We attended Gymboree Play & Music at Lakeshore for a year, from when my daughter was 18 months to…read more30 months old, and it was such a wonderful experience! The teachers are fantastic--Ms. Leah in Play & Learn and Ms. Muna in Music class were both patient, energetic, and great at leading activities that kept the kids involved while fostering social and motor skill development through Gymboree's catchable bubbles. The classes struck the perfect balance between structured routines and free play, making them ideal for school preparation at an early age. At some point last year, a new owner took over and made some really thoughtful improvements that elevated the space. They spruced up the otherwise plain walls, added a baby gate to prevent little ones from running in and out of the play area without their adult, and even replaced the circle time carpeting. These small but meaningful upgrades made the environment feel even more welcoming and safe. One of the things we really appreciated was the flexibility in choosing which class to attend. Most of the time, we could just drop in, which was incredibly convenient. That said, for busier days--especially when it was raining--it was a good habit to book a class in advance through the app to make sure we had a spot. At first, it took about a month for my daughter to feel fully comfortable, which I think is completely normal. She started by observing and then gradually joined in after watching her peers interact. It was amazing to watch her growth--learning problem-solving skills (like navigating play structures, balancing, and safely calculating jumps), improving her motor skills, and practicing taking turns and following directions. A big plus is that the play area is always so clean and well-maintained--much better than the park. And while socks are usually required in indoor play spaces, I appreciated that kids could go barefoot here, which helped with my daughter's stability and movement. My daughter loved it so much that she would sing the songs at home and even ask for parachute time outside of class! Now that she's moved on to preschool, I do wish there had been a transition class to help bridge that next step at a younger age. Otherwise, our time at Gymboree was truly special, and I highly recommend it for little ones and their parents looking for a fun, social, and enriching experience.

My baby loves Gymboree! We has so much fun singing (the instructor sings great!) and especially…read moreloves the bubbles. It's clean, fun, and always a great time

This place is awesome. It's very unstructured: kids can choose to participate in scheduled…read moreactivities, pick an activity room instead, or even just spend the day roaming around playing with their friends. We haven't gone this year yet (I'll update when that changes!) but last summer, they had: * Baking: kids could learn to make the baked good of the day, from pies to pizzas, and help with baking lunch for the camp; * A sewing room: bins of fabric and notions, supplies for hand sewing, sewing machines and an instructor on hand to teach kids how to use them, patterns, and stuffing; * A fashion show where kids who got really into that sewing room could show their work off; * An arts and crafts room, with regular projects as well as the option to just come in and make whatever you wanted; * A STEM room with robotics, stop motion animation, and other cool supplies; * Sports, bubbles, etc outside; * A dance room with music playing and cool lights; * I think also a quiet room where you could just chill out and read or decompress; * And a different bounce house each week! The food looked great. There were a lot of options, from pizza to salad. The food changes each year, depending on who they can get to cater it. All of it sounded amazing, which helped a lot. Because my kid has struggled with separation anxiety disorder, and maybe agoraphobia. Finding a camp he'd actually be EXCITED to go to was the key here. He put in a lot of emotional work to make it in the door. We spent many days just driving up and sitting in the car outside, talking through his feelings, sometimes getting out for a little while, before the day he decided he could go in. And I cannot thank Steve & Kate's enough for providing a structure where that's POSSIBLE. Very few camps have drop-in policies. With most places, you have to sign up five or six months in advance, because they're on focused topics and have limited space. Even with more general camps, you can rarely sign up for just a day at a time, or let them know at the last minute that you're coming -- understandably!!! At Steve & Kate's, not only can you just show up the day of camp and register there if you need to - you can also show up at any point in the day, and they'll still let you in. That's HUGE. That's HUGE even under normal circumstances. When you can't tell in advance whether your kid will be able to go in, or will have a series of panic attacks in the car until you take him back home, BUT you really need to practice going to a place like camp before you try to go to Actual School, that's EXCEPTIONALLY HUGE. He can practice going, and test his own boundaries, and gently move out of his comfort zone, at his own pace, WITHOUT ME PAYING FOR A CAMP HE DOESN'T END UP GOING TO. And without holding an empty spot that some other family needed! In accessibility terms, that is HUGE. On top of that, my kid - who values kindness very highly, especially in adults - was super impressed by how KIND everyone there was. The first day he went, he had trouble getting lunch because the kids were crowding instead of lining up (or the line collapsed into a crowd) and he couldn't figure out how to get to the food. He spoke very highly of one staff member who noticed he wasn't eating, gently asked if he needed help getting food, and then brought him pizza. He said everyone was kind, but that one was SUPER kind. I also noticed, while waiting to pick him up, that lots of other kids were clearly on friendly terms with the staff. I heard kids talking about different staff members very positively, and I saw kids mobbing different ones to ask them interesting questions or joke around with them. I was personally very impressed by the staff's kindness too. I reached out to the camp ahead of time to tell them about my kid's struggles. They scheduled a time for us to tour the campus while it was in session, see all the different areas, ask any questions, and talk about anything they could do to support him. Just really super-nice people all around. I also loved having the option to check him in online the night before, or the morning of, if I was pretty sure he was going... and the refund policy that gives me back the money for days he doesn't go! Even though he was really excited about the sewing room and stop motion animation in particular, he spent most of the time just making new friends and hanging out with them. And I think that's great. He loved his time there. The time he spent practicing going, and actually going, made it so much easier for him to start school in the fall. 1000/10 stars. Love this place. It was about $100/day, which feels like a lot but is really just on the slightly high end for camps. Well worth it for the flexibility and the range of activities available, even without the accessibility. Absolutely delightful and fantastic, kinda wish they had one just for grownups!

Steve and Kate's is an absolute lifesaver. It's easy to deal with, and I love the flexibility of…read morebeing refunded for unused days if something comes up My son is 5 and has been attending since he was 4. He loves it. They typically have a bouncy house plus activity rooms. There's also group events where kids can win prizes. I don't think Steve and Kate's is particularly academic, but there's definitely lots to keep kids occupied. My son really looks forward to it. He's very proud of the pillows he has "made" from the sewing room, and loves the marble run when it's an option. While there's a limit to the lunch accommodations (and my son brings a packed lunch), they were able to get some dairy free puff pastry so he could be included in the cooking lab, and dietary needs and restrictions can be printed on the campers tags so there are no mistakes. We've had a positive experience with Steve and Kate's Emeryville.

We reserved the Busy Bee space for a 3-year old's birthday party, and it was perfect. The place is…read morevery clean, has a ton of activity options for small kids. There is a separate room to serve snacks, drinks, and cake; bathroom is clean and convenient.

I hosted a birthday party for a toddler at Busy Bee. Would definitely recommend! A couple of things…read morethat stood out: - Booking/ planning/ prepping all went without a hitch - The play area is great, fun, and spacious. The party room where you would have food/ drinks is right nearby, so it's super easy to monitor kids and transition from one are to another (unlike other places where party room is more disconnected from play) - the center is located in a large shopping area. Which meant easy parking for guests and tons of options to order snacks/ food etc nearby so you wouldn't have to lugg stuff from home - I called several similar places in East Bay, and Busy Bee was by far the most uncomplicated wrt managing guest lists, number of attendees etc. Most importantly: kids LOVED it and were super tuckered out after that!

My very picky, opinionated daughter loves Alameda Makering and Ms. Deneese. This is our second…read moresummer and she's gone to a couple pop-up workshops throughout the school year, and she comes home beaming with pride on all the incredible, high-quality crafts and delicious cooking she's done that day. Ms. Deneese curates every class with creativity and thoughtfulness. We highly recommend Alameda Makering, especially Ms. Deneese.

My daughter has a great time at Makering camp! She loves all the crafts and comes home excited to…read moredo them with me. The baking activities are also really fun and have led to us enjoying the recipes at home.

I cannot say enough about this camp only that I am sorry, as a parent, that I didn't know about it…read moresooner!! This is our son, Ezra's 2nd year going. He is currently 10 yrs old and he LOVES it. He's had some rough experiences with other camps (bullying) so I was trying to find him a camp that was a great fit for him and engage stimulating days and promote confidence in personal growth! Mike is wonderful. I don't know how to handles it all BUT the camp counselors are all youthful and very active with the kids! Thanks a MILLION again for creating such a great experience for Ezra! We'll be back next summer!! :)

My child's friends wanted a last hurrah before parting ways for middle school. A handful of them…read moreregistered for Urban Adventure. Because the summer camp runs weekly, with several rotating and parallel themes, the kids were able to land on the same interest and available week. Shocking, I know! The camp's extensive schedule works for vacations and professional work hours. Even though some kids had already attended previous summers, each of them enjoyed the experience differently when friends were involved. They can escalate to be the most rambunctious bunch or wander as cerebral or silly, chatty tweens. The social pace was great, and this camp has a seamless inclusion vibe. For some weeks and cohorts, the group veers younger, like 2nd- to 5th-graders, and some older, like 5th- to 8th-graders. Mike, the camp director, does a great job with the groupings paired with an experienced counselor. We were lucky to have school teachers as lead. Given this was my child's first experience with Urban Adventure, he absolutely loved the exploration and riding public transit (BART, SF MUNI - bus, trolley, and metro, AC Transit, Cal Shuttle, Ferry). Going up to the ferry observation deck was exhilarating and inclusively fun with friends who could access the elevator. Although my child has been to many of the museums and features when he was younger, he barely recalls them at all. We did so much pre-pandemic and, over time, lost those family events to sports purgatory. So glad my child got to re-experience with his peers. Lastly, my child has suddenly shown a burst of independence in reading maps, following directions, examining transportation timetables, accounting for museum and business hours, and actively thinking about plan B, C, or other contingencies. He was so excited to demonstrate that he ended up giving my husband an Urban Adventure experience today. The kid sent a slurry of calendar invites with the various SF locales. While they play local tourists, I actually have time to type up a long-winded review. My child attended both Biology/Natural Science and Technology/Physical Sciences. Many thumbs up!

We had a birthday celebration for our daughter at the Village Kids Club, and it was a very nice…read moreexperience. The staff was helpful with set up and cleanup. The facilities and convenient, with lots of fun toys, bean bags, etc. for kids. There is plenty of space, tables, and chairs for some activities and for the food.

We held our child's birthday party here and it's a very nice venue for the kids! The staff wasn't…read morethe most attentive to the kids though. The website advertised "Actively supplies and instruction from our party helper is included." The supplies were provided but the staff just hung back and that was about it. The parents had to do most of the work. It was still a fun place and the kids enjoyed themselves, we just expected a bit more involvement and interaction from the staff.

I just can't express enough how much we love this place! First of all..owned by a woman of color is…read morealready a green flag in my book. I have literally done almost every single thing this place has to offer from open play, to preschool, OT, hosting a birthday party there and special events like the holiday party and carnival. In terms of birthday parties, it was SO easy. Literally one of the most stress free kids parties I've hosted. The staff were so so kind and super helpful. They helped with everything from setup to clean up so we could just be present and enjoy the day. The party room is super spacious with room for kids and adults. We had a pretty large group and were totally comfortable in the space. I appreciated that we could bring all our own food and decorations and the crew literally helped me setup everything. For open play there is an awesome variety of things for kids to do. I especially love the quiet room. It's great for my neurodivergent kid to have space to both jump in the bounce house and move that energy out and chill in the quiet and calm area. We're big fans and have really enjoyed all aspects of this whole place for 5 years now. Keep it up yall! You're doing great.

We celebrated my child's birthday at Swings & Wings and it was honestly the easiest, most fun party…read morewe've ever hosted! We booked the private party package and had access to the whole play space -- bounce house, ball pit, climbers, all of it. Our host took care of setup and cleanup so we could actually enjoy the party instead of running around. The kids had a blast, and I loved that there was a quiet/sensory room for anyone who needed a break from the excitement. My daughter and her friends had a BLAST! If you're looking for an stress-free, kid-approved birthday spot in Alameda, Swings & Wings is it. We'll be back!

A magical place! My 6-year-old son is autistic and it was such a relief to be welcomed by a team…read morethat just gets it. The space is super clean and feels like a kid's dream. There's so much to do, climbing, building, exploring, getting wiggles out, and even a quiet room to chill. You can tell the folks behind it really thought through everything. The vibe, the décor, even the website feel so neurodiverse-affirming. They have tech to help build community around members too. We live in Novato so the distance makes a membership tough right now, but I'm hoping we can join in the summer when school isn't in the way. I'd love to see Spirited Play Labs expand to more places as this is the future IMO (please come to Novato, I'll help!). For families like ours, where typical play spaces can feel stressful or isolating, this place is a true gem, welcoming, thoughtful, and hopeful for the future. Thank you!!!

We've been coming to SPL for years, and it has always been such a positive experience. The play…read moresessions with Lia mean so much to us. we truly appreciate her patience, guidance, and support. Every visit, we notice progress. My daughter used to play only by herself, but now we see her becoming more independent and interacting with Lia, which fills our hearts. As a mom of a child on the spectrum, I know how hard it can be. My daughter doesn't have friends, but when we come here, she has one. In other spaces, the stares that come with her stimming can be so difficult to ignore, but here at SPL, we feel safe, accepted, and not judged. That sense of belonging is rare for special needs families, and we are so grateful to have found it here. I love how the staff embraces inclusion and acceptance. it shows in everything they do. I truly wish there were more places and programs like this for our kids, because families like ours need community.