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February 2024 by Chris Moore
Magical Minds was huge for our son. He didn't do as well in other camps because of personality stuff, but after working through some issues with the very patient and helpful staff, he's finally found "his place". He likes going to camp now. He likes after school. He's having a ton of fun exploring his creative self. It was one of the best decisions we've made.
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February 2024 by Sandi Hall
We adore Magical Minds! Our kids have been part of the Afterschool Workshop for years, and have also participated in numerous camps and no school days. We've always appreciated the options available and autonomy given to kids during the ASW - They can do the planned activity, get homework done, play games with friends, get time outside, play or read independently, etc. We enjoy that they make friends from other schools, and that even as they've gotten older, they've had opportunities to lead activities. The staff are all fantastic - brilliant, thoughtful, kind, generous - I could go on and on! We consider ourselves so very fortunate to have MM in our lives! <3
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January 2024 by Rose Kirschner
Our kids love Magical Minds Studio! From PreK, summer & break camps & afterschool workshop, their teachers are so thoughtful, warm & kind. They inspire some amazing art, but above all we know that our kids are well cared for when they are at Magical Minds. Walking into the studio and immersing in the art everywhere is one of my favorite things, too! It truly is a magical place!
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January 2024 by Andy K.
We are so grateful to have found Magical Minds for preschool and have continued coming for camp and after school. Our child’s confidence has grown and she has benefited from the relationships built with her teachers and friendships developed with her classmates.
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January 2024 by Elsa Anderson
We love Magical Minds! My daughter has been in the Pathways to Preschool class for about 4 months, and it is such fun. She is always excited to go and comes home with great artwork, fun stories, and a big smile! Thank you for making this a special place for kids to explore their creativity!
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January 2024 by Elana M
We’ve attended Magical Minds for camps and after school care for several years and never cease to be amazed! The team does a wonderful job exploring the arts and keeping the kids engaged. We couldn’t be happier with our experience.
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January 2024 by Sriram Ramgopal
Kind and supportive staff who really know the kids in the after school program!
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January 2022 by Jordan D
I wanted to thank everyone at Magical Minds! My kids have consistently told me how much they enjoy coming to Magical Minds after school due to the crafts and activities you all offer them. Furthermore, this last Friday in particular they were both exceptionally excited and happy about the art you all had them working on. They could not stop raving about how much fun it is to be there and how much they love the activities they were working on. It was nice to see them so happy so thank you all very much for making this happen :)
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January 2021 by Erica Brown
Love this place! Haj is compassionate and fun! This is a great place for kids to be creative.
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January 2020 by Linette Foreman
A great place to open the artistic imagination of the youth.
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January 2020 by Marlon Cration
Great.
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January 2020 by John Ferrick
Haj and Claire and everyone else at Magical Minds are just the best! My daughter has been going there for preschool for just about a year now and she loves it. The kids spend a small amount of time going over “school things” (like the days of the week, the months of the year, the seasons, clock time, the alphabet, numbers, a word and letter of the day), they play outside pretty much every day weather permitting, they practice a yoga pose and mindfulness, and the vast majority of their time is spent listening, following instructions, playing with their peers and socializing, and getting to make lots of choices and follow their own creativity. The instructors treat the kids with respect, intelligence, and love- and it shows. Magical Minds is safe, friendly, challenging, exciting, fun, and nurturing. You can’t go wrong entrusting your kids to them.
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January 2020 by Jessica Royer Ocken
My daughter is in her second year of Passport2Preschool, and we could not ask for a better experience. Ms. Haj is a fantastic teacher who has helped my daughter find her love of painting and explore a variety of art projects far beyond what could manage at home. We were looking for a play-based program that would enhance her social skills and help prepare her for going to kindergarten, which this definitely is, but we've also been impressed with how much she's learning academically — writing, letters, pre-reading, days of the week, seasons, simple math and science — without even realizing it. She just thinks she's having fun. All the staff at Magical Minds seems wonderful, and I would recommend Magical Minds to anyone looking for a preschool or just a fun art-exploration experience for their child.
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January 2020 by J. Horne
This is long overdue, but it’s hard to know where to even begin in our family’s love for Magical Minds. My oldest started at open studio hours when we moved to Oak Park going on four years ago, and then transitioned into the preschool program when the school year started... fast forward to now & my second born is in his second year at Magical Minds - and my 1st grader is jealous every time he happens to come with to drop or collect his brother, while the little one always begs to stay for *just a little longer*! And they *both* look forward to some camp days during the summer. They love it as much as we do for a lot of the same reasons: it’s an incredibly warm, supportive, inspiring place, where beauty and intrigue is in everything from messy art to learning about ear drums or diverse cultures. We also love it for the flexibility with days/hours and the mixed age group. I’m almost fanatical about play-based learning for preschool, but the “academics” that are brought in by Miss. Haj are so seamlessly intertwined their inspirations from art and movement and learning about community and self that they’re not only incredibly effective, but encourage learning as a life pursuit and enrichment rather than a chore or quantifiable goal. They support and satiate my more technically minded youngest as much as they did my abstract thinker oldest, and half the time I want to stay past drop off for the immersive lessons in contemporary art and culture. The kids are so comfortable with each other and the teachers that it is a joy to see them treat school truly as an extension of their home and family. And I’m only writing this review now because I’ve already secured our place for next year, so I can publicly rave as much as I do locally. ;)
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January 2020 by Tom Johnson
My 6 year old granddaughter loves this place. She went for a week during spring break now wants her parents to register her for their summer program. Each day she comes home smiling with the various art project she made that day. Happily she has made a new friend there. The staff are very upbeat and appear to love working with the children.
