Camp Helping Hands~ An Inspiring & Loving Camp... Thank you…read moreto this Summer 2018 Happy Campers ~ Thank you to the camps Counselors... & Fabulous Founder ~ Meredith Mednick ... We're Celebrating together today A truly rewarding breath of work which builds a healthy & soulful young human being.. I love you all.. A generous Camp! https://www.facebook.com/groups/GardenGnomeSociety/

My daughter did the full 3-week session of Camp Helping Hands this summer and loved it! Who would…read morehave thought that a camp could make waste-water management and beach clean-up into fun fieldtrips? She also adored visiting and learning about local senior citizen centers -- cannot wait until she is old enough to volunteer at one. And, the final week on animals -- therapeutic horse facility and farm for abused/neglected animals -- really touched her heart. This is a fabulous camp to send your child to if you want her/him to grow up and be a person who makes the world a better place.

We are thrilled with our summer experiences at Camp Kinneret! The kids can't wait to get to camp…read moreeach day, and come home exhausted in the best way possible. They take the school bus from right down the street and love morning songs on the way to campus. With so many great activities and incredible staff, their summer days are full of fun. We recommend Camp Kinneret to all our friends!!

This is the 2nd year my twin sons have attended Camp Kinneret. It truly is a special place unlike…read moreany other day camp in LA. The quality of staff is always the best and my kids come home every camp day full of stories and big smiles. The entire experience is very organized and the camp leadership is responsive and helpful throughout the year and especially during summer. We come all the way from Studio City (via camp bus) and my kids even love the bus ride. We plan to return every summer!

We had such a fantastic 2 weeks at camp Summertime! It was 5 year old's first time at summer camp…read moreand he took the bus from Temescal in Palisades to the camp. I was worried given it was his first time on a bus but everything went seamlessly. The counselors on his bus knew his name and the camp Director even knew his name!

Where do I begin? I am not an employee of this camp, but I have worked at summer camps in the past,…read moreand there is something about this camp that really sticks out. I work for a company that shadows children with disabilities, and I am here all day. The camp is run by a husband and wife, who are so energetic and sweet. The counselors are all high school graduates. You wouldn't guess that they were high schoolers. They are so great with the kids. There is swimming everyday and a variety of different activities they do. Everyday they do different activities (zip line, rock wall, fishing, paddle boats, horse back riding, arts and crafts, archery, and a few others.) The kids are so sweet here and have a blast. Someday when I have kids, I would most definitely send them here. Such a fun camp!

My kids loved it so much Maybe more like daycare vs true…read morecamp but very well executed lots of playing toys and special events every Wednesday (bounce house, reptile petting etc) and the staff is actually rly sweet. They go to the pool every afternoon also (pack $ for your child to buy snacks there!). The hours are long we paid for full day but didn't do it but they honeslty would have stayed and the staff keep them out of the Sun whcih helps. They are basically outdoors but in shaded areas and the indoor area is all open. It's adorable and for my kids it was rly nice to make friends outside malibu and just be exposed to some different people it's a mixed group of people from the area which is rly nice

Withheld my daughter's snacks. I packed her extra food in case she got hungry after lunch, and a…read morecounselor named "Liv" said that she couldn't eat them because snack time was over. My daughter was so upset and scared to eat the food I gave her. I took her out of the camp because the manager "Raquel," was very rude to me when I asked her why my daughter wasn't allowed to eat her snacks. This is NOT a place to trust with your kids. It's expensive, they keep the kids outside all day, and I saw two camp counselors vaping around the kids. It's also a PUBLIC park, I picked up my daughter one time and there was a homeless MAN in the women's restroom! I saw HIM walk in, and three little girls wearing camp t-shirts ran out screaming!! I saw four teenagers smoking grass on the swings right by a the kids!! I don't get how this place is still open.

My son has attended Kids in Motion summer camp for 5 years. He's a fifth grader now and already…read morethe thing he is most excited about is attending Coach Russell's camp with his friends! He is counting the years until he will be eligible to be a CIT. When I asked my son why he likes Coach Russell and Kids in Motion so much he said "it is the best camp because there is something for everyone and everyone is included. If you like sports and games there are lots to play. If you want to do art or trading cards you can also do those activities." While my son didn't use the word inclusive, I think what he was getting at and what I have seen is that Coach Russell and his exceptional staff create such a sense of inclusivity, of excitement and of belonging among their campers and within the community. Other things my son (and I!) love about camp--there's a super great variety of activities each day including water slides and other fun adventures. Kids are grouped very thoughtfully by age/grade level into groups so there's not a big range of ages. It feels very safe and secure to me as a parent but kids also get a chance to meet other kids who are similar in terms of age. We always run into Coach Russell camp campers around town after the summer is over! On a more practical note, Coach Russell is also extremely responsive to email, extremely organized and great at communication! If you're looking for a day camp opportunity in the Conejo Valley Kids in Motion is just the best!

My kids look forward to attending this camp every year. They offer activities…read more for everyone and provide a nurturing and caring environment.

This Y in Thousand Oaks was badly damaged in an earthquake and a decision was made NOT to repair it…read moreor tear it down so now it sits empty. What a waste! The Conejo Valley only has ONE Y in Westlake. It's a very nice Y but a large area like this needs more than one Y in my opinion!

So I have cancelled my membership and am moving on from this YMCA location. It was a good run and…read moreI will miss my mornings here and my friends and nice conversations. I am moving my office to Westwood so it is no longer practical to come here in the mornings on my way to work as they do not open until 6am. If they opened at 5am I could stay but that extra hour just does not equate to a doable commute. I just updated my review to 4-stars as the Y has finally responded to some of our complaints. They have corrected the issues causing us grief and seem to have staff here now that are receptive to the members requests. This is a welcome change; so in response I have updated my rating. And thank you for finally removing the locks on the windows so 1) we can get out in an emergency; and 2) too bad we had to endure sweltering Summer with no ability to open them. Now that it is Winter, it's not much help, but nonetheless it is noticed that you all finally responded to the members request.

My Son Loves going to camp here! My son really didn't want to go to summer camp. He loves Code…read moreRev! This is his third year!

Signed up for one day of camp at the very last minute. My daughter was excited by the sample…read moreitinerary on the website, which included things like "outdoor games" and "pair and share." When I went to pick her up, the group (including the instructor) looked like zombies staring at their computers... no acknowledgement I was even there as I'm looking for my child in a sea of office chairs. I'm willing to take my daughter's claim that she didn't learn anything new and was told she could just "play in her Minecraft world" all day with a grain of salt, because there's probably more to it than that. But she did confirm that there was no outdoor play and that she sat in the same seat for five hours. Overall, she called it "boring." I give it a few stars because they kept my kid safe, but we won't be going back.

Hands down the BEST place to book a kids birthday party!!!!…read more Rockin' Kids Play Center truly took care of everything....and I mean EVERYTHING!!!!! As a mom of 3 with all my kids under 5, this was such a lifesaver and completely stress free. Liz was incredibly easy to communicate with and so responsive, and Mia was just as wonderful on the day of the party. Both were kind, patient, and beyond helpful the entire time. I was able to actually enjoy my child's birthday instead of running around, which says a lot. The decor was absolutely beautiful, our guests would not stop complimenting it. I kept hearing "this is the best Hello Kitty party!". On top of that, the play area was spotless and kept all the kids entertained and happy the entire time. A few kids even cried when the party ended... that's how good it was! If you're thinking about booking a birthday party, this is the place!!! Thank you so much Liz and Mia! You both are truly the best and made this day so special for our family. 10000000/10 Highly, highly recommend!

I really wanted this place to work for my family, but unfortunately our recent experiences have…read moremade me decide not to return. My daughter is autistic and non-violent -- she just wants to play and be included. On multiple visits, whenever one particular staff member is working, her kids and their cousins are there, and the interactions with my child have been unkind and exclusionary. During one visit they were taunting her, and on another I had to step in and ask them to stop following her around and telling her she couldn't play with things. Another parent (the father of one of the kids) was standing there and even told them they needed to stop following her if they weren't going to be nice, so the issue was acknowledged in the moment. The situation escalated when my daughter lost her footing in the bounce house and accidentally landed near one of the kids. The child then told her mom that my daughter pinched her, which is not what happened -- I was standing right there the entire time. As a parent, it's really hard to watch your child be singled out or misunderstood, especially in a place that's supposed to feel safe and fun. What was also frustrating was that when I asked the staff member for the owner's email so I could address my concerns directly, she refused to provide it and said she wasn't allowed to share it. I found that disappointing, as I was simply trying to communicate respectfully with management about a serious concern. I'm sharing this because I hope management takes it seriously. This felt avoidable, and I wish the environment had been better monitored so all kids could play comfortably. I ultimately requested a refund for my remaining play days because I no longer feel comfortable bringing my child back.

Wonferful Camp Super fun and great activities. I highly recommend this place for kids.read more

This is my daughters 2nd year at Camp Carden. My daughter is one picky girl and she absolutely…read moreloves camp Carden. Every week is a different theme and everyday different planned activities. The camp is run by wonderful, friendly staff who have different backgrounds as educators during the school year which makes for a great mix of different personalities. I know my daughter is both safe and well taken care of. Thank you Camp Carden for being a great part of our summer!

My son attended his first season at Camp Adventurewood in 2023 - it was his first experience at a…read moresummer camp and he was a little nervous and shy but all his counselors made him feel so welcome and comfortable and after the first day he was hooked! He loved the variety of activities and made so many new friends. He came home with fun stories each day. I loved that they offered a variety of options from 2 days/week to 5 days. We returned last summer and an unexpected and sudden medical event threw our summer for a loop. They were beyond kind and accommodating. Michael, the owner, personally made sure we were taken care of at a very scary time and was just incredibly kind and communicative. I can't thank him and his staff enough for the support. I would recommend this camp for any family. Its like a classic, old-school summer day camp experience!

My son attended Adventurewood camp for the first time this week. For the most part he enjoyed…read morehimself -- particularly the characters they introduce throughout the week. However, we decided to pull him out for next week because of a very disturbing situation. He shared that a counselor had pushed him with both hands on his shoulders during a capture the flag activity. He had dropped his flag and was putting it back on when a counselor (he didn't know her name) pushed him back hard enough to make him lose his balance and fall. She also barked "you need to reset!" She didn't ask if he was ok or help him up. You'd think if this was an accidental push and he fell over she would say something like "sorry bud are you ok? Here let me help you up" but nope, not a word. A friend he's attending camp with witnessed the whole incident. Since I pick them both up in the afternoons they both recounted this situation to me and both of them noted how inappropriate her behavior was. I immediately reached out to Michael, the owner of the camp. He said he wanted to identify this counselor and get her side of the story. Understandable. My son felt uncomfortable going back the next day but I reassured him it would be handled and offered to drop him off in the morning and stick around to talk to Michael and the counselor. I wanted him to feel safe. Michael identified her (her name is Carson) and said he wanted to talk to her first, which he did a few feet away from me. I heard her say she didn't push him. They then walked over to me and she again denied everything. So we asked both kids to come over and recount what happened. They both did -- in front of her -- and reiterated she pushed him. She denied even touching him. So Michael suggests at this point that perhaps it was an accident and my son responds by saying "how do you push someone like that by accident?!" No response. So I ask her, are you saying these kids are lying? She again said she didn't touch him and at this point we send the kids away. I'm incensed because not only does she gaslight both of them to their face but tells this bold faced lie to her boss in front of the campers and me. I tell her I believe them and I think she's the one lying. At this point she gives me this dirty look - angry, irritated and almost rolls her eyes at me. I turn to Michael and say "and now she's giving ME an attitude?!" Unbelievable. In a follow up call, he tells me how good of a person she is and that this is shocking for him to hear but that she doesn't seem like someone who would do something like this...that she's getting her teacher credentials and he knows her really well. I am getting the vibe he doesn't actually believe any of this and he sounds very skeptical. I respond by telling him that it's almost always surprising when people exhibit bad behavior and that even teachers do bad things...that doesn't make her any more credible in my eyes. He acknowledged that. In fact, it's worse because I would be really concerned to have someone like that teaching a kid. Lack of empathy, accountability, and integrity. I mean, I think it's great he's trying to have her back but there are moments in life when you need to draw a line and act swiftly...these are one of those moments. Because ultimately, this impacts the reputation of your camp. I told him that it would be good to offer training to his staff in case this ever happens again in the future and honestly he sounded baffled and asked me to clarify...I said well maybe tell your staff not to give dirty looks to a mom who's clearly upset that her son just got pushed by a grown adult at summer camp?? I told him that the response to this situation could've resulted in a totally different outcome. Had she said something like "I really don't recall pushing you but if I inadvertently did and made you feel bad I'm sorry - I didn't mean to do that" - I would've went home that morning feeling fine about the situation. When I told him this he said that he's not going to police all her reactions, that she's still young, that she's still learning and made all kinds of excuses for her. Exhausting. Apparently she got a "warning" and will sit out of the flag activity (umm, ok...). He seems like a smart guy and wish him nothing but success in the future and I was earnestly trying to offer advice for how to handle a situation like this better but it fell on deaf ears. I really hope that some kind of learning comes out of this for both of them. Oh and to top it off, my son's friend told her mom that Carson was giving her looks several times throughout the day today and when she asked what kind she said "side eye" looks. NOT COOL. My son also said she was kind of mean to him but wondering why they were even in close proximity when Michael said they'd absolutely be separated and would not see each other? Validates we both made the right choice by pulling them both out. He offered a refund but I'm still pissed about the situation.