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.

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.

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.

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.

Youngsters enjoy tumbling, ping pong, crafts, boxing, and game-room activities at Buder Recreation Center, which also features a Tiny Tots program for little ones to learn socialization skills before they begin school.

Older children and adults can participate in the center's coeducational sports programs, including basketball, softball, volleyball, boxing, and martial arts.

A playground and basketball court can be found directly across the street from the center.

A popular free summer camp for children ages 4 to 12 is operated out of the center. Each camp session lasts one week; seven sessions are held. Call the center for more details.

A combination toy store and workshop that lets kids create their own stuffed animals, Build-a-Bear offers both drop-in fun and party options for little cuddlers.

Bears and other stuffable creatures range in price from $10-$25 and additional options, such as sound or clothing, are also available. Take your creation home in its own "house" box.

Parties: Guests build their own stuffed animals, and take their new friends home. Call 1.877.789.BEAR (2327) to plan a party.

A combination toy store and workshop that lets kids create their own stuffed animals, Build-a-Bear offers both drop-in fun and party options for little cuddlers.

Bears and other stuffable creatures range in price from $10-$25 and additional options, such as sound or clothing, are also available. Take your creation home in its own "house" box.

Parties: Guests build their own stuffed animals, and take their new friends home. Call 1.877.789.BEAR (2327) to plan a party.

Located at the southwest corner of Benton Park, Cherokee Recreation Center features a gymnasium, a boxing and workout room, a crafts room, and an indoor swimming pool.

Numerous classes and sports are held for children and adults, including basketball, boxing, ceramics, and swimming.

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.

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.

The Emerson Family YMCA features an indoor pool, a full-size double gymnasium, an indoor track, a fitness center, aerobics room, racquetball court, sports fields, a childcare nursery, a family changing area, and equipment checkout for basketballs, volleyballs/wallyball, racquetballs, and racquets. The YMCA hosts a range of classes, workshops, and special events throughout the year.

Gamble Recreation Center offers neighborhood residents the use of a gymnasium, a boxing and workout room, a crafts room, a game room, and a senior citizens room.

Kids can participate in numerous sports and classes, including tumbling, skating, ping pong, crafts, basketball, softball, volleyball, and martial arts.

An especially popular program here is Tiny Tots, which teaches preschool children socialization skills in preparation for attending school. Youngsters participate in group activities, crafts, hand-and-eye-coordination exercises, and motor skills practices.

Housed in the renovated 1899 Jacoby furniture store, the three-story comprises 40,000 square feet housing an art gallery, a dynamic educational facility, and artisans' crafts for sale.

Adults and children can take classes in pottery, stained glass, mosaics, watercolor painting, colored pencil drawing, Christmas gourd ornaments, and book arts, among others.

Housed in the renovated 1899 Jacoby furniture store, the three-story comprises 40,000 square feet housing an art gallery, a dynamic educational facility, and artisans' crafts for sale.

Adults and children can take classes in pottery, stained glass, mosaics, watercolor painting, colored pencil drawing, Christmas gourd ornaments, and book arts, among others.

Housed in the renovated 1899 Jacoby furniture store, the three-story comprises 40,000 square feet housing an art gallery, a dynamic educational facility, and artisans' crafts for sale.

Adults and children can take classes in pottery, stained glass, mosaics, watercolor painting, colored pencil drawing, Christmas gourd ornaments, and book arts, among others.

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.

The Kirkwood Family YMCA features an indoor pool, a gymnasium, an indoor track, a fitness center, aerobics room, racquetball court, sports fields, a childcare nursery, a family changing area, and equipment checkout for basketballs, volleyballs/wallyball, racquetballs, and racquets. The YMCA hosts a range of camps, classes, workshops, and special events throughout the year.

The Kirkwood Family YMCA features an indoor pool, a gymnasium, an indoor track, a fitness center, aerobics room, racquetball court, sports fields, a childcare nursery, a family changing area, and equipment checkout for basketballs, volleyballs/wallyball, racquetballs, and racquets. The YMCA hosts a range of camps, classes, workshops, and special events throughout the year.

The Kirkwood Family YMCA features an indoor pool, a gymnasium, an indoor track, a fitness center, aerobics room, racquetball court, sports fields, a childcare nursery, a family changing area, and equipment checkout for basketballs, volleyballs/wallyball, racquetballs, and racquets. The YMCA hosts a range of camps, classes, workshops, and special events throughout the year.

Fiber arts fans head to Knitorious for the store's large selection of yarns, needles, books, patterns - all the things necessary for knitting or crocheting. The staff is at the ready to answer questions, offer assistance, and provide one-on-one instruction for a fee.

Crafters and jewelry makers count Lady Bug Beads as one of their favorite haunts. More than 3000 square feet is filled with beads fashioned out of seeds, Bali and Thai silver, Swarovski crystals, pearls, shells, bone, semi-precious stones, and pressed glass. The store also carries all the accessories needed to create one's own jewelry.

Lady Bug Beads offers a wide range of classes and jewelry workshops; check website for details and seasonal schedules.

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.

Located inside Marquette Park, the Marquette Recreation Center features two softball fields, a soccer field, and a playground; a crafts and multipurpose room, as well as an air-conditioned gymnasium are located indoors.

Patrons can enjoy soccer, gymnastics, wiffle ball, tumbling, game room activities, basketball, softball, volleyball, and martial arts.

An especially popular program here is Tiny Tots, which teaches preschool children socialization skills in preparation for attending school. Youngsters participate in group activities, crafts, hand-and-eye-coordination exercises, and motor skills practices.

A popular free summer camp for children ages 4 to 12 is operated out of the center. Each camp session lasts one week; seven sessions are held. Call the center for more details.

Located inside Marquette Park, the Marquette Recreation Center features two softball fields, a soccer field, and a playground; a crafts and multipurpose room, as well as an air-conditioned gymnasium are located indoors.

Patrons can enjoy soccer, gymnastics, wiffle ball, tumbling, game room activities, basketball, softball, volleyball, and martial arts.

An especially popular program here is Tiny Tots, which teaches preschool children socialization skills in preparation for attending school. Youngsters participate in group activities, crafts, hand-and-eye-coordination exercises, and motor skills practices.

A popular free summer camp for children ages 4 to 12 is operated out of the center. Each camp session lasts one week; seven sessions are held. Call the center for more details.

The features indoor and outdoor pools, a gymnasium, an indoor track, a fitness center, aerobics room, racquetball court, sports fields, a family changing area, the YMCA Family Hub, a Teen Center, and equipment checkout for basketballs, volleyballs/wallyball, racquetballs, and racquets. The YMCA hosts a range of classes, workshops, and special events throughout the year.

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best museum for teens in St. Louis, the Saint Louis Art Museum is known especially for its collections in oceanic art, pre-Columbian art, ancient Chinese bronzes, European and American art of the late- nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and twentieth century German painting. The collections don't stop with those categories, however; the museum features more than 30,000 pieces of widely diverse art.

Drop-in art activities, family tours, and performances are held weekly on Family Sundays. A variety of classes are also available for families, including family sketch classes and hands-on workshops for young children accompanied by an adult.

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.

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.

Aisles of semi-precious stones, silk flowers, woodworking supplies, model kits, sewing notions, paintable plaster, miniature trains, scrapbook paper - it's enough to make your inner crafter-hobbyist swoon. Besides everything under the sun related to hobbies, Schaefer's Hobby Shop also offers classes in jewelry making, knitting, and crocheting.

Housed within the impressive Sheldon Concert Hall, the Sheldon Arts Galleries span more than 7,000 square of space devoted to changing exhibitions of painting, printmaking, photography, architecture, sculpture, installation work, jazz history, and children's art.

The Galleries also operate as a museum, collaborating with a host of local, national, and international institutions and individuals in the non-profit and commercial art world. The institution offers education programs such as Tuesday Evening Gallery Talks, Lunchtime Lectures in Architecture, and Master Class Workshops for children.

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.

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.

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.