One of LA's top classical theater companies, A Noise Within presents solid productions of Shakespeare, Moliere, Shaw, Chekhov, and classic American playwrights, among others.

Saturday morning classes, for young actors ages nine-18, are offered during the school year ($425/eight sessions). Year-round Conservatory classes, for ages ten and up, are generally available on Saturday mornings as well.

A Noise Within also features a popular five-week Summer With Shakespeare program for young thespians, ages 10 to 18, at a cost of $750.

Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School is a community Jewish day school in Northridge serving roughly 400 students in transitional kindergarten through eighth grade.

The school runs a summer camp program called Active Minds/Active Bodies which incorporate academic enrichment, sports, and art based activities over three separate summer sessions. The camp accommodates kids starting at age four. Camp hours are from 9:30am to 3pm.

Created in 1989 by casting director Katy Wallin, AIA Actor's Studio offers classes in which kids can have fun learning the craft of acting, while parents can get advice about their children's careers.

The studio also holds week-long summer camps and brings its after-school program to several elementary schools.

With a campus in Hollywood and another in New York, the Academy is the only accredited conservatory for actors located in America's two dynamic centers for the acting profession.

Saturday classes are available for children, teenagers, and adults. Terms begin in the fall and spring and run for 13 Saturdays. Classes meet for three hours and include sessions in Acting, Voice & Speech, and Movement.

The Summer Program is for teens and college students, and includes classes in acting, voice & speech, vocal production, and movement. Various elective classes are available, such as musical theatre, mime, stage make-up, and fencing, at additional cost.

At Summer Art Camp Glass Fusing Intensive for Teens, campers can create their own finished art-glass tiles, bowls, whimsical sculptures, and jewelry.

All materials are included.

The Art Center for Kids offers a range of unique design courses that teach critical thinking, innovation, and visual literacy. The program aims to nurture creativity in students in grades 4 through 8 and help them to become designers of their own world.

Classes meet for five-week sessions on Sundays from 1pm-4pm at the Art Center College of Design's Hillside and South Campuses in Pasadena. Course offerings include drawing, photography, entertainment design, the art of advertising, and much more. Members of the Art Center faculty developed the program curriculum, and many classes are even taught by faculty and alumni.

The Art Center for Kids extends a very special invitation for parents. If you are enrolling a child in the program, you can sign up to take one of the classes for free. The Center recommends that you do not take the same class as your child. Space is limited to one parent per class. Parents are asked to attend every class in the five-week session.

Tours of the Art Center campus are conducted Monday through Friday at 2pm. Tours are not offered during semester breaks. For a tour appointment, please call 626.396.2373. For recorded directions call 626.396.2246.

Art of Music Studio is a private music studio led by award-winning pianist, composer, and musicologist Dr. Sanya Henderson. The studio offers private lessons for piano, guitar, voice, and flute for all ages and levels. Group classes for children up to age six include Kindermusik and group keyboard, and a music enrichment program is available for preschools.

The first lesson is free. Group classes for children are organized in eight or sixteen-week sessions, while private lessons are offered on a monthly basis.

Kindermusik summer camps are offered in five-week sessions from May to September, featuring 45-minute classes of music, instruments, storytelling, and other activities for children up to age five. The camps are held at locations in Montrose and Eagle Rock and cost $100 to $115 per session.

Classes at Art-Works are designed to give students the opportunity to explore in depth the rich experience of painting, drawing, and mixed media. Continuous classes are weekly and students may enroll at any time, space permitting.

Youth classes, for children ages four to 17, are designed to offer a safe, fun, and encouraging environment for children & teens to discover their own creative vision and explore self-expression and communication through the visual arts. Students use traditional and non-traditional techniques and materials to learn the language of art. Painting, drawing, and mixed media techniques are used to explore line, shape, color, and texture, and to examine familiar objects and places in the world (still life, animals, people, the environment, etc?), as well as more abstract concepts of mood and emotion.

Classes offered are painting/drawing & mixed media; Mommy & me; and Illustration. Classes are held after-school Tuesday-Friday and on weekends. Tuition is based on a four-week period (four classes) and is adjusted during months with holidays or a varying number of weeks.

Four-day art camps for children ages six to 13 are held during summer, winter, and spring breaks. Camps are held Tuesday-Friday from 9am-1pm. Each week offers different projects, so children can sign up for one or more sessions. Refreshments and a snack are provided; children should bring a lunch. Cost is $320 per week.

Blackbird Dance Studio offers 45 dance and fitness classes in over 17 styles of movement. Dance camps are available in the summer.

The studio also runs a dancewear shop, both onsite and online.

Brain Play is three-week camp providing K-8th graders opportunities to think "outside the box."

Journeying through the worlds of science, technology, and the arts, Brain Play introduces creative thinking to the problem solving process. Campers master the fundamental strategies and techniques of brainstorming, while practicing fluent, flexible, and original (higher order) thinking skills.

In 2006, sessions are offered as follows:

Session I (July 10-28): Waverly School, Pasadena
Session II (July 31-Aug 18): Curtis School, LA

Grades: K-12

Enrollment: 960

Uniform: Yes

Spread across two campuses, Brentwood School is an independent, elementary through secondary, coeducational institution. The West Campus, at 12001 Sunset Blvd., consists of two sections of 21 to 22 students in each grade level, K-6. Specialty teachers in science, foreign language, music, art, physical education, computer science, and community service as well as seven full-time assistants support the efforts of the classroom teachers.

The East Campus, located at 100 S. Barrington Place, offers an academic program with a carefully sequenced, broad-based exposure to the liberal arts. Advanced placement courses are offered in 17 subject areas. The curriculum is extensive and flexible, with more than 100 courses offered each year. Honors level courses are offered in every discipline.

Extended day coverage is available on the campus until 6pm each day that school is in session throughout the school year.

Burbank Music Academy's mission is to provide musical instruction for kids who prefer rock to classical.

Music lessons, band coaching, and toddler rock programs are available, as well as a "school of rock" summer program that consists of an introduction to multiple instruments, a little music history, and an "Afternoon Rock Concert" each Friday that features all of the summer campers. The camp fee is $199/week (includes lunch on Friday) and kids ages five up are welcome.

Birthday parties can be held at the Academy, where guests can rock out on the stage or be entertained by the Academy's in-house band. For information about parties, or to book a date, email sales@burbankmusicacademy.com.

The California Chess Club is an affiliate of the
United States Chess Federation.

Club activities include after school chess programs, summer and holiday soccer and chess camps, scholastic tournaments, a Saturday workshop for kids ages six to 14, and group and private lessons for all ages.

Recording artist Deborah Gibson teams up with Hollywood acting coaches Howard Fine and Cynthia Bain to create Camp Electric Youth. The performing arts summer camp offers a variety of classes for kids ages seven to 17 in acting, voice, dance, songwriting, and more.

As the high-powered names imply, this is a camp for kids serious about performing and interested in a career in the industry. The two-week camp culminates in a final showcase in front of casting directors, agents, managers, and producers. Seminars are also offered for parents who would like to broaden their knowledge of the business and how to emotionally protect young performers.

Camp Jam is a summer program that brings together young musicians and teaches them band dynamics, secrets of the trade, performance skills, and rock history, and provides them with the opportunity to interact with industry professionals.

Camp Jam Rock 'n' Roll Summer Day Camp, for kids ages 11 to 17, provides a place for teens to convene with other aspiring musicians, bands, and vocalists. Participants can hone their musical chops by learning from - and performing with - professional musicians with experience in the music industry, in an environment that promotes skills such as teamwork and communication. The five-day camp offers instruction in guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, and vocal performance, as well as a songwriting clinic, an open mic showcase, a class on performance skills, and a course in audio engineering and production.

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.

After-camp care is available until 5:30pm for an additional $20 per week. Advance registration is required and discounts are available for early registration and multiple session enrollment. Registration forms are available online.

More than just a day camp, Camp Monkey Muffin also offers year-round classes in visual and performing arts as well as cooking.

Class size is limited to six students, who sometimes get to benefit from visits by artists, musicians, and filmmakers. Classes and camps take place in the home of director Edy Pickens, who lives in the Sunkist Park Neighborhood of Culver City.

Chamberlains' is renowned for its warm camp experience and professional musical productions. Small groups, each led by an individual counselor, learn acting skills, art, stage presence, and form lasting friendships. Each child chooses from an elective such as voice, dance, band, stage makeup, or violin. Fabulous costumes and staging round out a thrilling summer experience. Performances are at Pepperdine's beautiful Smothers' Theater.

The camp is located in Agoura Hills and offers four to five week camps, featuring a different musical every summer.

The Children's Culinary Academy offers kids a chance to prepare and cook a different dish each day, ranging from pizza and cookies (for younger students) to gourmet sandwiches (for the older students). The classes are broken into three age groups, so participants are sure to interact with other kids their own age.

The summer program (a half-day culinary camp) is held on weekdays; school year family classes are generally offered on Saturdays.

The Cheviot Hills Recreation Center is located within Cheviot Hills Park and hosts a variety of classes and activities including parent/me, preschool, fitness, sports, and arts.

Camp programs are offered in the summer, winter, and spring.

Kids can enjoy their summer training and rehearsing for a full-scale Broadway musical with the Children's Civic Light Opera program. Campers work with sets and costumes that they help to create, professional style lighting and sound, and a live orchestra.

Daily workshops are offered in dance, voice, acting, improvisation, story analysis, character studies, and technical theatre. Other fun activities include guest speakers, barbecues, theme days, and an annual field trip to Disneyland.

Clay is an exciting and magical material, and at ClayCamp children learn the craft and art of clay while having fun exploring their creativity.

ClayCamp is a pottery program offering a total hands-on experience for children ages six to 15. Classes are small, with a maximum of eight students per class. Students receive both group and individual instruction at their own level. Several ceramic techniques are taught: throwing simple pieces on the potter's wheel, shaping moist clay into pinch pots, designing and constructing slab projects, building unique coil vessels, clay decoration, and glazing.

Community Musical Theater Day Camp offers a full musical theater program for kids, beginners through advanced. Extended care is available.

Dates for 2007 are July 9 to August 3.

The Craft and Folk Art Museum (CAFAM) is an institution which pioneered recognition in the Los Angeles area of the aesthetic and cultural merit of traditional arts and crafts. Founded in 1965 by Edith and Frank Wyle as The Egg and the Eye, the museum is known for its exhibitions reflecting the diverse communities and contemporary craft artists and designers of the Southern California region and internationally.

On most weekends, the museum offers workshops on new arts and crafts techniques and cultural information. Recent events have included creating paper quilts while listening to traditional African American lullabies, making marionettes after watching a puppet show, and working with clay in the studio. Check our calendar to see what's next on the schedule.

The museum's Wide World Summer Camp is a great deal, and a great way to expose kids ages six to 12 to different cultures.

An esteem-building, intimate theater camp for kids ages six to 11, CRE Kids Summer Theater Camp aims to engage campers in all aspects of putting on a show, including writing, character-building, costume and set design, and music composition. Each week-long session has a different theme and culminates in a presentation at the end of the week.

CREST - which stands for child care, recreation, enrichment, sports, together - is a unique program collaborating between the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, offering fun and exciting before and after school options right at the school site.

Throughout the school year, before and after school homework assistance and activities are available for kids in grades K-3. For students in grades K-8, enrichment classes and youth sports programs are offered. In addition, several of the schools offer free after-school unstructured supervised playground time. On school breaks, CREST offers various camp programs.

Financial assistance is available to qualifying low and moderate income families. CREST is a part of the City's Human Services Division.

Culver West Park is a three-acre park in the Culver West neighborhood, also known by the names Richard Alexander Park and Culver West Alexander Park.

Facilities include a playground, three barbecues, tennis courts, a baseball diamond, a soccer field, and a recreation building that offers a variety of city programs including children's classes and summer and holiday camps.

Dance In Motion offers classes in ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, breaking, pointe, salsa, belly dance, and pilates. All ages and all levels are welcome.

The studio also offers a dance summer camp.

DayJams is a rock music day camp program for beginners and experienced musicians ages nine to 15. Participants write an original song and perform it live, 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.

The materials fee per week is $35. Materials include books, CD, art supplies, and, in some cases, access to classroom instruments.

Applications should be sent to the main office (not the host schools):

DayJams

P.O. Box 222

Lakeside, CT 06758

DayJams is a rock music day camp program for beginners and experienced musicians ages nine to 15. Participants write an original song and perform it live, 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.

The materials fee per week is $35. Materials include books, CD, art supplies, and, in some cases, access to classroom instruments.

Applications should be sent to the main office (not the host schools):

DayJams

P.O. Box 222

Lakeside, CT 06758

DayJams is a rock music day camp program for beginners and experienced musicians ages nine to 15. Participants write an original song and perform it live, 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.

The materials fee per week is $35. Materials include books, CD, art supplies, and, in some cases, access to classroom instruments.

Applications should be sent to the main office (not the host schools):

DayJams

P.O. Box 222

Lakeside, CT 06758

The Discovery Science Center, also known as the Discovery Cube is a 59,000-square-foot interactive, hands-on learning facility designed to spark children's natural curiosity. Dedicated to kids' education through entertainment, it's as much like an amusement park as a museum.

Kids are encouraged to touch, play, and explore science-related exhibits in a fun and entertaining way.

Nine exhibit areas are featured: Discovery Stadium (where kids can test their physical knack by gauging their reaction times, grip strength, and balance ability), Techno Arts, Air and Space, Perception, Dynamic Earth, Quake Zone, KidStation, the Digital Lab, and Dino Quest.

Dino Quest, the center's newest permanent exhibit, takes families on a trip through the prehistoric world with several life-size dinosaurs, including an argentinosaurus that guests can walk through, a T-Rex, several velociraptors, and others.

Discovery Science Center houses nearly 100 interactive exhibits. Lie on a bed of 3,500 nails (and learn the secret of weight disbursement), walk through a tornado, experience an earthquake, and more.

Additional features are a computer room with 20 terminals, a demonstration theater, 4-D Laser Theater (an additional $2-$3), two classrooms, and a science store.

Kids ages five and under can experience electronic finger painting and can dress up and be on a TV screen in the KidStation area. Even the very smallest of the small can enjoy the soft-play section.

Discovery Activities take place from 2pm-5pm daily.

The Center hosts numerous summer camp options. Most camps are for children ages seven to 13, but Summer Smiles is a new half day camp for five and six year olds. The week-long day camps focus on science and technology and run daily either from 9am to 2:30pm or 9am to 12n. Class fees include admission to Discovery Science Center. Members pay discounted fees. Extended day programs (including a snack and structured activities) from 2:30pm to 5pm are available for some camps, for an additional fee.

Food options include a Taco Bell (the center's major sponsor) and Pizza Hut Express.

Children 17 years of age and under need to be accompanied by an adult.

DK Dance Factory offers classes for children and adults in ballet, hip-hop, jazz, creative movement, musical theater, tap, belly dance, simcha dance, and more. Birthday parties and summer camp programs are also available.

Echo Ceramics offers ceramics classes for teens and adults year-round, and summer camps for kids ages nine to 15.

Teen classes begin the first week of the month every month and are limited to seven students per class.

Summer camp gives kids a chance to learn hand-building techniques like coiling and pinching pots, making objects with slabs, using an extruder and - best of all - how to throw on a real potter's wheel. There are generally three separate sessions, running daily from 9am to 2pm. Camp enrollment is limited to 10 students.

The Larry Moss Studio offers a wide array of classes and workshops geared for actors of all ages and levels at the Edgemar Center for the Arts, a state of the art two-theatre and art gallery complex.

Nestled between a cafe, salon, retail shops, and an annex of the Museum of Contemporary Art store, the Center is the anchor of the Edgemar complex.

The complex, designed by architect Frank Gehry, also features family-friendly theater performances.

Mommy and Me Fantastical Story Hour allows young children to explore their creativity and dramatic flair with costumes, story telling, and music. Classes are held on Fridays from 3pm-4pm.

Edgemar also offers Junior Summer Camp where kids ages seven to 14 work on Acting and Improv, Creative Writing, on-camera scene study, and more.

Eye Dreams Professional Performing Summer Arts Program aims to draw out the natural creative abilities of children through music, dance, theater, art, and creative writing.

The program culminates with a public performance.