LUBBOCK, Texas — About a year ago, Meagan Kennemer was looking for somewhere her kids could safely explore in town, but she said there wasn’t a place to meet her family’s needs. That’s why she opened We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym in Lubbock, one of 140 locations spanning eight countries.
“I have a five-year-old that has autism, and he really doesn’t have a safe place to play in Lubbock, and I had heard about this gym when it opened in Midland,” Kennemer described. “I was just thinking that if they had it and there was nothing like that around here, then why not bring it to Lubbock?”
Kennemer said things like the sensory equipment, calming room and other toys do much more than just let the little ones get their energy out.
“Most of our equipment was designed with specific sensory needs in mind, even though they’re just playing and having fun, it’s actually meeting some of their sensory needs,” she said.
While kids have been the focus at We Rock the Spectrum, according to Kennemer, parents get a lot out of the gym too.
“A lot of parents come here and they don’t know where to start,” Kennemer said. “There are a lot of waitlists for different therapies in Lubbock, and so it’s a good resource for all of us because we can talk about who we have experience with or who doesn’t have waitlists.”
Now, with the gym’s one-year anniversary less than a month away, Kennemer’s daughter agrees that the gym is just as much fun as it looks.
“I get to play with everything,” said Kennemer’s daughter, Foster. “I like the swings, the trampoline, all the stuff here.”
