Did you love the camp(s) your child(ren) attended this summer?

[Anonymous]

I am not impressed with Encore Stage and Studio. My DD attended the Kids Anchor the News program, and the recital was a disappointment - for two weeks all they did was a simple silly dance plus a simple show of Henny Penny. The recital for older kids was not impressive either. Waste of time and money, in my view.

[Anonymous]

My kids are having a really great time at Creative Cauldron in Falls Church. They are getting lots of outside time and are having a chance to be really creative while putting together a show. They are doing creative, self-directed artwork, yoga, singing and improv., song-writing, hiking, spending time at a nearby playground and park, and go swimming several times a week. My 5yo asked me tonight if she could please go back to the camp next year, and my 8yo, who can be hard to please, is having lots of fun every day, too.

[Anonymous]

We love Valley Mill camp in Seneca MD -- kids are outside all day swimming, rock climbing, kayaking, etc. it's a long day but my kids love it. They get off the bus every day exhausted but happy.

[Anonymous]

My 4 year old enjoyed NCRC. Friendly teachers (mainly adult) and enjoyable activities.

[Anonymous]

We have actually been very happy with the Knights of Columbus Camp this summer. Everything seems very organized and we were thrilled that the camp day includes swim lessons. My DD comes home happy and tired everyday! To the PP who pulled out their DS, did you talk to the camp director? I have found her to be very helpful each time I have spoken with her. Also, how did you manage a spot at Congressional? I've heard they've been full since January!

[Anonymous]

We are having a very good experience with Fillmore Arts Camp. They have some sports, some arts, and a nice variety of activities for kids who don't want to play sports all day long, plus swimming. The facility is great, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
To the PP who pulled out their DS, did you talk to the camp director? I have found her to be very helpful each time I have spoken with her. Also, how did you manage a spot at Congressional? I've heard they've been full since January!

We spoke to the camp director three times. There was no change -- so, after that, I pulled DS out. DD was already at Congressional Camp and I asked at the camp office if there might be a spot for DS, and they found a spot for him so I took it.

[Anonymous]

There was no change

Can you tell us what the problem was? If you can't, I understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

There was no change

Can you tell us what the problem was? If you can't, I understand.

Bullying/rough housing in the pool where another child repeatedly forced my child's head underwater. No staff was nearby to supervise or intervene.

At movie time/quiet time, my child got up to use the bathroom, and no one knew he left. He was unsupervised for at least 10 minutes and was found outside by the picnic tables by a staff member on break.

My child developed a very large bruise on his thigh (we discovered it at bathtime) and my child said he had hurt himself on the playground. No staff member told us.

I arrived to pick up my child in the afternoon and on four separate days, staff didn't know where he was. One particular day it took four staff members to locate my child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We love Valley Mill camp in Seneca MD -- kids are outside all day swimming, rock climbing, kayaking, etc. it's a long day but my kids love it. They get off the bus every day exhausted but happy.

Ditto here. It's a "real" camp, something I have found to be really lacking in this area. My 6-year-old has been having a great time, and it's extremely well-run with tons of activities. I was extremely impressed with the staff when we went on visiting day. I only wish I had sent my other kids there instead of wasting so many years switching back and forth among different pseudo-camps, or doing one week here and one week there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There was no change

Can you tell us what the problem was? If you can't, I understand.

Bullying/rough housing in the pool where another child repeatedly forced my child's head underwater. No staff was nearby to supervise or intervene.

At movie time/quiet time, my child got up to use the bathroom, and no one knew he left. He was unsupervised for at least 10 minutes and was found outside by the picnic tables by a staff member on break.

My child developed a very large bruise on his thigh (we discovered it at bathtime) and my child said he had hurt himself on the playground. No staff member told us.

I arrived to pick up my child in the afternoon and on four separate days, staff didn't know where he was. One particular day it took four staff members to locate my child.

Yikes! So sorry about your DS!

[Anonymous]

I know these boards are usually anonymous, however, I have been reading this thread with great interest. As the Camp Director at the Knights of Columbus, I can assure you the above issues did not occur this summer or last. I was at a different camp in the local area (Congressional Camp) before that so am unable to speak to previous years. I will not argue whether certain incidents happened, however, I will point out some of the major flaws in the allegations.

1) I do not believe in showing movies at summer camp and one has not been shown in the past two summers. (Full disclosure: At the end of cheer camp last week, I allowed the group to watch the high school State Championship video as a reward for a fantastic performance.)

2) Staff members are with campers all day and do not have breaks -- they even eat their lunch with the campers.

3) At Extended Care pick-up, the counselor in charge of sign-out has a list of where each child has chosen to be that afternoon. We use walkie talkies to communicate with one another during the day and the area where the camper is located is notified immediately. If you choose to pick up your camper early, you sign out through the main office and your camper's counselor brings them to you. Whether it is 3:30 pick up or Extended Care, you must be on the authorized pick-up list to take a camper (we use orange placards with my signature on them to make this process easier).

I would be more than happy to discuss these issues with anyone who would like to contact me at 703.536.9656 ext. 4 or [e-mail].

Please be aware of what you read online...sometimes it is simply not the truth and not posted by an actual camp parent.

I hope all of your children are enjoying their summer camp experiences!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I know these boards are usually anonymous, however, I have been reading this thread with great interest. As the Camp Director at the Knights of Columbus, I can assure you the above issues did not occur this summer or last. I was at a different camp in the local area (Congressional Camp) before that so am unable to speak to previous years. I will not argue whether certain incidents happened, however, I will point out some of the major flaws in the allegations.

1) I do not believe in showing movies at summer camp and one has not been shown in the past two summers. (Full disclosure: At the end of cheer camp last week, I allowed the group to watch the high school State Championship video as a reward for a fantastic performance.)

2) Staff members are with campers all day and do not have breaks -- they even eat their lunch with the campers.

3) At Extended Care pick-up, the counselor in charge of sign-out has a list of where each child has chosen to be that afternoon. We use walkie talkies to communicate with one another during the day and the area where the camper is located is notified immediately. If you choose to pick up your camper early, you sign out through the main office and your camper's counselor brings them to you. Whether it is 3:30 pick up or Extended Care, you must be on the authorized pick-up list to take a camper (we use orange placards with my signature on them to make this process easier).

I would be more than happy to discuss these issues with anyone who would like to contact me at 703.536.9656 ext. 4 or [e-mail].

Please be aware of what you read online...sometimes it is simply not the truth and not posted by an actual camp parent.

I hope all of your children are enjoying their summer camp experiences!

I am sure you are sincere in your post but my experience is that when the director is around teachers/counselors follow all the rules. As soon as he/she is gone, they do whatever they can get away with. Sorry but I defintely find the feedback from parents more valuable.

[Anonymous]

Current parent of a KoC camper here -- I don't know about the issues that the PP raised, but I do know that there have been incidents in the pool. My daughter attends camp with three friends (since preschool), and these four kids have witnessed another kid bullying several others in the pool. The counselors are not nearby so this can (and has) happened frequently. I have told my daughter to alert a counselor when she sees it happening and to stay away from the bully.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm interested in the following camps and wonder if anyone has experience - good or bad - for a 5 1/2 year old boy -

Landon Camp
Concord Hill Camp
St Patricks Camp

My son went to St Patricks camp for 5 years starting in K and loved it. He went for 6 weeks the first few years and 3 weeks the last couple. It is well organized, they do a lot of different activities, and the couselors seem to be engaged. It is more expensive than a lot of the other camps he's attended (especially the extended day piece) but in the end was worth it.

Where is St Patricks?