Our daughter has done this as a week-long day camp (at Bement Summer Camp) twice now. Each year was…read moresimilar but the daily activities changed. Regardless, she LOVES this program! Plenty to challenge older / more experienced kids, but also moving at a pace the younger crowd can keep up with. Last year, her favorites were kayaking and caving. This year, raft-building and caving. She starts each day excited for a new adventure, and comes home worn out and so full of stories. The guides have all been fantastic - knowledgeable about the trails, history, and environmental topics; good at setting expectations about the day's activities and rules; and great with kids of varying abilities. Caving may be the best thing about this program. Our family hikes & paddles regularly, but caving is best done with a guide who's done the cave before and can set expectations realistically. When our daughter comes back from the caving days, her clothes are wet and filthy, she tells stories about impossibly narrow and tight passages, and she grins the whole time. It's such a great experience and has really expanded her enjoyment of our outdoor adventures. My only request is that the guides would give parents a list of where they went, complete with recommended parking and recommended routes - so we can try these things too! Well, except the caving. I'd want a guide for that!

We brought my son's 6th Grade class here for an adventure and no one left disappointed. You could…read moresee quite a few of the class were tentative as they entered the cave but once they got inside all of there faces lit up as they began to explore. Our guides were Anna and Benjamin and both were great with the kids. They told us stories and taught us all some facts about how the caves were formed, what was down there, and how they would look in the future. We explored some of the larger areas of the cave and also some of the tighter passages. It was peaceful, challenging, meditative, and fun. It's also worth noting the care Anna and Benjamin took to make sure that everyone had a pleasurable and safe experience. They were supportive to push us to get a little outside of our comfort zones but were equally supportive and attentive if someone felt they had reached their limit. It's been two days and the class is still talking about the trip. I plan to get as many of the kids and parents together to do this again some time in the near future. I do not have enough words to express the gratitude I feel for this experience.

We have been sending our son to Renaissance since he was age eligible. We chose Renaissance based…read moreon its proximity to UMass (a stone's throw!) and affordability. When I learned that Miss Dottie used to run the lab school at UMass, I was sold. I feel that people who teach aspiring teachers are up to date on best practices and truly dedicated to the field. We have been very pleased with the school. They have a really great staff to student ratio. There are a lot of interns from UMass, which is very exciting for the children. The class is incredibly diverse, with almost all of the children speaking different languages at home. I would highly recommend it!

My son just finished his second year at the Renaissance School and we will all miss it so much…read more Renaissance is a warm and loving place where kids get to play and learn by following their own interests and curiosity. Ms Dotty is so thoughtful and purposeful in how she puts together the curriculum, arranges the classroom, and talks with the kids about their developing social and emotional abilities. We really felt that our son was well taken care of here.

My child took the swimming lessons a few time. She really enjoys it. The instructors are great and…read morecaring and really great with kids. Regarding the swimming facilities, they are generally great. Some downsides are: (1) middle school pool temperature is slightly lower than normal at least for the time we went (2) there is no private shower room at men's locker room. This is pretty awkward when my husband takes my daughter to swim lessons.

We love the small group sizes, it's less intimidating for our child and they get more one on one…read morewith the instructors. There are year round lessons so our child can keep practicing the skills they've acquired during the class and learn new ones. We've signed for more lessons and have recommended the class to friends and neighbors.

This gym and the owners are amazing! I grew up in this gym, learning gymnastics, strength, bravery,…read moreand courage. I went here for 14 years, doing team for 10. I've "retired" from gymnastics now, but I wish I lived close enough to take my own daughters here. I did gymnastics on the same team as the current owner and she's not just an amazing gymnast, but a great person. When I reached out with a gymnastics question -- about a challenge I was having with my girls' current gym -- she was quick to respond and provided great advice. I recommend Talya and Hampshire Gymnastics school without reservation!

fuck this gym. that's all i can say. at least twice a week i have a dream that i am back in the…read moregym, the coaches talking shit about there students, whispering behind clip boards while staring and laughing at us. i will never forgive them for the amount of tears i have lost knowing that the dreams i've had since i was a little girl are over due to the unfair behavior they have shown towards me. just last week i was crying in my moms arms while saying "mom it's not fair". they made my parents spend thousands of dollars to fly me to nationals just for them to kick me off the team the next week. they looked me in my eyes at nationals saying "you got this" while in the back of there head they knew i was gonna be gone just a week later. i know that i might sound like a bitch but they left my family with an email consisting of no information of why i was being kicked off. no reason. i was the girl that always was friendly and got to know every knew girl that came to the gym, asking questions about them and truly making them feel welcome in the toxic environment. when you are a kid you don't know much about what going on around you. but lucky for me i was 10-13 when i was here so i knew just how fucked up this gym was. the only reason that i could think of as to why i was being asked to leave was that i was rude to coaches, but if you were in my postion with coaches forcing you to do skills tou we're not ready for, talking about you badly with other coaches in-front of me, you would understand why i was rude the times i was. after this i felt horrible about myself thinking that i was this horrible person. i'm not. they made me think i was though. this gym is the only one in the area so to me it did not feel like they kicked me out of the gym but they kicked me out of my dream, my favorite thing in the world, gymnastics. i know i can't tell you what to do so all i am doing is leaving my honest review, the yelp stile. thank you guys for reading. i hope you can think about what i had to say and hopefully stear clear from your child getting as hurt as i did. this has messed me up to the point we're i don't feel like myself, and all i can hope for is that no other kid has to go through that. love you guys.

It's a small school. The classes are small. Each student gets close, loving, personal attention…read more The school is flexible, giving new students a chance to check it out before making a big commitment. I can't overstate what a positive impact Amherst Martial Arts has had on my 13-year-old son's life.

Amherst Martial Arts, a taekwondo school, is a really special space in Amherst. It has been…read moreoperating for more than 20 years, educating countless children, as well as hosting summer camps (taekwondo, swimming, and horseback riding). It's the complete program: philosophy, strength, forms, and practical application -- self defense and sparring. The strength of this program is not just in the excellent and serious instruction, but in the warmth of the community. The children are kind and supportive to each other, an attitude fostered by the teachers. The children and teens really form relationships with each other. The school is a labor of love for the instructors; they haven't raised their rates in years, because they want to keep it accessible. At some other places that I've seen, the programming aimed at kids can feel like a mill, processing lots of kids, keeping things fun but what are the kids actually learning? I've seen some kids' martial arts programs described as "belt factories" or "belt mills", where the belt tests are meaningless, and the kids aren't actually learning the forms, much less the philosophy and mental disciplines. No matter how skilled the adults are, they have to take teaching kids seriously -- not just as entertainment for the kids and babysitting for the kids. That is the opposite of Amherst Martial Arts, which feels like a cross between a school and a home -- the best kind of home, where everyone is working together, learning and improving and supporting each other. The kids have a lot of fun -- there are lots of opportunities for games and silliness -- but they also learn to buckle down, concentrate, try harder, improve. I've seen kids come in, too shy to kick at all, gain confidence just from the gentle, non-judgmental opportunity that comes again and again in a session, until they start finding their own ability to move and then start putting their all into it. This is huge for girls especially who may not have been given social encouragement or support to yell, kick, punch, roll, etc. The instructors are great at knowing how to relate to different kids at different levels: kids sometimes need gentle encouragement, sometimes sternness and seriousness, and often humor, and helping kids have fun AND then buckle down to focus and learn is a real art.

The YMCA advertises they're handicap accessible yet the parking lot is in back. On weekends the…read moreback door is locked so you have to climb 100 stairs to get to the front door. It's incredibly difficult for people with limited mobility or wheelchairs to climb stairs. Kids are allowed to roam the building unsupervised for hours on end. During the summer months parents will drop off their kids for the day. A young man once followed me around making me incredibly uncomfortable. When I reported it to the front staff manager I was told "well this is a community center". I immediately cancelled my membership. It used to be open longer hours and the back door adjacent to the parking lot, was open during business hours. Limited operating hours, unwelcoming staff, and high prices make this place a no. I do not recommend this fitness center at all.

Friendly staff and great classes! The front desk is always helpful and there are things for my…read morefamily to do together.

Miss Leticia is a wonderful teacher! My child learned an enormous amount and had a great time! I…read morewas amazed at how much she was able to teach.

From the owner: Miss Leticia Music School offers fun and focused music lessons for all ages. Students learn guitar,…read moredrums, ukulele and more, and our supportive instructors will help you grow your confidence and skill. Visit our website to join today! Bring out your inner Rock Star!