This is about the facility itself than the camp. My kids and I went her for a JCC event in October…read more The event and the facility itself are amazing. I have gotten to know Lawrence over the past two years through the second friday events and he does an amazing job. This particular event was for sukkot and included arts and crafts, hayrides, a chance to put the crafts in their sukkah, a petting zoo and live music. EFA is a great venue. The site is extensive and gave plenty of room for all of these activities to co exist. Because its in LZ, the hayride almost felt like being on a farm, Without a doubt the highlight of the day with the Garoon Gateway to Science. Its an amazing experience. Its hands on and outside. Both of which are important for learning. Chicago is definitely bereft of hands on museums and the Garoon definitely is. According to the website for Garoon it says. "In this state-of-the-art, outdoor learning environment, children ages 4-14 are encouraged to explore basic physical and natural science principles in a way that challenges learning, curiosity and creativity. The hands-on exhibits are designed to be both fun and demonstrative. JCC believes children learn best through processes that peak their own curiousity and compel them toward discovery (informal, experiential education).... "This project is in the mainstream of a world-wide movement toward experiential, outdoor, informal science education," said Martin Levine, General Director of JCC Chicago. "The basic premise is that children can have fun and do serious learning at the same time."

We love Apachi! Our 2 older children have been attending since they were 3 and will be returning…read morethis summer for their 4th summer. This is true camp...the outdoors, the endless fun, friendships and life experiences that only a well run day camp could create. Every summer the well trained staff is amazing and the director Jen creates a safe and fun environment for everyone, always with a smile and a wave. My kids have turned into campers, something that will last a lifetime, thank you EFA!

If I could I would still be attending summer camp in my 30s. I'm counting down the days until my…read morenow 4.5 yr old is old enough to go to overnight camp- not because I want less chaos in my house, but little does she know that I'm planning on going with her. Or at least visiting a lot! When I first checked out Tamarak it reminded me a lot of overnight camp. Lots of greenery and just plain fun! I decided last August that I was going to enroll my daughter in their munchkin program for this summer. As this summer approached I got a little nervous because wasn't sure she was ready to leave the doors of her nurturing pre- school, take a bus to camp and stay all day long. It turns out she was more than ready and I can't imagine her having a better summer than she did at Tamarak. She loved her counselors (shout out to Faith who runs the munchkin program along with Jess, Isabel, Hillary and sam for putting up with her and many other 4 yr olds each day). She loved the activities (swimming & arts and crafts her personal faves). And most of all she loved the bus ride to and from camp, which opened her eyes (or ears) to many more music options. The price of Tamarak alone was worth getting to switch out the kiddie music in my car for Taylor swift and Katy Perry. Tamarak has open visitation. I expected to take advantage of it many times throughout the summer but between work and the rest of life just made it there once. However, I was so impressed by the camp based on that 1 visit: it was well organized, the kids were safe and it just looked like so much fun. My daughter cried when I told her she'd be going back to the "tough life of pre school in the fall" because she wants to stay at tamarak year round. I'd like to be at camp year round too, but at least she's lucky enough to have a summer at tamarak next year and beyond.

My 2 daughters went to went to Tamarak country school. We've had experience with 14 teachers and I…read morecan say, while they all offer different types of support to their students, they have all been quite good. My 2 girls have wildly different personalities one introverted and creative, the other extroverted and focused. The former needed more support from the Tamarak teachers and she received it. She is no longer afraid to speak out. She really loves school. This is a metamorphosis to me and I feel a significant portion of this change can be attributed to the teachers at Tamarak. The teachers set goals for the girls and worked with us on techniques that we could use at home to help them. The day is broken up into big group, small group and individual choice education & play. They focus on literacy, letters and math concepts as well as social aspects of learning. Both of my girls were completely prepared for kindergarten. Tamarak offers additional learning opportunities in programs like GIFT, and STARs. We took advantage of GIFT this year, which extended the day from 2 1/2 hrs to 5 hrs (lunch is included). These extra classes offer benefits. 1) It prepared my youngest for full day kindergarten (first one didn't have it and full day kindergarten was a shock to the system for her) 2) extra learning opportunities in geography, and the one that impressed me the most was public speaking and presentations. This may sound like too much...I thought it would have been, but....the kids to so well! The got to talk about something they liked doing and in this non-threatening environment....they had no problem talking to the class. The school has several outdoor play areas and an indoor gym for rainy/cold days. They care a great deal about the health of the kids, plenty of hand washing :) Lucia, the director, is a force. She is really really a great director. She is responsive to suggestion and a fabulous leader. We will be back for summer camp next summer for sure.

This place is best to code! I started when I was 10-11 idk but when I was here I felt welcome. All…read morethey Senseis are so nice and cool. This place is the best to code!

My son is so happy that he can finally learn how to code. He's been asking me for quite sometime…read moreand I found this place when I searched online. As soon as my son was done with the trial lesson, he begged me to start the lesson which we did. My son comes twice a week for an hour each. You are free to wait inside or come back later. The place is conveniently located near many restaurants and a grocery store. There are 4-5 instructors (they are called Sensei) available each time so it's great to know that if my son has any questions, there will always be a Sensei to help him. The place is clean and there are 2 doors before any kids can exits the place so it's great to know that my son is safe inside. Owner is very nice, helpful and accommodating. I am so amazed he can memorize all the kids and parents' names. Must be some kind of talents to be able to do that

This is possibly the most expensive day camp in the north shore. I tried to convince my son to just…read morego for half the summer to which he responded "but mom - I don't like banner day camp....i LOVE it." And this is a kid who I would have to force to attend basically all other camps so imo it's money well spent. My son (and many of his friends) seem to think this is so much more fun than any other camp they've attended. There's a lot of bells and whistles like water slides, trampball, a lake, dune buggies and a petting farm for younger kids etc. They also get to choose many of their own activities as they get older and my son absolutely loved spending his days playing basketball and participating in their sports league. For those more adventurous the adventure elective looks pretty fun too! It reminds me a lot of overnight camp, but they come home at the end of the day,which is ideal for those (like my son) who aren't ready to be away from home quite yet. I did think their daily communication paled in comparison to our last camp, but I think a lot depends on your unit leader. They have the unit leader call home every few weeks (or maybe even every week for the littles) to check in, which is amazing. It didn't seem like my unit leader knew my son that well and the call felt more like a formality, but by our last call I felt like she had a good grasp of my sons interests. We also didn't get many pictures, but I was told the other groups got way more so may have just they were getting to a more independent age. And since my son isn't little anymore and I see him daily I don't care too much about the pictures. I will say he absolutely loved his counselor and even received a letter from him in the mail, which he was so excited about. What I mostly care about is the BIG smile when he gets off the bus with so Banner gets 5 stars for that alone!

Working at Banner was the worst experience I've ever had. If you are not an outgoing popular…read moreperson, then don't bother working here. From day one, I felt like an outsider. I have never had issues making friends, but it is so cliquey here. If you don't fit a certain mold, you are essentially shunned. I continued for three summers, mostly because working with the kids was great, and I needed something on my resume, since I was in school to be a teacher. Besides that, management was the worst part of the job. I was pulled aside one day and essentially berated by management (a name that has been mentioned in many other reviews) for no apparent reason. I was told that at my age (I was 22) I should be a part of leadership by now, and that I was so behind my peers. I was then told that I would never be successful as a teacher because I was not a leader and I would get walked all over. When I started crying, I was asked why I was crying, basically insulting me for having emotions. This happened during the third week of camp, and I dreaded each day that followed. This was 15 years ago, and it's something I still think about regularly. It truly made me feel like I was worthless. I'm happy to report, however, that I have been teaching in a great district for the past 11 years, so their words couldn't be less true.

"My child came home every day excited about their new friends and the fun activities at the camp…read more The staff is incredibly caring and supportive, ensuring that every camper felt included. Activities ranging from: stem, story telling, public speaking, conflict resolution and pickleball. The camp offered a wonderful balance of outdoor activities and valuable learning opportunities. Barrington' Best Summer Camp encourages a sense of belonging, and we can't wait to return next year!"

Our 6 year old has been going here for about a year. He has already learned so much, gets lots of…read moreexercise and has learned quite a bit of discipline. Master Morris spends a lot of time with each of the students to ensure that their form is correct. He also makes it fun! Class sizes are reasonable to ensure everyone gets a lot of attention, and my son has really enjoyed working towards his next belt! I am sure we will continue to go here for a long time.

What can I say? My son loves coming here. I needed a camp for working people. I can drop him off…read moreas early as 8 and pickup goes until 5:30. I also needed a "pick your weeks" schedule, because I am divorced and share summers with my ex. I signed him up last year because of this and he insisted on coming back. Highly recommended!

Our kids have been attending Oasis for many years and it is by far THE best camp around. The…read morecounselors are great and the owners, Brooke and James, focus on making the camp fun, but also creatively fit in many learning opportunities throughout the summer. Oasis is one of the highlights of the year for our kids.

This is a perfect combination of fun and discipline. They took a group of kids ages 6-11 and got…read morethem running through an obstacle course, challenging themselves and having a ton of fun. They even got some kids who are reluctant to do challenging physical activities to take on the course with enthusiasm!

5/5, 10/10. HGG provides a great environment for an AWESOME birthday party. We held one for almost…read more30 of our 8 year old's friends and family, and they wanted to keep going back for free play and more obstacles. The staff operate such a well-run birthday party (and their camps and classes), that all we had to do was show up. Everything was thought through and our kids have the biggest smiles on their faces. Even if a child feels unsure about an obstacle, the staff coach them through it and give them the confidence to try something new. Go for a class, stay for a camp, host a party! We've been going to HGG for 5+ years and it will always be a special place to us.

I decided on a whim to take a glass blowing class here and it was very fun and interesting. Lots…read moreof laughs and I got to take home some water globes. I would definitely recommend this. Thanks!

We had my daughter's 6th birthday party here last week. It…read morewas easy to book online. I also phoned them many times with different questions and they were patient and helpful. It was nice that we could bring any food and drinks we wanted, even some Champagne and hard seltzer for parents. Cheers to that :) Also, it was nice to have the party at a room separated from the main store. Besides the pottery painting I added cupcakes decorating activity and it was a success. All kids loved it of course! A week after the party, I received a text message that all our pottery was ready and thats so nice too, much quicker than expected. I definitely recommend this place! We'll be back for sure.

The way this camp is managed is like MacGyver surviving in the wilderness. Everything is re-built…read moreby maintenance every year. NOT licensed contractors or verified companies that follow strict building regulations. The owners have done everything privately, undermining any IL regulations that stand in their way. The sicker issue is that you wouldn't have to work here to know all that. I've never been someplace as jury rigged as this. Most of the grounds were originally built by the original owner and his son along with their maintenance crew. Even the pool was built up of PVC pipes along with all the other plumbing. Id like to also mention that it's a known fact in the surrounding neighborhood community that the owner's have cut every corner possible to be as cheap as possible. Even the counselors are a blend of high school students along with undertrained adults who are supposed to take care of your kids. If that wasn't shady enough, they have their own people drive the buses too, not seasoned professional bus drivers. It's all dangerous, unsanitary, and unprofessional. Like seriously, painting over rust doesn't prevent rust either and this place is for kids. I'm sorry for any kid being told they were going to camp and got this instead, and on top of all that, to charge as much as they do to run a literal garbage heap, they could at least buy quality food for the kids. They are eating SISCO! That's prison quality food. The cheapest possible option. Once again the surrounding community knows Decoma and the family that owns it for this. That's why a vast majority of their kids that attend come from completely different neighborhoods, and for the price, your kids could attend an ACTUAL camp in IL or elsewhere and be assured their safety and well being under actual rules and regulations governed by law. You have been seriously warned.

This is my warning to all people thinking about working at this camp, PLEASE DONT. Worked at this…read morecamp during the 2023 summer. horrible experience. The only pleasant thing about it was the campers, everything else was disgusting. To start, the way Gary, Abbey, Sammie, Robin, and Stacy treated the staff was horrendous. One girl I go to school with quit 3 weeks in because the head staff members were treating her so poorly. I stuck it out, although I thought about leaving many times. They were disrespectful and cruel towards young staff members especially. There was also a lot of suspicious things going on at the camp that parents didn't know about. For example, there was an 18 year old girl who was fired from the camp and arrested for stealing more than $10,000 worth of money from the camp. There was also a male counselor there who was making a lot of the young female staff members uncomfortable. The new staff members in particular barely got to eat lunch because the returning staff members used them as "potty break takers" for the little kids, even if it wasn't their camper. There was so much manipulation going on at this camp and new staff members were severely taken advantage of. I will never EVER be working here again, and you shouldn't either.