San Diego Mom - Carmel Valley

Related to the Menehune Surf school, this school is for girls teaching them the art and discipline of surfing. 

 
They advertise as "helping girls connect with themselves, their peers, and the ocean."  A little earthy crunchy, but I think the gist is that they provide a safe and nurturing environment for girls to learn to surf.  And that appeals to me.

They offer camps (half day/full day) and also clinics, lessons, overnight and after school.  Ages 5-18.  Even birthday parties.  Locations in Del Mar, La Jolla Shores and Oceanside. 

http://oceangirlsurfschool.com/ 

Off the beaten path for those of us up in North County, but too fun not to mention here, is Java Mama in La Mesa.  I hope some enterprising Mom in our area too will follow the link on the web site for licensing to open up a similar location nearby.  I have yet to make it to this spot, but I’m putting it on my list to do.

Java Mama offers a play area for little ones, organic baby food on the menu, and then a cafe complete with lattes, desserts and sandwiches.

Activities include Yoga (for family and/or Mom), music, art baby signs and more.  There is a supervised play area from 10-2 if you just want to relax and drink a cup of coffee or chat with a friend, make conference calls for work, etc. Free wifi makes this a no brainer.

Want to relax with your child in this setting, but enjoy an activity together?  Check out storytime in Spanish, dance parties, art brunches and more.  And, yes, they also do birthday parties.

http://www.javamama.com/ 

I was lucky enough to attend a program that this group created and they were terrific to work with (they taught the children how to be clowns), and in their performance that followed.

They offer everything from unicycle riding to juggling and clowning.  Acrobatics, and more.  They have pre-school aged programs and up to adults.

http://sdcircus.com/sophia_academy/index.htm 

This is a gym located just off the 56 near the 15 highway.  Its a 10-15 minute drive, but easy to get to.  They offer classes locally at the Carmel Valley Rec center and I’ve taken the Gym Kids class they offer there several times with my kids.  They are generally pretty good classes.  Their location has a rock wall and gymanstics equipment.  http://www.rockntumble.com/

If you have a child who is growing more serious about gymnastics, this seems a fun place to learn and grow.  They offer personal instruction for kids too and have for exhibition team.  They also offer birthday parties, winter camps, I thought it was fun they offer Monday night football camps for the kids.   

This is a darling - Old Town location.  They offer teas for children (though older as it appears they use the bone china for the kids too), for showers, and even walk-in. http://www.mrsburtonstearoom.com/home.htm

I’ve never been to this location, but have heard good things about it.  They have dress up - hats, boas, gloves and jewelry.  Even top hats for the men if you chose to do an adult gathering.  The home is part of Heritage Park, a grouping of old homes restored and cared for with vintage flavor. 

Discount Offered:  $5 admission coupon for Admission to Kidsville good Monday through Friday.   Please use code:  SDMOM$5.  Please print this page as well and bring it in to show you found the discount on San Diego Mom.

This is another option for a rainy day or party, though its a drive from Carmel Valley in Poway.  The location is a huge warehouse that they have filled with children’s toyhouses - each with a different theme.  The center area has play structures and tables for the adults to sit in.  A small road goes around indoors near the openings of each house so the kids can ride riding toys around too and trikes. One house has all costumes so the kids can dress up however they like.  There isn’t much help with supervision here though.

http://www.kidsvilleplayland.com/ 

They do parties here and also provide assistance I believe with food, etc.  The few parties I’ve been to though have felt chaotic and too spread out.  It could be that they didn’t close the place to just the party, I’m not sure.  But, finding your kid can sometimes be hard because it is so big.   

Pump it up is a fun place for the kids filled with jumpy jumps - some for smaller kids, and a few with really tall blown up structures for climbing and slides.  Location wise its not right near Carmel Valley, but its easy to get to off the 805.  You can see more about them here: http://www.pumpitupparty.com/index.php 

This place can be a little daunting though for kids who are still timid about tall structures.  Smaller kids will definitely need your assistance.  And to be honest, if you have an older one and a smaller one this place can be hard without a 2nd set of hands. 

I believe there are open gym times too for rainy days and also some camps, etc.  Check out their schedule for that.  They are great about parties helping to set up food, order it even for you and make up goodie bags.   

This gym in Poway is a bit of drive from Carmel Valley (15-20 minutes), but is a nice alternative to Tumbles or Pump it up for the kids.  And a great alternative if you have a heavy mix of littler ones (2-3 yr olds) in the mix. 

The gym has a huge climbing structure but its easy to navigate, less daunting then some of the really high structures at Pump it up and there is a middle large play area with dolls, kitchen, cars, etc. for the littlest in the crowd.

http://www.mykidsclubhouse.com/

The team there will help with everything from putting out food, giving out goodie bags, and clean up.  They also facilitate activites inside the birthday room such as bubbles, some mini magic and things of that nature.

The clubhouse has open gym times as well.  I haven’t taken any of their camps so have no personal experience beyond the birthday parties.  But, the location is kept pretty clean and they seem easy to work with. 

This one is a popular choice for the 2-5 yr old crowd.  Tumbles has a set of instructor/teacher types who are usally pretty fun, young and energetic.  The gym has mats, climbing structures, some fun games that hang from the ceiling (canoes the kids swing in, etc.) and they do some tumbling, singing and the like with the kids.

http://www.jwtumbles.com/locations/schedule.php?lid=2 

Classes are offered year round, camps in the summer and birthday parties are facilitated on the week-ends.  A deposit is required to secure a date.  You need to bring food to Tumbles but they will help serve, clean, etc.