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Home | Get Your LEGO Fix at Play-Well TEKnologies—Parties, Classes, and Drop-in Fun

Get Your LEGO Fix at Play-Well TEKnologies—Parties, Classes, and Drop-in Fun

LEGO creation at Play-Well TEKnologies“Wow!” my son shouted as we walked in the door and laid eyes on all the LEGO kits and pieces in the room at Play-Well Teknologies in San Anselmo. We have been trying to visit “the LEGO place” (as my son calls it) and try one of their drop-in open-play sessions for a while now, but something always seemed to come up. We finally made it there last week with some friends for a playdate, and we all had a blast.

Play-Well TEKnologies' Marin Engineering Center features a large area dedicated just for the drop-in play. In fact, it's the largest drop-in LEGO center in the country. My son was in awe—they seemed to have every type of LEGO imaginable. Dozens of bins keep the LEGO pieces, reportedly over a million in all, organized by color, size, type, or theme, including wheels, ships, planes, engines, pirates and much, much more.

LEGO drop-in room at Play-Well TEKnologies in San AnselmoYou—OK, the kids, but adults can play, too, if they really want to—can easily spend hours in there building an endless variety of creations. There’s also a smaller toddler area off in the back corner with larger LEGO bricks for rugrats ages two to four, and Play-Well TEKnologies has a special drop-in preschool rate (ages 2-4) of $7 per hour if you attend before 1 pm. For older kids, the drop-in rate is $10 per hour. We were there for an hour and a half, which seemed like a good amount of time.

Toddler LEGO play area at Play-Well TEKnologiesPlay-Well TEKnologies also offers birthday parties for kids ages 5 and up. You can choose from one of many building activities for your next child’s party. Activities include building tunnels, bridges, castles and catapults, pyramids, towers, and motorized planes, cars, and trains. Parties scheduled at their facility are $256 for the first 8 children, plus $12 per additional child. Parties generally last about two and a half hours. To schedule a party, call (415) 460-5210 or visit their website for more info.

As the Marin Engineering Center name implies, also offered are a variety of fun and educational engineering classes for children. They are currently offering a pre-engineering class for grades K to 1 from January 25 through April 5 on Monday afternoons from 3:45 to 5 pm, and for grades 2 to 5, they offer an "Engineering FUNdamentals" class from January 28 through April 8 on Thursdays from 3:45 to 5 pm. The fee for either class is $160. Play-Well TEKnologies also offers private classes for homeschool or other groups and homeschool math support; contact them for more information.

LEGO toy store at Play-Well TEKnologies, San AnselmoPlay-Well TEKnologies also has what is probably the largest assortment of LEGO items for sale in Marin. If you’re looking for a special gift or unique LEGO set, give them a call at or stop by. The prices seemed competitive with Toys R Us or Target, and the selection was much much larger. They also carry other building sets like Erector, K'Nex, and Mega, as well as RC vehicles and more. The toy store is open during the center's drop-in hours.

You can find Play-Well TEKnologies at 216 Greenfield Avenue in San Anselmo (near Elan Fitness Center off the miracle mile). Drop-in hours are Monday through Thursday 10 am to 6 pm, Friday 10 am to 9 pm, Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday 11 am to 5 pm. For more information, call (415) 460-5210 or visit www.play-well.org.