Washougal educator plans ‘play cafe’ for children and parents

As a mother and a teacher, Nicole Butterfield has spent more than 20 years designing hands-on, creative learning projects for children. Now, she hopes to use that experience to create a children’s play cafe where adults can enjoy coffee and pastries while their children play and learn. Butterfield said the idea for her Little Otters Play Cafe came to her after she and her family visited a similar business, Nido’s Kids Cafe, in Nashville, Tenn., during a family vacation earlier this year. “We walked in the door, and my whole family looked at me, and we were all just like, ‘This is it,’ ” Butterfield said. “Everything I had been talking about was all in one spot.” Butterfield worked as an art teacher in Utah for 10 years before moving with her family to Washougal in 2021. The mother of three worked briefly as an art teacher in Evergreen Public Schools before moving into her current job as a substitute special education teacher for the Washougal School District. Butterfield, who is currently in negotiations to lease a small commercial facility in Washougal, hopes to open Little Otters Play Cafe in late August or early September. The play cafe will feature a dedicated cafe space for adults, as well as indoor playground structures for children ages 6 and younger. “It’s going to be equipment that they don’t have at home, they haven’t seen at their preschool — just different,” Butterfield said of her vision for the indoor playground. “I’m going to change out the imaginative play areas every week or two, so if one little section is for a dinosaur dig, then maybe the next week it’s a mechanic shop or has spaceships. I want to do a lot of change-out so every time a kid comes, it’s something new.” To give families a sample of what she hopes to offer at Little Otters Play Cafe, Butterfield is hosting a series of children’s camps this summer. Registration is now open for Butterfield’s Little Otters’ Art Explorer Camp, which will be held at parks in Camas and Washougal from mid-July through mid-August. Butterfield said each camp will encourage children to create different kinds of art with unique themes, including “mystical masterpieces,” dinosaurs, underwater critters, spaceships and cartoon characters. “I want to teach them how to draw something, paint something or (create) a sculpture or three-dimensional build,” Butterfield said. A teacher at heart, Butterfield said she also is passionate about being involved in her community and helping parents connect with each other. Butterfield said she hopes her future play cafe will become a hub for Washougal-area families. “We’ll have the play aspect, but I also really want to focus on community and be a hub for parents of young children to come and hang out and meet other parents,” she said. “I want to have different events … like birthday parties. I just love the community feel wherever I live, and I want to help build it.” To register for the art camp or for more information, visit littleotterspc.com. Doug Flanagan: 360-735-4669; doug.flanagan@columbian.com

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