For those who have not yet stepped inside Shepherd & Maudsleigh’s massive 11,000 square foot community art studio, prepare to be amazed. Located in West Newton, this fully-equipped professional printmaking studio, offers classes, community, and a workspace that feels like a retreat yet is a stone’s throw from Washington Street. For those seeking a creative outlet, Shepherd & Maudsleigh has workshops for all levels—from newbies to seasoned artists. This fall there are classes in Silkscreening, Fabric Block Printing, Bookmaking, Photogravure Printing, and more. Not sure which class to try first? Peruse their website or call/email to tour the studio to see all of the possibilities. Located at 27 Dunstan Street, W. Newton

The second largest fencing club in the US, Olympia Fencing Center, just opened its second location in Newton Highlands, and is now taking registrations for its 2024 summer camps! Over the years, Olympia has received lots of accolades: from "Best of Boston" winner to Boston's Parents Paper "Best Sports Classes for Kids" winner. Olympia Fencing is one of the area's top kids' programs for non-traditional sports. The school's weekly summer camps are designed for kids 9-14 years old, with some or no fencing experience. The camp day begins at 9 AM and ends at 3 PM (there's a 2-hour extended pick-up available, too.) Olympia offers 10% discounts for siblings, and an additional 10% discount for referrals. Full fencing gear is provided.

Interested? The school offers a free trial class so kids can get a taste of fencing before signing up for camp!

This new kids' art studio in Auburndale has creative classes, school vacation camps, and nights out for kids aged 18 months-10 years! At Creation Station there are no run-of-the-mill arts and crafts projects—classes are designed to inspire imagination, spark curiosity, celebrate play, and promote arts exploration. Subscribe to Creation Station's email list for event news and to try a free class. Address: 409 Lexington St.

For kids who want to try coding or expand their current skills, Penguin Coding School in Newton Centre is an A+ local resource with after-school classes and summer camps. Named “The Best Coding School for Kids” by Boston Parents Paper, Penguin’s coding approach focuses on learning by doing, with lots of game-playing, problem solving, and creative opportunities. With classes in Minecraft, Python, Scratch, Roblox, and Robotics, Penguin’s next semester begins Monday April 22nd, and registration is happening now. Penguin’s week-long summer day camps for kids aged 6-12 kick off July 1st, offering full days of coding and STEM activities like outdoor science experiments, 3D Printing, and Robotics. Not sure Penguin is right for your kiddo? They’re invited to try it out! During the week of April 8th-14th Penguin is offering FREE classes—just sign up soon; they fill up quickly!

Throughout the summer, Newton's New Art Center is a hub of creative activity, with week-long summer art camps for budding artists 6 - 18 years old. Students in grades 1-7 take full-day camps where each week centers around a different theme—like Art-ivism: Art for Social Justice; Cosmic Creations; & Magical Masterpieces. Older students in grades 7-12 have the option of taking morning or afternoon classes. From offerings like Ceramics (both wheel-throwing and handbuilding), Mixed Media Collage, Landscape Drawing, and Self-Portrait Painting, each week-long studio teaches teens techniques which they can employ and adapt to express their creativity.

New this summer, New Art welcomes Inclusion Specialist Rasheeda Brown, who will assist students and teachers throughout the day. Need-based scholarships available.

Third Space Kitchen is now open in Newton Highlands with week-long summer cooking camps for kids, tweens, and teens. Perfect for filling holes in kids’ summer schedules, each week highlights a different cuisine like African and Caribbean Flavors, Asian-American Cooking, the French Kitchen, and Latin Street Food. Cooking camp for young chefs ages 6-10 are in the mornings from 9 AM-12 PM, and the focus is learning kitchen basics, exploring new flavors and cooking techniques, and becoming comfortable with kitchen tools and recipes. Camp for 10-16 year olds runs from 9AM-3PM, and explores more challenging recipes, advanced cooking and baking techniques, and food prep skills. 53 Winchester St., Newton Highlands

It’s one thing to tell our kids that hard work and perseverance pays off, and it’s another when they experience it themselves. Aidan Sericolo, who just opened new martial arts studio Atlas Jiu-Jitsu in Waltham, has helped students of all ages become more fit, focused, and confident, and is now filling spaces in the studio’s Tiny Titans program for children aged 4-14. At Atlas, students learn discipline, self-defense, and gain confidence in their abilities. Oh, and they have a blast. It’s a great option for after school and for families looking to fill up summer days with enrichment opportunities. (From what we saw it will definitely be a highlight.) Atlas Jiu-Jitsu is right next door in Waltham, with such a great vibe and program that it’s worth crossing town lines. Kids are invited to take a free trial class!

For local families evaluating preschool options, it can be hard differentiating one program from another beyond location and hours of operation. But the Suzuki Preschool of Newton stands apart because of its distinct and arts-focused educational philosophy, where children--aged 2 years 9 months to 5--acquire new skills through immersion. The Suzuki approach translates to a different preschool experience where exploration is encouraged and even the youngest learners take music, violin, and piano lessons and learn Mandarin, all while playing and investigating the world around them. The preschool not only prepares children for transition to kindergarten, but lays the groundwork for future intellectual, cultural, and athletic pursuits. Based in Waban, the Suzuki Preschool has options for both full and extended days, and welcomes family inquiries as it fills its last remaining spots for September. Set up a tour to secure your spot today!

One look at Newton Community Ed’s Summer Camp offerings and it’s pretty clear that kids K-12 could spend their entire summer here taking one week-long camp after another. Sports, Science, Art, Carpentry, Theatre, Robotics, Chess—pretty much anything kids like to do, NCE has a camp for it. There are morning, afternoon, and full day options, or campers can take one program in the morning and then do something completely different later in the day—like AM Tennis & PM Digital Art, or maybe a morning filled with Minecraft and an afternoon of Dodgeball. Camps are held at Newton North and Newton South High Schools. Oh, and if you register for camps by June 30 with ALL Over Newton promo code ALL-OVER10 you'll get a 10% discount. Need-based scholarships available.

The WPS Summer Leadership Institute for high school students is the city’s only program for incubating student innovations. During a three week summer session, selected students develop their own ideas for implementing change in their communities. Participants visit and explore community spaces where innovations are making a difference. Then, based on their interests, students develop their own ideas for impactful community projects, and work on the skills needed to implement their visions—from social media storytelling, to data visualization, social network development, and negotiation strategies. At the conclusion of the program, students are prepared to turn their ideas into reality. The fee for the 3 weeks is $1500 and there are scholarships available. The program runs from July 8-26, and is held in-person on its Newton campus. Apply soon—acceptances are made on a rolling basis.

The best way for children to learn about science and nature? Explore it! And that’s what brings families and kids (4-8 years old) to PUDDLESTOMPERS’ week-long summer day camps. Frog ponds, brooks, pollinator gardens, forests, and meadows are campers’ outdoor classrooms. Guided by PUDDLESTOMPERS’ teacher-naturalists, children learn about nature through hands-on exploration, STEM-based experiments, play, crafts, games, stories and songs. Every week is a different theme with new adventures keeping young campers exploring all summer long. Early drop off and extended day options available. Early registration is encouraged as Newton spots fill up quickly.

The Friends of the Newton Free Library is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting the Newton Free Library’s programs, functions, resources, and services. From wine tastings, book sales, Red Sox games, the popular 18 hole Newton Free Library mini golf event and more, the Friends of the Newton Free Library regularly organizes and hosts community events that directly benefit the Library.