Thank you to Snapology of Pittsburgh for sponsoring today’s post! All opinions remain my own.

Like many children, Legos were a staple toy in my childhood.

I grew up with a younger brother, 6 years between us. Most of the time, it was nearly impossible to find something in common- he was the math whiz and I was the art geek.

Nonetheless, as children, we spent hours together building Legos. The timeless building toy transcends beyond age and gender.

Fast forward 20 years, the Legos we played with as children are some of the same one that my 6-year-old son builds with today. As a parent, I appreciate these seemingly simple plastic blocks (even when they unfortunately find themselves on the bottom of my bare feet).

It seems children of all ages gravitate toward the concept of being able to create anything they can image with the interlocking blocks. It gives them a wonderful opportunity to explore concepts such as geometry, fractions, sorting, patterns and more (even when they don’t realize it).

So, as Lego enthusiasts, we were over the moon excited when Snapology in Bethel Park invited us to come play!

What is Snapology?

Snapology is an inviting playspace full of various building materials and interactive toys for kids of all ages. Sure, they have about a bazillion Legos, but that’s just the beginning!

There were several different stations throughout the open floor plan and everything is very well organized.  Each station had a different type of toy or building material to interact with. Most areas included large tables with plenty of surface area, separate building platforms and plenty of elbow room. This enables multiple children to play with the same things without overcrowding.

What can we do there?

Plenty!!! We started off building at the Imagination Playground where children can use a variety of large blue foam blocks and shapes to create life-sized structures. We’ve been a fan of these blocks since we first played with them at the Carnegie Science Center’s BLUE! exhibit. They’re really lightweight and easy to build with.

Next, we moved on to Lego Bionicles. Although my son had never played with them before, it was easy enough to figure out. Like many of the stations, there were examples and/or instructions of what you could build with the supplies.

One of our favorite rooms was the padded game room that projected light and images to display a variety of interactive activities: soccer, popping firecrackers, squishing bugs and more. It was a great blend of mental and physical activity that was appealing to kids of all ages. In fact, I kind of regret not trying it for myself! Definitely next time!

Caregivers of young children will appreciate the front area with Duplo blocks and various preschool/toddler toys. There are also tons of great books, too! Although the front area is not completely gated in, it is divided and away from smaller building materials such as Legos.

Other fun toys include a massive racetrack with electric cars, K’nex, loom band station, and even a Minecraft Lego area. Also, there are iPads set up throughout the area so that kids can get inspiration or even play their favorite games!

Keepin’ it Clean

Of course- I had to ask- “How do you guys keep everything clean?!”

With an entire room dedicated to sanitation, I can tell you, Snapology takes disinfecting and cleaning seriously.

All the building materials are on a continuous rotation of being disinfected. The blocks/building materials are washed in Dawn dish liquid and laid out to air dry. Cleaning cycles can vary but takes approximately 2 weeks before it’s started all over again.

On top of regular maintenance, surfaces are wiped down frequently with sanitizing wipes and toys that have traveled to classes are disinfected before re-entering the rotation.

Does it get busy?

We visited Snapology in Bethel Park on a weekday before school. During the hour we spent playing, we were there with approximately a dozen children- mostly between the ages of 2-4 years.

Snapology also offers after-school hours and Friday night drop off (which, from what I understand, is a little more busy). I’m looking forward to going back because I think my son would have a blast playing with even more children. As I mentioned above, the space is set up to accommodate large groups!

Planning Your Visit

The Snapology we visited was ¼ mile away from South Hills Village Mall and right beside Dollar Bank.

Location: 1699 Washington Rd, 2nd Floor, Bethel Park, PA 15228

Phone: (412) 295-1545

Website: http://pittsburgh.snapology.com/

Hours:

• Daytime Hours: Monday – Friday 10am-2pm; Saturday & Sunday 12pm-5pm
• Evening Hours: Wednesday 5:30-7:30pm & Fri: 5:30-8:30pm
• *Open 11/28 – 8:30am-8:30pm and 12/1 9am-4pm

Admission: Just $5 per hour for the first two hours! $8 per hour thereafter. Parents are not required to stay for children 5 years of age or older.

Snapology offer classes, summer/winter camps, birthday parties, workshops, field trips and more. They also have free Wi-Fi!

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