13 November 2014

KidZania - Kid's Amusement Park

I was introduced to Kidzania in Dubai, when it was launched in 2010. This Mexican chain of amusement park was launched in Mumbai in April 2013, with the Bollywood Superstar Shahrukh Khan being the strategic shareholder and Co-promoter and holding a 26% stake in the business.
Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania
Kidzania is a global indoor theme park which educates kids through real life role playing activities. Kidzania emulates the workings of a real city but built to scale for children. The experience is made complete with buildings, paved streets, vehicles & recognizable role-playing destinations in the form of establishments.
Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania

Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania

Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania
Hubby had purchased Monsoon Discount coupon booklet in August, which entitled discounts on entry and eateries at Kidzania. Kidzania being in R-City Mall, close to the Godrej Interio Experince center, we thought of combining my blogger's event(check about the event here) with a visit to Kidzania. I joined hubby and kiddo at Kidzania after my blogger's event.
The ticket counter resembles an airport, where you collect your boarding pass(ticket) to the Air Kidzania(the amusement park), a traveler's cheque of 50 KidZos(the Kidzania currency) and RFID bracelets(RFID bracelets are unique security bracelet given to both parents and kids for the duration of the visit which can be removed only by Kidzania staff when the visitor has to leave, hence secure the safety of the kids inside the amusement park).
The entry too resembles the pathway of an airport. As you enter the park, the kids have to take care of, and handle all establishments by themselves, parents can watch them and enjoy, and at other establishments like TV studio and Theatre, parents get to sit and watch their kids perform, inside the establishment. There is Parents Lounge too, where parents can spend time.
The kid first need to encash the traveler's cheque at the Yes Bank(which has kid's size ATM machine too). Either the kid can do the cash transaction or get a debit card done at the Bank, for spending on different establishments. 
The whole set-up is very much child friendly, parents need not worry anything about the kids safety. Every establishment(set-up) has the display of age limit, rate/cost(earning marked by + and spending by -), number of kids per batch, and the next batch timing. At every establishment, kids either spend or earn money(thats the service industries like hospital, dental clinic earns you money and spend money at entertainment establishments).
As the kid enters an establishment, his/her RFID bracelet is recorded, to keep track of the establishment the kid is in during that time, just in case a parent has to search their kid, the sensor guides the parent to that particular establishment. Very well trained staff at every establishment, train and educate the kids through role-play.
There are 60 establishments and a single visit of 5hours(4pm to 9pm, the second shift during weekends/public holiday, first shift is 11am to 3pm) which we attended was too low. Though during weekdays it has single shift from 11am to 8pm. My daughter could participate in just 7 of them.
She started with the nursery at the hospital, though she wanted to role play a Surgeon, her age limited her from participating, as they told, they show the internal organs and kid of her age would be scared of it. At every establishment they give the necessary accesories like the aprons to make the role-play more joyful. At the nursery, they give bath to the baby, change the dress and diaper, weigh the baby, feed it, put eye drops and make it sleep. Since parents are not allowed inside the establishment, this was the best I could click,
Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania
Daughter nursing the baby
Next she went to Coca Cola bottling plant, where they are trained in bottling, which includes cleaning the bottle, filling, capping and finally labeling. And the best part, they carry their packed bottle home.
Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania
At Coca Cola bottling plant
Then was the Kellog's chocos factory, the manufaturing and packaging and walk out with their pack of chocos,
Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania
At Kellog's Chocos plant
Next was the Dental clinic which she attended, where they train oral hygiene, along with dental surgery, which included root-canal treatment(injecting anastasia, drilling and filling the teeth).
 Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania 

 Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania
Then was her cooking class at the Bajaj Appliance Culinary School, she make a fruits salad and got a certificate(so called masters certificate for completing masters in art of cooking).
Next was the most interesting of all, at the Chika's Locker fashion studio and runway. Kids are trained and made ready for the ramp. The kids then perform at the theatre next to the studio.
Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania
Shiamak's Dance class and Chika's Locker

Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania

Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania
And they walk the ramp
Next to fashion studio is the Shiamak's dance studio and Bollywood acting school. The kids from these three establishments perform at the theatre turn by turn
Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania
Then was the Paramedical clinic, where kids are trained medicine, then the batch of kids, rush to the emergency spot in their Ambulance, give an emergency treatment at the spot, get the patient to the hospital in the Ambulance and treat them.
Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania

Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania

Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania

Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania
 Other establishments, I just clicked pics of,
Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania

Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania

Kidzania Mumbai, Kidzania
And finally you can deposit your earned money at the bank or shop at the Central store. But the products here start at 50Kidzos. If you have enough earned money you can shop, else deposit in the bank and use it during your next visit.
 
My daughter thoroughly enjoyed the visit and is waiting for the next. You can check for shift timings, ticket prices and necessary information at their website http://mumbai.kidzania.com/en-us. They have online bookings too, though you can't use vouchers for online booking.

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