Camp Jam is a summer program that brings together young musicians and teaches them band dynamics, secrets of the trade, performance skills, and rock history, and provides them with the opportunity to interact with industry professionals. Camp 2008 is scheduled to take place on DeSmet Jesuit Campus in Creve Coeur.

Camp Jam Rock 'n' Roll Summer Day Camp, for kids ages 11 to 17, provides a place for teens to convene with other aspiring musicians, bands, and vocalists. Participants can hone their musical chops by learning from - and performing with - professional musicians with experience in the music industry, in an environment that promotes skills such as teamwork and communication. The five-day camp offers instruction in guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, and vocal performance, as well as a songwriting clinic, an open mic showcase, a class on performance skills, and a course in audio engineering and production.

Camp Jam Kidz is for pint-sized rockers ages seven to ten. This unique program offers a fun, interactive musical experience for younger kids, giving them the chance to play the instrument of their choice under the watchful eyes of the camp counselors. Camp Jam Kidz offers an experience that's similar to that of older campers, but with a more hands-on focus from instructors. Participants play their very first gig at the end of the week, performing on stage with a real rock band.

After-camp care is available until 5:30pm for an additional $20 per week. Advance registration is required and discounts are available for early registration and multiple session enrollment. Registration forms are available online.

Who wouldn't get excited upon hearing that they're about to embark on a "space mission"? For space enthusiasts, the Challenger Learning Center provides
hands-on, realistic, simulated space missions for people ages six and up (Public missions are geared towards
those 11 and up). The activities here are unique in that they encourage participants to work together and perform activities similar to astronauts, scientists and engineers.

Reservations are required for all public missions, which are held intermittently throughout the year - check the website for schedules. Missions can also be booked for school and scout groups, birthday parties, and corporate team-building sessions.

In the summer, the center's one-week and two-week day camps allow children to engage in all sorts of space themed activities, including hands-on workshops, simulated missions, and field trips. The camps are open to kids between third and eighth grades.

iD Tech Camp is a week-long, day and overnight program for kids ages seven to 17. Campers build robots, create video games, design websites with Flash, film digital movies, and learn programming. Special teen programs include iD Gaming Academy, iD Film Academy, and a Study Abroad program in Spain.

Mad Science is the winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the Best Day Camp for Big Kids in St. Louis!

The bubbling, gurgling, and smoking live science programs and workshops of Mad Science enthrall youngsters. Rocketry, magnets, polymers - even the science of toys - are subjects covered by this educational company.

Kids can attend hands-on, one-hour sessions after school or participate in class workshops that can be arranged for local schools. All events are taught by trained, qualified, and dynamic instructors.

Mad Science birthday parties last about one hour. Optional add-ons, like cotton-candy making, bubbling potions, and rocket launches are also available for extra cost. Parties can be held at any location, can accommodate any number of children, and are designed for kids ages five to 12. Party prices range from $150-$230.

Mad Science summer camps are aimed at kids ages four to 12 and feature hands-on activities, extended science investigation, group interaction, and amazing demonstrations (which focus on the "theme" of the day). Prices range from $140?240 for a one-week camp.

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best eco-friendly place for families in St. Louis, the Missouri Botanical Garden features countless thematic sections filled with unique and colorful foliage, flora, and, yes, even fauna.

The 14-acre Japanese Garden - the largest Japanese strolling garden in the Western hemisphere - is a tranquil retreat, with waterfalls, streams, water-filled basins, and stone lanterns.

The Climatron®, a conservatory housed under a geodesic dome, is great fun, feeling and sounding like a tropical rainforest. Kids love trying to spot the variety of animals that live here, including tropical birds.

Near the Climatron is the relatively new and very imaginative Children's Garden, a two-acre site that features a limestone cave, rope bridges, Spelunker's Slide, a wetland ecosystem, a replica steamboat, a giant tree house, "root" swings attached to a fabricated tree, and a Midwestern prairie village complete with a jail.

Great Green Adventures, a drop-in program for families between April and October, features nature-themed activities in the Children's Garden. It typically takes place Tue-Fri 10am-12n and Sat 1pm-3pm, but call ahead to check before heading out. The website has a complete schedule of kids' activities.

MOBOT offers all kinds of workshops and classes for youth, as well as mutli-day summer day camps. Popular camps include the Healthy Plants, Healthy Kids series and the Henry Shaw Academy.

Housed as the children's wing of the Black Cat Theatre, Piwacket Theatre for Children captivates young audiences with cleverly adapted fairy tales filled with catchy songs, fun dances, colorful costumes, and magical props.

The troupe also offers Create-A-Play Workshops and Theatre Camps to provide children with the opportunity to explore the performing arts.

Hundreds - really, hundreds - of hands-on exhibits at the Saint Louis Science Center, coupled with the OMNIMAX Theater and the James S. McDonnell Planetarium, make for all-day family adventure, exploration, and entertainment.

Youngsters ages three to eight should head to the Discovery Room first. Here they can test the properties of magnets, play at a water table, read a book, or dress up in costumes.

Ongoing science demonstrations, an airplane flight simulator that "flies" you through the Gateway Arch, and the sports activities in the Montgomery Bank Exploradome are particular kid favorites.

A food court is located inside the museum; strollers and lockers are available to rent for a small fee.

The center's popular Summer Science Blast Day Camp is offered during the summer for students entering grades one through high school. Sessions last from Monday through Friday, and children can attend half days or full days.

The Saint Louis Zoo is the winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best day camp for teens in St. Louis!

Innovative exhibits are a highlight at the Saint Louis Zoo, located inside Forest Park. The River's Edge exhibit is especially interesting - visitors follow a lush waterway to view the interaction between wildlife, plants, and people from four continents. Along the path live all the kids' zoo favorites - cheetahs, elephants, rhinos, and hippos, among others. Many other exhibit areas feature animals from different climates and world regions.

The Children's Zoo is a place for up-close, hands-on visits with animals. Children can touch animals such as guinea pigs, goats and rabbits, play on the playground, splash in water bubblers, see an animal show on stage, and more. Some activities are seasonal.

ZOOmagination Station, part of The Living World, allows families to investigate animal biofacts up close, design their own zoo habitats, and create creature crafts to take home. Puppets, costumes, discovery boxes, a playhouse, and a variety of play areas are part of this permanent exhibit.

Older kids love the motion-simulator adventure Dino Island, where they can come eye-to-eye with a T-Rex, Pteroenodon, and a herd of Apatosaurs. It runs Friday through Sunday (11am-3pm) and costs $3 per person.

The First Bank Zooline Railroad is one of the zoo's most popular attractions. The train ride lasts 20 minutes and is fully narrated as it winds around the zoo on a 1.5-mile loop. It typically runs daily, although hours vary by season.

The zoo is available for birthday parties, which run 1.5 hours at the Lakeside Café. The price of $18 per guest (10 people minimum) includes invitations, pizza and beverage, cake and ice cream, goodie bag, a costumed character, and a birthday guide to help with games.

Camp KangaZoo - a summer day camp - proves quite popular for school-age kids in grades first through sixth. The camp takes place on zoo grounds and puts learning about animals and their habitats front and center.

Teens aren't shut out of camper fun: Students in grades seventh through ninth can participate in their very own Teen Camp. Visit the website's Education section for further details.

Sappington Child Care Center has staying power in the childcare industry: It's been in business for 35 years in the same location, making it a favorite among local parents.

The center offers preschool for children ages two to five and before and afterschool care for older children. Full- and part-time care is available.

The wooded campus offers a shady retreat for Summer Day Camp, which is the only state-licensed camp in the area and is offered for kids in first through sixth grades. Kids swim three or more times a day in the pool; swim lessons by certified instructors are offered daily. All campers participate in eight-week Computer Explorers sessions.

At Spanish Clubhouse for Kids, even the tiniest of kids aprenden hablar español; French and Mandarin classes are offered, too. Teachers use theme-related lessons, which include vocabulary, art, games, and songs.

The Education En Casa Program, directed at parents, includes an education booklet, which enables parents to follow each week's lesson with vocabulary lists accompanied by phonetic pronunciation, songs, games, and simple ideas to encourage Spanish use at home.

The Clubhouse hosts computer classes via Imagine Tomorrow instructors, and its Spanish immersion summer camps are quite popular.

At Spanish Clubhouse for Kids, even the tiniest of kids aprenden hablar español; French and Mandarin classes are offered, too. Teachers use theme-related lessons, which include vocabulary, art, games, and songs.

The Education En Casa Program, directed at parents, includes an education booklet, which enables parents to follow each week's lesson with vocabulary lists accompanied by phonetic pronunciation, songs, games, and simple ideas to encourage Spanish use at home.

The Clubhouse hosts computer classes via Imagine Tomorrow instructors, and its Spanish immersion summer camps are quite popular.

The Children's Museum in Edwardsville houses several educational exhibits, including a medical center, a house exhibit, and an art-and-science kitchen. The theater and stage exhibit allows children to dress up and create imaginative plays.

The Museum sponsors a number of parent-child classes for toddlers and preschoolers, holds the Summer Explorers Camps for kids ages 18 months to twelve years, and is happy to host children's birthday parties.