Museum of Children's Art (MOCHA)
Had a great December birthday at MOCHA (Museum of Children's Art) in Oakland.
It's hard to find an indoor venue in case of rain. All ages can have fun.
MOCHA offers free afterschool art classes at various libraries in Oakland and Albany throughout the year. The teachers are really exceptional.
Archived Q&A and Reviews
April 2012
I have a 6 year old who is in a mandarin immersion program but is very interested in art. I can't decide between some kind of immersion summer program or the MOCHA summer camp. Any advice regarding which program and particular camps for his interests would be much appreciated.
My daughter has attended a number of their camps and enjoyed them. The great part about it is that the teachers are artists themselves, so they bring a lot of insight to the process. The place is also completely set up for art, so there are many ''messy'' materials available for the classes
Feb 2008
Re: Full day art camp for elementary aged child
My children had a good experience at MOCHA art camp in downtown Oakland last August. Jennifer N.
My kids LOVE Mocha Art Camp in downtown Oakland. They have all day care there if you want it from 8-6, but their regular program is 9-3. Each week has a different theme, and these can be wildly different and fun, they've done mask-making, puppets, art of different countries, etc. Their teaching staff is very professional, and they are convenient to BART. Their phone number is (510) 465-8770. They also have a pretty good website, www.mocha.org. Satisfied Mocha parent
April 2006
I am looking into Mocha summer camp for our 9 year old. Does anyone have experience with it and how did you/your child like it? anon
My daughter has attended MOCHA for a week or two every summer since kindergarten (she will be entering grade 5 next year). She has really enjoyed the programs -- she's tried puppetry, art around the world(or some similar name), architecture (several times, because of a combination of liking it and our schedule) and environmental art. All of the instructors have been excellent, and the work she has created has been exciting to her and to us. It's a great camp for kids who really enjoy working on projects. From what I can tell, in each of the camps she has attended, there have been a day or two of planning(longer with the environmental installation which was a two week program) and small sketches/projects, and then time to work on the main project. The program has a good balance between instruction and letting the kids explore. I replied to an earlier question about MOCHA, but I guess it hasn't been posted yet. I think MOCHA is an undervalued gem in our community. You can email me if you have more detailed questions. cd
Oct 2004
Re: Circus school in the East Bay?
MOCHA (Museum of Children's Art) in Oakland has given circus classes in the past. My children did a winter break class a couple of years ago and loved it, and my daughter also did the class one summer. Cynthia
May 2004
Does anyone have any recent experience with the MOCHA summer camps for younger kids? The archived things on the website are all several years old. I have an almost 7 year old boy who enjoys arts activities. Is there a good gender mix at the camp? How are the instructors, supervision, etc? Do they include some active outdoor time in the schedule? Thanks!
My daughter who just turned 8 has attended a number of the MOCHA spring and summer camps. There's not much outside play time, but a number of the camps (like the architecture one) include walks as part of the camps. The outside area isn't really set up for play & I don't think they go to the park that's to the west. My daughter's fairly active and there seemed to be enough chances to burn off energy for her. Some of the camps like architecture, nature art, and puppets had a fairly balanced number of boys and girls. I'm not sure about all of the camps -- I have a feeling that the topic effects the gender balance. A number of the teachers are men. I think the camps are great for a kid who really loves doing art and likes to concentrate on a project for a long time (which is one of the problems of doing art in school -- they always get rushed.) The things she's made there are great, and she was happy to go again this summer. Carol
Nov 2003
Re: Full-day winter break camps?
Mocha has some nice camps and they do offer full-day winter break camps. Check out their website: http://www.mocha.org/camps/winter/index.html We took our 6 year old son to a couple of the camps last winter and he had a blast. Susan
April 2003
I am looking for feed back on Fairyland, Kaleidoscope and Mocha Summer Camps. This would be for a 5 year old girl. All the usual questions; care and nurturing of the children, is it safe and fun, did the kids like it, the pros and cons of the camp. I did check the archives, but the posts are either outdated or nonexistent. Getting some real feed back certainly will help in the decision making process. Thanks for your information and help. a first time summer camp mom
Last year my daughter who was entering first grade went to two sessions of Mocha. She liked the camp and made some exciting art there. It is high quality art training, rather than the craft work kids do at some art programs. She went to the buildings session and the murals session. She was less enthusiastic about the aftercare which seemed to consist of small projects and videos, so if you don't need the full time care, I would just enroll in the camp. We also had a fun (clay) birthday party at MOCHA. Carol
March 2003
Has anyone had experience with the Oakland MOCHA (Museum of Children's Art) summer camp? What was it like, and how old was your child? Did they stay for the before- and after-care, and how was that? I'd love to hear any experiences: quality of the program; diversity of activities; any outdoors time?; etc. etc. etc. I'm considering it for one or 2 weeks this summer, not summer-long. Thanks for any and all recommendations (positive or negative experiences). Thanks Mom of an artistic one
My 11 year old daughter has attended the MOCHA summer camp twice, and will be returning this summer for one session. She has very much enjoyed it and I felt that she was nurtured there and that the activities were well planned, the staff quite good and the environment a happy one. There were some outdoor activities, including a field trip to Yerba Buena Gardens in SF. I highly recommend it. Ann
March 2003
Re: Art camp for pre-teen in Albany/Berkeley?
MOCHA in Oakland has a great summer arts camp. There are 8 or so one week sessions, each with a different theme. The staff is great and my daughter (age 11) has attended one or two sessions for the past 3 years or so. She loves it. Ann
Nov 2001
Museum of Children's Art (MOCHA) now has a drop-in Little Studio for kids 2-5 and their parents. The Little Studio has a great painting station and lots of hand-on arts supplies to allow young kids to explore art materials. Emphasis is on exploration. It's $3 for kids and free if you're a member. Check out their web site www.mocha.org for current hours. I believe they are open daily except for Mondays. Phone is 465-8770.
LOCATION: 538 Ninth Street in downtown Oakland. The Little Studio is located off a very nice courtyard and MOCHA's larger studio/gallery are upstairs. This is within walking distance of the 12th Street BART station in Oakland in the Swan's Market complex. There is street parking too. Friday is Farmer's Market day on 9th Street and gets busy and lively. Lissa
June 2001
MOCHA still has space in its half-day studio art classes for teens and preteens (12 - 16). Classes are taught by professional artists. There are 7 week-long sessions to choose from between July 2 through August 17. Classes are in the afternoons, 1PM - 4 PM. Check out MOCHA's website: http://www.mocha.org for more info and signups or call MOCHA at 465-0772. Sign up with a friend! P.S. MOCHA's new location at Swan's Market is a short walk from the BART station and numerous bus stops on Broadway.
Parent Reviews
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