Great camp for kids! Staff is amazing and the activities for the kids keep them entertained all day.read more

It was another fantastic summer with Camp Encino! Hannah aka Bananas is now running the camp and…read moreshe's doing an excellent job.

Overall, was dissapointed with the experience at the camp. For $450 a week (a credit we had after…read morethey went bankrupt before) I was hoping our son would be excited each day to return and want to go back again next summer and that just wasn't the case. After the second day, my son didn't want to return. We had him continue, but that's never a great sign and he's used to being in camp most of the summer and its very social. The camp seems to be outside majority of the day. This wasn't higlighted anywhere when we signed up and pictures showed a real mix of indoor outdoor. It's just a lot for the age group in 85+ temps daily - he was just wiped out each day and a big reason he didn't want to return was because he was in the sun all day doing the work. He was also filthy each day, coated in dirt not paint which is fine but was unexpected for a STEM camp. Most camps spend a lot of time outside, but when you are on the campus of a school you typically find a better mix. They did have a water day, but from what we heard the time with water play was really limited. Communication before camp seemed good, we got a camp guide with high level info. After camp started, there was nothing other than what our son shared each day. That is fine, other than the fact two of the days they had themed dress days - makes it hard the night before to ensure your son has a specific color shirt or an amusement themed shirt. Knowing this in advance would help. I also called once to clarify how to dress for the water day since our son was told to wear clothing over his bathing suit which makes sense for a girl but weird for a boy - when I asked Sam the camp director if he should come wearing it and just bring a change of clothes he rudely told me no change of clothes "they are playing outside and it's the Valley, they will dry" - as if I'm unaware of where I sent him to camp. He swims daily at camp normally and always has a change of clothes. Again, just seems they can't use the facilities of the school or don't want to deal so things are just a bit odd.

Our son has been attending Camp Galileo for the past few years and we can't say enough good things…read moreabout it! For our bright son, we view summer-time as his time to learn in a different mindset than school generally encourages - exploring collaborative ideas and hands-on experiences versus focusing on finished products and individual efforts. The inventor's mindset at the heart of Galileo's curriculum encourages collaboration, continuous learning and critical thinking, while exposing young campers to concepts and ideas about the world around them. Our son comes home from camp fired up to rethink the world around him, innovate, problem solve, create, build, and engineer - not just during the summer, but all year through. The camp director (Shannon), staff, and counselors are amazing - professional, tons of fun, and very well educated. They are so knowledgeable in child development, social skills, and excel at supporting unique learners. Our experience has been that they provide exceptional support for twice exceptional (2e), gifted and ADHD children. This past summer, our son's counselor suggested pairing him up with a very focused and social buddy in his group, who by being my son's partner helped to keep my little guy on task and also provided a great social support. While he loved camp already, that experience was just what he needed and made this summer even better than the last - and solidified our son's desire to attend again this summer. It's the little things like that which are above and beyond other camps. The ratio of campers to counselors is ideal and the small groups allow for each camper to receive the attention they need. Friday camp close activities are also a favorite of our son. Parents get to hear from Shannon about what the campers worked on and our son gets to show off the workshops in each classroom and all the fabulous things he and new friends worked on all week. That day he brings his projects home, where he continues to be inspired to tweak them or make them into something entirely new over the next few weeks. We also love that the camp is a nice mix of indoor/outdoor activities. Let's face it, the Valley is excruciatingly hot during the summer months. The campers are outside enough to get some physical activity and vitamin D from the sun, but spend a good portion in the AC classroom workshops where they work on science and art projects. These projects aren't your run-of-the-mill camp crafts. They are well-designed projects that give the children opportunities to collaborate, innovate, and solve problems. They provide developmentally age-appropriate challenges for the children that provide a real feeling of accomplishment and pride at the end of the week. As a mom and a child development advocate and educator, I can't recommend Camp Galileo enough. It's a truly unique camp experience! The weeks our son has spent at camp the last few years have strengthened his social skills, creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving skills. Plus, he has an awesome time! ;)

I can't begin to express what an amazing gem Art Rebel Studio is! We were trying to figure…read moresomething out for our daughter's 6th birthday party. We know we wanted to do some kind of art party but wanted to be unique. We found that at Art Rebel for a glow in the dark art party. Ponti, the owner, made this birthday so special for our 6 year old and all her friends. From the beginning he was so easy to work with and very communicative. Ponti has kids birthday parties down to a science with different activities planned out that all the kids loved! Him and his team handled it all while we got to relax and chat with other parents. On top of that, we didn't have to worry about goodie bags because all the kids went home with a couple pieces of glow in the dark art that they made. There was a separate, and massive, room for food and drinks so when cake cutting came around it was so easy. Also he made setting up and packing up so easy. If you're looking for something different and special for your kid's birthday, I can't highly recommend Art Rebel Studio enough!

The owner of Art Rebel is an amazing artist named ponti. He has an incredible business in Art Rebel…read morebut beyond that he himself is a iconic artist I had set decorated a 20th century fox show called Empire and I had reached out to him to give him the color, palette and size and had him do several custom paintings for Terrance Howard's office and other sets. He collaborated with me in regards to the colors that I needed and also some different styles. He has a amazing inventory of iconic art that I would urge anyone to ask him to see for purchase. Also, upon commission like I did with him for a show any Set Decorator or designer or person that loves art would love him. This particular character was Terrence Howard, who was a hip-hop Mogul in the story so the hip-hop vibe that is very much alive in pontia work was perfect. I can't say enough about his business Art Rebel because it is from adult fun to kids but extremely unique compared to a typical art business for corporations or birthday parties as it has an edge to it and is very hip and unique in the style that they present to the customer in Art Rebel! So much fun and you forget about your problems and very healing for me.

Great Day Camp for kids of all ages…read more Staff are wonderful; upbeat, kind, and happily answer questions. The number of established activities + daily activities is impressive (magic show, bounce houses, slip and slide). I can't speak about the food quality, however I appreciate the options and my kid never complains about what he gets. The grounds are clean. Playground is huge and offers many activities. Side note: VR headsets are offered. They do not age gate these to the recommended 13 years. So I was none to pleased to learn my under-13 kid used them. They know better now. But yes, VR is not appropriate for the growing brains of younger kids

My son LOVES this camp. And no wonder, this place is deluxe. The first day I picked him up I asked…read morehim what he did at camp and he replied, "after the bird show I bounced on in the bouncy house, and then we made pizza" And they provide lunch. I want to go to this camp.

This is the best summer camp. My kid has been going for 4 years and loves every second of it!read more

Both our kids have done WildFolk for a few years now and we love it! Our daughter just finished 3…read moreweeks and especially enjoyed water Wednesday and all the fun crafts she got to do. Looking forward to more next summer!

My oldest has been going to Planet Bravo for six years - and the last three years it's been the…read moreonly camp he wants to go back to! He has met a great group of friends who love coding like he does, and they collaborate on projects all year despite being in different schools. He found "his people" at PB, and this year at his Bar Mitzvah there will be a "PB Friend photo. It's fun, there's active time - and there is so much to stimulate their brains with guidance from fun, smart counselors. We are excited that our youngest will be joining his big brother for the first time this year. I highly recommend it!

Great summer camp! Both of my children were absolutely in love with this camp and we've been doing…read moreit every year for over 11 years! It's the perfect mix of entertainment and education! A great value for your money. Definitely the first choice for a summer camp!

Five Stars! I'm so…read morehappy I chose Monarch as my son's afterschool program! The staff is incredibly caring, and they pay attention to every detail, creating a safe, fun, and enriching environment. My son, Henry, absolutely loves it here! Knowing he's in great hands while we're at work gives us such peace of mind. Thank you, Monarch, for keeping him engaged, happy, and safe!

I really wanted to love this camp. My 5 year old son attended summer camp for a couple of weeks on…read moresome days. Although his counselor CJ was great, and the pickup and drop off was organized, there were some hiccups with snacks that I had ordered from their lunch program that my son didn't receive and some vagueness about whether the parents should be providing snacks or not. I was willing to overlook that again given that his counselor was on top of it, very courteous and caring. However, when I picked up my son last week, on a typically hot, sunny afternoon, as soon as he saw me, he desperately pulled at my shirt yelling, "Water! Water! I need water!" He was so upset. Of course, I was very unsettled but tried to calm him, and asked him where his water bottle that he takes to camp every day was. He said he had lost it after the pool in the boys bathroom. I ushered him toward the water jugs tent nearby and asked the counselors there for a cup, which they handed me, and gave him some water which he guzzled. Obviously I was very confused about why no one had gotten him water. He told me that he had told his counselor Swordfish "23 times" that he lost his bottle and needed water. (CJ was not there that day apparently). He said they checked the boys bathroom but it has been locked and checked the lost and found but the bottle was not there. My son said that they "tricked him" because when they took him to the water jugs to get him water, they told them they had run out of cups so he couldn't have any. Excuse me?! We walked over to Swordfish to talk to him about this and he was passive and indifferent, I was so perplexed! But I kept my cool. He was like to my son who told him that he had asked him a bunch of times for water, "Oh, did you tell me you were thirsty, sorry about that, buddy." I very politely said something to the extent that it was really important to provide the kids water in this heat, and again he just apologized robotically, nothing more! So I went to talk to Michael who I guess manages there, and told him very politely about the situation and I was amazed at his blase attitude about it. He actually got a bit defensive and tells me that the water jugs are available during lunch. During lunch?? Lunch is at 11:30 and it was 4:45pm! And anyway swimming was after lunch. What does that have to do with anything ? The dismissive way he handled it make me feel extremely uneasy. My son is 5 years old. He runs around like crazy in this heat . He was so thirsty that it made him completely disregulated! And all these guys have for me is, yeah sorry. What's more is that my son later told me at home, where he had a major meltdown and was completely off all afternoon and evening, that they showed him something "really really scary" at camp. Of course, I was all ears as my pulse elevated, keeping a calm mama facade. He said in the arts and crafts room they watched a video of a superhero who flew into a building and crashed and turned into a skeleton! Whaaat. First of all, why are they watching anything?? I can put my kid in front of the TV for free at home. Secondly, why are they showing young kids anything like that? And without prior parental permission?! Oh and the kicker? We found his water bottle when we got home. IN HIS CAMP BACKPACK. So these counselors have a 5 yo kid begging them for water and saying his lost his bottle, yet they can't take a moment to LOOK in his bag?! No way am I sending my kid back here.

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.