New kids' activity center thrives in Wyndhurst

By: Bryan Gentry | Lynchburg News and Advance
Published: March 15, 2008

Katie Morrow was looking for a day-care job between her classes at Liberty University, so she searched for jobs on the Internet.
The words “Romp n’ Roll” caught her eye. That’s where she applied and got a job helping fledgling superheroes design their costumes and have tea parties while wearing a tiara.
“This is not a day care,” Morrow said.
Romp n’ Roll is an activity center offering classes for children ages 3 months to 6 years. The first one opened in the Richmond area four years ago.
The Lynchburg area’s first Romp n’ Roll opened in Wyndhurst in January.
“When our daughter, Grace, was born (in 2006), I thought, what can we do with her?” said Kevin Warman, owner of the local Romp n’ Roll. “We saw that Lynchburg didn’t have a lot to do. We decided to look and do something when Grace was maybe three or four months old.”
That’s when the Warmans learned about Romp n’ Roll from Warman’s brother in Richmond.
The business recently had started franchising. Warman soon was sold on it.
He said Romp n’ Roll’s programs have a balance of time, focuses and energy.
The business also offers several art classes. In the Princess Class, girls make tiaras and wands in a very pink and purple room and have tea parties.
There is also a Superheroes class in which boys design and paint masks and other costume accessories.
Morrow said that’s her favorite. She calls out, “Where are all my superheroes!” and the boys run with her to the classroom.
She said she also enjoys teaching science classes, in which the children conduct weekly experiments — such as making a volcano. “It stretches their abilities,” she said.
Class fees vary. The Princess or Superheroes classes, for example, meet once each week and cost $89 for a six-week session.
Micah Lee, a licensed teacher who received an elementary education degree from Liberty University, teaches gym classes.
The gym activities are targeted toward specific age groups. They build developmental skills, like spatial awareness and balance, Lee said. “They’re working on a different skill every week.”
In just a couple months of operation, Romp n’ Roll has more than 160 children registered for classes.
Romp n’ Roll was founded by a Richmond mother in 2004. Warman’s Romp n’ Roll was one of the first franchises, but now there are more than 10, including locations in Colorado and Arizona.
“I’m really excited that we’ve got something that I think is going to be a real success nationwide,” Warman said.

New kids' activity center thrives in Wyndhurst

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