Utilizing fun classes, imaginative teachers, and creative materials, Abrakadoodle inspires the artist in every child. The program meets both the National and State Standards for visual arts education. Classes are developmentally appropriate and introduce kids to color, texture, shape, and creativity.

Classes are held at various locations throughout the northern Houston suburbs. Call for current pricing and class locations.

Birthday Party packages are available, and include a visit from Splat, the Abrakadoodle stuffed toy mascot, arty gift bags for all the children, a special arty gift for the birthday child, and a Remarkable Art Activity Abrakadoodle-style that lasts about one hour. At the end, artwork is framed for each child to take home as a treasured keepsake.

Ace Academic Enrichment Center offers an afterschool program with academic curricula for children in first through sixth grades, covering math, language arts, science, computers, indoor sports, and games, while also emphasizing character development. Pickup from nearby schools is available.

Ace also offers weekly enrichment classes in math, language arts, Spanish, music, art, theater arts, and chess. Visit the website for current schedules. Tutoring in language arts, Spanish, and math is available for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

The summer program and camps focus on academic enrichment, but also include recreational activities such as basketball, art, theater arts, field trips, and more.

Ace Academic Enrichment Center offers an afterschool program with academic curricula for children in first through sixth grades, covering math, language arts, science, computers, indoor sports, and games, while also emphasizing character development. Pickup from nearby schools is available.

Ace also offers weekly enrichment classes in math, language arts, Spanish, music, art, theater arts, and chess. Visit the website for current schedules. Tutoring in language arts, Spanish, and math is available for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

The summer program and camps focus on academic enrichment, but also include recreational activities such as basketball, art, theater arts, field trips, and more.

ACE Theatre - Artistic Community Ensemble - is a community theater company offering both adult and youth stage productions.

In the summer, ACE also offers acting camp for children ages eight to 13, as well as weekly dance workshops.

Inside the Alley Theatre are two separate theaters - the 824-seat Hubbard Stage and the smaller Neuhaus Stage. The Alley aims to present a wide range of plays, embracing classic, new, and neglected plays. The Alley also hosts a variety of other events, including children's performances, music, and author readings.

The Alley Theatre Young Performers Studio (YPS)offers students entering grades 2-12 an introduction to the theater arts in classes led by Alley-trained artists. For more information, contact YPS Director Julia Traber at 713.228.9341, ex 423.

American Robotics Academy offers summer day camps, after-school enrichment programs, classes, birthday parties, scouting activities, and other special events for young people to learn about robotics technology in today's world.

Programs encourage participants to explore, experience, and express themselves through hands-on, interactive robotics activities. Students gain experience with design and problem solving through the use of gears, motors, wheels and axles, pulleys, and remote control devices in order to build simple working robots - and to be inspired to create more complex robotic inventions.

Classes and camps are held at various schools and church facilities throughout the greater Houston area; visit the website for a complete, up-to-date list.

Founded in 1948, Art League Houston is a non-profit organization hosting art exhibits, art classes, and kids' summer art camp classes.

The building is also home to Inversion Coffee House.

Art Studio on the Boulevard offers art classes in sketching, painting, sculpting, and more. In the summer, the Mad Hatters Art Camp features instruction in visual arts, music, science, and drama, for children ages five to 11.

Owner Naomi Smulian is not only an artist and teacher, but has also written children's books and Love For Learning, a series of art curricula for schools and daycare centers.

Set in a historic movie house, the Harbour Playhouse is both a community theater and a fine arts academy. Year-round classes for children and teens are offered in performing arts, musical theater, dance, piano, and voice.

Summer drama camp is also available to children ages six and up.

Bay Area Learning Center has joined with FasTracKids to offer an academic enrichment program for children ages three to seven. This 24-month (two hours per week) course is designed to enrich children's knowledge while also developing their speaking, communication, and leadership skills.

Subject-areas include not only math and writing, but also drama, economics, and various sciences - astronomy, technology, and biology, to name a few.

The Learning Center also offers Spanish lessons, as well as tutoring in math, reading, and writing for ages three and up - including TAKS prep!

Academic summer camps are also available in areas such as science, Spanish, math, and reading.

The Bay Area Theatre and Voice Academy offers private music lessons and musical theater workshops and classes for children ages four and up, including teens. Classes are geared towards developing productions.

The Academy also offers summer camps which culminate in musical theater productions.

The Brazilian Arts Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides low-cost classes in Capoeira, dance, Portuguese, and music, and also hosts performances at various venues around the greater Houston area.

Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian game that combines martial arts, dance, and music. Classes teach the basic movements and structure of the game, as well as how to play the musical instruments and rhythms, and traditional Portuguese songs.

The Foundation also hosts a Capoeira Kids Summer Camp, in which kids learn basic Capoeira movements and strategy, acrobatics, musical instruments, Portuguese language through singing, and the traditions and culture of Brazil.

Let your children's imaginations run wild this summer at Camp Invention, a weeklong day camp offered in elementary schools across the country. Check online for a location near you.

Kids in the first through sixth grades participate in fun, hands-on activities that enhance their understanding of the arts, sciences, history, and math.

Created by the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Camp Jam Rock 'n' Roll Summer Day Camp is the vision of renowned rock guitarist/songwriter Jeff Carlisi of the platinum selling band .38 Special. Camp Jam brings together young musicians and teaches them band dynamics, secrets of the trade, performance skills, and rock history, and allows them to interact with industry professionals.

Camp Jam also matches kids not already in a band with other campers based on age and ability, all under the direction of a professional mentor. Band members can learn fundamentals of practice with a group and rehearsal techniques, as well as songwriting and recording, and are given a chance to perform live on stage at the end of each session in front of family and friends.

Camp Jam Kidz is for pint-sized rockers ages seven to 10. This unique program offers a fun, interactive musical experience for younger kids, giving them the chance to play the instrument of their choice under the watchful eyes of the camp counselors. Camp Jam Kidz offers an experience that's similar to that of older campers, but with a more hands-on focus from instructors. Participants play their very first gig at the end of the week, performing on stage with a real rock band.

One-week sessions are available; call or visit website for exact dates. Early drop-off is available at 8:30am at no extra charge; after-camp (until 5:30pm) costs $20 extra per week. Advance registration is required and discounts are available for early registration and multiple session enrollment. Registration forms are available on Camp Jam's website.

Children's School of Art Houston offers art classes and summer camps for kids, as well as parent-child classes.

Established in 1979, the Chinese Community Center offers its programs to the community at large. The Center has a child development center for infants and up, as well as afterschool enrichment programs for children in kindergarten through high school. The afterschool program features tutoring, sports and group activities, TAKS prep, and more, while also assisting new immigrant youth in their transition into the community with English enrichment and acculturation workshops.

The Center's Chinese School offers youth language classes, as well as enrichment classes in kung fu, chess, art, and more, for children ages three and up. The Center also hosts the Chinese Youth Society, which is open to children of all nationalities, meeting at the school once a month for a variety of activities, including community outreach and basketball.

The summer program and camp offer academic enrichment with TAKS prep and intensive language sessions, as well as splash days and other activities.

Christian Youth Theater (CYT) offers theater arts classes for children ages six to 18, as well as performing arts summer camps.

Founded in 1982, City ArtWorks offers studio classes and week-long summer art camps.

City ArtWorks' Art After School program features artists and art teachers who present students with a fully developed visual arts curriculum at elementary schools all over Houston and surrounding ISDs. To register, visit the website for a current list of locations.

Creative Connections offers fine arts classes for children in dance, drama, art, yoga, creative movement, and motor skills. Classes are available for infants to fifth graders at various venues throughout the greater Houston area. Call or visit the website for current locations and schedules.

Creative Connections also offers day camps and birthday party packages.

Ask about the schedule of free demo classes.

Dance of Asian America presents dance shows at various shows throughout Houston. The site's Misti Dancing School hosts dance classes and an intensive summer dance camp workshop for children ages 12 to 16.

In Houston for two weeks in the summer, DayJams is a rock music day camp program for beginners and experienced musicians ages eight to 15. Participants write an original song and perform it live at the end of the week; record a CD; design a poster, T-shirt, and CD cover for their band; make a music video; and, yes, spend a little time pursuing outdoor activities as well.

Materials include books, CD, art supplies, and, in some cases, access to classroom instruments.

Visit the website for current schedule and location.

Diaz Music Institute is a nonprofit fine arts institution dedicated to the preservation and performance of Latin music. The institute's youth ensemble, Caliente, performs at various venues around the greater Houston area, as well as throughout the country.

Diaz Music Institute also offers a three-week summer music workshop for elementary, middle, and high school students. Call or visit the website for specific dates.

Drama Kids offers performing arts classes for kids ages five to 15. The programs focus on helping participants to build confidence and self esteem while learning to act and speak creatively. Week-long, half-day summer camps are also available; call for the current schedule.

Houston's oldest and largest performing and arts education organization, Express Children's Theatre offers performances every Saturday, in addition to theatre arts education programs.

Saturday Theatre Workshops ($25 per two-hour workshop) invite students to participate in a variety of theatre games and activities, including pantomime, stage movement, improvisation, and dramatic interpretation.

The afterschool theatre arts programs and summer camps, for children ages eight to 16, focus on all aspects of rehearsing and performing a play.

Fort Bend Theatre provides Sugar Land-area families with a variety of productions throughout the year. Productions generally alternate between "Family Shows" and "Children's Shows," so there's usually something on tap for children of all ages. Tickets are available by phone or online.

The theater also offers acting classes for children ages eight and up, as well as summer camp for ages five to 14.

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best artsy class for big kids and best place for a parents' night out in Houston, Glazed Over is a paint-your-own-pottery studio. Customers select a "raw" piece of pottery or mosaic, then choose paints, brushes, stencils, and sponges with which to decorate it. Painters can purchase soft drinks and juices, and can even have food delivered. When finished, Glazed Over glazes and fires the piece; pick-up is ready within seven days.

Birthday party packages are available for a minimum of eight painters. Glazed Over also hosts classes for kids ages five to 13, as well as weekly summer camp sessions, and a spring break camp.

The studio also hosts a storytime-workshop in which parents and children ages two to five listen to a story, then paint a critter that relates to the story.

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best day camp for teens in Houston, HITS was founded in 1980 as a place where kids could receive professional-quality theater training.
Classes are open to children from age four through 18, and HITS also produces family-oriented Broadway-style theatre performances, featuring actors of all ages.

Classes and performances take place in HITS' intimate theater. HITS also produces a major Broadway musical at Miller Outdoor Theatre each spring.

A multi-session Musical Theater Summer Camp for children ages four to 18 is also offered each year.

Houston Academy of Dramatic Arts offers both introductory and advanced acting classes, year-round, for children ages seven and up. The Academy also offers two-week performing arts summer camps for teens and pre-teens. Call or visit website for schedules.

Founded in 1955, Houston Grand Opera has produced thirty-three world premieres, six American premieres, and a long list of talented performers who have passed through HGO's acclaimed training program, Houston Grand Opera Studio. Most performances are at the Wortham Theater Center.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the Houston Grand Opera Box Office, at the Wortham Theater Center, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, and 90 minutes before each performance and two hours before Sunday matinees.

To order tickets by phone, call the Customer Care Center at 713.228.OPERA or 800.62.OPERA, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm. On performance days, the box office stays open until curtain.

HGO also operates the Houston Grand Opera Studio, a training and performance program for young artists with the potential for major careers in the opera/music theater profession, as well as the High School Voice Studio, a program for talented local high school students.

Opera Camps: "The Opera Experience" is designed for young singers entering grades 4-9.
"The Art of Opera" is for students with unchanged voices entering grades 7-12.
"Create an Opera" is a camp for young singers entering grades 3-5.
Camp space is limited, so be sure to register early.

Houston International Ballet Academy offers classical ballet instruction for children ages three and up, for beginners through pre-professional students. During the summer, the Academy also offers a two-week, intensive workshop for ballet dancers of intermediate through advanced levels, as well as a beginners' camp for kids ages five to 10.

Imagination Campus offers childcare and preschool for kids ages six weeks to five years old, as well as an after school program for first- through fifth-graders.

Summer camp is also available. From figuring out the mechanics of spaceship engineering using recycled materials to creating food for a spy academy graduation ceremony, participants in the Summer Mission Series are given the necessary tools to question, learn, and invent through arts, sciences, creativity, and natural play. Each session is based on a theme.

Jerry's Artarama stocks a wide variety of discounted art supplies. The store also hosts art classes and summer camps.

KidStage is an afterschool drama program for kids ages four and up, including high school students. Classes meet once a week for 12 weeks and end in a final showcase performance. Classes are held at Kids in Action in Kingwood.

The program can help to build kids' reading skills, vocabulary, teamwork abilities, and leadership skills in a creative environment.

KidStage hosts one-day summer workshops as well. Call or visit the website for locations and schedules.

KidStage also offers birthday party entertainment by performing a drama workshop for your child and their friends. An instructor comes to your home or other location and engages the party goers with theater games, exercises, improvisation, and mask making. Afterwards, the children can even put on a skit variety show. Pricing is $75 for 1 hour ($50 for each additional 30 minutes).

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best day camp for big kids in Houston, Main Street Theater opened its second space at Chelsea Market with a 190-seat theater dedicated to the youth theater program and to large-scale MainStage classics and musicals. (The theater's original, 92-seat venue is in Rice Village.) The youth theater program puts on children's productions for school groups and the general public. A concession stand is open during performances.

MST at Chelsea Market also hosts a Kids On Stage program, which includes performing arts classes, summer camp, and winter camp. The classes are designed for children in grades kindergarten through 5th, while the summer camp includes programs for children ages four to 14, as well as a high school workshop for advanced students.

Marla's Art Studio offers art classes for artists of all ages, as well as birthday parties and week-long art camp themes throughout the summer. Art camps are for children ages five to 12, and cost $175 per week for half days (9:30am-12n).

MECA - Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts - is a community-based, non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the healthy social, cultural, and academic development of at-risk, inner-city youth through education in the arts. MECA offers classical and ethnic arts education, sports and recreation, and support services to approximately 3,000 students a year through its in-school, after-school, and summer arts programs. MECA has been serving the First Ward, Sixth Ward, Near Northside, and Heights districts since 1977.

Classes include improvisation, dance, mariachi, and visual and applied arts. The summer program includes arts education and field trips to parks and museums.

MECA also puts on several public performances throughout the year.

Potter's Wheel is a paint-your-own-pottery studio for kids and parents featuring a large selection of bisque items to paint. Firing is done on site.

Also available are kids' classes, summer camp workshop, and birthday party packages.