Activities for Special Needs Children

Lighthouse

Non profit foundation which provides physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual support to special needs teenagers and young adults. Check their online calendar for upcomign events.

Cooking Classes & Bakery Fun

Young Chefs® Academy

Young Chefs® Academy is a unique culinary experience which offers cooking classes to children in a safe environment that encourages discovery and creativity. Each class and event incorporates supplemental subject matter which ties into a new monthly theme. Our staff of highly qualified teachers, chefs and nutritional experts carry out our mission to provide an interactive learning experience that gives children the opportunity to develop a life-long love for the culinary arts. Our programs have something for every age, from KinderCooks for preschoolers all the way to Teen Survival classes. Call us today to reserve a spot in class! 949.679.8390

Entertainment

Rock Star CD Recording Workshop

Rock Star CD Recording Workshop is best explained as “recorded” karaoke, and is a unique and imaginative opportunity for kids and teens to record, decorate, and take home their own CDs. Kids and teens love the huge song list that includes everything from Twinkle Twinkle to Hannah Montana to Taylor Swift or Lady Gaga! Rock Star's Mobile recording studio travels birthday parties, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, day care/ preschool events, summer camps, and more.

Fishing

Dana Wharf Sportfishing Kid's Fishing
Dana Point Harbor

Kid's Free Fishing Clinic
Every Sunday!
12pm - 12:30pm

Join us every Sunday for our free kid's fishing clinic! Dana Wharf is proud to offer a dockside experience for young anglers! Ask the experts and learn new fishing techniques, new hook tying secrets, win raffle prizes and so much more! No reservations are needed! Try out your new techniques on the 1/2 day trip departing immediately after the clinic where kids fish free AND their rental gear is included!

Kid's Fish Free Sundays!
Sundays @ 12:45pm - 5:45pm

Join us every Sunday (right after our Free Kid's Fishing Clinic) for our 12:45pm 1/2 Day Fishing Trip and kids fish free! One child will get a free 1/2 Day Fishing Trip (a savings of $25) per paying adult!

Indoor recreation

Hullabaloo’s Clubhouse
Located in Orange
Orange County's Ultimate Party Place

Providing an amazing, fun filled, safe party adventure for your family and friends. Open Play Nights and Mommy and Me playtimes are available Mondays and Tuesdays.

The Little Gym of North Huntington Beach
Located in Huntington Beach

The Little Gym of Tustin
Located in Tustin

Professionally developed, non-competitive programs that have been designed to build motor skills in a fun and nurturing environment, while fostering enhanced emotional, intellectual and social skills. For over 30 years, parents have relied on The Little Gym® to help their kids build the skills and confidence that will enhance every aspect of their lives. Children are encouraged to try their best, not be the best. This philosophy has served The Little Gym and its members well, and it now sets the standard for high-quality children’s development programs.

Outdoor fun

Irvine Park Railroad
Located in Orange

Irvine Park Railroad is a one-third scale train that takes both children and adults on a 12-minute ride through beautiful and historic Irvine Regional Park. The train ride is narrated by the engineer. Additional activities inside of the park include Irvine Park Rentals' paddle boats and Wheel Fun Rentals® bikes, the Orange County Zoo, playgrounds and pony rides. Irvine Park Railroad has a full-service concession stand offering hot dogs, soda, ice cream and more. Annual events include an Easter Eggstravaganza, Anniversary Celebration, Pumpkin Patch & Christmas Train.

Located in the foothills of Orange, Irvine Park Railroad opens daily at 10:00 AM.

Petting Zoos

Zoomars Petting Zoo & Bird Park
31791 Los Rios Street
San Juan Capistrano, CA

ZOOMARS is home to hundreds of friendly animals to feed, pet, love and learn from. There are goats, emus, llamas, donkeys, alpacas, sheep, geese, ducks, guinea pigs and a bunny patch. After petting the animals, youngsters can saddle up for a pony ride or hop aboard the miniature train. At the front of the property is the century-old Olivares House, listed on the National Registry. Behind it sits an 1890’s bathhouse and picnic area available for birthday parties or family gatherings.

Tea Parties

Traveling Tea
We come to you for your child's Dress Up Tea Party!

Little girls love to dress up, make believe and have tea parties. Let Traveling Tea come to your location and set up for the dress up tea party of your child's dreams! We have four themes to choose from - princess, fairy, diva, and spa. Or let us accommodate special request. We will bring all the supplies for dressing up and the tea party, excluding food, tables, and chairs. We will also decorate your table with all the magical supplies to have a spectacular tea party.

Year Round Whale & Dolphin Cruises

Newport Landing Whale Watching
Newport Beach

2 1/2 hour whale watching cruises are a great activity for children of all ages. Viewing giant blue whales, grey whales, huge pods of dolphin, sea lions, and much more. 96% viewing success rate means almost every trip will have lots of neat viewing opportunities. This experience will be long remembered.

For reservations with Newport Landing call 949-675-0551.

Costumes & Party Clothes

Costumes Fairy
Shop Online

Hand made fairy costumes and fairy / angel wings. 20 years of Industry experience in the Artisan and Costuming business of making Fairy and Angel products.

Entire selection of costumes, slippers, wands and accessories are available for online ordering.

La Boum Party
Store Location: Irvine or Order Online

La Boum offers a great selection of dresses, accessories and party clothes for infants, young girls and adults.

The mission at La Boum is to inspire you to create your own sense of individual style for your special events—for yourself, how you celebrate.

Dolls

Madame Alexander

The tradition and elegance of Madame Alexander dolls continues after 80 years with a full line of collectible dolls, baby dolls and play dolls. The Alexander Doll Company is the only major manufacturer of handcrafted dolls in America.

Educational toys

Foreign Language Learning Game
Shop Online

Excellent for home schooling, the Foreign Language Learning game is a learning tool to learn and practice word and expressions of a foreign language in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. Game-Board and audio lessons available in Spanish with French soon to be available.

Images by Dwayne

From charming miniature Victorian furniture to playful contemporary sets, our children’s portraiture captures memories that will last a lifetime. We also have adorable Victorian clothing to coordinate with our props. At Images by Dwayne we have been working with infants, toddlers and older children for over 25 years – we know how to ease children (and parents!) through the entire photography session to create beautiful and expressive portraits.

i Photography Studio

We are a family owned photography studio. Capturing the beauty of life is our goal. We work closely with you and your child to capture their unique personality in a style that exceeds your expectations. As parents of young children ourselves, we know how to create a comfortable and relaxed environment for your child. We offer location, studio and thematic settings as well as custom creations that showcase your images in a truly unique way.

Kathryn LeBoye Photography
Moments in a child's life will never happen again and deserve to be documented magnificently.

Please contact Kathryn at 949-525-7968 to discuss how she can customize her services to meet your needs. Let Kathryn capture those special moments! First time clients will receive as a gift of one 5x7 mounted portrait with bevel edges from their session..

Cooking Classes

Young Chefs® Academy
Located in Irvine

Young Chefs® Academy is a unique culinary experience which offers cooking classes to children in a safe environment that encourages discovery and creativity. Each class and event incorporates supplemental subject matter which ties into a new monthly theme. Our staff of highly qualified teachers, chefs and nutritional experts carry out our mission to provide an interactive learning experience that gives children the opportunity to develop a life-long love for the culinary arts. Our programs have something for every age, from KinderCooks for preschoolers all the way to Teen Survival classes. Call us today to reserve a spot in class! 949.679.8390

Foreign Language Classes

LangoKids Irvine
Hola, Bonjour, Ni Hao! Welcome to LangoKids Irvine!

LangoKids Irvine is a full-immersion foreign language program that teaches Spanish, French and Mandarin to young children ages 0-12 throughout the Irvine area! Classes, taught by native speaking teachers, are 45-minutes in length and offered in small group settings of 5-10 students. Language immersion Summer Camps are also available for 4-12 year olds. For Camp Lango pricing and locations, click on link above for website.

Language Door
Located in Irvine, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, and Laguna Beach

Language Door provides a fun and easy learning experience for kids. Learning a new language can be difficult at times, but at Language Door they engage their students by providing enjoyable activities such as word games, storytelling, drawing exercises and conversation. Their team of instructors combines rich educational and linguistic backgrounds and interests. All instructors are native speakers or speak with native-level proficiency. Chinese, French and Spanish as well as many other foreign languages are taught.

Performing Arts Classes

The Center Stage Studio
Located in Aliso Viejo

CSS is a premiere Children's Theater Company specializing in musical theater productions, year round camps and musical theater birthday parties! Center Stage Studio students & campers get to act, sing and dance on stage as well as explore the magical world of stage through theater games, improvisation and costuming. Everyone gets a part & a spot in a big dance number! No experience required you just have to have fun!

Performer’s Academy
Located in Laguna Hills

Theater and dance workshops available for children and teens.

Classes include Scene Study, Film Workshops, Musical Theatre, Comedy, Singing/Voice, Baby Ballet & Hip Hop. 949-609-1600

Riding School

Ivy Gate Farm
Located in San Juan Capistrano

An elite hunter jumper training facility dedicated to the goal-oriented rider. Specializing in hunters, jumpers, equitation and sales; Ivy Gate offers a full range of training services catering to all levels from beginner to advanced, competing at shows or riding for pleasure. Devoted to ensuring each and every rider at Ivy Gate accomplishes their personal goals through creating a focused, yet relaxed training environment.

Costumes Fairy

Hand made fairy costumes and fairy / angel wings. 20 years of Industry experience in the Artisan and Costuming business of making Fairy and Angel products.

Entire selection of costumes, slippers, wands and accessories are available for online ordering.

The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art and Bowers Kidseum
Located in Santa Ana

One of Southern California's finest museums and Orange County's largest, the Bowers Museum home to Bowers Kidseum, an 11,000 square foot children's museum, provides arts and cultural activities for thousands of children and their families. Creativity, stimulated by exposure to art, can be the basis for the development of ideas, problem solving and social understanding.

Children's Museum of La Habra
Located in La Habra

A hands-on environment that opens the world to even the youngest child, this museum offers touch tables, a science station, changing exhibits and much more.

Discovery Science Center
Located in Santa Ana

Lie on a Bed of Nails, play Virtual Volleyball and explore Dino Quest at Discovery Science Center in Orange County! More than 100 interactive exhibits and annual events such as Spooky Science and BubbleFest spark children’s natural curiosity!

Heritage Museum of Orange County
Located in Santa Ana

The 1898 Kellogg House is the focal point of the Heritage Museum. Inside you will find unique architectural features, antique furnishings, historic photos and maps, and hands-on activities for children. The tour is primarily self-guided, but a docent is always available during public hours to answer questions and provide additional insights into the house, the Kellogg family, and life in historic Orange County. On the same grounds, visitors can find nature trails, a working blacksmith shop and the Maag House, ranch house of citrus and nut grower John Anton Maag and his family.

Marconi Automotive Museum
Located in Tustin

A stroll into the Marconi Automotive Museum is a trip through life in the fast lane. Lots of fabulous fast cars, the likes of which the average auto aficionado can only dream of seeing. First opened in 1994 by Founder Dick Marconi, this Non-Profit Museum and Special Event Venue has accumulated an impressive 30 million-dollar collection of historical, exotic, and classic cars to stimulate and delight the senses.

Pacific Marine Mammal Center
Located in Laguna Beach

A non-profit, volunteer organization and education center. They rescue, rehabilitate, and release sick and injured seals and sea lions. Programs include a guided tour of the animal care facility and exhibit room, a slide presentation and observation of the animals. The also offer a range of educational programs for groups of all ages.

Pretend City Children's Museum
Located in Irvine

This interconnected city allows children to "pretend" to be the adults. Children can experience a variety of features every city has to offer. With over 15,000 sq. feet of interactive exhibits and activities, Pretend City brings to life every profession, necessity and daily occurrences of a real city. They can do anything and everything from grocery shopping to banking to visiting the doctor to collecting their pay from the local ATM as well as visit the fire station, police station, the café and all of the many other exhibits.

Boy Scouts of Orange County

The Boy Scouts of America is the nation's foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. In the future Scouting will continue to offer young people responsible fun and adventure; instill in young people lifetime values and develop in them ethical character as expressed in the Scout Oath and Law.

Girl Scouts of Orange County

Through a wide range of enriching experiences—field trips, cultural exchanges, community service, leadership opportunities, skill-building workshops, outdoor education—girls grow courageous and strong. Girl Scout program is progressive and age-appropriate, with the girls’ roles and responsibilities expanding as they move through the different levels. Girl Scouting helps cultivate values, social conscience and self-esteem in young girls, while also teaching them critical life skills that will enable them to succeed as adults.

Missionettes

Missionettes is a ministry tool to help fulfill the Titus 2 principle of women mentoring young girls. Girls can begin in Missionettes at 3 years of age and continue through high school.

The Center Stage Studio
Located in Aliso Viejo

Your child is the star of one of our unique themed parties; “Hairspray”, “Annie”, “Grease”, and more!

You provide the star and the cast and we’ll provide the stage, music, costumes, and fun! For ages 7 and up!

Cool Critters & Animal Presentations
Will come to your location

A professional performance that is both fun and educational for children of all ages, Cool Critters is a traveling reptile and exotic insect zoo for birthday parties, corporate events and classrooms. Your guests will have an opportunity to touch or hold most of the twenty exotic animals that are showcased. Book a show today and create memories for your children that will last a lifetime!

Hullabaloo’s Clubhouse
Located in Orange
Orange County's Ultimage Party Place

Providing an amazing, fun filled, safe party adventure for your family and friends. Your adventure includes a huge clubhouse themed playground, giant inflatables, Pop Star Karaoke Stage, toddler area, and much, much more. Your child’s private adventure will be hosted by Hallabaloo's fun and courteous party staff - so relax and leave all the work to them!