The August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area features walking trails, a shooting range, 32 fishing lakes, and a Visitor Center with exhibits. Brochures can be picked up at the Center for self-guided tours of the area. The Center hosts a range of nature classes and workshops for parents and children.

Babymoon Boutique features a wide range of maternity, infant, and toddler wear. The store also carries slings and carriers, cloth diapers, and fun accessories and gifts.

Babymoon Boutique also serves as a Parent and Child Enrichment Center, helping parents with educational programs, peer support, and parenting groups that facilitate networking. Classes are lead by an experienced support specialist who has dealt first-hand with the trials and triumphs of pregnancy and parenting. Class topics include newborn care, CPR and first aid, breastfeeding 101, prepared childbirth education, infant massage, and a variety of topics related to health and fitness.

The facility includes a children's classroom, where kids can partake in games, art projects, and music classes while their grown-ups take in their own class.

Brentwood Center of Health is holistic health center that focuses primarily on treating chronic pain and women's health with physical therapy, alternative medicine, and massage and fitness training. The center also offers child/parent yoga classes and infant massage classes.

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best place for family community service in St. Louis,
Catch a Falling Star is billed as an inclusive recreational and educational facility. It helps strengthen the physical and social skills of disabled children, including those on the autistic spectrum, through special programs, classes, and events.

CAFS staff provides critical support for parents with programs like Parents Night Out, afterschool care, teaching them about early childhood development, or offering speech and occupational therapies.

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.

The 4,318-acre Columbia Bottom Conservation Area includes a view of the confluence of Missouri's largest rivers, over 6.5 miles of river frontage, 800 acres of forest, and a 110-acre island. The Conservation hosts numerous family-friendly classes and workshops throughout the year.

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.

"Maternity support center" - music to the ears of any expectant or new mom, right? Kangaroo Kids offers the services of five lactation consultants, as well as bra fittings, pump rentals and sales, and nursing accessories. The store also hosts a nursing mom's support group weekly.

The store also sells gently used children's and maternity clothing, toys, equipment, and furniture. The store pays cash for items in good condition.

Kids World Gymnastics has 19,000 square feet of activity-oriented space. In addition to state-of-the-art in-ground trampoline and foam-pit facilities, it offers separate, age-appropriate areas for younger children, as well as professional amenities for artistic gymanstics and students of dance and martial arts.

Classes include preschool gymnastics, general gymnastics, trampoline & tumbling, cheerleading, dance, and martial arts. Martial arts classes are open to kids ages five and up; general gymnastics and trampoline & tumbling start at age six.

Open gym time, offered on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings for kids ages six and up, costs $7 for members (those who've paid the annual $35 registration fee) and $10 for non-members. Children who wish to use open gym time must have a signed waiver on file. Free wireless Internet access is available for waiting parents.

Birthday parties can be held on the weekend; GKW offers packages that start at $150/10 children.
Camp programs are offered during school vacation days and in the summer, for kids in kindergarten through 6th grade.

Kids World Gymnastics has 19,000 square feet of activity-oriented space. In addition to state-of-the-art in-ground trampoline and foam-pit facilities, it offers separate, age-appropriate areas for younger children, as well as professional amenities for artistic gymanstics and students of dance and martial arts.

Classes include preschool gymnastics, general gymnastics, trampoline & tumbling, cheerleading, dance, and martial arts. Martial arts classes are open to kids ages five and up; general gymnastics and trampoline & tumbling start at age six.

Open gym time, offered on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings for kids ages six and up, costs $7 for members (those who've paid the annual $35 registration fee) and $10 for non-members. Children who wish to use open gym time must have a signed waiver on file. Free wireless Internet access is available for waiting parents.

Birthday parties can be held on the weekend; GKW offers packages that start at $150/10 children.
Camp programs are offered during school vacation days and in the summer, for kids in kindergarten through 6th grade.

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.

Whirling, imagining, storytelling, and singing are part of the fun at Kindermusik with Lori Burkhardt. Using music and dance, Kindermusik classes help build age-appropriate skills in language aquisition, literacy, listening, problem solving, social interaction, self-esteem, and musicality.

Every Kindermusik program includes At-Home Materials - music CDs, creative activities, illustrated children's books, and specially designed instruments.

Whirling, imagining, storytelling, and singing are part of the fun at Kindermusik with Lori Burkhardt. Using music and dance, Kindermusik classes help build age-appropriate skills in language aquisition, literacy, listening, problem solving, social interaction, self-esteem, and musicality.

Every Kindermusik program includes At-Home Materials - music CDs, creative activities, illustrated children's books, and specially designed instruments.

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.

La Crèche offers French immersion classes and French-language playgroups for the whole family. Sessions for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers feature songs, storytime, games, and art projects.

La Crèche offers French immersion classes and French-language playgroups for the whole family. Sessions for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers feature songs, storytime, games, and art projects.

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.

Mind, Body & Baby St. Louis is a network of local baby-minded businesses that work together to provide information and support to expecting and new parents about pregnancy and infant care. Specialists in the network educate about cord blood banking, doula services, stroller exercise classes, cloth diapers, baby slings, acupuncture, and pre-natal/infant massage and yoga, among other topics.

The group hosts classes and workshops throughout the St. Louis area; check the website for its current schedule.

The 37-acre Mississippi Sanctuary and the nearly 300-acre Olin Nature Preserve are privately owned by The Nature Institute. Both are contiguous lots, located on the banks of the Mississippi River and containing a representative spectrum of the region's landscape features and natural communities, including limestone bluffs, sinkholes, bottom land forests, and upland hill prairies.

The Nature Institute uses the preserve and sanctuary to foster an awareness and appreciation of the natural world through preservation, restoration, and education. Numerous workshops, classes, homeschool programs, and summer camps for youth take place throughout the year at the Talahi Lodge, the facility's environmental education center.

Visitors to the presevers can find an extensive arboretum with hundreds of tree varieties of trees, an impressive network of walking trails, 300 native plant species, more than 150 species of nesting and migratory birds, and nesting and den sites for the endangered Bald Eagle and Timber Rattlesnake.

The preserve is closed to the public from November 1- March 15 each year in order to protect the preserve as a roosting site for bald eagles. In other months, the preserve is open during business hours only, and visitors must check in at the office before hiking or exploring within the preserve.

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.

Mommy & Me with a Jewish Twist offers a series of classes that allow moms and tots to experience Jewish tradition in a stimulating, fun, and creative environment.

Classes incorporate movement excercises, music, sensory play, crafts, and free play; snacks are provided, too. Check website for class descriptions and schedules.

Mommy & Me with a Jewish Twist offers a series of classes that allow moms and tots to experience Jewish tradition in a stimulating, fun, and creative environment.

Classes incorporate movement excercises, music, sensory play, crafts, and free play; snacks are provided, too. Check website for class descriptions and schedules.

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.

Music Together is a nationwide educational program founded on the belief that all children are musical and that music is a perfect way for even the youngest child to learn, create, communicate, connect, and grow.

Kids and their adult companions sing songs and chants together, do lap songs and tickle games, dance, and play drums and other instruments in an informal, creative, supportive, and fun atmosphere.

Each semester includes eight weekly 45-minute classes. Special baby classes are available for infants up to eight months.

The greater St. Louis area has two chapters: Gateway Music Together and Robert's Music Together. Check websites for registration information, class locations, and times.

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.

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.

Stroller Strides is a national program designed for stroller-pushing parents who want to get fit and meet other parents.

The St. Louis chapter meets at West County Mall weekly and features 60 minutes of power walking, jogging, and body toning. Little ones benefit, too: They get time with mom and dad and are entertained by songs and special activities during the workout.

StrollerFit offers moms and babies a 60-minute stroller fitness workout, using strollers, resistance bands, and body weight to achieve muscular strength and cardiovascular fitness.

Children are entertained by songs, nursery rhymes, visual stimulation, and other activities.

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.