We chose the crime scene party for our daughter's 9th birthday. The party was a real success: The…read moreriddles and challenges were very well adjusted to the girls' age, and the complexity was just right: Challenging, and rewarding. This is the second time we hired The Great Adventure Lab (previously for a Lego party) and it was just right - again.

Came to see the Hungry Caterpillar show with 3 year olds for the first time and they absolutely…read moreloved it. The production quality and actors were amazing. Now I have kiddos who keep asking whether we can go again. Just bought tickets to see the Snow Man and the Snow Dog show for the holidays and looking forward to it. Update: Snow Man and the Snow Dog was not loved by the kids (3 year old and 5 year old), personally I felt it was really boring too. High production value but just not captivating enough. My kid loved the original video but couldn't wait for the play to end.

I attended my first play at Imagination Stage yesterday, and I know it won't be my last. This…read moretheatre is truly a gem, making performing arts accessible for families of all ages and abilities. Here is what you need to know: + Garage parking is free on Sundays + Tickets are sent electronically along with a helpful email and storybook pdf that helps prepare young children on what to expect when they go to the theatre + The theatre is truly intimate -- there is not a bad seat in the house (Trust me -- we were last row, on the side of the stage and still had a great view!) + Children's shows can be quite corny and cut corners when it terms to production value but not at Imagination Stage. I was really impressed by the quality of acting and the set of "Dory Fantasmagory." + They offer lots of free programming such as "Meet the Cast", family yoga, and a children's fashion show to go with the play. I went with a group of children ages 4 - 11 and they had everyone entertained. Seeing everyone's faces light up and laughing out loud has truly filled my cup of cuteness for the entire week. Thanks again Imagination Stage. Can't wait to visit again!

The team at My Gym made my son's birthday party easy to plan and so much fun for the kids. Ms…read more Pascual was a fabulous event leader. She let the kids have lots of free-play time while also making sure there were enough activities planned to keep them engaged and having fun. The two team members helped us set up for the party, cut the cake, entertain the kids and cleaned everything up for us at the end! I can't recommend MyGym Potomac enough. It was a fabulous experience!

We had our 6 year-old son's birthday party here and it was perfection! We decided to book the…read moreparty here since we had attended parties here in the past and I felt like the kids always had fun, it felt more intimate and offered more bonding amongst the kiddos (vs. bigger venues), and it was stress-free for the parents hosting and the parents attending. My son's party met and even exceeded my expectations. The party hosts had great energy and my son, and the other kids, had fun and were smiling a lot. They did many little things throughout the party to make my son feel special. The party hosts took care of everything so all I had to do was roll up with the cupcakes and gift bags. They took care of the rest. It can be expensive compared to other options but for us, it was worth it.

It was just ok for my littles…read more There was a groupon offer for $12.75 (regular $15 admission pp) so I took advantage. There's not a lot of guidance here so if your kids aren't self starters they may find themselves bored. Even when entering each room no one is guiding you on what the activity is and how to participate. Instead you're kid just does there on thing. Neither bad nor good just an observation. Outside of that there are 4 areas that are pretty intuitive. Making a beat - where kids can add layers to music to create new sounds. Circuit activity - create a pathway by connecting wrenches which turn on a light. - my son (8) thoroughly enjoyed this. Tipsy table - using 3 different pulleys you could guide balls into different outputs. This requires at least 2-3 people. Light play - using lasers to make imprints on moving disks. I could see myself coming back for more purposeful play but free play I wouldn't bother.

Fun place for kids and adults. Very clean and well maintained. My young companions (8 and 10)…read morecouldn't eat the pizza. And my sandwich was disappointing

The Goddard staff is amazing - they're friendly, attentive, and clearly love working with children…read more I feel completely confident leaving my child in their care. The classrooms are clean, bright, and well-stocked with age-appropriate toys and activities. My child always comes home happy and tired from a full day of play and learning. The staff provides regular updates throughout the day, and they're always responsive to my questions and concerns. My child has learned so much during their time there.. And they make it all fun for the kids, which is a huge plus! In addition, I appreciate the healthy food options provided by the school for my child during the day. The facility ensures that my child receives well-balanced and nutritious meals. Furthermore, the daycare provides me with a photo of my child's meal after lunch, which offers transparency and insight into my child's dietary intake. Finally, safety is a top priority at Goddard Daycare. There are secure entrances and exits, and the staff is always vigilant about keeping a close eye on the children. I never have to worry about my child's safety when she is at daycare.

Our two girls have been at Goddard for the last few years and they absolutely love it. The director…read moreand teachers have created a wonderful sense of community where everyone knows each other and looks out for each other.

Good-- they had a lot of freedom and choices. Very unstructured, which can be liberating…read more Counselors are very kind and engaging. Caters to different personalities and interests. Bad--they were short staffed. My daughter was looking forward to sewing and baking, but for like 2 weeks it wasn't avaliable. This camp is expensive, so no bueno. Also, last day of camp, they called me as I was on the way to pick the kids up. I thought they were calling because it was exactly 6, and I was late, and it was the very last day of camp. The camp counselor says "your son is bleeding a lot out of his nose, it's A LOT of blood" I rushed in. They tell me another kid punched him in the face, but they don't know what happened. They asked who was watching the kids? They said they were too busy, so don't know what happened. The camp counselor said they were understaffed, that they had been "asking for more staff like the other camps have", and that she was going to write a complaint about it. I asked her to send me an incident report via email. This counselor also said "we'll be here tomorrrow (Saturday) cleaning up and will send the incident report. She never sent it to me. It's funny because before the kids did this camp, I saw a review from a mom saying something about the kids being unsupervised, and her kid got hurt, but I thought maybe this mom was overreacting. Now I see what she is saying. Would I send them again? Yes, because they really loved it. The counselors are nice, but they need proper support and the kids can be free, but should still be supervised. I would probably drive a little extra and take them to one that is staffed better.

From the owner: Since 1980, Steve & Kate's Camp has put kids in charge-allowing campers to choose from a variety of…read moreactivities in real-time, including sewing, stop-motion animation, coding & gaming, sports & recreation, maker crafts, water play, baking, and more. As children are empowered to make their own choices at camp, they discover new reserves of confidence, resiliency, and creativity as they learn to make course corrections & trust themselves and as they go. Families can buy any number of days, to use at any time-no weekly reservations required. Or, buy a Summer Pass, which covers the whole season. Either way, any unused Passes are automatically refunded at summer's end.Ages: 4-12 | Lunch, snacks & all hours (8am-6pm) included. Save your spot at Steve & Kate's Camp this summer by registering today.

My girls danced at C-Unit and it was a disappointing experience. The atmosphere is much too strict…read moreand intimidating for really young dancers. The owner likes short dancers who are naturals. She is not a believer that hard work can pay off, so she forms a very quick opinion about your child that will never change regardless of how much they improve. The studio is a fortune with little to show for it. You pay all of your classes twice a year but there is pretty much an expense every month. They up charge for costumes - they were 85 dollars a piece. I found that my girls were always told what they couldn't do versus teaching them how to do it. One of my daughters, who was told she was a "bad" dancer, is now on BCC Poms. If I truly had a really talented child, I would not choose C-Unit. They do not have a long track record of getting their dancers onto Broadway, etc. There are other studios in the area that do.

Best dance place within 30 miles. So fun so amazing and so creative. My girls are begging me for…read moreMore ! Best recital I've ever seen. I've been to a few others and nothing can compare. It's the place to be! Can't wait for the season to start again !!!! Love c unit !!

It's actually called Southern Maryland Martial Arts and Fitness. They just added the gym. Great…read moreplace! Mr. Gray and all the other instructors are fantastic. My son has been going there since 2006. Highly recommend them.

I used to work out here before my job changed and made my schedule so I could not make it there in…read moretime. I love this place. It is the best gym I have ever been a member of. I am starting my daughter in the before and after school program here as well. She waned to take Takwando. I can't wait to get her started. I my be able to start going here again myself with this current situation!

I recommend this school to everyone that is looking for a serious and true Montessori program. In…read moreMD any school that claims to be Montessori has to be approved by the state and has to have at least one Montessori-trained teacher. However, I have heard parents complain sending kids to Montessori is a waste of money because it's just a name to sell the school. So, not all state-approved Montessori programs have good quality of education. So being aware not all schools are the same, I toured 3 Montessori schools: Lone Oak, Manor and the Woods Academy. I found the Lone Oak Montessori on AMI website and Woods academy on AMS website. Manor was recommended by other parents and it seems to be a popular choice when it comes to Montessori preschools in Bethesda area. I took my 3-year-old son with me to all the tours and he loved the Woods the best because we were allowed to walk into the classroom and had very brief interactions with the students and teachers, to observe and also play some toys in the classroom while parents were talking to the director, Mrs. Gerber- who is very knowledgeable and experienced about Montessori programs and part of the reason we chose Montessori is because of her expertise and experience. After the tour, my son wanted to go back the next day because the classroom was just so fun and interesting for little kids. My son is happy every day and cannot wait to tell me what he learned in school. The teachers encourage independence, good manners, trying new things/food, healthy snacks, and creativity. They are caring and loving but also very firm when giving instructions. My son learns new things/facts each day and not just merely playing with expensive toys. For instance, he came home one day start singing "The family of the Sun," and talked about all the facts he learned about planets and I was amazed. And three weeks later, he started to learn the sounds of alphabets and try to read! The teacher told me she would advance any student if s/he is ready so there is no need to wait till 4 or 5 to learn how to read. The other pluses but not major factors are- 1) facility, it's a school so it has it's own gym, music/art classrooms, library, and playground. It's very spacious, clean and well-maintained. 2) it has PE, music and art classes once a week for 30 minutes. The school has a very strong art program. 3) faculty and staff are very friendly and they know student by names. I felt that students are given a lot of attention because of its small classroom size. The only downside is the tuition. It is about $2K more than other schools I checked/toured. We've been happy with our choice and would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good preschool in Bethesda. If you want more information about the Montessori program, check out the blog: http://woodsmontessori.blogspot.com/

This is a very good private school in the Potomac and Bethesda area. I went here for Montessori…read morethrough 8th grade and loved my experience here. There were incredible resources and the teachers were awesome! I definitely recommend looking here for your child.