Education & Classes in Elk Grove Village

Classically trained in the culinary arts, the friendly chefs at A Kid's Kitchen help tykes tap their foodie instincts during hands-on classes in a peanut- and nut-free environment. One-time sessions and class series feature topics from twisting soft pretzels to adorning cakes with fondant to crafting perfectly aerodynamic food-fighting weapons, with topics geared to please different age ranges. Summer camps keep kids engaged during school's off-season, and birthday parties entertain groups with edible festivity. Additionally, parents can order custom cakes and pastries from the kitchen, which also dishes its desserts from a space free of peanuts, tree nuts, or allergy-inducing political discourse.

Jim Kwasek, owner and chief pilot of Chicago Executive Flight School, pumps blood through Chicago’s aviation community as the president of the local pilots' organization and a vocal advocate for the joys of flight. His journey to the presidency began with just one Cessna 150, and since then that Cessna 150 has birthed two Cessna 172s, two C23 Sundowners, and a C24R Sierra. With this family of winged wonders, his team of passionate, certified pilots teach students safe flying techniques. During FAA-flight training, they guide students through programs for private and commercial licenses or flight-instructor and advanced-kite-herder training.

They also give prepilots an introduction through total-immersion flights. In these hands-on sessions, newcomers live out an actual pilot’s routine: practicing pre-, post-, and standard flight protocol while skimming the countryside, lakeshores, and north side of downtown Chicago.

Students play the music they want to at North Shore Music Institute, where a staff of working musicians lead private and group lessons on instruments including guitar, keyboards, bass, ukelele, and buckets. The school's band program helps connect students of similar age, skill, and musical preferences in an eight-week program where they learn two assigned songs and two songs of their choice. Designed for garage bands with airport-size ambitions, the program guides groups through every step of the process, from instrument tuning to autotuning.

Kumu Hula (“Master Teacher of the Hula”) June Yoshiko sometimes wonders if it was the same streak of courage that led both of her grandfathers to leave Japan and start a new life in Hawaii that inspired her to make a similar journey from Hawaii to Chicago. A hula dancer since she was six, she’s honed her craft over three decades while augmenting it with a master’s in public health nutrition, ordination as a Zen Buddhist priest, and certification as a reiki master teacher.

June teaches two types of hula classes: Hula Kahiko, ancient dances accompanied by chanting that emphasize Hawaiian culture, and Hula Auana, or modern hula, set to contemporary Hawaiian songs and instruments such as ukulele and guitar. Her beginner classes focus on footwork and hip motions, and advanced classes merge both Kahiko and Auana with the study of plants, chants, mythology, and history important to hula. June also offers a Gracious Ladies class for mature women and men that incorporates Auana hula to tone bodies, strengthen core muscles, and boost ACT scores.

Since its founding in 2005, the Southport Performing Arts Conservatory, known as SPACE, has molded master artists with European-style instruction and programs. Their troupe of instructors hone students' two-step skills in dance lessons, and prepare pupils for a stint in an orchestra with their music classes, which include lessons on jazz, Suzuki instruction, and using harmony to get plants to dance.

From hanging out with Patrick Swayze as a dancer for Universal Studio's 10th anniversary of Dirty Dancing, and dancing in a VH1 special for the 20-year anniversary of Grease to winning the United Country Western Dance Council World Championship's Jack & Jill competition three times—Brian Wong has accomplished a lot in his 20-year career. Throughout these experiences, though, it's his ability to turn dancing novices into confident dancers that has given him the most pride. In service of this passion, Brian founded Chicago Dance Factory, where he and a team of instructors lead dance classes at spacious locations scattered throughout the greater Chicagoland area. Brian's teaching philosophy emphasizes syncing students' bodies with the so-called "heartbeat" of the music before they attempt any patterns or steps. Using this unique rhythm-based philosophy, Chicago Dance Factory's instructors teach students various dancing styles—ranging from pop-infused West Coast swing to elegant ballroom—that can be unleashed during a night out, at weddings, or in dance-infused gang fights.