When the invite initially arrived I was not thrilled thinking it was an indoor jump house (from the…read morename). I am an elementary school teacher so this is my weekend nightmare. I was SO wrong! This is a rare Bay Area gem for kids and families, every city should have one. All the attendees were impressed with the genius of the space, organization, cleanliness, and huge outdoor area. There are multiple indoor and outdoor "zones." The building is a duplex- home, when you enter there is a craft room with multiple round tables with crafts set up, in the center is a book/play area with tons of toys and cute furniture, a side room with a free personalized photobooth (email not printed) which is where the food was set up, and two bathrooms. Outside there was another bathroom. Down the ramp was a patch of fake grass where the party set up a piñata. Next to that, toddler equipment on wood chips. In the center, a huge table for kiddos to eat. Then the back corner has a large play structure and a fun bike ride where multiple kids could ride at the same time. This said, it's important for folks to consider that the two adults provided from Twirl are not enough to supervise an entire party. So keep this in mind as you are planning your party. This wasn't an issue at all for our group as the parents were all very hands on. The party I attended was from 10:30-12:30. I was so impressed with Duponte and Bella's ability to jump in- give the kiddos tattoos, help with the cake, clean up, and transition to the afternoon party. This is the PERFECT place to host your toddler- 2nd grade birthday party!

We hosted my son's 3rd birthday party at the Whimsy location and it was magical, even the planning…read moreprocess was effortless! The staff were so kind, accommodating and caring. I've been at birthday parties where you have to ask the staff the help but not here. Both Duponte and Emma were looking for opportunities to engage. Emma played with the kids and attempted to keep the group entertained with crafts. They both helped set up; Duponte even lifted heavy coolers filled with drinks out of my car (and then reloaded when the party was over). Both staff hung up banners and helped with random set up tasks that I asked to be completed before guests arrived. The morning of our party it had rained at it looked like the weather was cleaning up so both Emma and Duponte wiped down the outdoor play equipment so the kids could spend some time outside. Everyone here loves kids, and it shows. We also received lots of compliments from friends and family truly impressed with the space and the activities available. It was the best place possible to host a birthday party. Thanks to everyone at Twirl for making my son's day so special and my day so easy. We can't wait to come back!

My little one just joined, and I had the chance to sit in and observe. Right away, I noticed all…read morethe kids were truly living their best lives. You can clearly see how much they love and respect Mrs. Dee. My daughter jumped right in and instantly felt at home, which meant everything to me. If you're looking for someone who genuinely cares about the children in the community and pours her heart into what she does, you've come to the right place. It's an amazing environment, and your little one will absolutely love it!

My kids have loved being a part of the fall and spring musicals with Mrs. D. I'd highly recommend…read morethese classes for kids getting started with and expanding their theater experience.

Our daughter has been attending since 18 mos and now she's 5. We love Ms T, Ms Adasia, and Ms…read moreTaylor and also miss Ms Eliana and Ms Lalli. Our child needs someone firm so feel free to try out different classes until you find a good fit. Also, our child was having senioritis in the 3-4 year old class and moving up really, really helped! They are flexible with makeups and the schedule, which makes it so easy to manage as a busy parent! Also the bravo bash fits are on pointe. The most gorgeous dresses and they even set up a photo shoot in the Redwoods. Nice way to capture our little girl while she's still little!

We celebrated our daughter's 5th birthday here, and it was absolutely wonderful! They truly thought…read moreof everything. They provided cupcakes, a Happy Birthday sign, candle, and party favor bags--items I had already purchased myself, but I could have saved so much time and money! Elianna was an absolute dream to work with. She kept us updated on the flow and timing of the party, and she was warm, attentive, and fantastic with all of the guests. This location was also incredibly accommodating. Our party fell during Thanksgiving break when most nearby Tutu Schools were closed and unwilling to host events, but this team graciously allowed us to book during that time. We're so grateful!

The teachers are very enthusiastic but stay in touch with the kids. They keep up a high level of…read moreinterest and engagment in scientific inquiry through play and experimentation. The workshops are mainly classroom activities and crafts, two outdoor play breaks, a snack time and a lot of Q&A. The age group for the session that we did was 3.5 - 5.5, the younger kids got pretty worn out. There are 15/16 kids and two high energy adults, with one park and rec staffer standing by. The class lasts from 1-4pm. The price for a 1 week session $130. They send each kid home with some daily plastic landfill item (this is clearly my least favorite part) and a craft project.

I don't even know where to start with Clay Clubhouse, Jo and Denise. 1.5 weeks ago, my friends and…read moreI randomly decided to throw a friend a surprise bachelorette night. We landed on ceramics and it was so fun! Jo was so kind given our short notice. Other places couldn't accommodate us because of the later time we needed (6-8pm), they don't do private events and it was simply too short of notice. Jo was able to make our dreams come true given all these factors and was so kind and chill about them! I asked if we could bring some light drinks and bites, and not only was it a yes, she actually provided the champagne flutes!! So easy to work with her. So we get there yesterday and Denise was our instructor. She greeted us, let us settle in and just had the best of vibes. Once we were ready to start, she explained very thoroughly what to do. I'll be honest, I was really bad! Like in the 1.5 hours we got to make stuff, my friends used probably 1-2 clay balls while I got close to 10 bc I just kept failing! Denise was so supportive though and tried to help without hovering or taking over. I never felt judged or like I was frustrating her, even though, wow, I was like such a toddler about it! I wasn't able to make myself anything, but she made me a bowl and I just thought that was so kind and sweet of her. She's really funny and so good at what she does, both creating ceramics and teaching it! I don't have all of their packages memorized, but it's very clear on the website. We did the private for 4 people and added 1 person. 2 hours and you can make whatever and however many you want. It was $465 total and so worth it! You get to choose your glaze, which are all gorgeous options, and it will be ready in 4 weeks. I loved this experience and even though I struggled, I would do it again, especially at Clay Clubhouse. I recommend wearing clothes you don't care about or bringing an apron or baggy tee you don't mind getting splashy. There's a really cute Mexican place next door. We didn't go because it was packed but you'll probably have the best night doing some ceramics and then celebrating at Bombera! Go do this, have so much fun, get messy, support local artsy businesses and enjoy!

What was super racist was how Kris was excited, supportive, and kind and talked to the Korean…read morevisitors once she found out they were Korean...not surprised to find out South Korea is on the "No Filipinos band wagon." So much for a safe space. So much more hurtful when they have this sign hanging up and I was totally excluded and ignored.

My daughter has a great time at Makering camp! She loves all the crafts and comes home excited to…read moredo them with me. The baking activities are also really fun and have led to us enjoying the recipes at home.

My very picky, opinionated daughter loves Alameda Makering and Ms. Deneese. This is our second…read moresummer and she's gone to a couple pop-up workshops throughout the school year, and she comes home beaming with pride on all the incredible, high-quality crafts and delicious cooking she's done that day. Ms. Deneese curates every class with creativity and thoughtfulness. We highly recommend Alameda Makering, especially Ms. Deneese.

Victoria and her crew are so great with the kids. Our kids had a blast and definitely hope to come…read moreback again. They also gained lots of confidence on the water and paddling skills. Thank you Victoria and team!

Working at Gaia Guides Kids Camp is hands down the best way to spend a summer! During the school…read moreyear, I teach art and yoga, so getting outside and exploring the Bay with a bunch of energetic, curious kids is such a refreshing change of pace. There's nothing like teaching them how to paddle or kayak and seeing their faces light up when they get the hang of it--or when they inevitably start a splash fight! This job is the perfect mix of fun, nature, and getting kids to unplug and just be kids. Whether we're paddling, playing games, or just soaking up the outdoors, it's so cool to watch them connect with the world around them and with each other. If you love working with kids and want to spend your summer outside (seriously, what's better than sunshine and water?), Gaia Guides is the place to be. Every day feels like an adventure, and I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Before I started this review, my son said "How many stars should we give art camp?" and when I…read moreasked how many he wanted to give, he emphatically said "5 Stars!" LOL the child has spoken! 5 stars it is! There are so many camps to chose from in the East Bay but what we have been loving about Aran's Art Camp is the intimate group size: there's no more than 10 kids per art camp and we've lucked out with an even smaller group during our time here. The camp is taught by a mix of Aran herself and her staff and they've been nothing but wonderful. My kiddo comes home from art camp every day bursting at the seams about everything he's worked on and learned (giving me safety tips about glass fusing and teaching me what a pinch pot is!) and he looks forward to going back each day. Each week is a different theme so if you wanted to sign up for multiple sessions, your child will definitely be working on something different each time. While the hours are 10-2, they offer before and after care for an additional fee which basically turns this into an all day camp if you were to maximize on the 9-3 aspect of it. There's a lot of half day camps out there so if you use their before and after camp, you get a good chunk of the day covered! Lastly, they go to the park every day after lunch to let them move around and get some sunshine and Fridays is pizza day! My kid said he would love to come back to art camp again next summer.

Such a cute art studio with a variety of artsy activities! They have a variety of colors of paint…read morealong with a lot of different things to paint. It's pretty quiet in here compared to other places which I love! Parking is super easy since it's in a plaza, the people that work at this studio are super friendly and nice, and they offer so many other activities - I saw a kids painting night happening before, they have glass fusing, etc. They also have an area in the back where it looks like they do most of the classes so the pottery painting is almost always available!!