Seeking Activity Classes in the La Area

we take swimming classes at the YMCA in Hollywood - they are very reasonable ($98 for 8 weeks or something) and we take a dance class at Creation Station in Studio City which my daughter LOVES - it is not cheap about $170 for 10 weeks but they have great teachers. The YMCA has a lot of classes though and you don't always have to be a member so I would check it out!

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you can always take her to the Boone museum..they have arts and crafts every day and its free..it's right next to LACMA..i take my son there sometimes..it's great..
sometimes they're even open to 9pm

can't beat free!

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there are usually affordable classes through the YMCA, and they are sprinkled throughout the LA area.

often, also, classes are given through your local Parks and Recreation Department. . . . (city or municipality)

Any thing through where you are going to school? Many communitiy colleges and such have groups that could help and support you.

best of luck - another way is to work with other Moms who have interests/skills and can take on an activity each (one for 'art', one for 'dance'). I do understand that this takes time and organization, which may be in short supply for a single Mom in school. But perhaps an initial investment of organization time could pay off?

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We love the Lenny Krayzelberg swim classes at the JCC on San Vicente - www.lennykswim.com. There are a lot of classes to choose from in several different price ranges. We also love the dance classes at the Hollywood Dance Center on Highland. You can pay as you go and join any time you like; very reasonable. Another recent discovery is the free art classes at several different libraries. Check with you local one for the schedule. These are great - they are ran by LACMA and are FREE!! Good luck!

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Hi L.,

What part of Los Angeles do you live in? LA is a big place. If you're near West Hollywood there are lots of things for kids to do here. The YMCA in Hollywood offers swim classes and other activities. There's also Hollywood Dance Center on Highland near Melrose that offers Ballet classes for children of all ages for $45 a month. Melrose Avenue Elementary has a nice after school program at Pointsettia park which is not expensive. Pan pacific park hosts soccer games for young children, as does pointsettia park. The one at Pointsettia is only $50 for the whole season.

Hope this helps!
H.

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Depending on where you are, you may want to check out your closest YMCA. They have the most reasonably priced classes I have found, and offer a variety of options. The one near us has swim, dance, gymnastics, sports, and art. My son loves his swim class that we've been doing off and on for two years now! They have a discounted program rate for members, but you can also sign up for classes without becoming a member. Go to http://www.ymcala.org/ to find your closest branch.

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Hi L.,

ART: LACMA, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, has free art classes every Sunday from 12:30pm - 3:00pm. They also offer parent and me classes for a nominal fee. Here's a link: http://www.lacma.org/programs/FamilyDaysIntro.aspx . You can register your child for NexGen and she'll be a member until she's 17 and she can bring an adult (you!) to the museum for free!

ICE SKATING: the Culver Ice Skating rink is a great place to ice skate, they also offer classes for a pretty decent rate.

TENNIS: The Venus and Serena Tennis Academy (Rodeo just east of LaBrea) offers very inexpensive group rates for Saturday classes. The coaches are awesome (venus and serena's cousins).

SWIMMING: At the same park as the tennis academy is a pool - darn it, can't remember the name to save my life :-(, any way,they offer INEXPENSIVE ($5.00) swimming classes for children. Only issue is you HAVE to register in person. Line get's long and classes fill up quickly.

Hope this helps!

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Have you tried a single parent membership at the YMCA? My 4.5 yo loves the classes there- she takes ballet/tap, art, tae kwon do, yoga, tumbling...all included in my monthly membership. Plus- I get to work out after her classes while she plays in the clubhouse...2 hours free childcare daily!

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The best advice I can give is to coordinate playdates for her.
We all tend to over schedule our kids these days, and experts are now saying that "play" is really significant for the development of our children. Save your money and see if you can think of some creative ways to get her involved with other children from your neighborhood or her school. Since you are a single mom the additional "networking" with other moms will pay off in huge dividends for you too!

S. H. Oya
Solo Consulting

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Hi L. -

Ooohh -- I remember that, when my daughter was in 1/2 day kindergarten and we needed just that little bit more to do. We always need to find less expensive versions of everything also.

You don't say what part of LA you're in, but in case you're anywhere west, head straight to the YWCA (corner of Pico & 14th) and sign your daughter up. They have lots of classes for kids and the dance teacher is a wonderful lady - real great with kids and really knows dance. That is the only YWCA I know of, but perhaps there are more of them around. It's not like the YMCA, in terms of cost to join -- it was only $17. to register my daughter for membership (I think it's $35 for adults, great classes for us too, by the way). Then the dance class is around $70 for maybe 10 weeks. The only hard thing for us was that the class is on Friday afternoons and traffic admittedly is a bit worse on Friday. We don't live in Santa Monica, but it was worth the drive while my daughter took the class. Her little friend moved away and she didn't want to go anymore without her.

And for just about every community, there's always the Park & Recreation classes -- they're usually cheaper than the private. Where we live, our city has tons of kids' classes to offer. Also, check out GoCityKids.com for other ideas. Also Boys & Girls club; check them out too, there might be one in your area. And finally, there's this little free magazine I see here and there called "Daisy Chain." They list fun things to do. One more idea -- your local library -- just check out the children's section. Most libraries offer programs that are free to the public and then there are often flyers or a bulletin board showing what's going on in your area.

Good luck and have fun!
C.

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Try your local YMCA. Ours is very small yet offers dance, soccer, basketball, t-ball, swimming, gymnastics, and martial arts. If you are not a member the classes are about $10 a class. If you are a member, they are half that.

http://www.ymca.net/find_your_ymca/

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Try your parks and recreation department. They usually have lots of activities for a variety of ages and the prices are extremely reasonable. They have everything from dance classes to sports and crafts activities. You can contact your local city hall for information.

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Why not try a rec. center through parks & recreation in your area? I know in La Canada, Roger Barkely Community Center has lots of reasonable classes for kids of all ages.

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Hi L.;

Check with your local civic center in your area. They're reasonable even thought you're not resident from that civic center. Everything now a days are expensive. But it is a good investment now to keep our child busy at all times. I raised four children and I keep them busy with extra curricular activities for four of them when they're growing up. I invested with lot of things they enjoyed doing it. It is worth of investing of having a child expose with lot of things they wanted to learn and do. Good luck.

A.

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Try Palms Rec Center at Overland & National. They have the most affordable classes amongst the rec centers in West LA (classes are around $60 for 10 weeks, so $6.00 per class) Their winter program will be ending soon, so you'll need to look into when their spring session starts - the classes at this rec center tend to sell out.

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Hi L. -

I run a Kindermusik program in Studio City. We offer classes for children newborn to seven years. Our "Young Child" classes are for children five to seven years and might be a good option for your daughter, if it's not too far.

I'm a Kindermusik teacher myself so I'm obviously a bit biased but my son, who is a spirited six year old, is just finishing up his fourth "semester" and I have to say that I'm pretty amazed at what he's gotten out of the class. It's lots of fun, lots of moving and games but along the way he's learned to read and write music. He's learned to play the glockenspiel (a pre-keyboard instrument, the dulcimer (pre-strings) and now the recorder (pre-wind). He's also learned a bit about several composers and all the different orchestral instruments.

You can find out more here: http://www.kindermusik.com/parents/youngchild.asp

Please give me a call if I can help you get plugged into one of our classes or if I can help you find a class that's right for your daughter in your area.

Good Luck!
S. Orfe
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You should look into your local community center. In Hawthorne they offer classes at the community center at a low price for children and adults.

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Hi!
Your local YMCA should have plenty of different classes for a 5 year old to attend.
They offer financial AID as well, if you should need it.
We are so called "family members", and considering all the things you can do there, even as an adult - you'll never need to look anywhere else. No more gyms etc.
We go there to swim about twice a week, sometimes my kids play a little basketball. I have seen ballet classes, rock climbing, gymnastics to name a few. They also have a family evening once a month that is a lot of fun with tons of activites. You can always try it for free one day and see if it's a good fit for you.
Good Luck!

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Try Gymnastics Olympica in Van Nuys- it's great!

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Have you tried your local YMCA? They have an abundance of classes, that are fun and relatively inexpensive, although I'm not sure what your budget is. I took gymnastics and swimming classes there as a child, and my son took karate and also went to the after school care program. Also, when I was really young, probably your daughter's age, I was in a cheerleading class at the park (Westchester park), so your local park may have some options as well. Good luck!!

joey's gym on robertson, south of wilshire, is awesome my son loved it. the owner's name is ron and he is incredible. i don't know what the prices are. you can also check west holywood park and see if they are offering any classes thru the city, besides it's a wonderful park. good luck