This is my son's dream camp, but there is no way we can afford $925 per week for a full day camp (9a-6p) but we also are nowhere near to the HHI required for financial aid. The cost is nearly _double_ that of every other camp we have enrolled in. Everything about it sounds amazing but if you aren't a two-earner household both making huge tech dollars it's entirely out of reach. read more

Our daughter (entering K who prefers playing with dolls indoor) thoroughly enjoyed the Explorer Camp. She had tried Monkey Business Camp last summer but she did not like the unstructured free play time as she did not go with a friend. With Avid4Adventure Oakland, she went without knowing anyone and enjoyed every single moment of the five days outdoor adventures (biking, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking and stand up paddle boarding). She loved the fact that they had to take a van to go offsite (eg: Berkeley Aquatic Park for water sports, etc). They also have yoga, art, music, etc. We were worried because she could not bike without training wheels but the instructors helped her and at the end of the day, our daughter was very proud of her biking skills! She always looks forward to next day's activity. They emphasize recycling and the love for our environment during camp, so much so that after attending Avid4Adventure, our daughter checks on us when we have trash at home to make sure we are recycling 100%. Even the tiniest scrap paper and snack bags must be recycled!!! Think TerraCycle. Great first time exposure to sports adventure and spending time outdoors with fun instructors! read more

Most 3.5 year old kids are in private preschool all year round, but my kid needed a break from his Montessori environment. Since Avid4 is one of the few camps that takes children under 4 years old, I took a leap of faith for the 2 hour and 45 minute daily class, over a week, Biking for Tykes program. He was originally registered for the Learn to Bike group but swapped out his balance bike to a pedal bike 3 months prior. The request to move him to an advanced class was seamlessly approved, and the class change was done in real time over responsive website chat. As promised with the 1:5 ratio, there were 5 kids in his morning group which was great for individualized attention and suited his craving for a small class setting. I heard the afternoon session only had 2 kids to one camp coach. Additionally the coach is competent working with young preschoolers and fostering inclusiveness. The coach adjusted each kiddo's bike seat for optimal pedaling. Although the kids were at different technical levels on the first day, by the third day, all kids biked together and rode a trail loop around Joaquin Miller Elementary School. My son also learned to identify different bike parts - wheel, pedal, cranks & chain, fork, frame, handlebars, saddle/seat. The campus outdoor space has a large smooth cement top with painted loops for the kids to bike in line. With the school on a hill, there are inclines that challenged kids to pedal while standing. The coach also introduced up-and-down ramps. My kid showed off how he could cruise while seated and his legs were off the pedal, up in the air. These may come easy to adults but can be difficult motor, balance, and coordination skills for a toddler to master altogether. For the whole week, my son fell once from not paying attention. No cries. Pretty darn good for an adventure camp. My son brought his own pedal bike, helmet, and gloves. Avid4 offered to store them on campus and overnight during the week. Bringing your own equipment is not required, as the camp supplies Specialized bikes and Bell helmets. I recommend bringing gloves for your kid as the weather while biking can be chilly and scrapes can be prevented. No one in our group brought knee, shin, and elbow guards, and those accessories are not necessary as the kids quickly learned their stuff. There is a large gallon jug of sunscreen for kids to apply onto themselves throughout the day and huge water cooler to replenish bottles. Mid-morning nut-free snack bar is offered. I also packed additional snack for my kiddo because he works up an appetite after a good bike session. At the end of each day, the kids came together to talk about their valleys (lows), peaks (highs), and rivers (progress to connect their valleys to their peaks). Throughout the week there are photos privately posted for parents. Since the coach is busy teaching, there are only a few pictures. Fine in my books because this is a bike camp, not photography camp. There is a brief 15-minute closing recognition on the last day. They talked about their biking experience and also who their new friends were. In the Biking for Tykes group, the oldest biker got the best eco-citizen award, which meant that he not only picked up after himself but also picked up other trash and recyclables and helped others put away their items. Although this usually comes with maturity and age, I was glad that my son can identify a role model not only for biking but also for eco-consciousness. The big take away is that outdoor biking is possible when we connect our human presence with preserving our green earth. Since this camp is at a school, the bathroom facilities are geared for elementary-sized kids. The camp coach took the kids to the bathroom during regularly scheduled times. The bathroom door is always open. For smaller kids, I would recommend bringing a step stool and storing it with the camp for the week. The camp requires kids to be potty-trained. I did pack an extra change of clothes in case my kid had an accident, which he did. The camp director assisted with my kid's changing during the one accident. Hey, fun can be a distraction for his primal needs. LOL. My kid wanted to learn more tricks that he saw the older kids performing on mountain bikes. If I had known he was going to have this much fun, I would have enrolled him in several consecutive weeks of biking. Maybe Avid4 can offer a longer 2-week continuous bike skill development session. Or maybe add a course on how to change his own deflated tube (hehe). My kiddo definitely wants to return next summer. I took my kiddo on a 5-mile bike ride that weekend, and he nailed it as a testament! read more

Avid4 Adventure - Oakland - Weekly schedule of 7 different Oakland Avid4 summer camp groups. LTB=Learn to Bike and B4T=Bike for Tykes, both reserved for ages 3.5-6 yo. - Day Camps Near Me - Oakland, California

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Camp was conveniently located near our regular school so made the drop-off a little easier to navigate. My kid had a blast all week long learning the basics of mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, and stand up paddle boarding. She especially loved the kayaking portion as they got to be amongst some harbor seals at the same time that were in the water. The staff called in advance of the camp to introduce themselves and asked if there were any questions or concerns we had before the camp. Wasn't able to answer at the time as it went to voicemail unfortunately. I may have missed it in the paperwork/emails but found out after the first day that they were being transported offsite for the activities in vans but didn't realize this was part of it for transportation. Would have liked this portion to have been highlighted a little better as we didn't know actually where our kid was during the day should an emergency arise. Would recommend camp for anyone wanting to get their kids more exposure to the outdoors and learning skills. read more

Wow, where to begin. I signed up for camp in Oakland which we found out days before the start means a pickup in Oakland, a van ride across town to Berkeley and then supposed trips to the "adventure" in three days, their van broke down and the backup had a flat (no rock climbing). I was met by the camp director that day who explained, "I've had a rough day..." Offering nothing more about the fact they left the kids sitting in a busted van for the better part of two hours. The good: The biking "mountain biking" was riding circles around the infield of a baseball diamond. Highly attentive supervision: when I arrived for pickup - in Berkeley, because there was no return shuttle, the counsellors were chatting among themselves while the kids entertained themselves dumping dirt into a traffic cone - on the aforementioned baseball diamond. We gave up after three pathetic days. No climbing, no paddling and biking on a baseball diamond. I'm still Avid4myrefund. Update: Out of the blue, the folks from Avid reached out. I spoke with the Director, Paul who heard out my take of woe, talked about some of the changes they've made, and perhaps most importantly, took accountability. I was a bit surprised when he offered a full refund (which I gratefully accepted and which arrived promptly). They get bonus points for customer service. read more

My son had an amazing time at avid4adventure, so much so, he wanted to go back a second week and we signed him up again. His summer was packed with different camps and avid4adventure ranked NUMBER ONE! They do van the kids from Oakland to Berkeley, about 15-20 minutes drive. He learned how to ride a bike without training wheels in under an hour (he's 5yr). We are not a hiking family and my child was challenged with the hike around Lake Anza and was exhausted this day. Prior to signing him up for his second week, I reminded him of the hike and he was ready to tackle the challenge again. As a parent, the best part was the pictures at the end for proof of the fun! Thank you Avid4Adventure for encouraging my child! read more

Our son attended one of Avid4 Adventures's Learn to Bike camps. He was so excited to learn to ride but also so nervous to go to camp and to get on the bike. He was immediately put at ease by the instructors and camp director as soon as we dropped him off. We were able to watch the Avid4 staff take the time to show the kids all of the different types of bikes they had available for them to learn on and find the right type and size for each kid. After the first day, all he could talk about was "bicycle camp, bicycle camp". Each day he came home talking about how he got better (and could go faster and faster!). By the end of the week he was solidly cruising around on his pedal bike with confidence. Since this huge boast in skills, and most importantly confidence, we're now riding around with him on different trails around the East Bay! Thanks! read more

I can only speak to my child's experience but his has been wonderful. My son is 7 yo and not outdoorsy at all (probably our fault as parents; we're not outdoorsy either). Every summer we sign him up for Camp Galileo and Camp Edmo (his favorite), and while those camps are great, I try to include one camp that takes him out into nature to supplement all of those "maker" activities. I was a little worried that Avid4 Adventure might be a little too ambitious, but my son has loved, loved, loved camp every day this week. So far he has gone hiking, kayaking, and biking. He was the only child in his group who couldn't ride a two-wheeler on his own (again, our fault as parents) but he loved it so much he wants a bike of his own so he can continue practicing (he also wants his own kayak, but we have tabled that discussion for now). Today he is going stand-up paddle boarding. He comes home every day dirty and exhausted, his water bottle drained and his lunchbox empty: all signs of a happy kid. read more