This review is for the Middle School program…read more We carpool with a few kids from my son's school and it was a real bummer for all of them. They felt incredibly bored - assignments took way too long (and kids rushed to finish because then they could get on the iPad to play games) and didn't match the updates the camp sent out (which of course made the camp sound way more fun then it sounds like it was). They only did a blog - which first off, is that even relevant anymore? Like literally one of the lessons was "How to do a Listicle" which I found incredibly depressing. And when the kids got stuck with ideas or motivation, they said the teacher was pretty much - "Just write whatever because that's the assignment". I made better suggestions just brainstorming a few minutes with them after camp then the teacher or counselors (with the exception of Jaqueline, a teen who they all said was great). They all said the teacher was a nice guy, but pretty much too inexperienced or incompetent to make the material more interesting, or help them in anyway that felt meaningful or tailored to them. I'm especially disappointed because we loved the elementary age program (2nd through 5th). Even our kid reflected, "At least we had more activities - different types of assignments and exercises, making a song, etc." We definitely saw a huge sense of accomplishment when they finished their stories in that program. Sadly, middle school is not the case. Also, when I brought this up with the site administrator, he took several days to write me a plan of what they were going to change (it's only a two-week camp and I wrote at the end of the first week!) and almost nothing changed. I would give one-star for glorified babysitting (or worse, a bad version of school since all these kids actually loved their English teacher last year), but the 2nd star is for the elementary program and I do think the people have their heart in the right place, if incompetent. Essentially writing this as a warning to other families - wish I had gotten one!

If you've got some rock-star child who loves to write and is perfectly well-behaved, well, this is…read morethe camp for your kid. I'd even give it a five-star. If you've got a rock-star child who is a reluctant writer, and isn't always well-behaved, well, think twice before signing up your kid. One-star in that a case, and hence the over-all three-star review. My son, then just finishing second-grade didn't want to go to the camp. But I pulled the somewhat tiger-mom move, and forced him to go because good writing skills are important (and I have this arguably misguided notion that good writing skills are essential to being a successful human being). The writing stuff was great, and his finished story was adorable. But he had some conflicts with another boy, and the staff just didn't know how to deal with it. Not their fault. They're trained to help kids with their writing skills, not their social skills, and not to manage conflict in a healthy way. Well, partially not their fault. Letting one kid play with an i-Pad at times and not others was problematic, and led to numerous problems. A couple years later, my kid still complains about this camp. He is a better writer, though I'm not sure that was related to his two fairly miserable weeks there.

We held our child's birthday party at STEMful and the team exceeded our expectations. It was well…read morerun. The activity was fun. And everyone had a chance to connect. I'd recommend the location for a birthday party or special event.

After a number of years, our family we will not be returning to Stemful…read more This decision is based on my recent interaction with David. During the first day of a holiday camp, the front door was unfortunately vandalized. Not their fault! Was is in their control is how they handled it. 1. We received no communication about the incident until we arrived for drop off. They should have sent an email as soon as they discovered the vandalism so we don't show up in person! 2. When I did arrive for drop off, I asked about the status of the glass replacement, code compliance, and timing for completion. The questions I asked were reasonable and directly tied to safety and planning as a working parent. Instead of receiving clear information or empathy, I was met with condescension and a dismissive attitude. At no point was there acknowledgment of the very real constraints families are navigating--jobs, schedules, and the need for reliable, high-quality educational programs like the ones Stemful provides. The conversation centered almost entirely on David's personal stress in managing the situation, rather than on transparent communication with parents who are impacted by it. He essentially told me to go away and stop asking questions. 3. When I called back later to inquire about the status of the glass, he doubled down on his attitude, said "aren't you the person that was here before?" and demanded the name of my camper so we can "get this taken care of". It was incredibly threatening in language and tone and I didn't even feel comfortable giving my child's name. While we eventually got a refund, I'm not confident that me or my camper will be treated with respect and care in David's presence.

Was so excited to have found this class and my son was really enjoying it. Prepaid for a full…read moreseason but halfway through, we were notified there were not enough students enrolled in the class so they were going to cancel it. We wanted to continue and asked about other options. They offered a semi-private option, but they then tried to up-charge us more money to continue and nickeling and diming us the entire interaction. We had wanted to stay, but they clearly did not value our business when they made little attempt at retaining us or offering other alternatives. Seems like they just wanted to give us the refund to get us out of their hair and Instead they took that as an opportunity to try to get more money out of us. Kiddo loved the classes, but service and accountability was not there, super disappointing.

This is a long due review. I love this coder school. My daughter enjoys it. If you have a child…read morethat is curious, or interested in coding this is the place. Allen the manager will evaluate if it's a fit for your child to attend the school. He told us this is something serious, they don't want you wasting their time and your money too. My daughter has been coding since she's 8 with them. She's 12 now and still enjoys doing it. She was able to continue her lessons during pandemic over Zoom. They are very accommodating. I told him we might be moving, she might need to do remote again. He's willing to work with us on that should we need it. If you can't make a lesson, just give them 24 hours notice, then you won't be charged. My husband and I don't code, we don't help my daughter out. Sometimes she would get a little homework, because I ask for it. Overall you get your money's worth and everyone there is super nice too. The place is clean too.

Tree Frog Treks offers supremely inventive summer camps for kids K-5 with a focus on science and…read morenature. Kids meet up in Golden Gate Park and then disseminate into groups- or over-the-bridge organized day trips- to spend lots and lots of time outdoors hiking, exploring, collecting, drawing and creating art from objects in nature. Every week has a theme (this week was "Climate Pirates, 21st Century Conservationists!") with events and activities organized around that week's theme. Whether it's getting your kids excited about nature and the ecosystem by dressing up as pirates and picking up trash as "booty" to see what can be reduced/reused/recycled or a day trip to Pescadero to learn about watersheds, every day is a fun adventure. I've never seen my child get so dirty or have so much fun outdoors. A very talented staff of counselors insures your child is safe and well-cared for. All seem to have college degrees in biology and the sciences- and all are early 20-something's to keep up with energetic groups of youngsters. (I couldn't do it!) There are 7 groups (from Roly Polies to Pythons), broken up by age group in groups of about 16 children. 2015 cost was $425/week for full day camp 9am-4pm. There is before and after camp care for an extra, reasonable cost. I highly recommend this smart, fun, high energy camp that will both happily engage and exhaust your little darlings!

Our 6 year old daughter just completed a 2 week summer camp with Tree Frog Treks at the Christopher…read morePlayground location, and we were very impressed with the entire experience! The camp counselors - Najia, David, and Zita - were awesome. The kids were outdoors and active all day, learning about nature and the environment. Our daughter really enjoyed the field trips to Ocean Beach and Marin. As a 2 working parent family, we also appreciated the 9-5pm full day coverage (the only thing better would be an 8:30am start)! I'd highly recommend this summer camp, and look forward to returning next year.

Nice community gym with lots of cardio and weight lifting options as well as plenty of classes…read more The place is fairly small but makes good use of the space they have. I highly recommend getting signed up to use the EGym system that tracks your progress on many of the cardio and weight lifting machines on the second floor as it helps gamify the whole experience. The YMCA also uses an app where you can reserve a spot for the classes that are offered which I also recommend doing as many classes are popular and fill up. Changing rooms and bathrooms are kept very clean. Staff are generally helpful and the place welcomes people of all ages. Also with the YMCA membership you can go to other YMCA gym locations in the area which has been a convenient option for me as well. Overall definitely worth checking out if you are looking for a solid gym in the area.

One of the workers deny entrance to two girls, one of the reasons being because one of the young…read moreladies apparently didn't "look" her name and needed a form of identification to be allowed in and was causing a big commotion.

My 6.5 yo daughter attended for three weeks and had a great time! She actually loved it so much,…read moreshe begged for us to add after care so that she could spend more time at camp. There were a lot of activities to choose from: arts and crafts, engineering exercises, free play, dress up, and sports. There was even face painting some days! From what my daughter shared, it sounded like the camp struck the right balance between having structured activities and providing free choice. As a parent, I appreciated how organized the camp was. Groups are divided by age/grade so kids can make friends easily. Drop off and pick-up was a breeze. The camp director was very communicative and it was clear he put a lot of time and thought into designing fun and educational camp programs. We'll definitely be back next summer!

Camp for incoming 6th graders was good…read more Camp for incoming 4th graders is boring and basically like a babysitting camp. Disappointed in staffs unwillingness to work through this with us despite saying we wanted to keep our one kid in but didn't want to keep our other kid in who was having such a lame experience. Very expensive for what it is for anything under incoming 6th graders

I really enjoyed attending the Girl Power Science Puberty Power Workshop with other mom friends and…read moretheir kids. As an educator, Konika is very organized and understands kids' attention spans, so we covered a lot: interactive games, how we're feeling about the transition, making bath-bombs from scratch, answering questions in a curiosity box. I appreciated her positive, "attitude of gratitude" approach that was science-based and also celebratory. As a result, our kids left feeling more comfortable and confident talking about and being ready for any changes to come. Highly recommend!

My daughter and I, along with five other mothers and daughters we know, had the most wonderful time…read moreat Ms. Rey's CuriosiTea workshop. Our girls are 3rd graders, a mix of 8 and 9 years old, and I feel like we are now so prepared to face puberty with confidence and curiosity. Everything the kids are learning is supported by science, with a framework of empowerment and autonomy. Both kids and moms felt encourage to ask questions and were met with enthusiasm and great insight from Ms. Rey. This workshop was worth every penny and then some. You also can't beat the location. Not only is Ms. Rey's treehouse itself a breathtaking, almost magical-feeling location, but the neighborhood is awesome, too! I grabbed lunch with my daughter before the workshop, and then during the kids-only section, the moms and I took a long walk in the nearby canyon and then grabbed coffee before coming back for the mom/daughter tea party and learning session. Our girls were all so proud to show off their crafts and what they'd learned, and I feel like all the moms learned something, too. It was also a fantastic bonding experience and made our community feel stronger, safer, and more loving for both us and our girls. Ms. Rey does period workshops for dads, too! Whatever your need, she is an amazing resource, and followed up with us after with even more helpful resources. This is a 10/10 experience and I've recommended it to every mom I know.

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

Three of our kids have been through City Kids and every one of them loved it. Evan is super…read moreresponsive and clearly works hard training his counselors and counselors-in-training. The kids head all over town, to parks, beaches, and wherever else the day takes them. They learn to ride the bus and explore the city we live in, and they pick up real life and people skills along the way. The staff is also really good about staying in touch with parents. Highly recommend! It's a pretty good value as well for an all day camp.

I was in San Francisco for work and signed my kids (8 & 9) up for the City Kid Camp. They LOVED it…read moreand asked to stay longer. They made friends and loved the daily trips and activities. They came home exhausted every day, but happy and excited. The camp is a unique format - the kids are out exploring the city, playing games, learning new things, and developing social skills. Evan and the team that run the camp are great. You can tell that they are really interested in helping the kids have a great experience and develop skills. The kids are definitely in good hands and well supervised and cared for. I also love that it is a device-free environment. My kids are already asking if they can go back next summer....

Such a wonderful place to explore art without expectations or pressure! We loved their open studio…read morebecause my kid got to be truly messy!

I've only visited once, but I was pretty impressed with how put together this was. My toddler…read morewasn't too comfortable quite yet, but I can't wait to bring her back for more fun. They had many fun stations, the only thing that got me wondering was how often do they sanitize their aprons.