My 13 year old had a transformative 4 weeks at Roughing It day camp. She bonded with her group of…read moregirls, and responded to the great counselors and staff. Near the end of camp, she fell off a horse (only hurt her pride), and the counselors were so helpful and concerned for her to literally "get back on the horse" as soon as possible. That little tumble ended up being the pivotal positive experience in her entire summer! Although she attended camp reluctantly, she is now enthusiastic about returning this summer as a camper in leadership training (CILT).

The registration process is all online but good Lord they require a lot of information. If your…read morechild has ADD they require a Dr's note, if you don't want to medicate at the camp - I find the paper work excessive. It's super expensive ($600+) so I registered for the sample day (one day instead of the whole week) for $60. We are trying out the camp to see if it's worth the $$$. Cons - They don't provide lunch (for that much $$?) - The hours are 9-3 (technically that's not a full day when your a working mom) Pro - Check in was quick. They show up and check everyone in between 8:45 - 9am. - It's outdoors and they let the kids choose the activity - It appears friendly and loving Would I pay crazy dollars to go here? No, but I have always wondered what it was like. It's very similar to the Camp Potowatami at East Avenue, with a lake.

My daughter was in the spring camp and she loved it. The goal was to get her to be outside while…read morelearning and that was accomplished. She loved the interaction with the counselors and the other campers. Despite the colder weather and one raining days, she had so much fun she asked to come back.

Call of the Wild Camp is a great environmental education and outdoor play camp that my kids love…read more It started during the pandemic after the distance learning school year, when we were impressed by the care given to children's safety, the all outdoor setting and welcome reprieve from screens. The camp staff are friendly and skilled at engaging kids. The academic activities for reading, writing and biology are well-integrated into the day that is also filled with outdoor play, nature walks and hikes. Some days my kids didn't want to leave and wanted to keep playing with the new friends they made. I'm also impressed by how far they hiked. Really great camp for learning about nature and having fun outdoors.

Camp Chrysalis is an incredible camp. The director Lee is very responsive and passionate about…read moreproviding a wonderful experience to the kids who attend camp. It was my kids first time away from home & one of the first things they said when we picked them up after a week long camp was that they would love to go back next year, no hesitation. They are still singing the songs that they learned and talking about the experience. It is obvious that the staff love what they do and outdoor adventures are an integral part of their lives.

My teen and pre-teen had the time of their lives backpacking and swimming in mountain lakes during…read morethis year's Sierra Session. It was a TON of fun. So many lakes to swim in and so many nights solely amongst the trees and the stars. They made new friends and reunited with old ones from the previous year (pre-pandemic). Many counselors and trip leaders attended Chrysalis as youngsters and have astonishingly returned. It says a lot about the camp, its director Lee Tempkin, and the warm, nurturing, exciting and educational environment they create. Two of my youngest children also attended the Mendocino Session in 2019, their first time away from home. Well, truth be told, I am not sure they missed us *too* much with all the adventures and friendships to be had! Everyone helped prepare and cook meals. The also learned to work in teams around camp. Real world lessons. Swimming, hiking, canoing, catamaran sailing, tidepooling and even rollicking in the sand dunes... wow! This is a *real* adventure and a *real* experience. It is tent camping in a base camp and exploring the wonder that surrounds. Awesome fun and creative activities abound. Nature at its best, making epic summer memories.

My family loves Mountain Camp and it's the highlight of my children's summer. My 13-year old…read moredaughter has attended for 4 years and my 9-year old son attended for the first time this year. Both my children have severe, epi-pen level food allergies (to peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, legumes, soy milk and egg). Mountain Camp is the only camp that was willing to take on my children for two weeks and have a detailed allergy protocol in place. In advance of camp, I communicate with the culinary team to understand the menu for the session (they have a wide variety of food from around the world and different lunches and dinners every day). I partner closely with the wonderful chef and kitchen team to ensure the menu is safe for my kids (and I bring replacements for items which are not). I trust the team completely and my daughter reports that they are the safest camp she has been to (she has been to sleep away camp in Switzerland, Austria, New Zealand and in school outdoor education camps in California). Both my daughter and son have a warm relationship with the chef and go to her directly, most often for second servings! We have not had any incidents and the camp is incredibly responsive in our experience. We are grateful to Mountain Camp for their kindness, diligence and the magic that makes this summer camp so special for all the campers. See you next year!

This is the second year my child attended Mountain camp. She has food allergies and the first year,…read moreout of an abundance of caution, I sent her with food just in case she felt she could not eat the food served. Turns out she did not need the food. Bolstered by this positive result, we did not send her with food this year. Yesterday, two days before she was scheduled to return home, I received a call that my daughter self administered her Epi pen after consuming an allergen. My husband and I raced two hours to meet my daughter at the ER in Placerville and decided to bring her home, letting the staff know of our decision. The following day, after leaving an email, voice mail and text, the camp director finally called us mid afternoon. Apparently a health emergency does not warrant a before noon check in. I confirmed my daughter's recollection, that their head kitchen staff gave my daughter a gluten free cookie, insisting it was free of egg, the item she is severely allergic to. My daughter, having been raised to be overly cautious, asked the staff member twice to check and confirm. The staff member insisted it was safe and did not bother to check. My daughter ate the cookie, suffering an allergic reaction within seconds. She travelled with a counselor and a nurse to the ER and waited for us to arrive. That she was scared is an understatement. Mountain camp is a beautiful camp staffed by well meaning people. They are not, however, capable of ensuring your child's safety when it comes to food allergies. The camp was well aware of my daughter's allergies. She was the only one at the session that they had to show special concern. The head kitchen staff member selected a cookie that looked identical to the safe cookie, but never bothered to double check that she had made the right choice. In fact, the cookie was correctly labeled as gluten free but not vegan, which should have been the tip off. Her carelessness led to a medical emergency for my daughter one which was completely avoidable. After discussing further with the camp director, it became doubly clear that they have ineffective policies in place and no redundancy. They have no business claiming that they are safe for campers with food allergies if they can't even be trusted to double check. My daughter trusted the staff member as she would an aunt or other family adult friend. Despite her positive experience in other aspects of the camp, we will not return. I do not advise other parents with food allergic children to have them attend unless you have confirmed that they have out in place basic safety and redundancy protocols for their camp, including staff training. Even then I would think twice or encourage against it.

The kid enjoyed all-sports camp last year quite a bit, and the price is very reasonable as far as…read morefull-week camps go! But I really appreciate Russ the owner, who accommodated switching weeks, two years in a row. (Sometimes you don't know exactly when your vacation will be!). Anyway I'm sure they'll get our business for years to come.

Kids had a great week of play. Lots of games and activities and at the end of the day, they said…read morethey missed Coach Maddy and were excited to go back.

We have a shy first grader who is apprehensive of new situations. The counselors made him feel…read morecomfortable and now he is loving camp. They offer a wide range of fun activities like archery, boating, swimming, etc

I used to be a camper here for one summer and when we were leaving to the annual camping trip in…read morethe Oakland hills our counselor left our entire group in a locked van for almost 45 mins in over 90 degree heat. I remember one or two people had luckily filled their water bottles or I think it would have been a lot different. When we got to the camp site we set up tarps and just put our sleeping bags on them with no cover. In the morning a bunch of white spiders were crawling on everyone and got in all of our bags. On that trip that gave us salad from a literal trash bag.

We had such a fun and chill birthday party with JG! I am really impressed with their communication…read moresetting up the party and how friendly, flexible, and fun they were on the day of. When asked what did you think of the party my kid said, "It was so fun! Can we do it again here next year!?" Highly highly recommend. Perfect for a range of ages as well. Thank you JG coaches!!!

Jumpin' Gymsters is great for both camps & birthday parties! I first sent my then 5yr old son to a…read morefew of their summer sessions in 2023 and was really worried about how he would do. He really struggled at a previous camp but things were so different at Jumpin Gymsters. Carol, Carlos and the other staff members really helped him to feel safe and keep him happy and engaged. He had so much fun, he didnt want to leave at the end of the day. They really helped build his social confidence as well and he made a lasting friend there that summer. We had such a great experience with them that we decided to hire them for my son's sixth birthday party (which went really well) and also sent all three of our kids to some 2024 summer sessons. I can't recommend them enough!

This was my son's first year at Camp Edmo (he has attended camps at Oakland Rec Center and YMCA)…read more So far Camp Edmo is his favorite! He says he LOVES it. PRICING $439 a week is extremely pricey compared to Rec Centers at $180 a week. You get discounts for registering early or enrolling more than 2+ weeks. LUNCH Lunch was included in the pricing and you get to customize the lunch in advance online/ on the app, which was very easy to use. The lunch options were extensive and for the most part he said he enjoyed his lunch! EXTENDED CARE THEME DAYS On Tuesdays, they wore their green Camp EDMO shirt. Some Thursday's were themed ie. July 4th theme, wacky tacky day, DIY duct tape day. COMMUNICATION All the camp counselors were very friendly and easy to talk to. It was nice to receive an email regarding what the kids did each day and reminders for what to wear the next day. But the communication wasn't received daily - perhaps it geared towards reminders for the next day. EDMO Vibe Game They give out these cute EDMO magnet cards for participation or kind acts: Smile, Banana, Stump etc. And once they reach a certain number of cards the kids get upgraded to different levels. He was so excited to tell me about the cards he received. When he made it to the first level, he got a button. But I think he made it to the 2nd level but didn't get his prize, which was a EDMO hat. Future suggestion: email or print out the guidelines for parents to get the kids more engaged! SAFETY For the most part, the camp counselors that didn't recognize me asked to check IDs for pickup. The facility (Redwood Day School) is in a safe neighborhood. Overall, I would highly recommend CAMP EDMO if you can afford it. But if you have to struggle to pay for it - there are alternatives.

Another successful week at Edmo. My 9 year old daughter came home and said, "I really like Edmo. I…read morewish you'd send me more!" THAT'S what every parent wants to hear. Thank you so much, Edmo!