Kidizens

Kidizens is an excellent homeschool and after-​school civics class/​program that uses Lego as the medium for helping children understand what a city needs, how a city grows, and the processes that go into founding and running a city. My son just finished his second semester there and it has been a wonderful experience for him.
He’s grown so much over the past year and I think a large part of that has been this class. He took the homeschool Monday morning class and it’s been his favorite thing every week. Every Friday he’s been excited — not because the weekend was coming — but because Monday was close.
The class — and the city the class has built over the months — is over now, and my son is sad. But far better to have a wonderful thing end than to never have had it at all.
If your children love Lego and love scenarios, then this is the place to bring them.

I really wanted to do a birthday party here for my son, but they can’t seem to call or email back. And then, when they do, they expect you to pick a date that is just ~one week to ten days away. No one can send out invitations that close to the day of the party and expect anyone to come. I think kidizens is a fantastic idea, and I would really like to solicit their services, but they make it impossible.

My two boys, ages 9 & 10, just completed their first Kidizens program. Both of them absolutely loved the class. We are homeschoolers and this class was, by far, their favorite. What a great civics class!

My son attended a week long winter camp at Kidizens and absolutely loved it. He couldn’t wait to get up everyday to go to Kidizens. He spent the whole week thinking about the town he was building, how to make it better, how to attract more citizens, etc. He was learning about what it takes to create a community, the politics of a city as well as having a great time building and interacting with his team! I highly recommend this program and we will definitely be back again!

Kidizens is a after-​school specialty program that teaches kids how to think, cooperate, solve problems and become good citizens. It teaches them something that isn’t covered in much detail any more, Civics.
At Kidizens, the children use Legos to make an imaginary community. They start by creating a house, then they engage in various play scenarios to decide how they want their community to be. They decide what the rules are, and how to solve problems, like how to provide food for their community, or what to do when there is a fire. It is a kind of simulation game, but instead of being in some virtual computer world, the kids are making a community in real (imaginary) life, and interacting with each other.
There is a teacher /​facilitator, but the children make all the rules and decisions through a participatory process. They learn about government, economics, personal decisions (like budgeting their allowance of Legos), and many other lessons.
Kidizens uses Legos, but it’s really about the interactive social play. If your kid like Legos, they will have fun. If your kid is more into Playmobil, they will love Kidizens! If your kid is a thinker and a problem solver, then they won’t be able to get enough of it.
My daughter is in the second grade, and she absolutely loves it. She is very creative, and loves art, but she gave up her art class to go to Kidizens. She loves Playmobil, and Kidizens really engages that sort of creative /​scenario play.
She is also fond of Legos, but she wanted me to tell you that it isn’t just a Legos program. She thinks girls will like it, becuase it isn’t about star-​wars (like a lot of Lego games). You actually get to make something, and create an entire world!
Wikipedia says that «Civics is the study of the rights and duties of citizenship. In other words, it is the study of government with attention to the role of citizens as opposed to external factors in the operation and oversight of government. Civics refers to educating the citizens about the concepts of right and justice and ethics in public life».
Kidizens seeks to do this in a fun, creative and age appropriate way that lets the children explore possibilities for themselves, and come to their own conclusions and solutions, without any preconcieved notion of what «the answer» or «best way» should be.
Most of all, it’s fun. The kids who do it enjoy it, and can’t get enough of it. The children are playing together, and at the same time learning important life lessons.
NOTE: There are two locations. This review is based on the new Belmont location, but the comments apply to the program as a whole.