Such a cool place! We attended a birthday party here and they got to make clay pots! Loved it!read more

I had my son's 9th birthday party at Magical Minds Studio in January 2026. Everything about our…read moreexperience was great- the party planner, the people who worked the party, the crafts used for the party, the flexibility and kindness (and patience!!) of everyone- it was all phenomenal. Thank you so much for everything! We will be back for some more fun :)

Its now been several months since our twins started public school at Longfellow Elementary in Oak…read morePark and with every passing week my thoughts go back to WSMS and their experiences there. What surprises me is how well they handle the structure and homework (!!) of 1st grade considering how 'unstructured' Montessori was? But the fact is that the freedom within structure setup of Montessori kept alive their natural curiosity motivation and when that showed up in the more structured environment of the public school, they just adapted to that behavior, but then RELISH the learning they get to do - it's all NEW works and they're excited about that. EXCITED TO DO NEW WORKS. They come home and plop at the table and plow through their little assignments, they killed their diorama project, taking charge of their 'research' and drafting tasks. WSMS allowed my kids to acquire learning in their own way and consistent with their own brains and inclinations and that's how they're going to learn moving forward and I hope learning will stay fun for them. As we drive by WSMS on the way to our umpteenth soccer practice/game, they look out and ask when we can go by for a visit.

We moved to the area at the start of the pandemic and by 2021 were ready to send our 4 year old to…read morea Montessori. So began our hunt for the best of many in the Oak Park area. We didn't know any folks who had sent their kids to one near by so had to do cold calls and tours. I reached out to a few in the area and Mrs Eggerding was the fastest to callback and schedule a tour, starting us off on a great foot about how well the school had their act together. We got to observe a classroom and we're extremely excited by the vibe of the guides (Montessori speak for "teachers") and the children. There was just so much independence and respect that we knew we found the right school. At first our 4 year old was resistant. He had been with his grandmother for the last 1.5 years of the pandemic so I get his resistance. But even after day 1 he was excited to share his experiences. We eventually sent our second child there too in a different classroom, which they were happy to accommodate. We couldn't have been happier with our choice even with a 10+ min drive every day. We're definitely planning to send out third there as well. At first it doesn't seem too different from other schools as far as what they're able to do but by even a few months in they're showing so much more independence and eagerness to do more. It's a challenge to me to expect and enable them more at home. The guides have been wonderful about getting to know our children and guiding them on their journey. We've had a few parent teacher conferences which are helpful to peek behind the current as they're often exhausted in a good way by the end of the day. Our child's guides and the front office staff were very receptive to questions and helped us both understand Montessori better but also our child. It was funny for us as parents to go from a city daycare that sent us his eating, peeing, pooping, and activity schedule with activity photos nearly as they were happening to come to Montessori which is really trying to put the child first and focus on them, not logging everything they're doing. I had been a Montessori student so expected that but it was still funny. We get photos and reports every couple of weeks and had parent teacher conferences that did align with what he was saying or what we figured was going on.

Three of us in my family just took the Saturday 90-minute ViaClay "One-Time Experience" and had an…read moreabsolute blast!! My sister and I are total beginners, never stepped up to a potter's wheel before, and we learned so much! We each created two dishes/vessels under Sarah and Joe's helpful guidance! I can't wait to see our items glazed when I return in two weeks to collect our creations. My college-age Studio Art major kid has been wheel throwing for 8 years, and is very at ease with most aspects of making pottery, but also said they learned somethings today, too! They were given the time, space, materials, and guidance to create 3 amazing flower vases in 90 minutes. Bonus: Every station is set up, fully stocked, and ready to go AND we didn't have to clean up our stations afterwards, so all 90-minutes were used for instruction and creation! It was a great value! ViaClay has two sections: a pottery studio, where it looked like experienced artists were hard at work, and a beautiful, spacious, and super clean pottery classroom where 12 of us took class today. I know children's day camp is also offered here. My kids would have loved that when they were younger. We all wore masks and there was plenty of space to move around. Gorgeous high ceilings, loads of sunlight, nice cool air conditioning on this 90 degree summer day in Oak Park. Plenty of nearby parking, just $2.00 at the meter. The studio owner, Gabriel Tetrev, checked in on us as well. We had a wonderful experience! My sister has already booked another session for us to return to celebrate our niece's 16th birthday at ViaClay. And I plan to return tomorrow, Sunday July 25, for their kiln sale where the studio's artists get to showcase and sell their wares. Please support local artists. Artwork is work!! Please buy their beautiful pottery! And take pottery classes at ViaClay!!

Clean facility. Very professional, friendly knowledgeable staff. Throughly explained step by step…read moreinstructions on how to create my masterpiece. I had an amazing girls night out sipping wine, chatting, and being creative. Class went so well I am considering taking the 6 week course. Shout out to Jack and Carmen for being amazing hosts!

We've had a variety of classes at Slowfire (in a few different locations). The classes are great…read morefor kids - and the age ranges by class are perfect. Noelle is really responsive with questions and the teachers are so nice, accommodating and helpful. I was really impressed with the art projects for kids - nicely done and high quality. Definitely worth a visit for a class!

My daughter Clara had 1 free trial class and I signed her up for the summer session! Ms. Melissa…read moreis wonderful and has a beautiful voice, and she engages well with the kids. My daughter has leared alot just by being there twice and I think she's going to really love yhe class this summer. No complaints here!!

I sent my son to several sessions when he was 1 &1/2 until 3. He loved it and learned not only…read moreabout music but taking turns, listening and following instructions. Just enrolled my daughter for her first class!

This morning I woke up feeling very emotional today my son will attend his last day at toddler…read moretown day care to begin a new adventure at his new charter school Just remembering that he began at toddler town at the age of 2 years old and I felt so nervous leaving him for the first time (yes I cried like a baby as I walked out those doors) but I always knew in my heart that he was in great hands! The teachers became more than just that they are family to us! From teaching him how to be independent to his abc's and learning all about dinosaurs to the solar system and always encouraging him to try new things. My husband and I will forever be great full for all those helping hands that helped us raise our child, we will truly miss everyone specially Miss Megan because you have been with him from the beginning from making me feel comfortable and reassuring me he would do great that first day!! You don't know how much that put me at ease that first day because you truly care for these kids! Thank you all sooooo much for everything! Thank you Robert for always making us feel like family and not just another check, our entire family will for ever be grateful to you and all the staff at toddler town thank you for these wonderful years!! I will definitely be back once our Jade turns 2 years old! Thank you!! Thank you!!! THANK YOU!!!

Staff at Toddler Town is great they are very attentive to my daughter's needs! Over the past 2…read moreyears at TTD staff has being to prepare her to move on to the next step in her education journey. Alphabets,numbers, sight words and social skills are all very crucial to your child's education when going into school systems. I can say without a doubt she will be ready....

Miss Amy holds court at Musikgarten of Oak Park, an excellent music class for your kids, starting…read more(almost) right after they are born up and through the tween and teen years. Miss Amy is an excellent, vibrant music teacher- both our kids have grown up with her. http://www.oakparkdad.com

From the first class (free trial), we've knew Musikgarten was a winner for our children (3 and 1)…read more Although we've seen the storefront for years, we did not imagine this class would be as engaging and addictive for toddlers (and us) as it has been. I've seen positive changes in my son's musical abilities already. Outside of class his singing and rhythm are noticeably better and he seems to pay attention to individual sounds and patterns in songs. Even without these musical benefits, it is just a nice family bonding time. We take class with Miss Angie - she is awesome! She is sweet, and caring, very talented and our children just love her. We've had other substitute teachers on occasion, and they're ok, but Miss Angie is really one step above. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because their class hours aren't as friendly for working parents as I'd like. Most classes for toddlers take place on weekday mornings...and we are on a forced vacation for the summer right now.. Although we've been able to find a spot in class, our last session felt almost too crowded sometimes. Other than that, we love this class :)

I was waiting to review The Day Nursery until after my kid was done with preschool, but it's close…read moreenough at this point and maybe people are looking for the fall and could use some help. The teachers here are excellent, and the administration is also very helpful and responsive. I originally picked this place for the focus on education and not merely socialization. Though they are strong on socialization too. We have a special diet, and while there have been mistakes they have done a wonderful job making sure my little one gets plenty of healthy vegan food. Frankly the bigger problem was his general pickiness than anything else. This should not be so big a shocker for Oak Park, but I liked the strong diversity in staff and students here. So send your kids here! They must be doing something right after over a century.

The Day Nursery offers a great program and strong overall childcare, however, do not plan on their…read morefacility being open consistently. Do to a combination of Covid-related restrictions that are in place per the Oak Park Health Department and additional restrictions that the Day Nursery puts in place, we have been unable to consistently rely on the Day Nursery as a childcare provider. In the last 6 months our daughter's classroom has repeatedly closed for 5 days at a time, with the latest closure happening despite zero cases of Covid in her classroom. Communication with parents has been minimal, inconsistent, and reactionary. Our experience has been not been a unique one, with similar closures occurring in all the classrooms. There is a significant movement among school families to remove their children due to the ongoing lack of consistent childcare as well as a lack of future strategy. **Full disclosure, we are a vaccinated, science following, and mask-wearing household.