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A Slice of Heaven
Club Med Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
By Brad Keywell
Picture walking into an entire little village of buildings, playgrounds and pools, all constructed for kids in kids sizes. Each age group has its own building, and within each building are rooms outfitted perfectly for each age group. For the 2-year-olds it has safe, colorful toys that engage their developing motor skills, with lots of pictures of animals and letters. For the 4-year-olds it has lots of arts and crafts, some basic games, a television for videos and mats for their afternoon naps. For the 5- to 6-year-olds and up, the rooms make them feel like they are home, with plenty of areas for them to find their own interests and their own personalities and for them to make friends through activities with their fellow Mini Club Med-ers.
The Mini Club Med program would be impressive in any early childhood educational environment, but for it to exist in a vacation setting is what makes it so exceptional. Each age group has a schedule with nonstop, back-to-back activities from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and then it picks up again at 7 p.m. with dinner with friends and then a special entertainment show for the kids that leads right into the 9:30 all-Village nightly entertainment revue.
For example, the 4-years-olds start their day with arts and crafts, followed by carnival lessons (where they learn how to do special trampoline bounces and trapeze hanging), then a singing program, followed by games and contests on the beach, followed by a snack, followed by swimming in the just-for-4-year-olds pool, followed by songs, and b then we've only reached lunch.
