Gladstone mother Kristy Mykkanen teamed up with her sister, Kayle Bovin, and their mother, Carmella (“Carmy”) Cole, to open the franchise — namely so that her son had a good place to play. The destination in Escanaba’s Penstar building is among over 200 locations of the kids’ gym.

In September 2010, the first We Rock the Spectrum opened in Tarzana, California. Like Mykkanen, Dina Kimmel wanted somewhere her child with autism could play freely. Somewhere she wouldn’t have to apologize and leave early due to her son’s behavior when he became overstimulated.

Kimmel had previously booked time at a local gym for her son — Gabriel — and his occupational therapist. At the suggestion of the therapist, she had also converted a room in her house into a gym for the boy.

“It was designed with sensory equipment and was immediately making an impact,” Kimmel wrote on the We Rock the Spectrum website about the home gym. “He was sleeping better, eating better, and having fewer meltdowns. He wasn’t the only one who benefitted from the gym. My neurotypical daughter, Sophia, and her friends enjoyed the equipment as well.”

Play equipment and colors at We Rock the Spectrum are designed to be friendly for children with sensory sensitivities but are fun for many more. (Courtesy photo)

When her local gym closed, Kimmel decided it was her calling to design and open a larger destination to benefit not only other families with children like Gabriel, but kids of all ages and abilities.

In 2013, We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym began to franchise. Within 10 years, they opened over 100 locations — in multiple countries.

By 2016, the company introduced a sensory bus division: We Rock on Wheels. “This concept provides a lower cost entry for community leaders to become franchisees. The more leaders we bring on, the more children we can service,” wrote Kimmel.

In December of 2016, the first international location opened. Kimmel said she saw her family members in tears at the ribbon-cutting in Malaysia and thought about how far they’d come since starting a gym in their hometown.

Years passed. In Upper Michigan, there remained no We Rock franchises.

A rock wall at the kids' gym located at 1401 N. 26th St. features a background painted by artists from Bay College. A variety of swings dot the foreground. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

A couple years ago, Mykkanen’s son, Apollo, was diagnosed with full mutation Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), a genetic disorder that comes with some disabilities and often causes autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as in Apollo’s case. His family understood that they needed ways to accommodate the associated challenges.

“We tried doing a few birthday parties here in town at different places, and it just it didn’t work for us. We needed something different,” Mykkanen explained. “So we started looking at just things we could do for children with special needs. And we came across this franchise.”

The corporate office is really easy to work with, the trio of owners found.

Finding the right spot for their gym was a little trickier.

After looking into a number of different locations that didn’t seem suitable, the women noticed a “for rent” sign at the north end of the Penstar building on North 26th Street. It had previously been a workout gym and was occupied partially by apartments. Remodeling was necessary, but now, a rented 3,000 square feet at Suite 118 houses We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym – Up North.

A station with play sets for kids is shown at We Rock the Spectrum - Up North. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

Because multiple men in the family are contractors, the conversion of the building — taking down walls, replacing flooring, painting — went more quickly than for many new businesses.

The grand opening of the Up North location of We Rock the Spectrum was held in November 2024.

While each of the 206 franchise locations in 34 states and eight countries may be a little different in terms of the space and how many pieces of equipment they hold, they all operate with the same tenets, and there are 12 pieces of standardized play equipment that are mandatory. They are designed with the developmental needs of children with sensory processing disorders in mind, but all children may benefit.

“Play With A Purpose,” a trademark of the brand, “is exercising and stimulating any of the seven senses through positive physical, emotional, and social development.” Posters inside the gym and on the website explain how the various elements of the kids’ gym contribute to said development.

The hammock swing and its rhythmic rocking can encourage relaxation and deep pressure stimulation.

The tunnel provides tactile exploration and an enclosed space that can serve as a hiding spot.

The zip slider, a popular piece, can build strength and muscle endurance, offers fast movement and allows children to land in a soft pit at the end.

Pulling and pushing on the ropes of the bolster swing is a motor sequencing activity.

Swiveling carabiners add the element of not knowing exactly what way a swing will move, leading to experimental play.

The trampoline is for teaching balance, building lower body strength, gross motor control and socialization.

There are also “imagination stations” where kids can use toy sets and pretend to be cooking in a kitchen, driving a food truck or being a veterinarian.

“In our experience, all children are able to benefit greatly from this equipment, and by allowing children of all ability levels to play together, they are able to learn a great deal from each other and become the best motivation for success on every level,” states We Rock the Spectrum.

Mykkanen, Bovin and Cole form a strong team, and each brings experience that adds value to the operation of the business. Mykkanen is a community health worker for Great Lakes Recovery; Cole is a registered nurse; Bovin works as a project manager at a hospital.

The local We Rock employs two other full-time staff, and one part-time. One was hired after participating in a program through Michigan Works.

While the three owners all had their own full-time jobs before opening the kids’ gym, they’re beginning to focus more on the gym — Mykkanen recently moved to part-time at her work, and Bovin intends to move back home from downstate soon.

We Rock the Spectrum – Up North is looking forward to expanding soon, too. By the end of the year, their neighbor Embers will be moving out, and We Rock plans to gain an additional 1,000 square feet. They hope to turn it into space for a pre-kindergarten prep program — and to do so, they would need to hire a teacher.

Mykkanen explained that at present, one option they provide is a “day camp.” It includes scheduled activities, and in the summertime, the group may even walk over to the DNR Pocket Park.

The day camp offering was useful recently during the winter storm that closed school. Parents could drop their kids off for either a full or half day while they worked.

There’s a spring break camp this week that’s pretty full, Mykkanen reported.

A number of options exist for people interested in checking out We Rock the Spectrum – Up North. There’s a day pass, a two-hour pass, birthday party packages, monthly memberships and field trip bookings. Toddler Tuesdays have reduced prices.

While a number of permits and licenses are associated with running a business, there’s one the local kids’ gym is working on obtaining that Mykkanen is looking forward to.

“Right now, actually, the biggest thing we’ve done so far is we’re getting licensed with the state to be able to accept Medicaid,” she said. “So children’s Medicaid can pay for either monthly memberships or the summer camps. We’ve been working really hard on that.”

Because bookings can result in the hours of open play fluctuating, people are encouraged to follow We Rock the Spectrum – Up North on Facebook, where hours for the week are updated every Sunday.

People may contact the business at 906-553-7186 or info@werockthespectrumupnorth.