Club for 8-9YO Near Berkeley--4-h, craft clubs, ukulele, ??
I'm trying to find a group learning/social opportunity for my daughter. She's not interested in sports.
Girl Scouts didn't appeal as much to her--and all the groups near us are full anyway.
I was hoping to find an ongoing makers class series where kids can make stuff (sewing projects, etc.) and chat. Does that exist somewhere?
Also thought about group ukulele lessons--singing and ukulele?
Writing groups seem a little too high pressure for daughter.
Maybe 4-h? Maybe hiking/nature journaling?
If anyone has any suggestions or wants to help start one, let me know! Looking for a location not too far from Berkeley.
May 1, 2022
Parent Replies
What about (all-gender) scouts? My son is in the Berkeley group and we like it, and I know there's a group in Albany and probably some in Oakland too. Focus is on nature, hiking, taking care of nature/community/etc., not really any of the god-and-country stuff you would have found in boy scouts a generation ago. And scouts is much more inclusive now, they welcome all genders and sexual preferences. There are also some art-based after-school programs that I have heard good things about, like sticky art lab or kala art institute. Probably full for this year but look into it for the fall.
I cannot say enough good things about Girls Garage in Berkeley, on 10th Street near Gilman. They have fantastic after-school and summer programs, which fill up fast (so make sure you put the registration dates on your calendar).The amazing director and staff have created an empowering, supportive and dynamic culture there, focused on projects to benefit the larger community. The programs are for girls and gender-expansive youth. I would say it has been the single most influential program for both of my kids, in all kinds of great ways. Www.girlsgarage.org
Hello! Check out Emeryville 4-H! It is AWESOME and they are super welcoming of new members. My daughter participated for a few years and we were super impressed with the club-- interesting and fun projects, monthly meetings run by students, great community. 4-H is all about youth empowerment through experiences where kids learn by doing. The club strives to create a fun, engaging and valuable experience for kids and families. Happy to answer any questions you have. The club is winding now as the school year ends and will be back in September. When they meet in person, it's usually at the Emeryville campus of EBI or Lake Temescal. Some meetings are also on Zoom right now. Have fun!
Have you tried https://trackersbay.com/ ? They have camps and after school programs. We only did the camps but my daughter loved prowling through the woods with a bowie knife (they teach knife safety- it's not as reckless as it sounds :) ). They have a wide variety of kind of "old school" camp activities. Highly recommend.