Sometimes helping your family can lead to a venture. When Karri’s sister lamented that she had just finished her playroom but her kids never used it, Karri came to the rescue. She had been a teacher for 20 years and was trained in how to engage kids in real play. She spent the day creating active play stations in the room just like she had for her students. She organized the toys and games in bins and labeled them so the kids knew where everything was stored. After the transformation, Karri’s sister said, “It’s amazing, my kids love it and are in the new playroom all the time, and they even clean up.”

From her sister’s praise, other moms asked Karri to help them redo their playrooms. Karri realized she had found a need that wasn’t being met. Systematizing what she did for her sister, she built a format to follow for others. Naming her venture Smart Playrooms, jobs came from her Westchester County community and when her long time friend, Chris Simpson moved to Connecticut, she saw an opportunity to expand.

Chris had been a special education and elementary school teacher in California and had the expertise to join Karri. So the two became a team. “It’s more fun to work with someone and we get ideas from each other. And when one of us has a kid issue, the other one can cover.” Together, they can create a playroom from scratch or take what a family has and redo a playroom to provide educational and creative play areas. “We try to use as much as the family has in the space they have. We will recommend certain toys and give resources when needed.”

Chris and Karri say, “Kids are so scheduled today, they need more time for playing on their own to help develop their executive functioning skills.” The Smart Playrooms System includes nine learning stations from pretend play, games, music and movement, building, to a literacy center and more. “Our goal is to set up the play space to build a foundation for creativity and inspire a love of learning.”

One mom said, “I could not have imagined that a day spent organizing toys could change my life. But it did…the beauty of the system is that it’s designed to be self sufficient for the children. They can find everything and play and clean up all on their own, even my 18 month old.”

Chris and Karri work to encourage kids to get back to the basics of play, using their creative side for art projects and imaginary play. Stressing that less is more, they help moms focus on the toys that will add to the experience. Some moms ask them to help organize their home, but Chris and Karri really like the idea of using their educational backgrounds to create play spaces that help kids grow. And this gives them a niche in the market. Two former teachers setting up your play room – what could be better.

Marketing their venture, the two often give a Smart Playrooms Redesign package to local charity auctions, “This has been great at getting the word out about what we do.” Working from 9 – 2:00 they are free when their kids get home from school, the perfect schedule for a mom.

Chris and Karri love that they are able to use their past careers in their current venture. “Sometimes moms are skeptical, but when they see the transformation of their play rooms and see how their kids play in them, they are believers in the process.”

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Contact: smartplayrooms.com, [email protected]
VentureMom Tip
When your family asks for your help with something, see if others need the same help.