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.

AYN seems like a great outdoor day camp. Our 6 and 9 year old daughters went to the President's…read moreWeek camp near Krusi Park. They enjoyed spending the week outdoors, at the park and in the camp's backyard. From what they told me about their days (which is never much), they played a lot of group games, and enjoyed the trampoline and feeding the animals. They seemed worn out (in a good way) at the end of the day, but not too tired from sun exposure like at other outdoor camps that they've attended. We've signed the kids up for Water Week and Survival Skills Camps in the summer, which the kids are very excited about!

Super happy to share an awesome review after the camp we had our kids in. The counselors were…read moreexcellent, the space is perfect for kids, and the only reason why our kids were sad is because they wanted to spend more time there!

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.

Our son has ADHD, and this program has been a great source of care, emotional skill development,…read moreand self-esteem for him, first as a participant, and now as a volunteer/peer playmate assistant. OKOT combines two things that all kids can benefit from: guidance from trained adults who aren't their parents, and time and activities outside and away from screens. We're so grateful!

I have had a truly horrible experience with Outdoor Kids OT. I was referred to their social…read moreplaygroup by another parent and I signed up for a spot which they had available even a few days after the school year started. They asked for payment to secure my place, they took hundreds of dollars from my credit card and said they placed me in a group but then never told me where that group was. I called 20x and emailed 5 times over a week to find the location and got no response. My husbands convinced they're just scamming us. Which is truly awful for a company that is supposed to help neurodiverse kids. I would not suggest working with them unless you're looking to spend all your time on something.

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.

Whenever I mentioned that my daughter was going to Fairyland Summer Camp people gushed about how…read moregreat the camps were. And they were right! Topaz, Fairyland's Community Engagement Manager, is kind, organized, and patient. In fact, she probably deserves a promotion and commensurate salary increase. Hers is not an easy job and still I never saw her flustered and she was especially skillful at handling parents and kids alike with care. We were originally waitlisted for Maker's Wonderland and Farm to Table. To my horror, the email notifying us that our daughter had been offered a spot for both camps went to spam. Thankfully our neighbor tipped us off and I wrote to Topaz right away and she managed to get our kid in for three weeks of camp. And she couldn't have been nicer about it. My daughter made butter from scratch, performed skits, and made a good friend at Fairyland camp (and both our families are better off for it). I highly recommend these summer camps for their super staff, excellent Oakland vibe, and engaging activities for kids.

Fairyland Summer Camp (FSC) is an absolute gem! It is a unique and valuable experience for young…read morechildren. The activities at this camp will inspire, encourage and stimulate their minds and creativity. It is awesome that my children get to spend the day outdoors in a safe environment and with caring staff members. Most of all, they are given the time and space to be themselves and PLAY.... after all, play is the primary way children LEARN. The Education Specialist Shana, is a genuine, intelligent, and professional Leader. She has a positive and loving energy that is contagious. My children have attended FSC for 3 years and I always see her connecting with all the campers and parents. My children really, really enjoy their time at Fairyland Summer Camp and I am a happy and grateful Mother.

Both of my kiddos participated in the winter SF Adventure Camp for the first time this winter and…read moreall of us could not have been happier (and I have a tough crowd:) They have a wonderful crew and plan interesting activities for rain or shine. The kids came home happy, a little tired but not exhausted or crabby and couldn't stop talking about the fun things they did that day. The communication was on point, drop off and pick up was a breeze and they were all really well organized. You can tell that they have a solid game plan for each day/week. I also really enjoyed that my kiddos were able to attend the camp together - a rarity with their 3+ year age gap and that my 4 year old could attend the camp. I highly recommend this camp and appreciate Christian and the staff so much for being so wonderful. I cannot wait until their spring and summer camp dates are posted!

Adventure Camps is our daughter's absolute favorite camp! She looks forward to going and loves…read moregoing on a different adventure each day. If you are looking for a great camp, your search is over. This is it!

This is my son's dream camp, but there is no way we can afford $925 per week for a full day camp…read more(9a-6p) but we also are nowhere near to the HHI required for financial aid. The cost is nearly _double_ that of every other camp we have enrolled in. Everything about it sounds amazing but if you aren't a two-earner household both making huge tech dollars it's entirely out of reach.

Our daughter (entering K who prefers playing with dolls indoor) thoroughly enjoyed the Explorer…read moreCamp. She had tried Monkey Business Camp last summer but she did not like the unstructured free play time as she did not go with a friend. With Avid4Adventure Oakland, she went without knowing anyone and enjoyed every single moment of the five days outdoor adventures (biking, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking and stand up paddle boarding). She loved the fact that they had to take a van to go offsite (eg: Berkeley Aquatic Park for water sports, etc). They also have yoga, art, music, etc. We were worried because she could not bike without training wheels but the instructors helped her and at the end of the day, our daughter was very proud of her biking skills! She always looks forward to next day's activity. They emphasize recycling and the love for our environment during camp, so much so that after attending Avid4Adventure, our daughter checks on us when we have trash at home to make sure we are recycling 100%. Even the tiniest scrap paper and snack bags must be recycled!!! Think TerraCycle. Great first time exposure to sports adventure and spending time outdoors with fun instructors!