Kids Activities in Paces

Kile Ishmael Glover was humble, confident, charming, and full of potential. He could have been a master chef, a musician, or a CEO. And he was only 11 years old when he died in 2012.

From their unspeakable loss, Kile's parents, Ryan and Tameka, found the strength to bring their son's inspiration to others. At Kamp Kile's World—established through the nonprofit organization Kile's World Foundation his parents founded—children can explore their inner creativity with a week of illustration and painting or a vocal camp that instructs children in the breathing, posture, range, projection, and diction necessary to be a great singer. Kids who have been bitten by the theater bug can also sign up for the theater or dance camps.

One of the nation’s finest kindergarten through 12th grade schools, Pace Academy focuses on providing rigorous academics and a supportive environment that promotes personal growth. Pace’s summer camp programs keep kids busy and engaged with age-appropriate activities that take place on a beautiful, well-equipped campus boasting impressive indoor and outdoor facilities. Campers are able to participate in the fun-filled Pace Camp ($680–$945), Paceketeer Camp ($250–$340), or a variety of sports camps ($150–$290). Sports camps provide valuable instruction in basketball, volleyball, and wrestling, among others, while Pace Camp includes activities such as Ultimate Frisbee and rock climbing for kindergartners through 6th graders, and Paceketeer Camp entertains 3.5- to 5-year-olds with a variety of indoor and outdoor activities. Keep youngsters occupied during the sunny season, and help develop their social skills with today’s side deal.

Mothers often chide youngsters for hopping onto flower beds, but Buckhead Bounce encourages it with its 3-D flowerpot bouncer. It’s one of the company’s several playfully themed inflatable rentals, which include a fire truck, a castle combo with a jumping area and slide, and a jousting arena replete with headgear and jousting poles. Professional setup and breakdown bookends each four-hour inflatable rental, during which sirens alert attendants of any loss of power so they can safely clear children from the inflatable before it deflates.

Along with bounce houses, Buckhead Bounce enlivens parties by turning backyards into drive-ins with inflatable movie screens, professional projectors, 450-watt speakers, and Blu-ray players. Guests enjoy their flick of choice while lounging on rental chairs and snacking on a rental hot-dog steamer’s franks, a rental popcorn maker’s kernels, or invisible stew a rental mime keeps trying to prepare.

Imagine That! and Future Tech founder Kelly Williams has always loved science and art—up until her children were toddlers, she had spent her life building a career as an environmental engineer working for the EPA. But when she began volunteering as a leader of art and science programs at her local church and school, she unexpectedly discovered that she loved teaching children even more. Since 1995, Imagine That! and Future Tech learning centers have fostered a passion for science and technology in students aged 3 through 14. Alongside hands-on, age-appropriate instruction in the basics of physics, chemistry, and simple machines, the kids learn to work futuristic wonders such as building and programming robots to navigate obstacle courses and follow instructions. Science camps and workshops at locations all over the Atlanta metropolitan area give children a firm foundation in the sciences and prepare them for tomorrow’s world of ever-more-advanced computers and automatic doors.

The hit Nickelodeon children’s program Yo Gabba Gabba! bounds from the small screen to the big stage in a show filled with cartoonish critters and boundless dancing. Beloved by hip preschoolers and savvy postschoolers for its eye-popping sets, catchy songs, respect for intellect, and absence of Shrek, Yo Gabba Gabba! teaches inner and outer children valuable life lessons without stooping to condescension. For the special It’s Time to Dance! tour, favorite adorable toy monsters such as Brobee, Foofa, Plex, and Biz Markie join human surrogates DJ Lance Rock and BeDazzler queen Leslie Hall for an onstage celebration of imagination. Mixing animation, games, and new songs with classic bits from the television show, the Technicolor mise en scène and infectious energy of Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! gives children enough confidence to apply to college after elementary school.

Seasoned boat captains and crustacean prospectors Sig Hansen, Johnathan Hillstrand, and Andy Hillstrand gather to share with audience members their tales of struggle and survival during crab season on the high seas, as partly documented by the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch. Fishing the Bering Sea in the middle of winter demands strong wills—which can come together in times of treacherous weather and 100-foot waves or come to blows about who performs better in the three-legged crabwalk race. Selected audience members will also have the chance to don the survival suits from the Time Bandit. Following the story-swapping and previously unreleased video footage, greenhorns and avid fans will have the opportunity to launch questions at the captains, wave giant foam claws, and learn how to communicate in claw-snap Morse code.