h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Soft Play Centres - A87788821
Author: Bluebottle - U43530

Is it possible for Bluebottle to write an entry that is under 1,000 words? Here is his doomed attempt to find out!

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Hey BB, I really liked this. I thought it followed the mini-skirt rule--long enough to cover the subject and short enough to be interesting. And not one mention of the sainted isle! Bravo.

I love it! >Shoes are sometimes asked to be handed in to members of staff, like in bowling alleys.<<

While I find the idea of asking the shoes delightfully surreal, I think you should say something like, 'Visitors are sometimes asked to hand in their shoes...'

Explain what a 'Wendy House' is? I know the Peter Pan reference, but have no idea what that would be like in a play area.

>>Most provide tea and cakes<<

Well, in the UK, I imagine they provide tea. I'll bet a hat they don't in the US, whether it's going to be coffee or soft drinks. Tea is going to be a styrofoam cup of hot water and a teabag.

I'll leave it to the parents to weigh in on the supervision issue.

Now, where's that bouncy castle?

That pretty much covers it! Did you cone in under the word limit?

There's just one nit I would pick. The sentence:

Be aware that some soft play centres charge for adult admission as well as children.

Presupposes that the reader knows that these places generally only charge for the children, which could probably do with being explicitly mentioned, I think.

Our current favourite (our boys are 3 and 6) is an old car showroom, rather than the usual industrial unit.


Geggs

Wendy house is now explained in a footnote.
It's under 1,000 words at the moment, but that'll depend on if there are many suggested amendments.

This article is based on my experience of visiting over 15 different soft play centres all across the UK, from the Isle of Wight to Hampshire, Berkshire and Yorkshire, with my kids. And in case you wondered, I have selflessly, in the name of research, been down every big bumpy slide in every soft play centre I have visited, except for one (where they didn't let adults on the play equipment. Curiously enough, we've not been back to that one...)

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<rofl. So all this equipment is Bluebottle-tested?

As a responsible adult I have a duty to ensure that the soft play centres are safe for my children by going down the slides and playing with the toys...

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I often find it is useful to call the play area before we go to make sure they are not booked for a party that day to try and limit the chaos

Very good!

I notice that you mention taking off shoes twice in the same paragraph, you might want to drop one of them.

Soft play areas are provided at many fast food outlets around here, most notably Mc Donalds (not trying to sneak in an advert) I have never seen a charge to use them but pay token machines are common, as well as number of arcade and board games (such as air hockey and foosball) available to consume them.

We also have some 'hands-on' museums that offer a soft play area.

FS

I've added all the excellent points raised, but now the article is 1,020 words long!
Well, it was under a thousand for almost a day...

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They are a reasonable option for parties as well, although crowding can indeed be a problem.

They often have loud music, which is a bit of a pain.

Things to watch out for include the mix of ages - as you say BB, the slides for younger kids are often rubbish, so you get all ages in the main part, which can be a bit of a recipe for disaster.

sprout

Loud music – good point, Sprout, I've added 'Noise' onto the list of things found at a typical soft play centre, and after a bit of a trim, it's back down to 979 words.

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Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

Thanks everyone - last one down the slide's a rotten !

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Wheee!

Well done!!

As long as it's not a rotten Geggs, I'm fine with that.

Congratulations!


Geggs