2023 summer camp reviews

[Anonymous]

My 10 y.o. really liked May Flather, where she attended her first sleepaway camp (six days)
It's a Girl Scout camp.

[Anonymous]

My kids LOVED Frost Valley sleep away camp in the Catskills in NY. They were in 2 different programs, each lasting 2 weeks (12 days).
DS is a rising 5th grader did the farm program and had a blast! So much more than "farm" time - He wants to go back for a session of farm and a session of traditional overnight camp next year.
DD is a rising 7th grader who did the horse program at EVR - is also desperate to go back for 4 weeks next year.

Both were full of tears at leaving, lots of hugs from friends and counselors.
We've been home ~5 days, this was their first sleep away experience and I can see how transformative it has been for them. Can't wait to go back!

[Anonymous]

Was anyone at smithsonian camp this year? Would love some reviews

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was anyone at smithsonian camp this year? Would love some reviews

My coworker's kids (age 10 and 8) are loving it. I didn't get any details though.

[Anonymous]

My kid loved Camp Quest Chesapeake, which is a one-week overnight camp primarily for kids from freethinking/atheist families. A mix of traditional camp activities and science/inquiry-based activities. The camp is not fancy (and is a lot less expensive than many overnight camps popular in this area), but my kid is already looking forward to returning next year.

I was happy to hear that they will be moving it to MD, as it will be a lot closer to the DC area and its previous location near Virginia Beach meant you were having to deal with beach traffic.

[Anonymous]

Another Jewish camp - Camp Ramah Day Camp. My kid who struggles sometimes to be comfortable in these settings was super happy from day. She participated in all kinds of activities that are hard for her and she really grew and made friends.

[Anonymous]

My kids spent multiple weeks at Sandy Spring so I thought I’d follow up on some of the other Sandy Spring posts by others. I think the counselor makes a big difference and it’s hard to know if you will get a good one. One child had a great summer last year and was excited to go back to the same cabin and so many of the same workshops and complained much more this year. Lots of changes to the schedule, times they weren’t at the right place at the right time or even ending up at a workshop at the wrong time so no teacher was waiting. It was disappointing. She wants to go back but I’m going to mix in other camps moreso next year. My junior camper seemed to have a nice and organized counselor but they don’t get to pick their workshops at that age and just do a sampler- but weirdly they don’t change the sampler week to week so they were stuck doing like some outdoor living thing (which my kid hated) once a week every week. And they never tried several workshops that were my older child’s favorite (but other cabins did). I know my kids went more weeks than some other kids but there were several others they knew from last year and from school who also did many weeks so I thought it was weird they didn’t try to make it more interesting. Several theme weeks had really fun activities (my kids love Olympic week and Maryland week) but others seemed more phoned in.

TLDR- good but not good for most of the summer. Will do maybe 3-4 weeks next summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids have done a few weeks at SSSA camps. This is their third year. They have done some sport camps and some academic camps. They love it! Transportation is so easy, they just really have their act together.

I didn’t see anything on the website about transportation for summer camp. Do you know what the routes are?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 10 y.o. really liked May Flather, where she attended her first sleepaway camp (six days)
It's a Girl Scout camp.

Nice. Mine enjoyed Winona, also for the first time.

[Anonymous]

My kid was disappointed in TIC camp. They didn't do much tech at all, and for the price, that's disappointing. They didnt have enough tech supplies to go around yet sold themselves as a tech camp.

[Anonymous]

My kid (13 yo boy) loved Eagles Nest in western NC. It’s a long haul to get down there (8-9 hours’ drive), but the camp is a really unique, lovely place. It’s smaller - only about 120 kids/session, co-ed, and very progressive. Kids choose their classes, which are the usual mix of outdoor stuff, arts, and sports. My kid is *extremely* reserved and came home absolutely glowing - they do a really good job of fostering community (through cabins, mixed-age “table families” for meals, teams, etc). I can’t recommend it highly enough.

[Anonymous]

Any day camps your kids loved in NOVA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 10-year-old has been at Burgundy Farms camp all summer and has had a great time. New classes every two weeks and especially liked the MakerSpace camp they did this year. She also reports the daily swimming classes are fun and the once-a-week inflatable waterslide is the best. I'm a little disappointed they weren't able to get their photo app to work this year, but that's a small thing.

Do you know if they have bus service?

Yes, they do--my kids took it from Eastern Market but I think there are other stops too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was disappointed in TIC camp. They didn't do much tech at all, and for the price, that's disappointing. They didnt have enough tech supplies to go around yet sold themselves as a tech camp.

That's really disappointing. Which tech did your kid do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid was disappointed in TIC camp. They didn't do much tech at all, and for the price, that's disappointing. They didnt have enough tech supplies to go around yet sold themselves as a tech camp.

That's really disappointing. Which tech did your kid do?

I am not PP but my kid did digital music the last session of TIC and I don't disagree with the sentiment. He liked robotics last year much better. That said, he had a great time at TIC again... and I was really nervous going in because two friends he did it with last year were not going this year so he was on his own. So I count it as a win even if the tech elements weren't fantastic.

DS is neurotypical but while I wouldn't say he struggles to make friends, he tends to not make much effort to invest in relationships that he knows are short term (this is foreign to me... I want to be friends with everyone... I think it's partly an introvert/extrovert thing). We went to the open house on the last day and I was impressed with the relationships he'd built with other campers and counselors, and the general camp spirit. They do some Color Wars type competition and it seemed like the kids got really into it. He'll likely go back next year and he's talking about being a counselor there when he's old enough.