Abra-Kid-Abra teaches and performs magic and related entertainment, including juggling, animal balloon art, and clowning. The company offers magic camps, afterschool classes, and single workshops; it also can send entertainers to any party locale surrounding the metro area.

Abra-Kid-Abra can entertain with strolling performers, close-up magic, amd short sidewalk shows. For birthdays, entertainers present a 30-minute magic show that incorporates comedy into a story specifically about the birthday child. Photo opportunities are part of the show, and each child takes home a magic kit.

Abra-Kid-Abra hosts camps, classes, and workshops to teach kids the ins and out of performing magic and related entertainment like juggling, face painting, creating animal balloons, and clowning. Summer camp themes include Kids Comedy, Circus Skills, Puppet Theater, Magic, and Let Us Entertain You.

The staff even gets to clown around a bit: They are happy to perform shows for kid or adult parties, street fairs, or school students.

A full-sized gymnasium for basketball and volleyball, meeting room, fitness room, and playground are available for patrons of Affton Community Center.

The center regularly schedules exercise/fitness and recreational programs, including volleyball, basketball, dance, babysitter skills, karate, and tumbling.

Basketball, soccer, dance/poms, karate, volleyball, drama, and drawing summer camps are held here for schoolage children. All require pre-registration; call center for more information.

Specializing in dance classes, Arts in Motion keeps true to its philosophy that dance should be artistic, thoughtful, uniting, and fun. Students form an integral part of the program: As they progress, they are called on to mentor younger participants and choreograph performances, among other duties.

Ballet, jazz, and modern dance are offered for children as young as two and a-half; most classes are aimed at the six-to-ten age range, although many classes and workshops are available for pre-teens, teens, and adults. A variety of dance camps are held each summer, too.

Offering an impressive array of workshops, classes, special events, as well as a gallery, theater performances in the Broadway Main Stage Theatre, and educational outreach programs, Broadway Center of Arts serves as a full visual and performing arts center.

The center holds classes in art, dance, and theater, and hosts a youth summer camp and birthday parties.

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.

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.

Chesterfield Arts, a non-profit community arts agency, promotes visual, performing, and literary arts throughout the community. It offers summer arts camps, adult classes, and special arts workshops.

The center houses a gallery that showcases artwork by professional regional artists, as well as student artwork, and promotes the placement of public art throughout the Chesterfield area.

City Museum is the winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best museum for big kids in St. Louis!

Truly an architectural wonder to behold, City Museum is constructed entirely out of unique, found objects: Reclaimed building materials, old chimneys, salvaged bridges, construction cranes, miles of tile, and two planes help form the amazing attractions here.

The Enchanted Caves capture any adventurer's imagination: With spiral tunnels in which to crawl and all kinds of nooks and crannies to explore, this is where many young visitors head first.

MonstroCity - the 2008 Parents' Picks winner for best playground for big kids - is an amazing "interactive sculpture" - that is, a giant playground that welcomes kids who climb and explore and includes multi-level caves. The Baby Bob Ball Pit gives little kids the opportunity to leap among, under, and over zillions of balls.

The World Aquarium, located upstairs, is 13,500 square feet and will house more then ten thousand creatures when fully completed. The Aquarium hosts special critter feedings almost every day; check the website for a schedule. Entrance to the Aquarium is an additional fee of $6.

The museum's "everydaycircus" area is where the zany antics of circus performers come alive. Weekly performances and classes designed for young entertainers are held here; pizza buffet birthday parties are, too.

Circus Performance Summer Camps - a unique and intensive circus training experience - teach kids the art of circus performance and are split between two-week sessions starting in late June and extending through the end of August. Camps are geared for ages eight though 16.

COCA swept all three categories of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best artsy class for little kids, big kids, and teens in St. Louis!

An extensive multidisciplinary arts institution located in the historic U-City Loop district, COCA (Center of Creative Arts) offers classes, camps, workshops, and performances in the visual and performing arts for children, teens, and adults.

The COCA Family Theatre Series, held in the center's 400-seat theater, is a favorite of locals, especially because theater workshops are frequently offered before and after shows for the whole family. COCA also hosts summer camps for kids, as well as art, circus, dance, or theater birthday parties.

In addition, COCA is also home to the Millstone Gallery, which features contemporary art exhibitions by regional and nationally recognized artists.

Located in the city's vibrant U-City Loop neighborhood, Craft Alliance focuses on fine contemporary art-craft created in clay, glass, metal, fiber and/or wood; features an on-site gallery and education center; and engages in community outreach programs.

The alliance offers a wealth of classes, including many for children such as kids' clay and pottery, as well as summer camps.

Craft Alliance also has a satellite location inside the Kranzberg Cultural Arts Center.

Instruction in ballet, tap, jazz, musical theater, drama, art, and music is the focus of DaySpring School of the Arts, a school that infuses Christian values and character training into its classes. Homeschooling families often take part in many of the school's offerings.

The school is home to "The Company," a dance troupe of the school's strongest and most committed dancers, as well as to a musical theater troupe and The Drama Company, all of which perform throughout the year at community events and schools.

The school's summer programming includes two-week musical theater workshops, week-long art camps, preschool art and dance camp, and Shakespeare at the Lake for older children. Private music lessons can be arranged year 'round.

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.

KidzArt St. Louis is a drawing-based art education program designed for kids of all ages. Classes take place in schools, community centers, in homeschool settings, or during special events; in other words, KidzArt comes to you.

Kids use simple, drawing methods and are exposed to a variety of artistic mediums. Instruction takes place weekly, and class sizes are limited to 15 students max. Children are grouped with classmates their own age. The company even offers Mommy & Me classes for children as young as two.

KidzArt can also help host birthday parties. The birthday child can choose a theme and a project, and the company does the rest. A basic package starts at $150 for 10 children.

More than 80 contemporary sculptures created by artists of international acclaim reside quietly at Laumeier Sculpture Park, an outdoor museum accompanied by an indoor gallery.

Many of the art works are immense, and most interact somehow with the natural environment. The museum's Laumeier Outdoor Music Amphitheatre is the site for many summer concerts.

For children, Laumeier holds art camps, offered for nine one-week sessions between early June and early August. Students can learn how to use a variety of media, including ceramics, sculpture, painting, drawing, printmaking and textile arts in the amazing outdoor environment of the park. Call the Education Center for more information: 314.821.1209, ext. 12.

Leftovers, Etc. acquires surplus and recycled resources - things like fabric, buttons, wood scraps, canisters, school supplies, and more - from businesses, industry, and the local community and uses the materials to foster creativity and to advance education in the arts. The center offers a wide range of artsy classes (even for adults!), as well as a popular summer camp program.

The center is open to the public, and folks can receive a discount on the items they purchase by bringing in some of their own donated household items. Leftovers also sells used books, has a gift shop and gallery, and rents out environmental, behavioral, and other videos.

The organization can arrange custom-designed, in-house field trips for every age of school groups, early childhood centers, Scouts, home-school programs, and church groups. Kids with special education needs are welcome here, too. It also hosts birthday parties, "trash-to-art" shows, and special events throughout the year.

LifeLight Youth Theatre is a theater arts group for children, especially designed for homeschooled students. The organization offers weekly classes, one-day workshops, and summer camp workshops. LifeLight stages one full-length production each year.

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.

In addition to its professional touring ensemble and local productions, the Metro Theater Company offers summer camp programs for kids ages four to 11.

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.

Ms. Bridget's Conservatoire of Dance (MBCD) offers dance classes, voice lessons, and fitness classes. The venue can also host birthday parties. Classes are taught by professional dancers, choreographers, and former Rams Cheerleaders in a nurturing, contemporary atmosphere.

Summer camps are popular here. The MBCD Summer Dance Intensive incorporates ballet, jazz, hip-hop, tap, and pom/cheer instruction.

The Nerinx Hall Heagney Theatre is a performing arts center with full artist labs and state-of-the-art music classrooms, a 386-seat theater, musician practice rooms, and an athletic field. The facility hosts Summer Theater Camps each year.

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.

Saint Louis City Open Studio and Gallery (SCOSaG) offers an Open Studio, an hour of class time for kids ages five and up on weekday evenings and Saturday afternoons. Individual Open Studio time can be purchased for $10/child, or families can purchase a five- or ten-session pass and save on the fee. Best of all, the pass is kept on file - so it won't get buried under a pile of laundry, or lost in transit.

Of course, more formal art classes are also available, including art history, book-making, pottery, and more. Check the website for current offerings.

Summer camps and school vacation programs are also available here. Call or check the website for details.

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.

South City Open Studio (SCOSAG), located within Tower Grove Park, offers classes in all kinds of art mediums for kids, including clay/ceramics, drawing, printmaking, painting, and collage. Classes for homeschooled students can also be arranged. SCOSAG also offers school-break camps and summer camp sessions.

Particularly popular here is Open Studio Hour, a 60-minute drop-off art session directed by staff members, who introduce various art mediums and themes. Parents should call ahead to reserve a spot for children. Kids should be age five or older to participate. Hours vary by season; call ahead or check the website to learn more.

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.

Spotlight Productions is a community theater program sponsored by Rockwood School District's Community Education program. The theater company produces two stage productions each summer: a camp-style youth production and another for teens and adults (with a few youth roles).

Spotlight Productions also offers a technical theater camp for kids that teaches participants about the ins and outs of the different aspects of technical theater. More information can be found online.

St. Louis's Artists' Guild offers a variety of workshops for children and adults in painting, drawing, and printmaking, among other mediums. Patrons appreciate the creative inspiration that comes from the facility's location: It is housed inside a retored, historic mansion within Oak Knoll Park.

The guild regularly presents art exhibits by local, regional, and national artists and operates a gift shop with artistic jewelry, glassware, books, T-shirts, and other gift items.

Art camp is held each summer for school-age kids; special events for families are offered throughout the year, too.

Stages St. Louis, a theater company, sponsors the Stages Performing Arts Academy, which offers courses year-round for students of all ages and experience levels in the musical theatre disciplines of dance, voice, and drama. Special one-week "camps" are typically offered during spring break, and summer brings several class and camp options, too. Class schedules are available online.

The academy also offers Access the Arts and the performing ensemble Troupe Broadway for area teens and young adults with physical, cognitive, or developmental delays.

STAGES Academy 90-minute birthday parties includes 45 minutes of age-appropriate music, dance, or acting activities led by a teaching artists. The academy can plan celebrations around particular themes, books, or children's interests. Scheduling is arranged on an as-available basis.

Budding thespians with an eye toward performing the plays of William Shakespeare need not look further than the Summer Shakespeare Camps, which offer beginning and advanced theatrical classes for young people, taught by professional staff of the renowned St. Louis Shakespeare Festival. One-week, two-week, and three-week camps are available.

All camps are held at Clayton High School. Before- and after-care is available. Visit the website for more details about the summer camp series.