JUST KIDDING AROUND
BY ANNETTE BATSON
It's easy to see how kid-centric Montclair is. Just walk by any of the pedestrian-friendly shopping districts after school and see the swarms of kids shopping, snacking and socializing. Even the stroller set gets into the act.
There are also endless activities to keep even the most persnickety kid busy, including classes in everything from hip-hop to martial arts to yoga. You want enrichment? This place has it.
• If you've got a budding thespian (ages 4-12) for whom all the world's a stage, let the experts channel that talent at Essex Youth Theater (essexyouththeater.com), where every course culminates in a musical production. There's also A Midsummer's Dreaming Theater Company (amidsummersdreaming.com), which offers acting classes and a play production for kids ages 5-17 during the school year, plus a summer theater immersion camp offering choreography, singing, acting, stage building, dance and improv. Or you could let them run away to join the circus without leaving Montclair, at Jen Slaw's Circus Arts Camp (jenniferslaw.com). Circus wannabes (ages 5-14) learn clowning, juggling, stilt-walking, acting, singing, dancing and more.
• The epicenter of dance in Montclair is Sharron Miller's Academy for the Performing Arts (smapa.org). Directed by Juilliard-trained, former Alvin Ailey soloist Miller, SMAPA has it all going on, all year 'round, for boys and girls age 2 through teens: tap, modern, ballet, hip-hop, jazz, Afro-Caribbean, salsa, musical theater, yoga and more. Looking for something strictly ballroom? Fred Astaire Dance Studio (danceastaire.com) caters to young "Dancing with the Stars" fans with ballroom dancing, salsa, rumba, etc. Capoeira, a form of martial arts brought by African slaves to Brazil, brings a new international flavor to Montclair. It combines martial arts with tribal and ritual dance, and kids love the jumping, dancing, handstands and moves brought from Bahia. The Afro Brazilian Cultural Center of New Jersey (abccnj.com) has classes in capoeira, samba, maculelê and also teaches the indigenous folklore, Portuguese language and culture.
• Have a child who skews artsy-crafty? You can bounce from beads to pottery on trendy Church Street, where (as an added bonus) lattes and treats are at arm's reach. At Doin' Dishes (973-744-8589), your young wards can paint and create fun and functional pottery pieces. Across the street at Montclair Beadworks (montclairbeadworks.com), beaded bling is the thing, and kids ages 7 and older (recommended) can choose from hundreds of exotic, sparkling beads in every shape, size and color. A helpful staff provides guidance.
• Montclair is the unofficial knitting headquarters of New Jersey, boasting more knitting boutiques than you can shake a needle at. Kristin Carlberg, at Modern Yarn (modernyarn.com), teaches Mommy and Me classes every Sunday (all supplies provided), and offers knitting instruction during the week, as well as a "Daily Fiber" summer craft camp where kids knit, crochet, learn basket weaving, and make cool stuff. Kids can also learn to knit scarves and purses at Needle Craftique (973-783-7555). Owner Lynn Grady starts kids out when their hands are big enough to hold a 10-inch needle (around age 8 or 9). Stix-n-Stitches (stix-n-stitches.com) also offers private lessons for kids and sports a spectacular display of yarns.
• Future Picassos and O'Keefes can train at Montclair Art Museum's Yard School of Art (montclairartmuseum.org). After school and on weekends, kids, tweens and teens try watercolors, pastels, fashion illustration, cartooning, claymation, sculpture, ceramics and much more. Check out MAM's family programs and summer camp. Fern Bass Art Studio (fernbass.com) offers drawing and painting classes for kids ages 4-12 and teens ages 13-17, and future FIT-bound fashionistas will love getting the lowdown from a 7th Avenue veteran teaching classes in fashion conception, design, and sewing; for college-bound artists they offer guidance in portfolio preparation. Students exhibit their creations in an art and fashion show each semester.
• Academic enrichment abounds with French, Spanish and Chinese language classes at the Language Workshop For Children (thibauttechnique.com), and with French storytime, cooking lessons and conversation classes at French Institute Alliance Française (fiaf.org). Your prodigy can take advantage of Montclair State University's weekend curriculum for gifted and talented students in grades one through 11 (montclair.edu/gifted). Classes include veterinary science, Lego Robotics, zoology, epidemiology and traditional Irish dancing.
• Looking for something physical? Montclair Recreation (montclairnjusa.org) covers all the bases, including ice hockey and fencing (for grades 6-8). Clary Anderson Arena offers daily public ice skating sessions, skating lessons for ages 4 and older, and Learn and Play Hockey clinics for experienced skaters. Out-of-towners pay a $35 fee for some activities.
• Love baseball history and lore? Then don't miss the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center (yogiberramuseum.org) on the campus of Montclair State University. Soccer fans find clinics and scrimmages day and night, rain or shine, at "the Dome" — Ashley's Soccer Camp and Soccer Domain (sports-domain.com) — where programs sharpen the skills of tiny tots and teens. The multisport facility also provides training in lacrosse, baseball, football and field hockey.
• If all these options have your kids at wit's end, they can find calm at Lotus Yoga (lotusyogamontclair.com). Kids, pre-teen and teen classes stretch mind and body. Keep the feeling going with a tea tasting at tea salon Cha Ma Gu Dao (southsilkroad.com).
• Finally, keep an eye out for a major arrival in Montclair this winter, when Club Kid'doo, an all-out kid zone with classes, party facilities, boutique, salon and more opens. Info at clubkiddoo.com.
Annette Batson is the daily editor of Baristanet.com.
