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.

Amazing program!!!! My 10 year old son loves this camp and has attended the last 3 years. He has…read morelearned so much and the instructors are so patient and attentive. My son is aweful about sunscreen and they made sure to also remind him to apply and helped when needed. They also have a great bus program that allows the kids to ride to and from the beach which was super fun for them and very convenient for me!

This is a fantastic Summer Camp, with a caring and responsive staff. My kids have enjoyed it for…read moremany years now and always look forward to an opportunity to attend again. I highly recommend it!

Another important update about Summerkids Camp... A judge issued a publicly available determination…read morewhich requires Cara DiMassa to be tried in federal court over the claim of being "deceptive in inducing [Doug Forbes and Elena Matyas] to send Roxie to Summerkids." Since Roxie did, in fact, attend Summerkids camp, "Cara DiMassa could be deemed to have knowingly created a policy that led to the death of [Roxie]." Finally, the judge determined that Cara DiMassa and her father Joseph DiMassa must be tried in federal court over the claim that they "engaged in despicable conduct in conscious disregard of [Doug's and Elena's] rights, as well as oppression." Oppression means "despicable conduct that subjects a person to cruel and unjust hardship in conscious disregard of that person's rights." Again, as a journalist and the president of the nation's sole camp safety foundation, I want parents and caregivers to make informed decisions about the places taking care of their most precious cargo. This camp had at least eight admitted "medical emergencies" in recent history, including a child with a serious injury that occurred weeks after Roxie's wholly preventable death. A former young counselor said they broke multiple bones, including the spine, which required a year of rehab. Cara DiMassa had apparently reprimanded and pressured the counselor for not creating enough activities for the children. The counselor subsequently invented an activity and fell 25 feet after dozens of children had been at risk on the same activity. Apparently, DiMassa encouraged the counselor to build this activity with no training or inspection.

Doug F's review and Jiang Z's review below... WOW…read more In the NFL, a player almost dies during the game and they cancel the game and send 70,000 people home. 6 year old dies at Summerkids camp and they proceed and try to make everything "normal" A child is told she is not welcome there and belongs with her "own people" She cries during most of the camp. An apology is posted THREE Years later. No Thank You.

My son went to a coding camp during the summer and loved it. He said that the instructor was…read morefriendly and patient and that the camp was very fun. He was able to learn how to make old school games onto a little gaming system and has been able to play around with it on his own at home. The site itself is very clean and parents are able to see where the kids are in their classrooms. Whenever I emailed with questions, I got responses back very quickly. I really appreciated the quick and open communication. We really enjoyed this camp and hope to be back in the future!

This place is wonderful!! My son loves going to camp everyday and he's begging to take the monthly…read moreclasses. This particular location is very nice and affordable! I am so grateful and delighted to find this amazing resource for my child!!

Last summer I signed my son up for Steve and Kate's. He was so unhappy to go the first day. But…read morewhen I picked him up he said his day was 10 out of 10. Those were his words. And every time he's gone it's been a 9 or a 10, depending on the friends he meets. The camp has friendly staff and fun activities. Thank you to everyone who works there. He finished summer camp and I put him in Winter Camp for 1 day this year (Friday, 29th). When I picked him up that day I realized it was the last day of winter camp. Unfortunately, the dates I need for my son to be in camp are the first week of Jan. rather than the week of Christmas, since he's off both weeks. I think their schedule is different than my sons school, which is understandable. Either way, it's a great camp and he will be returning in the summer.

My 9-year-old LOVED the winter camp. Highlights were the sewing room (why don't all camps have…read morethis??), the super nice counselors, and the freedom to choose activities. It's a great place for kids who prefer things like video production, animation, and gaming instead of the usual athletic camp activities. It was also super easy to sign up online, it was affordable, and I felt very safe leaving my kid in their care. My ONLY complaint is that they haven't aligned their winter camp dates with the local elementary school vacation schedules. I realize it's likely an issue of location (the camp is held at a school on a different academic calendar), but this is such a great program, it would be life changing to have it available for us working parents of creative/indoor kids throughout the first week of January, too. Either way, we're looking forward to coming back soon.

Always making the kids enjoy themselves! Good Martial Arts and good rewards! Every time I go the…read morekids look very discipline and extremely focused. The staff is very focused on ensuring the kids have a great experience while learning.

We really love Two Dragons! Sipoo Hearring has helped our 9 year old grow over the last three…read moreyears. He has become more confident and goal oriented. Could not recommend it highly enough!

I will be forever grateful that my child got to experience the magic of Village Playgarden for two…read moreyears, and even five years later (he just turned 10!), he still wistfully recalls even the most minute details of the love and joy he felt there in the respectful, developmentally focused care of Ms. Kikanza and Papa Geoff. From feeding the goats to swinging high up in the sky amidst the oaks, he developed a reverence for nature, and a sense of wonder, learned how to be in community with others, and listened to stories that fed his soul. From hikes on the forest trails to collecting eggs from the chickens, from digging in the dirt to helping prepare the fresh vegan meals, to sewing pouches for treasures like acorns found along the way, it was childhood as it should be. Thank you, VPG! I should add that I know that the campus is in a new place now, but I also know that with Papa Geoff leading the way, the heart of the school, and the deep respect for children will always be there.

We cherish our time at Village. It's meant so much to our family. Yes, it was a terrific school for…read moreour little but it was really also a place for us as parents to grow and truly grasp what it means to BE parents in today's culture without sacrificing the values of the past that we hold dear. Ms. Molly's parenting classes, and all the community gatherings, where we could speak so openly and freely about the challenges of parenting were life changing. Our little one has such a foundation of love of community, kindness to all, generosity, love of nature, and brave and fiery spirit that was truly NURTURED & FOSTERED at Village. Best of all, this place has a sense of humor about it. We used to joke that it's Waldorf Light, or Waldorf but willing to crack a joke. Geoff and the whole crew are all super down to Earth, maybe the downest to earth in some ways. Always felt like we could come to them about anything, and we wouldn't be judged even if we were challenging the existing norms. We could truly bring ourselves, and they met us where we were, just like they say they're doing for the kids. Honestly, I wish I went to school here.

Altadena stables doesn't return phone calls!! Very, very bad since they're only open until 2 PM…read moreanyway

I've been keeping my horse Apple at Altadena Stables for over 7 years now and I love it so much and…read morenever plan on leaving. Everyone is super helpful and kind and the place is so clean for a barn! The vibes here are so great it makes you feel so calm as soon as you walk in.