young ones
Paula Anderson (center) operates Nisswa Time for Play with help from moms.
Nisswa
Playtime
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By JODIE TWEED
Paula Anderson has never forgotten. She re-
members all too well what it was like to be home with young children during the cold Minnesota winters. “When I was raising my four children, there was nowhere around here to go where you could let the kids just run around indoors during the winter and for me to meet other young moms home with kids,” Paula explained. When Paula’s father-in-law, Paul Anderson, passed away three years ago, Nisswa Parks and Recreation, where Paula spent 19 years as director until she resigned Aug. 1, received about $4,500 in memorials. The memorials were used to purchase preschool play 32 Winter 2014 | her voice
An Indoor Playtime hangout for moms and tots in Nisswa PHOTOS BY JOEY HALVORSON equipment, including indoor climbers, slides, riding toys and to open Nisswa Time for Play. Nisswa Time for Play is open from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from October through April at the Nisswa Community Center. The community center provides an optimal indoor play place for children to run around and have fun with their friends, while their moms have the opportunity to get to know other moms. The community center has a fully equipped kitchen so if parents wish to bring lunch for their children, they are welcome to heat it up or store it in the fridge. Paula extended the hours for Nisswa Time for Play to 12:30 p.m. so moms, if they wanted, could pack a lunch, feed the kids at the community center and take them straight home for their afternoon nap. Time for Play is open for children up to age 6. Cost is only $2 per child per time;