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.

Adventure Learning Center offers care for children beginning at six weeks and extending up to elementary school-aged children. Half-day programs and hourly care are available. The center also offers before- and after-school care for elementary students. The program includes breakfast and an afternoon snack.

ALC's lead preschool teachers are degreed and/or experienced in a child-related field, and all teachers continue their education in the field with mandatory training hours. Qualified outside instructors are often invited to the center for special classes in gymnastics, computers, music, and dance.

Adventure Camp is held in the summer and children between the ages of two and 12 can attend. Daily field trips are available for school-aged children, and weekly field trips are scheduled for preschoolers.

Balls-n-Strikes features top-notch baseball and softball instruction via camps, small groups, and private one-on-one instruction. The facility caters to kids in early elementary school all the way through high school seniors.

Along with offering classes and lessons, the centers help match up players looking for teams, as well as teams looking for players; it also offers cage rentals by the half-hour and hour.

Among Balls-n-Strikes most popular features are its camps, which typically coincide with school vacation breaks. Its winter holiday camps give players a chance to warm up their skills well before spring training begins. Camp schedules vary by location and season; check website for all the details.

Balls-n-Strikes features top-notch baseball and softball instruction via camps, small groups, and private one-on-one instruction. The facility caters to kids in early elementary school all the way through high school seniors.

Along with offering classes and lessons, the centers help match up players looking for teams, as well as teams looking for players; it also offers cage rentals by the half-hour and hour.

Among Balls-n-Strikes most popular features are its camps, which typically coincide with school vacation breaks. Its winter holiday camps give players a chance to warm up their skills well before spring training begins. Camp schedules vary by location and season; check website for all the details.

Balls-n-Strikes features top-notch baseball and softball instruction via camps, small groups, and private one-on-one instruction. The facility caters to kids in early elementary school all the way through high school seniors.

Along with offering classes and lessons, the centers help match up players looking for teams, as well as teams looking for players; it also offers cage rentals by the half-hour and hour.

Among Balls-n-Strikes most popular features are its camps, which typically coincide with school vacation breaks. Its winter holiday camps give players a chance to warm up their skills well before spring training begins. Camp schedules vary by location and season; check website for all the details.

Balls-n-Strikes features top-notch baseball and softball instruction via camps, small groups, and private one-on-one instruction. The facility caters to kids in early elementary school all the way through high school seniors.

Along with offering classes and lessons, the centers help match up players looking for teams, as well as teams looking for players; it also offers cage rentals by the half-hour and hour.

Among Balls-n-Strikes most popular features are its camps, which typically coincide with school vacation breaks. Its winter holiday camps give players a chance to warm up their skills well before spring training begins. Camp schedules vary by location and season; check website for all the details.

BounceU is an indoor play arena offering all kinds of inflatable structures. BounceU hosts parties, school vacation specials, and summer camps.

Open Bounce, for ages two to six, takes place Thursday and Fridays from 10:10am to 11:30am. Family Bounce Nights take place on Wednesday evenings from
6:10pm-7:30pm. All Ages Open Bounce is on Friday afternoons from 2:10pm to 3:30pm. Space for all events is limited and reservations are required.

Visit the website for complete information.

A 66,000 square-foot facility, the Renaud Spirit Center (RSC) offers a host of recreational activities for all members of the family, including aquatics, sports, fitness, and wellness. It is the winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best place to leave the kids for a parents' night out in St. Louis!

Kids love the Natatorium, a swimming area that features a 185-foot three-turn water slide, a "lazy river" with waterfalls, a vortex pool, zero-depth water entry, water-play features, and family locker rooms.

Trained staff members are available to watch children in the Kids' Korner while grown-ups participate in a class or workout in the fitness area. Kids' Korner is available on a first-come, first-serve basis for children ages 3 months to nine years. The service is limited to two hours at a cost of $2.50 per child.

The Center offers camps for school-age kids during the summer and during winter and spring breaks. RSC can also host birthday parties. Parties must be reserved at least two weeks in advance and full payment must accompany reservations.

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.

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.

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.

The West County Family YMCA features an eight-lane indoor pool, full-size gymnasium, an indoor track, a specialized fitness center, and racquetball courts; patrons can also check out equipment like basketballs, volleyballs, and racquets.

Family changing areas, Child Watch childcare, and the Dierberg Family Hub - an area in which families can spend time together, play games, use computers, do arts and crafts, and have fun together or apart - makes this YMCA especially family friendly.

The facility hosts a wealth of classes, sports leagues, camps, and special events throughout the year.