Einstein's Workshop is a creative kid's dream. It's basically an indoor play area, filled with…read morecreative type toys, as well as a computer room where every kid plays, you guessed it, Minecraft. - There are lego tables, tables for Kinex toys, others whose names I forget. Two ramps for testing out lego car creations. A 3D printer, printing stuff. Neat room. Off to the side are other classrooms or private rooms for parties. The kids mainly hung out in the main room working on legos, and others stayed on Minecraft for the whole time. - My one caveat was that it's very boy-oriented stuff. The girls we took didn't find much interest in legos or Minecraft. So, they weren't that thrilled to be there. - There is a 3D scanner in an adjacent building; you can have your body scanned and turned into a 3-D sand sculpture. Creepy/cool! -

Outstanding - great staff, great offerings. Signed my nephew up for a week-long Lego/robotics…read moreclass (for grades 4 to 8). Was concerned that it might be too advanced for him (he's just going into 4th grade this fall). The instructor (Sarah - she's terrific) assured me he'd do great. And she was right - he loved it. At the end of the week I asked him to rate his experience on a scale of 1 to 10. His answer - 'infinity!' Next up - I'll be signing him up for a Mindcraft/into to electronics class. Can't recommend this place highly enough.

This is an awesome community resource with very unique classes. I'm looking forward to taking more…read moreclasses there!

I find the Academy convenient because there are many classes under one roof and saves me time from…read moredriving around. My child also went for the summer camp and had a great time. The instructors were super friendly. They give her great tips with her artwork and allowed her to add her own personality to her art work. My friend's kid did the children's theater and we loved going to watch their production of Wizard of Oz. My kid and I took Bollywood dance exercise classes which was fun. This is hands down one of the best places around! Plenty of parking and very convenient location.

Awesome place to get some swings in and pitching work! The owner/manager is helpful with the kids…read moretoo - great, upbeat, and encouraging attitude. Will continue to go!

From the owner: Beautiful indoor batting cages with real turf makes this ideal for both hitting and fielding…read morepractice. Facility has both HitTrax and Rapsodo available for use with both baseball and softball machine ready to use.

My daughter is 4 and is in the junior warrior class for about 10 months. Sheehan Marco is really…read moregreat teacher and amazingly patient. The kids start learning Karate that is appropriate for their age group. He really teaches good listening, patience, and other skills that are great for the kids.We are looking forward to her development in the coming years.

This was the best party ever. My 6 year old and friends had a great time, were fully engaged in all…read morethe games and activities. The decorations, attention to detail and excellent customer service. I had no idea what to expect and was completely blown away by Shihan Marco and his team. Thank you for such an incredible day!! I'd give more than five stars if I could.

The staff is amazing…read more My daughter is nine years old, and has been attending various classes at Creative Arts for the past 2 years. They offer pottery, music, voice, acting, and much more that I am sure I am not including. I highly recommend Creative Arts if you have a child interested in learning more with terrific instructors.

I enrolled my daughter in classes for the summer of 2019 and am so glad I did. With art, music and…read moretheater, they have something for everyone. She was enrolled in a week of theater and multiple weeks of art instruction with a wide array of art classes to choose from. With an artshow each Friday, we enjoyed the opportunity to see the the kids amazing artwork on display. We ended up with multiple frame-worthy pieces, one of which the clerk at the frame shop said she'd never have guessed was created by a 6 year old, it was that good. My daughter had a great time, the staff was fantastic, they offered before and after care which was critical for us working full time and we were incredibly pleased by the overall experience. We re-enrolled for February vacation, are planning for summer camp, and see ourselves as lasting patrons for the years to come.

I really love KidsToPros' Wonder Robotics + Sports program - a great combo of innovation and…read morephysical activity I think every child should participate in!

The Boys & Girls Club of Wakefield runs the Community Boating rentals at Lake Quannapowitt in…read moreWakefield (kayaks and pedal boats) and Ell Pond in Melrose (kayaks) during the summer months. They have single and double kayaks available. The pricing is per hour and very affordable at $12 for a single, $16 for a double or the pedal boat. If you are a Wakefield resident you get a discount making it $9 and $12 respectively an hour. They also have a summer pass that is very reasonable. Everything runs very smoothly. You can reserve and pay ahead of time online - and probably can try to catch an hour in person if they have openings, but I would recommend making a reservation online ahead of time. I tried the pedal boat last year and went on opening day this year for the kayaks and plan to go a few more times this summer and maybe check out the Melrose location too. Both experiences have been great. They were prepared and ready for us when we showed up and were very friendly. When you get there and check in, you do have to fill out a waiver and get a life vest. They also have sunscreen available for if you forget to bring/wear it and need it. Make sure to wear clothes and shoes that you are comfortable getting wet because you will get a little wet. My one complaint with the pedal boat was that they did not flip it after the people before us so there was already some muck/water in the boat but it didn't ruin the experience and was not a big deal as we expected to get wet anyways, it would just be a small recommendation since those tend to get some leakage when out on the water. Overall, I really think this is awesome for the community and the boys and girls club and recommend that you support them if you want to get some local kayaking in during the summer!!

This is a hidden gem, and I can't say enough about it. Alex (we miss you so much), Keith, Abby -…read moreparticular employee stars for us. This place has been a Godsend for us, helping a middle class family provide high quality, diverse, conscientious, active programming that we otherwise could NOT afford. I have an 8 year old, and a 6 year old, and we live outside of Stoneham (from where they provide busing for a low cost direct from school). My children have been attending for about two years - the younger one has been there twice-a-week in their Club, Jr. program, and has attended almost every week this summer, and some of last summer (then split the time with BGC Wakefield). Alex had run that program and was AMAZING. This is a certified after school program, and extremely well organized. They do STEM projects, are treated with a great level of respect, are given responsibilities, do group projects, eat a snack that meets regulations, and get run-around time. Let me insert here that we are Jewish, and during Passover where we can't have leavened breads, Alex made a point of having different, non-bread snacks for us that week! One of my favorite things to watch at my pickup time was the counselors playing some combination of i-spy and hide-and-go-seek with the kids. Alex was highly responsive to any & every inquiry I had, and utilized the app Class Dojo to keep parents informed and up to date on what each day held. When my daughter had a bad day, he'd talk to me privately; if she had a conflict with a child, he spoke with me about it and called me w/ concerns. I felt my daughter was safe and in a wonderfully enriching, under-control environment. Alex has left to teach 6th grade math, and I can't tell you how much we'll miss him. I believe Zac is going to be replacing him. These are huge shoes to fill and I look forward to seeing school year 2018-2019 :) Our older daughter has been attending their regular club program at the cost of $25/year/child...yes, you read that right, to attend any of their drop-in programs after school, which runs basically 2:30 pm until about 6 pm for younger kids. Older children can stay later. She has attended periodic chorus, clay art class, jewelry making, girls gym, and many other classes. One huge benefit of BGCS is that they offer programming during the vacation weeks at school at an + low cost. Doing the simple math of the cost of hiring a babysitter, it's obvious this is a much better choice. I am able to work, I don't have to drag my kids to work where they're bored to tears for 20 hours, and I know they're under great supervision and direction. This 2018 summer, the kids have had a blast. They have enjoyed a differently themed program every week where they are empowered to have great behavior and earn points. Each group (excellent counselor ratio!) gets a name or theme and there's Camper of the Day and Camper of the Week. They have an opportunity to additionally do a themed specialty camp (older daughter elected for Cooking camp and this week so far has made totally homemade pizza, breakfast items including eggs, brownies, homemade pasta...) or a STEM camp, such as Lego or rockets. They go on a weekly free pool trip and have opportunities for 3x/week swim lesson add-on. They have a field trip included in the price, which has included farms, zoos, Museum of Science, Skyzone, etc. They work REALLY hard at creating unique programming that is well thought-out and executed. IMHO this site, Stoneham, is better suited for the younger-than-teen, whereas I observed that Wakefield is better suited for teenagers. HOWEVER! One membership, $25/year/child, is good for both places so you can pick and choose as best suits you! Thank you all for truly helping a family make ends meet, and providing amazing opportunities while not just "babysitting." If you go, you might be underwhelmed by the facility. Ask to be shown around. Parents are welcomed to observe their kids in the Club Jr. room, which is cozy and sweet, and they have had presentations to show the group projects they were working on. They have a big gym, an arts and crafts room, a big open play room, a computer room, staff rooms in a different leg of the building, a great private, attached fenced in court (kids LOVED drip-drop which is like duck duck goose but with water this summer) and a fenced in area right out front with picnic tables, shade, and plenty of places for the little ones to play with supervision. I haven't mentioned everything! I encourage you to support them financially as you can, and to take advantage of their amazing programming. :) PS: please: Bingo folks sharing the driveway should park further away when they bus to Foxwoods.

The Boston Minuteman Council does a great job of brining Scouting to the greater Boston area…read more Contact them if you want to get your boys involved in Scouting. They have Cub Scout Packs and Boy Scout Troops in every community in the area. I'm really glad I am involved with this organization.

From the owner: Boston Minuteman serves Scouting throughout greater Boston. Our location includes Camp Sayre. Camp…read moreSayre is a full service weekend destination for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venturers and other youth groups. Camp Sayre's unique location makes it both remote and convenient. The camp is located adjacent to the 7,000 acre Blue Hills Reservation and just 8 miles from downtown Boston. Parents and leaders love Scouting and appreciate all the program does for their children. Here at Sayre, we try to make planning scouting activities easy and convenient for families and Scout units. We eliminate barriers and put the excitement of Scouting in your hands. We cut no corners at Camp Sayre in promoting the advancement of your youth in his or her scouting career. Camp Sayre minimizes effort and maximizes the impact. Your adventure begins now!

Went here recently for a Bday Party & it was a great concept, the private gym (which was HUGE)…read morewould have been fabulous had my 2 year old not decided to run all over the place & do whatever he wanted... He didnt actually stay with the group & do all the set activites because he again is 2... The girls are all pretty good with the kids, after the gym time we did the bouncy house room & then cake & food... It was a good place... Good concept.. It was huge!! I would probably go again for open gym one day!

I called and inquired about the Feb vacation camp ages 4.5-10. I have two daughters 4&5. My first…read morequestion was how are the groups/ages split. My second was what is the student to instructor ratio. 12-1 well 1.5. They have volunteers that need hours so they help. I asked if there is ever a point that they add in another "student" to help if needed. NOPE. I said well my daughter has special needs And I was just wondering if she needed some extra help with things at times it could be accommodated. The response I got was we can't accommodate a 1:1. I never mentioned a 1:1 nor am I looking for that as my daughter doesn't require that. She then went on to tell me how "those kids" can have trouble with transitions and have temper tantrums. Which it was never even asked about MY daughters disabilities or needs. So basically a label was automatically put on her. I was so taken back by this. For a business owner or manager to place where children go to be so insensitive. Maybe it isn't the right fit for her but I would think she has the right to go if that's what we decided. To feel denied before even having the Information on my daughter

We were very impressed with the Peak Event Services team (tent rental, furniture rental, and table…read moreservice rentals). When I saw the time, expertise, talent, and teamwork that went into assembling our tent, I was amazed. An extra thank you to Ryan Shoos, the Project Manager, of the tent division for guiding us through the process on site. Also, the furniture we rented really helped us to realize the vision we were going for. Big thanks to Peak Event Service!

Alexx and Sharon at Peak came through in a pinch! The day before my daughter's wedding reception…read morefor 150, I decided we needed a patterned napkin for the dining tables and matching tablecloths for the Welcome Table. Alexx and Sharon greeted me with enthusiasm, and within ten minutes, I had reserved the napkins and returned later that afternoon to pick them up. Given it was an outdoor wedding, the linen designs elevated the ambience within the tented space. Thanks!