Kidzania Manila The Ultimate Play City for Kids

I have been hearing about Kidzania for the longest time and I was super thrilled when I was invited to the media launch. I got to bring Jael along with me and we were able to tour this famous play city for kids. Located in the heart of BGC in Park Triangle, Kidzania Manila is the ultimate role-playing environment where kids are given an awesome opportunity to learn, interact, play and just plain have fun.

Starting August 7, kids aged 4-14 will get a chance to role-play grown-up roles and explore and experiment with the different careers out there. Bastian will be having his National Career Assessment Test this month and truth be told he wanted to come along to the media launch! He’s 15 years old though so that would classify him as an adult. After our experience, I wished that there was something like this for Bastian and Kianna when they were younger.

Upon arrival you’re issued a passport of sorts complete with your boarding passes, a map, Kidzania City Codes and your security bracelets at the Airport Ticketing Counter. Already you feel like you’re traveling to another city or country for that matter. The security bracelets are no ordinary bracelets. These are scanned into the computer with a specific code that links your bracelet to your child’s bracelet. It can also detect a child’s whereabouts if you’re separated. For a paranoid mom like me this was music to my ears.

KidZania has built play cities in Mexico, Tokyo, London and more. KidZania Manila is the 20^th city and the first of its kind in the Philippines. The play city specially built for kids is 8,000 square meters truly making it a life size city for kids.

There is so much to do in this city that I won’t be able to cover everything but I will share with you Jael’s experience and I hope that you visit Kidzania with your kids to experience it yourselves.

The interactive developmental experience aims to help prepare kids for life from learning how to interact with people around them to learning life skills to the concept of working.

Being in Kidzania you’ll truly feel like you’re in a real city with all the establishments any city would need. It’s complete with paved streets, a transport system, and a functioning economy including a bank, fire station, hospital and even a hotel where Jael enjoyed “working”.

Jael at the Independence Fountain

As part of the media launch, we adults were given an opportunity to tour the whole city and even step inside the establishments to get an up close and personal look. This was strictly allowed only during the launch. When the doors open on August 7, adults will no longer be allowed to enter and can only observe through the windows.

There are helpful signs such as this aside from the map to help guide you through the city. There are family restrooms and male and female restrooms.

This is the Farm House that Jael later works at. The veggies look realistic but everything is plastic.

This was at the top of Jael’s list but I think it was at the top of everyone’s list as well! Oh well! We’ll catch you next time.

The Kidzania hospital, St Lukes Medical Center has everything kids could need. From an emergency room to an operating room and even a nursery and ambulance.

One of Jael’s proud moments was when he resuscitated this man. The pretty nurse taught him how to use the defibrillator to save the man. Apologies for the poor lighting in this shot. There’s a man on the operating table with his chest open and you could see his insides like his heart and stomach. He was covered up though with his chest skin when Jael performed this procedure.

I was surprised he wasn’t scared. He actually asked to do it. Hmmm… maybe we’ve got a doctor on our hands.

There’s a play area for kids below 3 years old where they can stay and it has this kitchen among other toys provided by Toy Kingdom.

This lounge is for the adults so they can rest from chasing after their kids. There are comfy chairs and booths plus a McDonalds cafe.

“We can’t wait for Filipino children to finally enjoy the unique role-play experience that KidZania Manila offers.Kids will play and learn together, figure out what makes a good city, and collaborate to help run their own community. Play at KidZania will spark dreams and imagination – empowering them to believe that they can make a better world,” says Maricel Pangilinan-Arenas, State Governor for KidZania Philippines.

Just like in everyday life in order to enjoy the fruits of your labor you first have to work for that hard earned money. With the check given to Jael at arrival we decided to head to BPI to encash it and check out what he could buy. He received 50 KidZos (Kidzania money).

All the staff in Kidzania are very approachable, warm and welcoming. Since adults aren’t allowed to enter the establishments Jael went in hesitantly by himself. With a little coaching from me, he encashed his check.

We headed to the department store to see what he could buy and it turns out that he didn’t have enough money to buy anything! I explained this to Jael by telling him that just like mama who works at home to get money for the stuff we buy like food, clothing and toys he needed to work to earn more KidZos so he could buy something.

I think he understood the concept of work seeing me work everyday at this very computer as I write this post. I was both touched and proud when he was eager to explore the city and find a job. KidZos ATMs are available by the way. Kids have the option to deposit their earnings and save their money in the BPI bank.

Fire Department

Since we were able to tour the whole of Kidzania earlier, he already had a few jobs in mind, the first being a firefighter! He was fascinated by the truck and I think that’s what got him interested.

Before the kids start they are asked to scan their bracelets. I really love the security that Kidzania provides!

For his firefighter experience, there was a short talk about what firefighters do. They were then suited up in their firefighter jackets and did some exercises. In this particular session the topic was the stop drop and roll drill and fire exits.

Jael had a huge smile on his face when he saw that he would be riding in the firetruck. They toured the city as they were shown various fire exits and their meaning. I knew that the information would be a bit much for Jael but the experience in itself was one that Jael would remember.

Afterwards, he earned 8 hard-earned KidZos. He was so proud!

Construction Site

Next on Jael’s list was the construction site. He said he wanted to be a builder and so we headed on over there. As with the Fire Department, his bracelet was scanned and there was a short talk on the different jobs in a construction site.

My little man felt like a big boy with his safety gear. At times, I feel hesitatnt and truth be told a bit scared when Jael interacts with other kids and adults. He’s so sheltered staying day after day with just me for most of the day. Being a work at home mom I have to say it’s really tough to balance everything out. He’ll be going to school next year so we’re starting on things that he needs to know to prepare him for when that time comes. His Kidzania experience added so much to that.

Jael earned 8 Kidzos here. 8 KidZos seems to be the minimum salary wage but there are other establishments where you can earn up to 15 KidZos.

After the construction site we headed to McDonalds where Jael had lunch. There are a few places where you can eat paying cash (and I mean our pesos)- Via Mare, McDonalds, Yellow Cab, Mini Stop, and food stands like Purefoods and Goldilocks. Expect the prices to be just a little more expensive than usual.

Hotel 

We were walking along finding his next place of work when Jael was invited to work at the Holiday Inn Hotel. There were 3 options, housekeeping, reception or culinary. Since there was already a housekeeping session going on Jael went for culinary when I mentioned he would be working with food.

Jael also enjoyed this job and he was really proud of himself when he set the table by himself with just a guide given to him by the lovely Kidzania lady at the Holiday Inn. I was having a conversation with one of my fellow mommy bloggers when he tapped on the window to show me his achievement. This job earned him 8 KidZos, as well.

We decided to venture to the Mezzanine level. He had wanted to go to pilot school at Cebu Pacific but there were already 2 sessions going on. So with the promise of a return we searched on. Just like pilot school you can also pay for education at the Driving School, Music Studio, Art & Design Academy and the University (Centro Escolar University).

There’s also the City Tour Bus which you can both work at or pay to see the city. Kids can also take mini classes in Traditional Jewelry, Arts & Crafts and even a Tattoo Studio. What about girls getting their hair and nails done? Check and check because they have a Beauty Salon. Kids work hard at Kidzania so they gotta play hard, too! There’s also a Creative Hub where they can express their feelings through art.

 Farm House

Since Jael is 4 years old there are some establishments that he couldn’t work at. Each establishment provides a sign that tells you the age requirement. One of the friendly Kidzania staff guided us to the Farm House which sounded like a good idea to me.

At the Farm House Jael was taught the importance of washing hands since he would be “planting”. He got to dig for some carrots and cabbages. His job here earned him 10 KidZos!

Gas Station

The Gas Station also includes Pit Crew Training Center, Driving Streets, and a Car Design and Dealership. Jael wanted to learn how to drive but there was an age restriction so he worked as a gas station attendant instead.

I got teary-eyed watching him as he listened to the Kidzania staff teach him how to pump gas and wipe the windshield. He kept looking at me seeking my approval and a smile and I gave it to him at each moment. 8 KidZos for this job!

It was time to count his earnings and he earned a whopping 92 KidZos! He was so happy to see all that money. We headed to the the Joy Basket where he bought himself 2 dinosaur erasers for 80 KidZos. Other shopping establishments where kids can pay using KidZos are the Shopping Alley, Department Store, and Glow in the Dark.

KidZania Manila is open 7 days a week.

Mondays to Thursdays, from 9AM to 4PM (1 shift)
Fridays to Sundays and national/legal holidays
First shift- 9AM to to 2PM
Second shift- 3 PM to 8PM

Prices:

Mondays to Thursdays
Infant (1 year old and below)- FREE
Toddler (1-3 years old)- Php500
Child (4-14 years old)- Php900
Adult (15+ years old)- Php630

Fridays to Sundays
Infant (1 year old and below)- FREE
Toddler (1-3 years old)- Php600
Child (4-14 years old)- Php1100
Adult (15+ years old)- Php770

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