The Directory
Kid friendly businesses, organizations and services in the Des Moines area.
Whether you live in Ankeny, Altoona, Clive, Des Moines, Grimes, Indianola, Johnston, Urbandale, Waukee, Windsor Heights, West Des Moines or beyond, find the local resources your family needs in in the dsm4kids Directory!
While all submissions are considered, inclusion in the Directory is based on relevance. Businesses or organizations outside of Central Iowa or primarily geared toward adults may not be listed.
If you are a business or organization and would like to submit a directory listing, please click on Submit Business Listing.
dsm4kids wants to help you find the best activities for your family. Sign up for our Weekend Fun Guide to be sure you don’t miss a thing!
The Central Iowa Wind Ensemble offers four FREE concerts each year to the central Iowa area that are family friendly. Our 2022-2023 Concert Series will feature a Trick or Treating Event in October, a visit from Santa in December with refreshments and more in the spring! We believe in the power of music to positively impact people and that our performances should be accessible to everyone.
Face Painting Artists, Balloon Twisting, Professional Clowns,Comedy/magic shows and more!
The library is much more than a place to check out books. We have programs and services for everyone in our community.
We are an innovative visual arts organization providing gallery space for local artists and art classes for all ages. All exhibits and receptions are free and open to the public. We are dedicated to supporting local artists, providing educational development and a diverse art experience for people of all ages.
Programs offered:
Dance Lessons beginning January 2015
Private and Group Piano Lessons
Violin and Viola Lessons
Voice Lessons
Musical Theater Class
Prepiano Series
Preschool Music
Guitar and Bass Lessons
Drum Lessons
Rock Band Classes
Trumpet, Trombone, Saxophone, Flute, and Clarinet
One of the world’s largest collections of flowering crabapple trees can be found at Water Works Park. The collection is properly named after its developer, horticulturist and author, Arie Den Boer; he was the collector and originator of the arboretum in 1930. He established a collection of 300 varieties of trees in his time, which Des Moines Water Works staff now maintains through pruning and propagation.
Arie Den Boer was perhaps the first successful nurseryman to popularize the crabapple tree with his bookOrnamental Crabapples, published in 1959. His book gave a nurseryman a different take on the crabapple, warts and all, and explaining the tremendous diversity of this plant in the landscape.
Today, the arboretum includes approximately 1,200 trees in the collection, with the youngest trees being planted through a donor tree program. At this time, we are no longer accepting donations for new trees in the arboretum; however, a donation can be made to the maintenance and care for the existing trees in the arboretum by contacting Des Moines Water Works at 515.283.8702.
The annual crabapple blossom usually blooms the last week of April and the first week of May, attracting thousands of visitors to Water Works Park.
Business Description: Since 2010, we’ve helped countless people just like you to find the piano and guitar lessons they need so their children can learn to play an instrument.
Our curriculum is fully accredited by the ACS WASC for grades 1-12 music education, both in-person and online programs, meaning you can trust our process. Every new student begins with a free trial lesson to get to know us and what to expect before signing up
Why do we utilize group lessons? Almost nothing else is learned alone—not sports, not the arts, not academics. Then why piano and guitar? We believe students quit piano and guitar too soon because they're isolated and unengaged. Our group lessons solve all that, bringing students together to challenge and inspire one another.
Outside of our standard guitar and piano lessons, we offer plenty of extra activities for our students and pack our summer calendar full of camps and other opportunities. We love watching our students grow and try new things all year long.
Face painting, mural painting, canvas painting, furniture painting and more!!
Bookseller chain stocking housebrand eReader, plus a broad selection of titles for adults & kids. They also offer story times and events for kids.
Located next to the headquarters of Better Homes and Gardens' parent company, Meredith Corporation, our Test Garden serves as a display garden, a testing ground for plants, and a photography studio for our company's publications and Web sites.
The Test Garden is open to the public on Fridays from noon to 2 p.m., from May through September. Large groups may schedule tours during these hours.
For more information, contact the Test Garden Manager, at Better Homes and Gardens, 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309. The phone number is 515-284-3994.