An Outdoor Birthday Party That’s More Than Just a Picnic
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You don’t need the latest video games to have fun. In fact, sometimes it takes almost nothing to entertain kids! Even so, it’s surprising how difficult it is in Beijing to find a place with these “nothings” that will entertain your kids all day while developing their life and social skills.
During the winter my daughter and I discovered a winter wonderland filled with snow slopes and tubes at Sheep Momo’s Forest. And now that spring is here, the snow has melted away, giving way to a beautiful green daytime camping ground.
Since our first visit to Momo’s, we’ve gone back multiple times throughout the year, and we’ve loved it every single time.
To sum it up, Sheep Momo’s Forest is a day camping ground, outdoor play area, and petting zoo all in one. While it’s not the only place in Beijing that’s built like this, it is the most convenient to town – located in the Jiuxianqiao area and a mere 20 minute drive from downtown, instead of the hour plus drive you’d need to undertake in order to get to Miyun for the same sort of curated fun in nature.
So now that spring is here and the weather is nice and warm, Sheep Momo’s Forest is officially the place for daytime birthday parties for kids!
Here’s why:
- The attention to detail is incredible. The activities are designed with play-based learning in mind. More on that later.
- It’s incredibly affordable! Tickets to Momo’s are RMB 59 per person and free for kids under 80cm.
- Most activities are included in the price of admission. Unlike Chaoyang Park, where rides require additional tickets, any activity that doesn’t involve taking something home with you is free. Trampolines, the giant inflatable bubble that kids can jump on, an intricate water flow contraption, slides, various sand pits, the eco-friendly roller coaster, cars and bikes, and hanging out with animals are all included in the ticket price.
With the admission of a regular ticket, the only activities you’ll need to pay extra for are things like painting sculptures, fishing, flower arranging, excavating “ancient artifacts,” and mining for gems. All of these activities that let you take away a souvenir will require a small additional fee.
- The staff are nice. I know, it sounds out of place to be surprised at how friendly the staff is, but it’s something that you don’t often experience at parks. No one here is trying to sell you plastic junk you don’t want. No one’s trying to guilt you into letting your kid do their craft the way vendors in most parks do. They’re there to assist if you need help, but they give you space to just enjoy your day.
- The animals at the petting zoo area look well taken care of. There’s nothing exotic that doesn’t belong in this climate.
- It’s safe. There’s only one entrance and exit and it’s right under the eyes of the ticketing staff. It’s also been designed so that there’s no major attraction by the gate so kids aren’t tempted to explore in that area. All the good stuff is kept in the centralized area, which makes letting kids explore and play on their own while still keeping an eye on them so much easier.
- There’s a clean bathroom, as well as kid-sized sinks all over the place.
- They allow waimai. You can order lunch, birthday cakes, and drinks to be delivered right to the gate. Alcoholic beverages are allowed, but staff will remind you to please be mindful and don’t get drunk. The location of the park is easy enough to find that all three of my waimai deliveries have arrived with no problem at all.
- There’s no smoking allowed at Momo’s! You won’t catch your kids digging cigarette butts out of sandpits here!
Pro tip: The petting zoo section of Momo’s has sheep, alpacas, geese, pigs, horses, rabbits, birds, and more. You can bring in your own carrots and lettuce to feed them but one bag of feed is included in the ticket price too!
The entire back part of Momo’s is an open space with little wood-framed tents and enough open space for anyone to put down their own picnic blanket or even pitch their own tent. Book one of the provided tents and make it your “home base” for the day, where all the celebrations take place. The price is RMB 400 for the day. Call or WeChat in advance so they can reserve a tent for you.
Pro tip: If you’ve got a hammock, there are plenty of trees for you to hang one on!
I’ve said this about Momo’s before: It’s clear that this place was designed by an experienced parent with kids’ development in mind.
Every activity is fun, but they also work on children’s life and social skills through play.
Take the water-flowing contraption, for example. It’s a simple concept, but watching my friends’ kids combine make new friends and work together as a team was such a “wow” moment. Without any parent or teacher to assign tasks, the kids of various ages just worked together on their own, even practicing English and Chinese at the same time. #mindblowing
To get their staff’s assistance in planning the perfect outdoor birthday party, call Mr. Shen at 18301132581 or add him on WeChat by scanning the QR code below. He doesn’t really speak English, so if you can’t speak Chinese, stick to WeChat Translate.
Momo’s has three decoration packages for the parents who want to go all out for their kids’ outdoor picnic birthday. Three different prices (RMB 2,188; RMB 4,888; or RMB 8,888) all include various levels of backdrop boards, helium balloons, balloon artwork, table set up, and tent decorations.
And the decoration is not going to be a generic setup that’s recycled party after party. The Momo’s coordinator will work with parents to settle on a theme and setup that’s custom-made for their party.
Depending on the number of guests attending, they’ll have chairs and tables set up, and a staff member will be on-site all day long, waiting to assist. It’s like having a butler for your picnic.
Find it:
Sheep Momo’s Forest
Bashang Chunqiu Century Park Inside Xiaoyang Momo Senlin Wangguo, Chaoyang District
东五环坝上春秋世纪艺术园
Tel:13070157312
Hours: Weekdays: 9.30am-6pm. Weekends: 9.30am-7pm.
Images: Mina Yan
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