This camp is incredible! My children (ages 9 & 5) liked that they could choose the activities they…read morewanted to participate in throughout the day. They especially enjoyed the sewing and baking rooms where staff could assist them in these experiences. My kids also liked the special activities for different days that were in addition to the activity rooms. They had a blast with the go karts and thought the reptile and birds special presentation was really neat. My son was thrilled to participate in some sort of game show-like competition where he was proud to win this multi-colored poop emoji hat. I like this camp because it's convenient for parents. All I need to do is send my kids with a water bottle; I don't have to pack snacks, lunch, or even sunscreen since it's provided. I appreciate that I can sign them up the day of camp and I don't need to plan ahead. I also appreciate the long hours of the full-day camp, but I can pick up my kids whenever it's convenient to me. I've always experienced prompt staff interaction with pick-up and drop-off. Lastly, the staff at the Manhattan Beach location were friendly and professional. Rachel, the camp director, runs an organized camp, responds to email quickly, and is very welcoming. Grand View is an ideal location to have Steve and Kate's Camp due to its ample space. We hope it's there next summer too because we'd all enjoy to go back!

Kids love the camp!! Scott is great and personally follows up in your experience.. Kids will be…read moregoing back should we come back to California ne t year again!!

My 4 year old had a great time playing at Champ Camp at the beach! The coaches ran games like…read moredodgeball and baseball but they also offered sand toys and arts/crafts for kids that didn't want to run in the sun. Pickup and dropoff was super smooth and easy and my 4 year old was well looked after from beginning to end. We will be back next year if not later this summer!

A friend recommended this camp for my son and we decided to try it out this summer. It was epic! My…read moreson had so much fun! The atmosphere at the camp is very positive. All coaches knew his name by end of day 1. He enjoyed playing games, Thursday tie-die and Friday talent show. He made some new friends and had a really good experience. I like that they post pictures and videos on Instagram throughout the day and they sent me couple of pictures of my son! The staff was responsive on text and Instagram and the counselors really seem to care about the kids having fun at the camp. He told me he wants to go back next year!

We had a horrible experience at this daycare. We experienced Ms Niva. There were times when my…read morekiddo didn't have water because the teacher put the water bottle up where she couldn't reach it. My kiddo told me later she took it when she looked annoyed at my little one and put it on the furniture she couldn't reach it. let the little ones cry it out instead of redirecting, comforting or even distracting when they have a hard time. I have seen a little girl cry infront of the gate when her mom left, 10 minutes later still infront of the gate crying with snot all over being ignored by the staff. My fear was ok the next person who walks through that gate will knock over this child. Ms Niva was passive aggressive and will ignore requests by parents or will laugh her uncomfortable, huhhuhhuh awkward laughter to gaslight an issue. St Patrick time this teacher will use the stupid leprechaun story to mess with your kids food, bedding, anything to mess with the kids. laugh and say its the stupid leprechaun. Um if I'm prepping food you better serve it, not splatter the food everywhere and blame a little green leprechaun and my child can't eat it. In the summer program there were bullying involved and not a lot of help from the staff. My kid came home with some bruises and when I addressed it there was no acknowledgement, no sorry I will address it with the kid. Horrible, horrible.. I am leaving this review so that maybe they can be more careful with kids and hopefully they can help kiddos grow instead of ignoring the needs of their growing minds. I wanted a place for my child to feel safe, heard, and liked with no drama, no bullying and basic water ready to drink.

We have been really happy with our experience at Hilltop! The teachers of the Dolphin class have…read moregreat energy. There is a good balance of academics and play. They advocate for our daughters BIG personality. Our daughter has learned better writing skills already in a few short months. The summer program is so fun for the kids as well. There is a wonderful park next to the school. The neighborhood is very safe. We were very lucky to find Hilltop.

My son did two weeks of camp here this past summer. He really enjoyed it mostly for the goodies…read morethey get to take home. The counselors we had weren't too friendly to me but as long as they take care of my kid I guess that's ok. They seemed to build a lot of knick knacks -- little marble roller coaster, a little night light type thing, etc, that they get to bring home at the end of the week. Just a tip, if you are absent one day they will not refund you but you are entitled to whatever they built that day. We had to miss a day and told them ahead of time so we could get the materials to build at home. They do their science thing for an AM session, then lunch and play time outside (they play games like freeze tag), and then the PM science session. I did have the same issue as the previous reviewer. I don't like that you can't get a hold of anyone at the camp in case of emergencies. You just have the general 800 number. My son says he enjoyed it so I don't regret it but what with the plethora of camp choices around I'm not sure just yet if this one warrants another summer.

I had same experience as previous reviewer. The staff is not friendly and without much experience…read more I registered my two kids for this camp for a week. On the first day, it's hard to find the location. I followed the instruction they sent in an email and asked to look for yellow sign. But it's very hard to find that yellow sign along the street and hidden in the back. In the email they also mentioned that there would be teachers to pick up, it turned out no teacher. When we finally found it, a coupe of high school students were helping sign in. But they were lack of experience, so we were just waiting for a long time. I also had the same concern as previous reviewer. If there is any emergency, it will be a concern because they play freeze tag in a empty place that close to the building. I definitely will not send my kids in next time due to all the above reasons since it's looks to me it's not well organized. Even the kid may be have some fun to build a couple of fun stuff, there are many other choices of other camps better than this. I saw some high ratings of previous reviews, but it was written 9-10 years ago. Many info is out of date. They don't provide extended care now

I think this would be a better place for kids to play at IF they cleaned the toys (play food,…read morekitchen, houses) I brought my grandson after this summer and the cars have no steering wheels and doors are missing to the kitchen cabinets. Like seven cabinet doors. Everything but the floors are dirty. I'd expect better being in Manhattan Beach. Please replace the old and bring in some new. Thank you!

My son and I used to love this place but the limited hours for drop-in play (plus you need a…read morereservation) just makes this more difficult. I definitely miss the pre-pandemic days. Employees seem more interested in socializing than monitoring the play structure so there's a lot of climbing up the slide and other general behavior that could use some reminders.

We've been attending Camp Awesome for several years now. We always go for a few weeks of August. My…read morekiddos just love it. They splash around in the waves with staff and the staff is wonderful. The highlight is when the ice cream truck comes by after lunch and everyone buys a treat. All treats are pre packed with easy to read ingredients, so very accessible for those kiddos with food allergies too. All the classics - big sticks, ice cream sandwiches, bomb pops, jaw breakers, snowcones, pickles, banana on a stick, cotton candy buckets, paletas, and more. It's also one of the few camps where you purchase by the day vs the week, so the flexibility is great. It's California. Going to beach camp is a rite of passage. So is the sand you bring home in your car too.

We live in San Francisco but would go down to LA every summer so my boys can attend Camp Awesome!…read moreThat's how much they love this camp. Since I don't attend the camp myself, I asked my 10-year old what he liked about it and he said: "the staff is really friendly because even if you make a mistake and do something wrong, they don't yell at you. They let us play in the sand, there are tons of games and activities (there's a game where they said a certain type of action and you have to do it or you lose; there's also a game where we pair up in teams and capture the flag), we go to the ocean two or three times a day to swim and play games there. They're really nice and there's ice cream truck every day and pizza on Friday." Speaking of the staff, they are truly one of the best (especially Jessica!!!) and so responsive! Truly one of the best camps around. (I wish they have them in the Bay Area). Highly recommend!

I can't say enough about Hoops413! I think I have told every mom and dad in the South Bay that I…read moremeet...Hahaha! In all seriousness, we LOVE this basketball clinic! As a mom, I look forward to it week after week! Coach Kaitlin, Coach Miguel and Coach Eric are awesome!! I am so competitive, emotional and a sore loser, and unfortunately (or fortunately), my son inherited this traits from me. All of these coaches are helping him with that. They teach fundamentals, how to win and lose, a work ethic and discipline! My son has been going since he was 4, and in two years, he's improved so much and has so much fun playing on a team. And...it's nice that they end every class with a team chant, "My dream, His Glory!" We love the faith based messages built in.

My kid loves basketball so I sent my kid here due to the high ratings. I wish it were better. Here…read moreare the flaws that I think everyone should be aware of prior to signing up: 1. They don't speak to your children with respect. There is constant berating and talking down to children. A child in the class asked a reasonable question and the instructor responded sarcastically. The instructors clearly expect the children to misbehave and believe punishment and threats is the way to get what they want. It reminded me of a boot camp with drill sergeants, which is not something I want for any young child. 2. It's chaotic. They split the class into 3 stations with different instructors. They don't clearly explain the drills and then punish children for doing it wrong. Going pack to the previous point, they intentionally don't or are incapable of answering the children's questions properly, which further confuses the children. Also, one of the instructors brings her two young children, the younger of which cries and demands her attention during the session. She eventually picks her child up and tries rocking the child to sleep while attempting to do basketball drills with the students. I thought this was a one-off but its happened week after week. 3. They end the class with a silly chant. Needless to say, we cut our losses and stopped going. I didn't want my kid to hate basketball.

Eco Kids Camp exceeded our expectations. It was engaging, educational, and genuinely fun. The…read morecamp's setting offered the perfect environment for kids to explore nature and learn about protecting the planet. Through hands-on activities, children discovered practical ways to be more eco-friendly at home. Kathleen, along with the other counselors were outstanding, thoughtful, and inspiring. We created wonderful memories and left empowered to make sustainable choices in the future.

This is the third year we are going to South Bay Eco Kids, which is my son's favorite camp!! He…read morecomes home sweaty, happy, and full of new information about nature and about protecting our planet. You can't beat going into nature to help balance out the green deficit from our daily lives! I highly recommend this wonderful healthy camp!

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.

The first time we visited Scooter's Jungle was for my son's friend's birthday party. I had never…read moreheard of Scooter's Jungle, and didn't know what to expect but was so impressed by the way the event was run that we hosted my son's birthday party at Scooter's Jungle a few months later. The reservation process was easy and the staff walked me through each step and checked in when they said they would to finalize details. Once we arrived, they helped to unload our car with the supplies and basically set up the party room themselves--which was awesome and looked great! The kiddos are given a quick breakdown of rules, and then we all went into the Village Arena. I really like that you get the play and dining areas to yourselves. They ran around like crazy for about an hour and half. There's a huge indoor slide which was fun not just for the kids, but also the adults! I wasn't sure if we should book the village or ultimate arena, but for kids ages 2-10, the village arena had more than enough bouncy houses and activities to keep everyone entertained. We had two staff members assigned to our group, I think their names were Eddie and Jacob? They were seriously fantastic. It was nice to have people step in to help with moving the party along, and also with set-up and clean-up. Their help made the party so much more enjoyable for me as well, since I could focus more of my energy on my son and our guests. The food was yummy, the staff was great, and the space is perfect for little ones. Oh, and there's quite a bit of flexibility on the food items you can bring in which can help to cut the overall cost down. If you're looking for a venue that has a private play and dining space, maintains a list of attendees and their respective gifts and cards, handles loading/unloading vehicles and set-up/clean-up, AND provides food options all under one roof--then Scooter's Jungle is the spot for your kiddos next birthday party extravaganza!

Scooter's is such a good place to have an indoor playground type of birthday party. They do…read moreeverything for you, including the neat service of tracking gifts for you. They keep a numbered list of guests who sign in and put that number sticker on the gift they bring. So smart! I'd say the target age is probably 3-6? I know they advertise for older and younger, but the best parties I've been to are 4-5 year olds because they can actually enjoy the big slide and use the play areas with minimal adult support. The parties are completely private, so no mixing with the public. They do pizza and cake service for you. They are friendly. The birthday kid gets a king's crown and special seat at the head of the table in their party room. The only "complaint" I'd have, if any, is that the kids have so much fun in the play area that sometimes it feels rushed once we get into the party room for cake. Also, the location is a bit random, they do have a parking lot, but spaces seem limited if you come during a hot hour. Despite that, it is very easy for the host.