I was in San Francisco for work and signed my kids (8 & 9) up for the City Kid Camp. They LOVED it…read moreand asked to stay longer. They made friends and loved the daily trips and activities. They came home exhausted every day, but happy and excited. The camp is a unique format - the kids are out exploring the city, playing games, learning new things, and developing social skills. Evan and the team that run the camp are great. You can tell that they are really interested in helping the kids have a great experience and develop skills. The kids are definitely in good hands and well supervised and cared for. I also love that it is a device-free environment. My kids are already asking if they can go back next summer....

My 9 yr old son had another fantastic summer with Evan & his staff at SF City Kid camp! We are…read morecontinually impressed with how relaxed and friendly all the staff members are, and how fun, educational and exciting the experiences are! My son always says he would go every week during the summer if he could; he learned so much and always comes home happy.. 2 of his buddies joined him at camp this summer for some of the weeks and they were thrilled as well. Thanks so much to the SF City Kids staff!

There are few times in my life where I drop off my son for a camp or after school program and feel…read morelike he will be engaged in ways that he's never been before. That's how I feel about Tinkering school. My Son,6yrs old, literally talks my ear off after coming home from here. He talk about the human size Hungry-Hungry Hippo he's making out of pulleys and wood, about the working Air hockey table and how good he is getting at using real tools. Joshua and Nathan and everyone else there are kind, attentive and passionate about what they do. I leave feeling like I'm actually enriching my child's life instead of just leaving him with somebody to babysit him. Registration was easy and They are pretty good at getting back to my emails. Not sure why the bad review here said it was hard. I guess I'm just good at using a computer.

Our son attended this summer camp for the first time. We were so excited because he's always asking…read moreto build stuff using tools/power tools. Our experience was disappointing. Since the camp is an extension of Brightworks School, there are kids who know the ropes and are familiar with the way things work. Unfortunately, the camp isn't set up to really introduce kids who are new to the process of building. Every day our son came home and said he hadn't built anything because he didn't know what to build. Yes, some kids will dive right in and come up with something. Others need instruction, and that's normal. Brightworks has a reputation for being child-led to a very high degree, but I take issue with them not teaching our son about the materials and tools so he could feel comfortable and build something, which he did do on the two final days. When I asked for someone to give him some guidance or ideas, I was told they don't like to give the kids ideas because then they all do the same thing. Yes, yes, I agree, but that applies to the kids with experience, not a kid who's been there 2 days and has no idea what to do. That takes the concept of child-led too far. A school friend was with him at camp and they reported that the instructors were snappy with the kids. Sigh In addition, on their day at Crissy Field, he returned home with the worst sunburn he has ever had. When I inquired about why nobody had put sunscreen on him, I was told that they had given the kids sunscreen and he had applied it himself. He is not yet 7. He is not responsible for sunscreen application to protect his skin from damage. Adults are responsible for that. Even if he takes off his hat, it's the adults who have to enforce the safety rules. Given our experience, we asked if we could un-enroll him for the following week and get a refund. They declined, much to our disappointment.

My almost 7-year-old has been attending this school since she was 5. Why? Because she genuinely…read moreenjoys it. She loves that she is never bored. Every week she learns something new: new styles, materials, and techniques. Sometimes they focus on painting, other times on sculpture or different forms of art. Katia and Sara have both been her teachers, and she has felt happy and supported with all of them. Like with many activities at this age, it took a couple of weeks for her to fully adjust and feel familiar with the environment but consistency made a big difference. As parents, we appreciate seeing her come home excited and proud of what she created. It is easy to notice how much she has progressed over time and we get very excited when we see her project. We also appreciate the communication style of the school. They provide a high-level overview each week of what the kids will be working on, which keeps parents informed without overwhelming us with too much information. On the administrative side, tuition payments and renewals are simple, and the staff has always been friendly and helpful whenever we have had questions or needed help resolving any mistakes on our part. We also love the location. Depending on the day and who is with me, it is easy to wait nearby at the library, a coffee shop, or a restaurant while class is in session.

Highly recommend Advanced Watercolor with Luka. He's an amazing instructor and I learned a lot in…read more10 weeks, including new techniques, breaking down reference photos, and a values study process. I grew a lot from this class, and received specific feedback and guidance for my needs. I loved the format of this class and how it challenged me to take on complex subject matters. By the end, I had more confidence, a more experimental approach, and an even greater love for watercolor. I'm excited to take more classes here!

My son started volunteering with Sky Kids as a junior counselor for a few camps and then in the…read moresummer from 8th to 9th grade wanted to work as many weeks of camp as he could. He is planning to join in the fun again this summer. He really loved the staff, kids and activities. Miranda and Shelly, the leaders of Sky Kids, treat the JC's with respect and they get to enjoy many outings and adventures. They also learned about being responsible, on-time and reliable. All good things. Would you believe that one night I heard from a 13 yr old, "...Mom, I have to get to bed early. Those kids wore me out today and I am working again tomorrow. It's a lot of responsibility, you know." Highly recommend Sky Kids and I heard they are going to begin an after-school program too. I'm sure it will be a success as well.

Our 5 year old had a wonderful time at Sky Kids camp this summer! I asked him to rate the camp on a…read morescale of 1 - 10, and he told me enthusiastically: "Mom, it's a 30!" He attended the Sky Bots and Paper Art camps. Every day was filled with fun projects (that I'd never dare to do at home for the mess they would create), as well as memorable outdoor adventures. They explored different playgrounds every day - from Rossi to Mountain Lake to Alta Plaza. And yet...my son never came back sunburnt! This is a testament to the fantastic staff of counselors and supervisors. In wrap up conversations at the end of the day, I felt they understood him even after a day or two of interactions. Would highly recommend this camp for the content and the culture.

We were looking for some extra support with our child's learning and came across Mathnasium. Not…read moreonly did our child improve, she looked forward to coming in and loved the curriculum! That says a lot about the culture and staff here. I would highly recommend!

Best mathnesium and tutors! Highly recommend this location, the staff is super kind and helpful. My…read moredaughter has learned so much since joining.

Our family had an absolutely fantastic experience with Music Art Adventure! My daughter (13 yo)…read morejoined a 2-week camp as a Junior CIT (Counselor-in-Training), and it was an incredible opportunity for her growth. She gained wonderful, hands-on experience learning how to interact, lead, and connect with the younger children in a warm and supportive environment. The kids made beautiful, creative crafts that they used in the final performance. It was truly outstanding! Seeing the children sing and perform, accompanied by exceptionally talented, professional musicians and singers, elevated the entire production to a whole new level.

Our kids had an amazing week at Music, Art & Adventure camp! This camp is a great mix of outdoor…read moreactivity, arts & crafts, and music! We would get updates via WhatsApp throughout the day with pics or videos of the kids. And every time we would pick the kids up at the end of the day they were tired, dirty, but not ready to go home!! ...a sign that a good time was had . Thank you to the camp counselors who were so friendly and upbeat. You really made the week of camp special for our kiddos!

Coming back to the YMCA years after the pandemic, I was hoping for a good experience. Today was not…read moreone. When I went to renew my membership, the older woman at the front desk misgendered me. I corrected her quickly and then she went on to ask me questions about transgender identity. Not quite sure that your workplace is the place to ask me for a free education, but whatever. She is new and obviously doesn't know what she's doing and at the end of our conversation when I'm about to pay she starts misgendering me again. This is when I walked away. Y'all are not getting my 99$ a month plus a 150$ return fee (they said they didn't have the capacity to reduce or cancel the start rate unless I came back to speak to a manager on Monday.) The dude training her at the front seat was like a post in the mud and did not move to correct her even when he saw I was uncomfortable, he just kept moving scissors and junk around in the front desk as he stood by. I'm not going to pay so much for a gym that hires people with the intellect and personalities of wet noodles. No thanks! Planet Fitness looks like the better option in terms of cost. It's really sad because the staff at the YMCA Embarcadero were really diverse and cool about 6 years ago, I hope that hasn't changed. Either way, y'all aren't getting my money and this was a tremendous flop.

The Friendly Neighborhood Gym ! I do my necessary circuit…read morework here- cross train with Stair Climber and Rowing Machine too. And use the Letterman Pool by The Palace of Fine Arts. The Memberships here work at all the facilities in San Francisco. Not 5 Stars- due to space limitations - and it can get crowded. Would advise getting a Membership here !

I've only visited once, but I was pretty impressed with how put together this was. My toddler…read morewasn't too comfortable quite yet, but I can't wait to bring her back for more fun. They had many fun stations, the only thing that got me wondering was how often do they sanitize their aprons.

I can't express how impressed I am by the staff at the Messy Art Lab (Garden Studio). The ladies…read morewent way above and beyond for my son's 5th birthday party. All the children had such a fun time and the parents thought the event had purpose. We had 12 kids and their parents as our guests. The new outdoor space is perfect especially during covid. Masks are still encouraged even outdoors, which made our guests feel safe. I met with Lindsay for a tour of the new location space and booked it immediately a few months prior to the party date. Lindsay was helpful with answering all my questions via email. They set up so many art and sensory stations that the kids didn't even get to do all of them. There was a good variety of different activities, something for everyone. We added an add on activity to the birthday package which was an instructor led project. Originally, my son picked potions but after Yoissy inquired about my son's interest, she came up with an intricate volcano project. She was so engaging and taught the kids/parents how to make a volcano with mixed media and then do the science experiment. It was so creative and fun! We even went over our time limit for a whole hour. Thank you Yoissy and staff for your extra time and patience with the kiddos! We also brought our own decorations and snacks/cupcakes. However, if you want to use their decorations, it's really cute if you don't have a specific theme. The staff was also super helpful the entire day. I could not be happier with how well the party went and highly recommend having a toddler's birthday here! Please note that the new location is on 1371 9th Avenue, not Judah. Parking is limited in the Inner Sunset, but it's nice that there's a loading zone in front of the Messy Art Lab.