a young age is critical for establishing positive habits into the future. William’s favourite food is salmon and avocado sushi and when we are at NUBO, my kids’ snack of choice is the fruit platter. The coffee is also great for adults and I look forward to trying more of their healthy meals from the menu.

THE CLEANLINESS. Have I mentioned that NUBO is spotless? The play spaces are always well maintained and tidy, not just the café area, but also the kid’s basins and bathroom. The popular ball pit is emptied and cleaned out every week, how great is that!

THE LIKE-MINDED MODERN FAMILIES. I mentioned community at the start of this post and I think this is the reason why I enjoy coming to NUBO with my kids. Perhaps the centre draws in families like mine who love NUBO for offering a unique alternative and breaking the status quo for play centres. Perhaps it draws in parents who are passionate about play and parenting. Whatever it is, I have been pleasantly surprised about meeting so many likeminded parents at NUBO. As an example, more than once, I’ve had parents come up to me with their kids to apologise for taking a toy off my toddler or some kind of conflict. There’s something about recognising that these parents are just like me, and this is exactly how I would’ve handled the situation, makes me feel uplifted! It’s as though here, I feel my parenting approach and expectations are the accepted norm and are validated.  This is a beautiful part of being at NUBO.

THE NUBO TEAM.  You will find the NUBO team dressed in their casual chic blue and grey outfits and a big smile as they travel around the centre. One of our very first experiences was attending a music class, where the educator brought in his guitar, kazoo and a playful attitude, which got all the kids and adults in stitches from laughing, singing and dancing. You can definitely get a sense that the team love being a part of NUBO and see themselves as active contributors to the NUBO experience and creating the environment.

THE TOYS. Toys are fundamental building blocks for children’s learning and development and NUBO is committed to leading the change in the industry. As part of NUBO and The Modern Playroom’s long-term partnership, we will be slowly introducing our range of natural, beautiful and sustainable toys to NUBO to continue to transition NUBO to become the first of its kind as a sustainable play centre! The Wobbel Board was the first product that was introduced and I can’t wait to show you more of what’s to come!

So, if you are looking to spend more quality time and connect with your child, check out NUBO if you are in Sydney. There are two locations, Alexandria and Chatswood, my review here is the Alexadria Centre. Now, I am just hoping for NUBO to come to Canberra!

Thank you so much for reading and I’d love to hear your views. What is your experience with play centres? Have you been to NUBO or would you like to see a NUBO in your city?

Jen