GENIUS GEMS MILLBURN NJ HOW TO
As an example, Marc explained that there is a 3-D printer and if kids can’t find a tile with the right shape for the structure they are building they can simply design their own shape and Genius Gems will forever name that shape after them! Jennifer was eager to tell me how they are also adding “Teen Nights” with pizza to get older kids to come and create and she is excited to see how the teens react to the space and adjust accordingly.īesides being a middle school teacher Jennifer also has the credentials and degrees to be a school principal and after my afternoon at Genius Gems I can tell that Jennifer knows what works in the classroom, but I also guess she (along with her very helpful husband) knows how to keep an institution running with fresh and new ideas. The staff at Genius Gems work with the kids to demonstrate each activity, but also to ask questions and learn what to add or change to the space and how to grow. Speaking of empowering kids that seemed to be the purpose of a “Mystery Boxes” area where kids can choose a box according to their age group and then create and build a surprise by following the instructions in the box. Ozobots are little robotic ball creatures which are programmed to move however you or your kids prefer, using everyday markers this activity was very empowering for the kids. Here kids use an electric timer to create a pyramid with the magnetic blocks in record-breaking time! My kids also enjoyed the Ozobots in the party room. Some other activity areas included a magnetic pyramid challenge, which my own kids aged 9 and 11 year- old enjoyed.
There are not nearly enough magnetic tubes for the whole wall so young and old minds alike are really challenged to think about how the balls can jump and spring from tube to tube. Besides building for a light show there are also magnetic tubes on the wall and children are challenged to build a maze to get a ball from one end of the wall through the tubes to the other. There is a magnetic light wall which enables the tiles to light up so kids can create their own light show (which is especially eye catching at night). Jennifer is an educator and she knows how to keep things challenging. Six years after their initial idea, Genius Gems is open and it is so much more than just an indoor play space it’s an interactive and ever growing educational playground. Marc looked up “magnetic tiles” on YouTube and found a video of “real macho guys playing with magnet tiles while drinking beer,” Jennifer and Marc knew that these addictive tiles would interest more than just toddlers and that with a little added creativity and some electric color and light they might just be able to create their own magnet tile playground to share with others.
The blocks which are known by some brand names such as Picasso Tiles, IMDEN Magnetic Blocks, and Magformers, seemed to spark creativity across age groups. It was Marc’s interest in those blocks with magnets in them (you may know some brand names such as Picasso Tiles, IMDEN Magnetic Blocks, and Magformers) which is the inspiration behind Genius Gems.Īt the recent Genius Gems Launch Party I spoke to Marc and he explained, “about six years ago, I was playing with my son’s magnetic blocks and Jennifer said I’d be late to work unless I preferred to just quit my job and play all day!” This planted a seed in both of their heads. Marc is a lawyer and the husband of Genius Gems Founder and CEO, Jennifer Romanoff. As Marc Romanoff explains: “We wanted to make an enjoyable experience for other parents.” Meanwhile, parents can play along with their kids or enjoy WiFi and a lovely little snack cafe while easily checking on their children with one quick glance from their chair. Genius Gems is a beautiful open area where kids are constantly engaged in activities involving magnetic tiles of all shapes, sizes, and colors representing little gems (thus the aptly titled Genius Gems). Genius Gems, their new interactive, STEM-based, indoor playground in Millburn is so obviously created by parents with school-aged children for other parents and their school-aged children, in that the Romanoff's have clearly thought of what parents (and their kids) want and need. Jennifer and Marc Romanoff, local parents from West Orange, are certainly Parents with a Purpose: a purpose to make a fun, educational and gorgeous play space for both children and their accompanying parents.
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