I did my birthday party here with maybe a dozen ladies. I sent a photo of spring tulips I wanted to…read morepaint and the two teachers did an outstanding job of making it so easy for all of us (only 1 is an artist!) We would love to go to another event at Big Picture. They are so caring and allow food/drink and fun for all ages.

Big Picture is such a great place! My two daughters have taken several different art classes here…read moreand have loved all of them! They've done once per week classes for a month at a time and also special theme days. We've also done a painting birthday party here which was a great time. I've also done an adult ceramic class. Ms. Becky has been fabulous to work with and I highly recommend Big Picture for art classes and birthday parties!

We had a lovely visit at the Stanley Museum of Art. The art is placed in spacious rooms that allow…read morefor time to gaze and reflect on certain pieces. Friendly and helpful staff. Underground parking makes this a perfect rainy day activity.

Iowa? What's in Iowa? The Stanley is in Iowa and it's worth the road trip just to visit this…read moreincredible art museum. Yeah, but do they have any iconic works? Yes, Jackson Pollock's 'Mural,' a work from 1943, checks that box in a big way. It's been included in Pollock retrospectives in other art museums. Okay, but do they have anything else? Yes. Whoever is on the team that put together this collection deserves kudos because it's especially strong in mid-20th century and African art. Do they have any Grant Wood paintings? Grant Wood is Iowa so, yes, of course, they have a few of his works, too. What about the building itself? Well, it's shiny and new and a true pleasure to walk through. Sound expensive. What's the admission fee? It's free! Bonus: the scholarship here is great and it's directly reflected in the well-written wall labels. This is hands down one of best two art museums in the State.

As a parent, one day you are tasked with finding your tiny human the RIGHT preschool. The task…read moreseems daunting, but huzzah-- Preucil is here I subscribed to this checklist in my search of finding my Cora not just an OK preschool but the absolute best for her, as a three year old; 1. ABC's, 123's - early years are the time to start 2. Play time every day (imaginative, physical) 3. Children should have choice of some activities 4. Teachers interact positively with children 5. Alignment with your home values They checked all the boxes (and then some) on my checklist. (1) The ABCs and 123s matter, right? Cora won't escape them in her life whether it be in a classroom the next decade or two, at her future job or even helping her kids with homework. Preucil does a good job touching on these but not over teaching them. (2) Playing is SO important and exactly what I really wanted my then 3 year old to focus on at school. Preucil really nurtures and encourages creativity, imagination and exploration. They believe children learn best through play and hands-on activities. They have great facilities-- with an amazing outdoor playground, inviting classrooms, a music room and art room. (3) A HUGE reason Preucil stood out was because of their always available art room. Cora could wander in as she pleased to paint a masterpiece, practice (supervised) with kids scissors and tinker gluing reclaimed items into awesomeness. I loved that she could choose when she wanted to be alone and create-- or go imagine with friends. Ms. Kristen, the art teacher, was always in the room encouraging her and captioning paintings as she did them so we knew what her focus was. (4) I can't sing enough praises for the teachers at Preucil. Tricia, the director, is amazing. Always helpful and I swear, never without a smile. Ms. Marit, the music teacher, did an amazing job. My daughter knows 'Taking Care of Business' as well as 'Puff the Magic Dragon' by heart. I adored their concerts for loved ones each semester. When it comes down to it, Cora's teacher (Ms. Chris) is why I would recommend this preschool to anyone. She was Cora's best friend throughout the year. Cora was encouraged to learn and grow at her pace. Her teacher totally understood that preschoolers aren't all the same. And as a parent, sometimes I lose sight of that-- it's often easy to compare when it comes to your kid and others. (5) This preschool and it's amazing faculty is in the business of teaching (helping raise) well rounded, kind humans that are most importantly, HAPPY. You couldn't ask for more! Preucil believes children have many languages with which to express themselves and communicate their thoughts and ideas. They nurture and encourage; drawing, painting, singing, sculpting, dancing, storytelling, playing -- among other things. And I love that. While Cora doesn't attend Preucil anymore, once my son is old enough-- he will without a doubt.

I cannot give Preucil preschool enough stars. The teachers are caring, kind, energetic, creative,…read moreand all have strong educational backgrounds. I have had a couple small concerns about my son. When I asked for help, ALL teachers jumped on deck, communicated with one another and with me to ensure my concerns were addressed and that my son was supported. I feel like I completely lucked out to have found and to be a part of such a supportive school.

I can't imagine my kids be educated better anywhere else (except for maybe homeschooling, which…read morejust didn't work out for us unfortunately). The staff and teachers CLEARLY love Jesus and believe the Bible is the whole Word of God. They do not water down their faith to accommodate for worldly culture. My children come home singing worship songs they learned at school, quoting scripture they have memorized, and having theological discussions. The academics of Isaac Newton Christian Academy are amazing as well. My children are doing FAR more then what they would be doing in public school. My third grader is reading a novel a week (on top of his Bible reading and study). My first grader is learning spelling words I did not learn until much later in my education. Math, Science, Computers, Arts... everything is top notch. Some parents have a difficult time with the homework load and academic expectations when it comes to switching their kids from public schools, but this is to be expected when the standards are higher. My kids never complain about homework load, because this is all they have known, and I am very proud of them for learning to work and achieve excellence. If you are a Bible believing Christian, this school is for you! If you want your kids to have the best academic experience, this school is for you!

We've had a great experience with the teachers & administration at INCA so far! Thankful for this…read moreplace that teaches our kids about Jesus & that our faith isn't separate from our every day life/academics. We've seen a solid biblical foundation being built & challenging academics taught in K-3rd so far.

I just hate this school, their athletes are always being…read moremean, also it kinda of seems like they got some really bad lunches. Um, the government likes them more, because I can tell just by how much nicer.

I am not trying to be a hater by posting this review but trying to give parents who are moving into…read morethis state information regarding this school. Prairie High School is 10th-12th grade. If your child is academically focused and used to challenging honors or higher level classes, I would urge parents to avoid this school and this school district. We did extensive research on all the schools in the area including Iowa City and decided to move into the College Community School District because of its high score on Greatschools.org and praises from my husband's coworkers. Well, we were very disapointed and moved out of this school district after only one week of our daughter being enrolled. If you are not from Iowa but from the West or East coast and used to high standards of education, you will be disapointed. Iowa does not have honors classes for students. Not all high schools are created equal. Linn Marr and West High have advanced classes for English and Math but they are not called honors classes. Prairie HS does not have any advanced English classes! All students are expected to attend the same grade level of English classes even if your child was an honors student. This is a sports focused school. Teachers and students focus on the sports of the season and sometimes spend the entire class time discussing the previous game. Again, if your child is focused on sports, then this school is for you but if your child is academically focused and would like to be an engineer or medical doctor, avoid this school. I would recommend Linn Marr or West High. These are really the only two good high schools in this area. Another negativity is the dominance of cliques in this school. If your child did not grow up with this crowd, then it is very difficult to be accepted by the cliques unless you are an outstanding athlete. The teachers are mediocre and drive the focus on sports and homecoming. I received 5 emails about the homecoming in one week! Talk about overkill. We spent alot of monies renting a nice home and then had to break our contract because of the high school. I hope other parents don't make this mistake. We moved to Linn Marr which is much better. Linn Marr has more variety of classes and they have the advanced classes plus more choices for AP classes. Prairie has very few AP classes. They don't focus on academics at this high school. If you go to the school website, you will not find a high school course description or curricullum description which should have been a red flag for us. Linn Marr and West High have their school catologs and class descriptions online. Both schools are closed to students who are not in the boundaries so you have to move into the district. At Prairie, students are given a Mac laptop to take home and have to bring to EVERY class. Often, students are surfing the internet while teachers are lecturing. Teachers rarely give homework which requires the use of the laptop. It is a fancy gimmick. Most students in this district are from the subdivisions by the community college and in Shueyville. They are well to do and do not need a helping hand with laptops because they already have computers at home! Instead of spending school funds on laptops, the monies should have been spent for an improved academic curricullum. Yet, this is not the focus of this high school. Students are not allowed to wear backpacks, so students have to carry their books with them and their computers and stop at their lockers after each class to change books. Again, the school protcol is the laptops have to be present in every class just in case they need it for class which they don't. Pros: Offers German as a foreign language Laptops checked out for school and to take home Althletics; students do not have to try out but everyone is allowed on the team but less althletic students may not get to play during the games Althletically focused - a pro if your child is an athlete Homecoming is a BIG deal if that is your cup of tea - Reminds me of the movie "Carrie" Cons: No advanced or honors English classes offered in 10th grade Only a few AP classes are offered for 10th graders and not much more for 11th and 12th graders Few selection of classes Dominant cliques Not academically focused Laptops distract from class lectures Students who are smart and get outstanding grades are made fun of by the dominant cliques Few after school activities except for athletics If you grew up in this area, this review might be offensive. We moved here from the West Coast and are used to high standards in school, lots of after school clubs and activities, and rigorous/challenging classes which include Honors classes and lots of AP and IB classes which start at the Freshman level. Students are also academically competitive which drives other students to strive for higher attainment of academic goals.