A new business in west Lawrence hopes to introduce area residents to the concept of “edutainment” with the opening of a children’s learning and fun center.

Amy Gottschamer confirmed Friday that she and her husband, Karl, would open a new learning and entertainment center for children called Googols of Fun at 4931 W. Sixth Street. The business, which will be located in a formerly vacant storefront near Hereford House, is scheduled to open in September.

Googols of Fun will feature a variety of activities — ranging from toy areas and arcade games to a music and art center — where parents can take their children for a few hours of fun.

Amy Gottschamer said the center also was designed to allow children to learn a little, too.

“That why we call it edutainment,” Gottschamer said. “It is all about the combination of education and entertainment.”

The business isn’t a day care, meaning parents can’t drop the children off and leave, but Gottschamer said she hoped the center would serve as a relief valve for parents.

“I have three boys of my own and I know that there really isn’t a place you can go for an extended period of time,” Gottschamer said. “There are gymnastic classes and art classes and music classes and that sort of stuff, but where are you going to go on a Thursday afternoon if you need to get out of the house?”

Googols of Fun will offer several different areas for children: a toy area that will have a large climbing structure; an arcade that will feature only nonviolent games; a special area for infants and toddlers; puppet theater; arts and craft area; and a computer area. The business also will offer birthday and party rooms for rent and have a small cafe.

Amy Gottschamer and her husband, Karl, are opening an edutainment center for children called Googols of Fun in the strip mall at Sixth Street and Wakarusa Drive. The center will be filled with arcades, jungle gyms and art rooms for children. Friday, Amy held one of her three sons, Max, 3, in the store entrance.

Admission will range from $5 to $10 per child, Gottschamer said.

Gottschamer said she began researching business ideas about a year ago and found out that children’s learning and entertainment centers were an emerging trend that hadn’t yet hit Lawrence.

“They’re still a newer idea, but they’re really up-and-coming,” Gottschamer said. “It’s a good business because people want good things for their kids. If you can give the kids a little a bit of learning while they are having fun, and without them even knowing they’re learning, parents get excited about that.”

Vicki Stoecklin, education and child development director for White Hutchinson Leisure and Learning Group, said the centers first hit the market in the late 1990s. White Hutchinson, based in Kansas City, Mo., designs centers for clients across the country.

She said the centers had become more popular since 9-11 as people were less likely to take their children on long vacations.

“We’re finding in our industry that people are wanting to stick closer to home, and that’s creating new demand for these centers,” Stoecklin said.

Stoecklin said the company did feasibility studies for about 20 centers a year and designed two to three centers each year. Googols of Fun was not designed by White Hutchinson.