Fantastic camp! Extremely organized with a friendly, well-trained, and enthusiastic staff! Their…read moreswimming program is great and helped my daughter get comfortable in the water after just two weeks. A little more expensive than other options in the area, but the hours are longer, and the camp is well worth it. You get a lot for your money.

A small traditional day camp with a variety of creative and physical activities for campers ages 3…read more- 10.

Junk food everywhere. Kids are given junk good snacks and "organic" junk food lunches (for…read moreadditional charge). Low-paid counselors everywhere, no access to adult teachers. The prices are ridiculous.

My son went there for 3 hours before he got kicked out. He has learning disabilities and they did…read morenot want him there anymore. He came home crying asking me " Mommy how come no one likes me?" And my son was 4 at the time. They were very rude and did not want to help him acclimate to the school.

My son attended Puddlestompers for two weeks three summers in a row. He really enjoyed the program,…read moreand always found friends among the young campers. The staff was professional, kind, and very responsive to questions.

This summer was our family's first experience with Puddlestompers. We were very excited for a…read morenature-focused camp and hoped for a high-quality, memorable experience based on the strong reviews and the program's cost. However, on the second day, my son told us that his favorite part of camp was getting to watch Wild Kratts. I was surprised to hear that screen time was being used at a camp advertised around outdoor exploration, so I emailed the staff. They responded quickly, apologized, and assured me it would not happen again. What happened next was far more concerning. The following day, my son was unusually quiet and reluctant to talk about camp. When I gently asked what was wrong, he eventually told me, "My teachers said we can't watch TV anymore because you and Papa told them we can't. Next time I won't tell you." I was shocked and heartbroken. A private concern raised by parents should never be communicated to a group of children in a way that identifies one child or makes that child feel responsible for a change. Regardless of exactly how the message was delivered (I'll never know), my son came away believing that being honest with his parents had caused a problem for everyone, and that he should keep things from us in the future. I suppose the silver lining is that we used this experience to have an important conversation with our son about trust and reassured him that he can always tell us what happens when he is away from home. Still, that is a lesson we should not have had to repair after camp. Since sharing our experience with other parents, I have learned that children watching television at Puddlestompers is not unusual. We are not opposed to screen time, in fact we love watching Wild Kratts at home. I just didn't expect it to be part of a summer camp that promotes an outdoor, nature-filled experience. Other than this incident, my son loved his time there. I'm sharing this so prospective families can ask clear questions about screen use and how the camp handles parent concerns before enrolling.

The New Art Center in Newton is a fabulous community resource for art classes for adults, teens and…read morekids. There are also terrific art camps for children and teens throughout the summer and over school vacation weeks. New Art also has free art experiences for the community, including a gallery at 245 Walnut St, Newton and a robust scholarship program.

I am impressed that this more conservative contemporary art gallery was willing to exhibit all…read morekinds of "urban" art!! I went there Friday evening and saw what some of the highly skilled graffiti artists in Boston and New York have been up to lately. Cheers to the board at the New Art Center for approving such a cutting edge and controversial showcase!

I signed up my daughter for the extended day option and called to request a cancellation/refund as…read morewe no longer needed this option. I was informed by Eileen that this would not be possible as beaver does not offer any refunds/adjustments after April 1st. I understand that this policy would be reasonable for enrollment but just wanted to request a partial refund for the extended day program which she stated would be impossible. All the other camps that my daughter is signed up for this summer offered a refund to cancel their extended day options. Beaver has a very strict policy and my daughter and son will not sign up for future summer camps at beaver. There are plenty of other great summer camps in the area that are much more flexible and understanding.

I've been keeping this quiet but i wanted to tell more people. When i was about five we were in the…read morepool playing some sort of red light green light. All the counselors were helping other kids except for me. When we were swimming back i lost my grip of the wall. I didn't know how to tread so i was just in the water. I started breathing in and out, opening my eyes, and swallowing water. I was down there for about 10 seconds before a counselor noticed my DROWNING and helped me up. I never went back to that camp again. (Here's some cute otters)

We did a few weeks of the summer camp - the students are fun and kind and the teachers are…read moreenergetic. They are genuinely interested in teaching the students. My child had a great experience at this camp, would come back!

From the owner: Register today for Spring classes and the Robo Club after school program at The Robo Hub!…read more **Use Promo: YELP10 and save 10% off ALL packages! Kids in Grades K-8 will explore, learn, find their passion, make new friends and bond with our amazing instructors at our Spring classes, starting January 6th. Choose from First LEGO® League Teams, Chess Ai, Coding (Scratch, Python), Robotics, Game Development, CD CAD and Manufacturing, Minecraft Engineering and more! Our Robo Club After School program offers "Next Level" after school activities! Kids will safely explore cutting-edge technology and innovate together. Specialty clubs, sports and games, academic support, healthy snacks, and optional classes will round out their day. Enroll now, seats are limited!

Five stars for Kids Corner, three to four for everything else. Lots of new equipment, friendly…read morestaff, lively atmosphere and family-friendly. The building is v v old though.

Came here for the pool. They have shoe booties to cover your dirty shoes before entering the pool…read more There are two pools - one for swim lessons and laps while the smaller pool is for little kiddies and water aerobic classes? Good to see that they offer life jackets, noodles, and other floaties. Staff hand out different colored necklaces to kids depending on their swimming level (red dotted = can't swim, red = can swim a bit but can't go to deep end, yellow = can swim to deep end). Overall ok until I saw a floating bandaid in the deep end and clump of hair on the deck. Family locker room is clean. They have soap if you want to rinse. Need to scan pass in order to enter (turnstyle like paying before entering the mbta train). That's good because other locations, everyone can enter without checking IDs or memberships. Machines can use an update. I didn't use but a family member said they are old.

My little dancer LOVES Creative Steps!!! Season after season she asks to come back…read more Miss Michelle is always taking care of every single detail and she does a great job communicating and even though she has lot of students she manages to know each of them and be sure they are in the proper class! Strongly recommended!!!

Really grateful that they have a camp with a daily program and availability, and they start at 3…read moreyears old! Miss Jess helped my almost-4-year-old feel immediately at ease, and I feel confident that I left her in very competent hands. There was plenty of supervision (2 adults + a CIT) for ~6 kids in the younger age group. I am sure she will be asking to go back!

Best school ever! My son is 5 1/2 yrs old, and has been a student since he was 15 months. I would…read morehighly recommend this school! I am very sad that it's his last year since he will be starting Kindergarten in September, but if you want the best education and an amazing staff of teachers, this is the school!

From the owner: Now enrolling children ages 15 months to 5 years at Newton School for Children in Newton, MA. We…read moreoffer nurturing, play-based programs that support each child's growth and development. Our experienced educators create a warm environment where children engage in age-appropriate activities that promote learning and social skills. Conveniently located at 25 Lenglen Rd, Newton, MA 02458, we provide flexible scheduling options to accommodate your family's needs. Spaces are limited--call (617) 965-3549 or visit our website to schedule a tour and secure your child's spot today.

Great place for kids and families! We came in a Saturday in July and it was not packed!! There was…read morea sign at the parking lot saying the water park was closed but it wasn't, maybe the sun kept the crowds away....? There are bathrooms here, as well! Clean ones!!!! Plenty of shades areas and play areas for each age group (toddlers and 5-12).

I had a very bad experience with Soule and I had to withdraw my toddler daughter after 3 days. In…read moreshort, the problem is management and, perhaps, its culture. Before I explain what happened, I should note that Soule was the only school that did in-person tours in the peak of the pandemic in February whereas every single school/daycare was doing it remotely. I think that says something... After I enrolled my child, I was told that a week before the official start day, she will come in everyday for an hour with me accompanying her in the classroom. Third day of that transition week, I was told to wait outside as she seemed to be doing fine alone. I left briefly to go to Starbucks to pick up a cup of coffee. When I returned, I found her crying, and I was told that I should stick around because it is the transition period. At week 2, which is the official start week, on Monday I did stick around whole day, because that is what I assumed I was supposed to be doing. Nobody gave me any instructions or explained me any plan. At 10am, they took her out since she was crying asking me to take her home. That did not sound right to me, because she will never get used to the place if I take her home after each cry. So, I gave her some food and I let her go inside again. They had a tendency to say goodbye throughout the day, eager to send us home. I stayed and assisted her to nap there. I thought this was weird as I cannot spend my days like that sticking around whole day, so I asked them to come up with a plan. They said I should leave her in the morning and go home because when she knows that I am outside, she will try to go out and cry. I agreed. The plan was that I was going to leave her half a day for two days and on the third day we would try full day. This plan was reasonable to me, because she was not doing terribly bad at all: she loved the toys and the school, but she needed to learn to stay there without me. Btw, I should note that I did not even do sleep training with her since I am not ok letting her cry for long periods of time. But, our original plan was good, because she seemed to be doing fine. An hour later, the director calls me and says, they decided to switch her enrollment to half day for that month because it is too stressful for her. When I said let me think about it, she says, no, that is what we decided! So, they are making a decision by themselves without thinking about my personal circumstances. I am a single mom who needs to return to her full time job. This was very disturbing for me. I talked to some friends with kids. They all found this whole thing very strange. They all thought that it is their job to entertain/distract her so that she does not cry; they thought that it should not be up to them to make a decision unilaterally. I needed them to do their part so that she gets used to the place as soon as possible. "She cried, take her home" is not a solution. Plus, this created extreme anxiety for me as I could not rely on them to organize my life. I decided to try one-two more days. I found myself calling/texting them to see how she is doing. The second day, nobody even replied to my texts. Somebody should have explained me how the communication was going to work (e.g., they would check with me in mid day, or just reach out to me only if there is an issue). None of that. No explanation of the processes. I talked to the director and explained her all my thoughts. (Oh, btw, the director also said the center is getting rid of all the Covid rules which prompted her to resign.) She kept saying that I am right. But, I don't think that she cares, as she is leaving anyways. Where does the process break? I think the lead teacher has as much responsibility as the director in making sure that there is proper communication with the parent, educating the parent, and setting the expectations of the parent. After we made a plan together, what did she say to the director which made her call me and tell me that they are changing her enrollment without my consent? Plans, of course, can change. I was not going to torment my child if she was not adjusting well, but it should not be up to the school to make a decision without my consent. I am the customer. I eventually decided to cancel her enrollment (which the director offered me), because I could not trust what kind of uncertainty and unreliability was waiting for me in the future. I need reliable care. I do not recommend this place. The core of the problem perhaps is that they have a state institution mentality, which they are. They are employees of the city of Brookline. Private daycares care so much about customer satisfaction and their ratings; the directors seem to be hovering around to make sure that the place is functioning properly. I got the impression that the director of Soule was jaded. Not sure if the new one can change the culture because incentives most likely are there to stay.