Wonderland Activities Center

My daughter attended Wonderland from the age of 2 — 3.5 yrs. From the beginning it was clear to me that Wonderland was a massive hit. Their session based classes were perfectly tailored to our two year olds needs, she was fully enthused, engaged and having fun during her morning sessions here. I would highly recommend Wonderland to any parent, we plan to send our youngest daughter here also when the time comes.

This was the perfect introduction to a school environment for my almost 3 year old. My son is fairly shy and intimidated in group settings, as I had seen in music classes. The demo class was a great way for me to see what I could expect from the class. The location is so great in Roscoe Village, near the playground for a quick pre– or post-​school run. I appreciated the small class size and found the room organized and laid out well for stations and activities. My son would typically cry at drop-​off but Miss Jodi and Miss Kendra were great about whisking him in and getting him set-​up with a toy or activity. At pick-​up, he would be all smiles and gush about everything he did in class. I love that they fed him — and he always told me he had eaten carrots or peas or another veggie. He would come home with great art projects. Unfortunately we moved away so couldn’t continue classes, but two months later my son still talks about it and asks when he can return! He’ll mention that he sees a frog, like the frog he would sit on during story time at school. I am so thankful for the teachers and facilities and highly recommend Wonderland.

I enrolled my daughter in the Creative Players class to better prepare her for preschool. This was her first drop off class, so I was very nervous. But much to my delight, she adapted quickly and really enjoys going to «school» and seeing her teachers Miss Jodi and Miss Kendra. I’ve seen a big difference in her too — from her expanding vocabulary, to becoming more independent, socialization skills, following instructions, etc. Yes, it is very much like school. There’s circle time, arts time, play time, and a newly added «gym» time. So it’s structured as such, and not a free for all. This class has definitely exceed my expectations, which is why I have enrolled her in the Little Learners class next semester. I have no doubt she will be ready for school as a result of attending these classes!

So thrilled to have this place in our neighborhood! My oldest son started at wonderland at the age of 3. He loved summer session he attended. This was his first school experience, and I was excited when it took him just a couple of classes to adjust to the separation (a huge thanks to Miss Jodi and her assistant, Miss Kendra). On days he didn’t have class, all he could talk about was going to Miss Jodi’s!
After that summer session, we enrolled him in the Early Readers Class!!! These are two 45 minute classes each week, limited to 5 kids. All I can say is, WOW! After the first couple of weeks of classes, my son started to attempt to «read» (mostly sounding out letters, but still! He was only 3.5!) every sign and every billboard on the street. He is now in pre-​K and his current teacher tells be that he is well above the curve in his reading skills for his age. Will your child learn to read at the age of 3 in this class? Maybe. For sure though, he/​she will love learning letters, sounds, sight words and so much more through play!
I enrolled my second son at Wonderland the day he turned two (it’s been almost a year). He is currently in the Little learners class 3 days a week. Not only has he become more respectful and responsible (I give all the credit to his teachers for teaching him good manners), he also constantly talks about all of his school friends and all the projects he made that day (he always proudly carries his art projects home).
I cannot wait for my 3^rd son to turn two so he could start coming to this wonderful place.
And one more thing, aside from being a great experience for your kids, this has also been a great experience for many moms and dads! There are a few «parents’ night out» events each year (we usually go to a local restaurant) and these are great for meeting the other parents and making new friends!

Our daughter loves going to her «shkool», she proudly shows us her projects after every class, and she’s getting great exposure to social situations with mom and dad not around. Very happy with Wonderland.

My daughter started at 2 ½ in the creative players. With any new drop off she was sad to leave mommy but Miss Jodie & Miss Kendra made the transition much easier. And every day even if she was sad to leave she was happy as can be when I picked her up. Now she runs right in and I barely get a goodbye. She now goes 3 times per week in the little learners class.
First off I love that the class is 3 hours. In 3 hours I can take my younger with me to the gym and get most of my errands accomplished! Secondly I can see firsthand that being in school is helping her become a confident toddler. I notice since being in school that she is more willing to make a new friend at a park or museum. Her vocabulary is amazing and she speaks to other children confidently. She learned how to drink out of a cup all at school (I never taught her). Once we started potty training they were there to help. Every day she comes home with projects that she is so proud of. She also makes the whole family play circle time very often and we have to sing the songs correctly :)
And now I can’t wait until my younger can join. If you are looking for a great first school experience this is definitely a good choice.

I had high hopes for this facility after reading the reviews, but ended up very disappointed. I hate posting negative reviews, especially for small local businesses, but my experience was so bad I feel it is necessary to do so. We choose it because of its location, but now wish we hadn’t. Roscoe Village deserves better!
This is a very small space that accepts up to 12 students per class with 2 teachers. There are lots of rules and punishment/​consequences — demands to sit still, stay in a particular area of the room, etc. There is little/​no chance for expending physical energy and they don’t go outside. They do indeed strap kids into a booster seat (the «special seat») if they don’t sit still, which is a hard thing for many 2 – 3 year old kids to do. I just really regret sending him here, and wish I had given the other negative reviews on Unilocal more serious consideration.
I recommend touring Little Marvels and Praireland Montessori, each of which is in the area and offers part time and half day programs. Then choose the right place for your child. We have switched to Little Marvels and it has been a fantastic experience all around.

My daughter has been going to Wonderland Activities Center for the past 10 months. She started off in the 2-​day Creative Players class. From day one she ran in and has never looked back. Her verbal skills exploded after entering this session based drop off class. It amazed us! She has really flourished in Wonderland. On recommendation from Miss Jodi, we then moved her up into Little Learners. It amazes us how much she has learnt, the little facts she’ll take home about different animals, shapes, numbers, colors and probably the biggest surprise, when she recognizes a book in the library or bursts into a song that she learnt at school. Miss Jodi and Miss Kendra are so sweet, kids are very drawn to them and you can feel the lovely warm cozy atmosphere they’ve created that makes these kids love it so much. A great resource for Roscoe Village. So glad we found it!

Wonderland has been an amazing experience for my 3 year old daughter. She has flourished there, becoming more independent and making friends. Ms. Jodi and Ms. Kendra are so wonderful with the kids and Ms. Jodi is very responsive and approachable. The center is always very clean and well organized. I’m so happy we found Wonderland, my daughter is always asking to go to school she loves it so much. It is also very affordable for what is offered in the neighborhood, very worth the price.

After my 2.5 year-old’s fourth class here, I started to have a gut feeling that this wasn’t the place for him. After his fifth class, I pulled him out.
After learning that Jodi had been putting my son in a high chair for time out’s, I was no longer comfortable with leaving my son at Wonderland. I had a similar experience as Chloe B. did (her review is filtered, scroll down and click to see the two filtered reviews).
Jodi seems to give different answers on time out’s and her discipline philosophy to different parents. My child was strapped into a high chair for time out’s for things like not wanting to sit during circle time. I understand that discipline is required in the classroom but I think there are better, more educated responses to a 2.5 year old not listening. After speaking with friends and other educators, I’ve learned that Jodi’s discipline tactics are definitely not the norm for this age group.
As this was my son’s first school experience I expected some learning curves. I enrolled him in Wonderland so he would learn certain skills, like circle time, before preschool, but Jodi was not willing to work with him. After his last class I asked her if she had any suggestions for things I could do and she just stared at me and said that normally a child will listen when offered the choice between a time out or continuing an activity. She was obviously done with my child so I pulled him out.
One thing that bothered me — Jodi’s childcare background is very vague on Wonderland’s website. This should have been a big red flag from the beginning. If you are deciding on if you should send your child here I would try to get a clear answer from her on what her discipline policy is and decide if this will work for your child or not.
A couple other things to note — unless your child had a bad day you won’t hear much feedback and Jodi does not provide a menu of what they eat every day. A mother asked about this during a visit and Jodi said they have a rotating menu but was very hesitant to provide a lunch schedule.

My son has attended various classes at Wonderland starting when he was 22 months until he was 2 ½ and he loved every minute. He talked frequently about Miss Jodi and Miss Kendra, his teachers, and it was clear that they took very good care of him during class. He loved coming home from class everyday with a new piece of artwork. I liked the small environment with only one class going on at a time. If you get there a few minutes before the end of class, you get to see the end of class and meet the other parents. Wonderland was a great first drop off class experiece and we miss it greatly but had to leave because we moved out of state. Also, Date Night Drop Off is wonderful– the kids get a party, you get a date, and you are all home in time for early bedtimes.

I enrolled my 2.5 year old in a toddler ‘pre-​school’ separation class. It was a very bad experience– it was painfully obvious that the director, Ms Jodi didn’t care much for my kid– she happily greeted most of the other kids as the arrived and when we walked in, her tone changed and she would barely make eye contact with me or my child. After a few weeks, my child came home talking about time outs at Wonderland– I inquired about the discipline policy the next time I went in and per usual, Ms Jodi was extremely awkward and fumbled with her answer until she finally told me that she had been timing my kid out sometimes three times a class (during a 2 hour class) and in the corner! I know my kid is not an angel, but my child is very socialized and is extremely sweet– I then found out my kid was being timed out for things like, standing up during circle time or running (uh, isn’t this an activity center?!) so I immediately pulled my child from the program and found an amazing, legitimate preschool where the staff is supportive, kind and embraces my child’s spirit and curiosities.

Miss Jodi and the staff at Wonderland Activities Center are as good as it gets. We discovered Wonderland just a few months after it opened. My daughter was 18 months and had very little drop-​off experience. Jodi made the separation as easy as could be… for both of us! She helped my daughter’s overall independence (she no longer cried going to the gym daycare, with babysitters, etc. after starting Wonderland). A year and a half later, my daughter still attends a weekly class and loves every second — she can’t get in the door fast enough. My daughter also has a food allergy and I never worry while she is at Wonderland as Miss Jodi is on top of it.

Jodi the owner is super sweet and nice. I am planning my baby first birthday party there and she has been great. I went to wonderland for an open play and it was great. Really clean and cozy place to take your kids.

If you are looking for a great place for toddler classes, this is it! Jodi, the owner, has years and years of experience, and knows how to make learning fun!

Not sure why Unilocal filtered this review, so hope this will resolve it. Please check out Wonderland, it’s a great resource for children to play and have a fun time.