My six year old has had a lot of fun here. She really enjoys being able to choose her own…read moreactivities, and especially likes the sewing room and bounce house and splashing in the sprinklers on the water days. It is so wonderful for parents that they have long hours and I can drop off and pick up according to my schedule for the day. It is also incredibly helpful that they provide lunch and snacks - it makes my mornings much smoother.

Easy great for any kids good food to fuel them through the day!…read moreEasy drop off pick up

We love love love Coastal camp. The kids have been going since it started operating post Covid and…read moreit remains one of their favorite summer camps. The activities become more fun as the kids grow, the quality of the teachers and staff remains extremely high. The kids love taking the bus from/to the Presidio, they enjoy hiking, sailing, learning about ocean life and nature in general, and they learn to appreciate nature so much. They look up to park rangers and come home with advice on what to do to preserve nature. I highly recommend this camp to anyone who appreciates the outdoors and frankly to anyone who needs to learn more about nature, which is the majority of people, especially people who live in the city.

This is January 2010 and I stumbled across Jody's July 2009 review of the Coastal Camp. I had or…read moreshould I say , my nephew from Europe had a great time in the summer of 2009 ( same month as Jody's child). For a non- English speaking kid, and trying to pick up the language, he still had a great time with all the activities ( Ocean Explorers). He has asked me to enroll him again this coming summer. The only comment I share with Jody is the need to increase the staff by 1/3 for the volume of children attending. I'll feel better if they did so. Maybe that's what Jody meant by lack of supervision. My girlfriend enrolled her young children in the Call for the Wild program. They spent a night in the "Wild" and still recall their memorable night outdoor.

SFSU Gator Camp is an incredible experience for kids and a great value for parents. My kids want…read moreto return next year without hesitation. They have a ton of fun playing a variety of sports and games while strengthening their bodies. Their leadership is the head of the Dept. of Kinesiology at SFSU - which means they are learning solid skills. If you want to get your child in the pool every day, this is a great option. But maybe you want him to play tennis. That is also on the daily menu. As is martial arts and team sports. The bottom line is that real skills will be learned. We signed up for all six weeks. My kids started camp having never held a tennis racket, now they are serving the ball and playing with confidence. All of this with university level facilities! It's easy, easy drop off and pick up. Just pack a few things and lunch is provided. This is the most rewarding, stress free summer my kids and we parents have ever had!

My kids, Cameron and Morgan had a blast this summer and would love to come back next year. It…read moresounds like you made all the rotations really fun. Lily

Easiest review I've ever written, if I could give 6 stars, I would. The educators and the school's…read moreapproach to social emotional development is beyond what I could've hoped for my kiddo. Not only is my son developing and flourishing, I am a better parent because of what I have learned. The element of being in the forest is so beautiful and unique. My kiddo was confused at first "how a school could be closed on the weekend if there are no doors" :), but I've grown to really adore the benefits of a fully outdoor school. From pointing out where sour grass is in abundance to spotting dark-eyed junkos, my son has a beautiful appreciation for the natural world around him that is not something that I would've instilled in him. They have a book station, a "mud" kitchen, and sometimes structured art activities (and I can't speak to what they do in the older classes yet), but I love that the majority of their play is imaginative. There is space to run, climb, and explore. The educators really follow the lead of the kids interests too and bring in books, conversation, art within that space. I am grateful to have stumbled upon such a magical, intentional place. It is a community that we are so glad to be a part of and couldn't imagine life without.

Our family couldn't be happier with Spire School, a fully outdoor forest preschool based in the…read morePresidio. Our son has been in pre-school for two years and we've loved the program's play-based, emergent curriculum deeply rooted in nature connection. Our son was timid and introverted when he started this program and it's amazing to see his physical and emotional confidence build through exploring in nature and experiencing the physical range of weather. What most struck me was the growth in the expansiveness of his imagination through the program which was an unexpected outcome. Watching his ability to play imaginatively within the constraints of the nature classrooms has been amazing to watch. I've also been so impressed by the quality of the educators at Spire. Teacher Kristyn, in particular, is so intentional about how she uses the outdoor environment to develop the various components of early childhood education. She's very clear how she uses various parts of the forest to work on fine or gross motor skills, for example, or how she engages the children in various play-based scenarios and activities to work on cognitive function or various interpersonal skills. The school is also very flexible, inclusive and supportive of families. The lack of rigidity in the school has been a huge plus for us. They are very supportive of each child's individuality and focus their time on adapting to each child's unique interests and needs. The school has a very low student to teacher ratio so the level of individualized support and the depth of relationships is wonderful. I feel very grateful to live in a place like San Francisco where the weather allows for a school like this. I figure my son has years of sitting inside at a desk so why not let him spend as much time outside in his early school years as possible. Nature is powerful and healing.

I'm so impressed! My children, Jesus and Jacqueline, started theater classes for the first time…read morethis summer at NCTC "camp" and they still can't stop talking about it. I got a nice break each day for a couple of hours and my children were clearly in safe hands. They loved their teacher, their classmates and all the creativity. My son, the eldest, seems really inspired to take more classes and see as many theater shows as he can. My brother, who has had a subscription to the plays for several years now, told me about the children's classes and now has me thinking about taking an adult drama class with him!!

New Conservatory Theater Center offers a wide selection of performances, which I highly recommend…read more And should you get bitten by the performance bug yourself, they also have classes for both kids and adults. I have no direct experience of the kids' classes, but the kids all look/sound very excited to be there so I'm guessing that it's a good program. I just finished my first, 9-week course: "Sing Out," a musical theater course for adults. It was fabulous - nine students in the class, and we met weekly to go through whatever piece we wanted to work on that week. The teacher, Scrumbly, is superb at coaching students to connect with the emotional "charge" of the song to call forth in their performances. The course culminated in an incredibly fun recital. We each sang a solo and at least one duet, and ended up with a group number "Hey, Big Spender" complete with hip bumps and sultry shoulder wiggles. Considering that half of the class was over 40 and male, that was especially fun. If you are afraid of showtunes and jazz hands - stay away. Or, better yet, use this excellent class as an opportunity to work through your bizarre phobia. The only thing that keeps this from being five stars was that I wanted more "ME" time in the rehearsals. With nine students and so many pieces (solos, duets, group) to run through, there often wasn't the time to delve deeply into an individual piece. This class whetted my appetite for individual instruction, so I think I will take this group class again and supplement with private lessons. Mi, mi, mi, it's all about me :-)

Scott did not refund 100% as he indicated today to our review from 2 1/4 years ago. We had to get…read moreour refund from the credit card company. As our previous review stated....our son loved the camp. Our only issue was with the owners billing and record keeping practices. We have found other outdoor camps that our son loves just as much now and bill correctly without last minute location changes.

Both the summer programs and the school year programs here are amazing. They provide a great…read moreresource and grounds for kids to be kids. A focus on free-play outdoors and some structured sports, song, dance, arts & crafts and other activities makes or a really well balanced place or kids to get outside and have a great experience. I just wish this was around when I was a kid!

Our family had long appreciated the mission and values of Camp Tawonga. One of our children…read moreattended Taste of Camp and had a truly wonderful experience. As someone who works in the Jewish community, I had frequently recommended Tawonga to others, believing in the strength of its programming and community spirit. Unfortunately, our experience left us feeling deeply disappointed. Our child was registered for a summer session but was unable to attend due to the sudden passing of a close family member just days before camp began. As the family member's funeral was held out of state and organized by us, attending camp was simply not possible. We informed camp staff in advance, sharing both the situation and the fact that we are a financial aid family, and asked if any credit or accommodation could be made for a future session. We received single-sentence emails with zero condolences stating that the policy was no refund (which we didn't request) or credit. It was such a strange response we wondered if it was AI. Despite multiple follow-ups from us during a time of grief, we were told nothing could be done because the deadline had passed. At long last, the only acknowledgment of our loss was a brief line hoping the funeral preparations were going well--no further condolences or recognition of our child's disappointment were offered. By contrast, another camp we had registered with for a different child responded with immediate compassion--offering a partial refund without being asked, sending condolences, and even making a small kind gesture when our child was finally able to attend for a shortened period. As a family raising Jewish children and deeply involved in the Jewish community, this lack of empathy from a camp we had held in such high regard was especially painful. We weren't asking for a refund, just understanding and flexibility in a time of extraordinary personal loss. We struggled to name the Jewish value being demonstrated by Tawonga and still do. We will never return to Tawonga in the future--both due to financial constraints and a lack of confidence that our children's emotional needs would be supported in difficult times. The Jewish sleepaway camp we've attended for the past several years has actually lived and walked the values they advertise, and we couldn't be happier. We share this with the hope that it encourages a deeper reflection on how grief, compassion, and community care are handled. We continue to believe in the power of the Jewish community and wish all campers and families positive experiences in the future. -- A Jewish Family in the Bay Area

My kids had an incredible time at Camp Tawonga and will be returning next year. They are a…read morefantastic team, running a fun, safe, joy-filled and child-centered experience.

My daughter has been going to Camp Explore for many years so I can endorse this camp. As Zach…read morementioned, it's about $100 a week, usually including lunch and a field trip every Friday. My daughter will definitely go back again and we highly recommend it. I still remember that one of the field trips last year we actually went to Rinconada Pool located in Palo Alto (http://www.yelp.com/biz/rinconada-pool-palo-alto), the kids had a blast! I was one of the parent volunteers (chaperone) and I was so touched with all those volunteers who helped out planning this field trip... Thank you Wendy and everyone who are involved... By the way this summer camp is affiliated with Temple Baptist Church right in front of the Stonetown Mall (next to 19th avenue)...