When registering for camps, we parents are hoping that our kids will spend time outside, have fun…read morelearning skills(social and otherwise), and make friends all in an environment with caring adults who keep us informed. Our family found this with Mountain Camp Marin. Our six-year-old attended for one week, Harry Potter week, last year and he thoroughly enjoyed himself. The pennant flag he received is still prominently displayed in his room. This is a special memory for him. He wants to return this summer and so does little brother.

Excellent experience. The camp is organized and well run. The staff is engaging and attentive. They…read moreoffer lots of activities and the elective process gave my son some sense of control. Overall a summer highlight.

We just finished a great week at Camp Doodles in San Rafael. This was my son's first time and each…read moreday he came home w/ a great story about how much fun he had. Loved the crafts, games, skits and the counselors. Everyone was so nice, very helpful at check in and the daily lunch option was a nice bonus. You know it has been a good week when all the counselors get hugs on the last day! My boys have done a lot of different camps over the last few summers, we will definitely be returning!

My son (pre-K) and my daughter (K) both attended Camp Doodles last summer for the whole summer at…read morethe San Rafael Dominican Campus. From the moment we stepped on campus I could tell it was going to be a great summer. I wanted to stay and go to camp. My kids had a ball. Everyday was an adventure and they loved the photo slide show at the end of each day. I loved it too as I got to see what they did throughout the day. The best part about Camp Doodles is the Camp Counselors. They are all amazing and seem to truly enjoy the kids and the work they do. My kids were sad when the summer came to an end with it camp. We couldn't wait a whole year to go back and so were thrilled to see they offered Winter Camp Doodles over the school break. My kids slipped right back into the camp routine without skipping a beat. They are signed up again for this summer and keep asking how long until camp starts. As a working mom, it makes me feel good to know my kids are excited about where they will spend their day and I can't wait to hear all the stories each afternoon. I also think it is worth mentioning that Doodles is especially good for the younger campers. I was not worried about my kids getting lost in a crowd of older kids. The campers are put in age appropriate groups and with plenty of activities to choose from within in their age group. Water play day and bicycling days were especially popular with my kids. Did I mention the camp songs? Good times. We can't say enough about Camp Doodles and look forward to another great summer there. Can you Doodle?

Magical coastal place. Open to the public. Educational programs available. Reservations required…read morefor overnight camp.

The three stars are for my experience at an event. It looks like a great place to take kids to…read morelearn about the environment and animals, etc. I would give it an extra star for the gorgeous views. It loses stars for the reasons stated below. For a more formal event, it's not ideal for older people especially. (those over 80 and those with any disability) There is a somewhat steep and uneven slope down to the Yurt area where the ground is flat but again, uneven and covered with hay. This caused shoes and feet to be covered in dust soon after arriving. This would be ok if wearing proper sneakers or others made for walking on that type of surface. Wearing the clothes we did, gave us no protection from ticks which the website indicated are prevalent there. In addition, the only restrooms are porta potties. This is a little rustic for a formal event and not so easy for people in wheel chairs. There is no lighting on this path back up to the parking lot. This is entirely unsafe after the sun has gone down. All of that said, I would recommend this venue for a school field trip where students are dressed appropriately and are visiting during daylight hours. I would not, however, recommend it for a formal event.

JCC incorporates fun with a positive experience for a Jewish child. The kids sing, dance, laugh,…read morehave Shabbat, overnights (optional), swim, play outside, play inside...What more can you ask for from Camp? Swim lessons included and a REAL Summer with warm weather. Many of the counselors have been there since they were campers, and that says it all! ** UPDATE: Both of my children have gone there for several years now. I always get thrown off by all of the choices we, as parents, face every year with various summer options. Once again, I am so glad I've resisted every year and sent the kids to Camp Kehillah. The staff is very consistent (still), the days are filled with amazing activities and the program varies for the older kids (offering lots of field trips and age appropriate games).While I love the Jewish aspect, our neighbor has gone who is not Jewish and they also love it feeling it's more community oriented than religious. Overall, an amazing experience.

This was our two kids second summer at Camp Kehillah. And another successful one…read more Some highlights were swimming everyday, the counselors (terrific and really tuned into the kids), and day trips (always the best part of the week to fun destinations like ice skating and Ripley's Believe it or Not...). Tracy is in charge and she always makes me feel like my kids are in wonderful hands. We will be back!

The best place for summer camp for my kiddos! Bonnie is amazing and we have been going here for 2…read moreyears. We are going again this summer. Our kids love it. Seriously a hidden gem.

I work in San Rafael and I live in Fairfield. I had to find some type of activity for my 10 year…read moreold and I found Summer Crest. Bonnie was very informative when I called and explained to me about the activities. This was my son's first time there and after the first day he loved it. He had made friends right away and loved the activities. The first week they did chemistry and he enjoyed it a lot. This camp made learning fun. We are definitely coming back.

Great experience taking the adult Watercolor 101 class in San Rafael. I decided to take this class…read moreas it has been decades since I did anything remotely fine art related. I thought watercolor would be an easy place to start, but it's actually probably one of the hardest painting mediums (though the easy clean-up does make up for it!). This class taught me the foundation watercolor painting techniques I was looking for to get me started in art again. Hana Buechel was a skilled and engaging instructor. She is friendly, very approachable and encouraging. She is also an exceptional artist. She really helped re-ignite my interest in painting and going to spend the summer putting what she taught me into practice. Hoping to take another class in the fall. Thanks Hana!

My 14 year old daughter loves the teen art class. She looks forward to going every week.read more

These folks are amazing. Camps, weekend, homeschool, and after school opportunities to play role…read moreplay games AND learn to explore relationships, creativity, and imagination through story. My kids are so into this.

From the owner: The Game Academy empowers learners to achieve social, emotional and academic success through our…read moreuse of role-playing games in educational contexts. We engage imaginations with interactive games wherein communication, creativity, collaboration and critical thinking are the keys to unlocking adventures in learning. Our curriculum is designed to help them make enduring connections between what they know, what they are learning, and what is possible. Most importantly, our games are designed to be FUN! The Game Academy provides an engaging and enriching way for children to play in a structured, creative environment. We craft inspiring, immersive game-experiences that translate into powerful tools of reflection for understanding the world and the self.

So amazing and in tune to kid's needs. She has saved so many children's perspectives of life…read more I continue to refer her!

My daughter loves everything Ms. Nikki does! She has been going to her weekly art classes this…read morewhole school year. Then Ms. Nikki did a jewelry making workshop at her birthday party and she couldn't have been happier. I'm so happy we were able to book Ms. Nikki for the party!

My boys loved attending Little Tree Studios for art classes. They drew beautiful castles, and some…read moreamazing dragons. My son describes Nicole, their art teacher, as "super nice, helpful, and very caring." That's an 8-year old talking. They developed an even greater interest in art and drawing. It made my heart melt when they came home with their framed art :) It's now hanging in the walls of our home, and we hope to bring them back for more classes.

We have been here several times for different kids activities, and each time we are more impressed…read morewith how creative and thoughtful Nichole is in her approach to kids' art projects. We have been here for date night a couple times, where the kids do a cool project associated with an animated movie, on a Friday evening for 3 hours, while we grab dinner in the Mission. We threw a birthday party here for our 7 year old daughter and her friends, which was a big hit. And we had our 5 year old in a week camp during school spring break, where he and a cast of 12 kids were guided in creating a performance play. Each time our kids have been thrilled and excited about their activities, while Nichole and the staff have an organized and attentive approach.

This was one of 5 camps my son attended this summer. I was able to book online with a sale that…read moretook about 20% off. The skate camp was held in San Rafael at Mckinnis Skate Park. On the first day I arrived and forgot his safety gear ‍ No worries, they had a huge box of elbow, knee pads, wrist guards and helmets all in different sizes to lend including skate boards. He was fit by instructor to make sure it was proper and safe. They started class by sitting in a circle and introducing themselves, playing a game and getting comfortable. Shredders camp separates the children by skill level. They are assessed and get personal and group instruction based on that. My son was a complete beginner and only used boards to play around in the past. So this was all new to him and I was afraid he would not learn a ton but it would be fun. The very first day I arrived early and I found my child on the curb of a little dip, on board and being guided to step into board and go down ramp, all smiles, no fear and he felt safe. The next day he comes in and everyone knows his name and he is just so overjoyed to be there. Safety gear in tow today. I get there at end of day and they are handing out 'prizes' for different things, including picking up random garbage to leave space clean. Son just raved about everyone, especially the instructor 'Chris'. Last day I come in way too early, I am suddenly watching this child that has the frame of mine navigating the full course of hills and dips and having to edge over concave drop offs and turns and I finally realize that is my son! Turning his board with little ticks even. Communication was easy. I needed to speak with someone and got an immediate reply while son was at camp. Park was clean and such a great skate park. The instructor spent quite a but of time with my son, even recommended a board to buy and grow with. Son cried the last day because he learned so much more than he thought he would have and wants to do a longer camp run next year. When you factor in the cost and divide it by days and hours, even at the non sale rate it's completely economical considering child care costs. Benefit to this is he is learning, getting physical energy out and having a ton of fun. All in all it was one of his top camps, we'll be back next year and he got a new custom board based on recommendations! Great camp!

Shredders was a wonderful camp for my son. He loved skateboarding and many summer camps were not…read moreengaging for him. Shredders allowed him to do what he loved in a safe environment with supervision and instruction to improve his skills. My son loved it so much when he was 8, 9, 10 years old. He's now 18 years old, and has been a counselor at Shredders for four years. I highly recommend Shredders and Chris for kids who want to learn to skateboard.