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About Us
MISSION
Recess Cleveland is a 501c3 nonprofit that builds healthy, active, and connected communities using recess, organized sports, and playful learning. The recessROOM is a social enterprise powered by Recess Cleveland staff. Games played at The recessROOM are built from a collection of games developed by the families we’ve reached, volunteers, and our staff over the last seven years executing Recess Cleveland’s Restore Recess programming.
VISION
Our vision is to create a world where kids AND adults have full access to the benefits of recess, the joy of playful learning, and the transformative power of sport. The recessROOM is a place dedicated to play, where people of all ages have ownership over how the space is built, altered, and enhanced. It is meant for unstructured play supported by trained playworkers, but we plan on filling it with various organized sports, fun special events, and partnering with community organizations who can help us create memorable moments for Cleveland families and also improve their quality of life.
Attractions
Rule #1 about the recessROOM: Every time you enter the recessROOM the setup and game options may look a little different. Please check our calendar for more details on the available game options at the time you wish to attend. The best part of the recessROOM, is that if there’s play equipment missing that would enhance the fun, you can simply request it and we’ll do our best to add it to the space. If there’s a new game you would like us to play, you may request to add the game as well.
WKYC Channel 3 / Matt Kaulig Tour of our recessROOM
Games and Attractions
in the recessROOM
Bounce Houses
Great for kids 17 and under
Our Small Bounce houses are great for kids who like to laugh and play together.
Mini Soccer
Great for all ages
Play 2 v 2 soccer on our sports inflatable in our Freecess area
Hamster Zorbs
Great for everyone 8 and up
Ever want to race in a giant bubble? Here’s your chance!
Freecess
Great for all ages
Freecess is an unstructured play area featuring hula hoops, skip its, frisbees, etc
Softplay
Only for kids 6 and under
We have one of the largest collection of soft play toys in Cleveland
Trikes
Great for all ages
You’ll find trikes of all sizes (even adult trikes) on our racetrack.
Virtual Reality
For ages 8 and up only
We have an Oculus with an inflatable media cave that protects the player while everyone else is having fun.
Video Games
For gamers of all ages
We are collecting game systems for use on our TV wall. An Xbox has been acquired.
Chess
Great ages 5 and up
Learn to play classic and Bug House (4-player chess) here.
Four Square
Great for ages 5 and up
A schoolyard favorite and one of the most requested here at The recessROOM
Makerspace
Fun for all ages
Our “Makerspace” aka loose parts feature blocks of all sizes, fort-making kits, etc.
Arts and Crafts
For creators of all ages
From Painting to puppet shows, magic shows, and doodling we encourage it all in our new art corner.
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WHY SUPPORTING recessROOM IS IMPORTANT AND VERY NECESSARY...
- 42% of schools have eliminated recess or heavily reduced investment in enrichment programs including sports
- 80% of young people, most of them who live in poor neighborhoods, do not me federal guidelines for daily physical activity.
- Kids in poor communities have an obesity rate that is nearly 2x higher than kids in affluent communities.
- According to researchers at the Aspen Institute, kids from lower-income homes face increasing participation barriers to play.
- Many School Districts mandate physical education for only 1-2 days per week
- Black and LatinX youth are 2x as likely to reside in areas with subpar park space per capita
- Kids from the lowest-income homes are more than three times as likely to be physically inactive.
- Kids from households below 25k are 5x less likely to participate in sports
- Kids who are physically active are one-tenth as likely to be obese.
- Active kids are more likely to go on to college and less likely to suffer chronic diseases.
- Not engaging in organized sports or unstructured play at a young age often causes continued inactivity as an adult.
- Exercise is not only good for your physical health – it can help alleviate stress.
- Parents should NOT have to watch their kids play!!! Our recess room gives parents the opportunity to play, coach, and compete with their kids.
FAQ
The recessROOM is a giant play space that contains over 40 different mini-games, a slew of toys, and rotating attractions. We’re adding new fun stuff every day. Please visit our games page for a preview of some of our games and attractions.
We cater to ages 0 to 99, depending on the time of the day. The games and attractions rotate at recessROOM so please check our calendar to see what games and attractions are set up at the time you would like to visit.
Our space can hold up to 150 active players at one time.
You should play with them of course. We believe recess is for EVERYBODY. We encourage parents to teach their children games they played during their school-aged recess days.
We plan to offer organized sports like dodgeball, pickleball, Gellyball, and more very shortly. We even plan to offer league play very soon. In the meantime, we are partnering with community organizations to provide play pop-ups, provide professional development courses to help recruit the next generation of playworkers, develop both in-school and out-of-school programming, and fill our calendar with many play opportunities. Currently, we offer hourly freecess, aka unorganized play, in addition to recessLabs, adult and family game night, yoga, and more. Please sign up for our monthly newsletter and/or visit our calendar page to see what activities we have planned.
During normal business hours, one hour of play costs $10. Frequent visitors may be interested in our Play Club for the added benefit of an extra free hour per visit for the club member + up to 3 paid guests (e.g. a family of 4 can play for 2 hours for $40) or one free hour for 1 guest (a family of 2 can play for 1 hour for $10). As a nonprofit, we want to make sure our space is accessible to everyone, so we do have an additional 30% off coupon available for families in need.
Yes, occasionally, we partner with organizations who sponsor a “Day of Play” which we also offer for every hour someone volunteers. FREE hours can be redeemed weekly during open play every Sunday starting in February 2023.
Yes, in most cases, visit Plan an Event instructions to book different types of events we host at our space.
No, but wear comfortable shoes and socks. Shoes are not allowed in some of the play areas.
Yes. The families that visit and support us run the space, and our staff just pay the bills and keeps the space clean. You may add a game or equipment to our wishlist, see active requests, and/or donate to existing requests on our wishlist page.
