Child 1 Age 5 (Male)
Program(s) focused in Traditional (multi activity)
(5) Overall experience
My son was very reluctant to attend camp as it was his first summer attending. He was visibly anxious on daily arrival but the staff at Glenoaks Camp were amazing. They encouraged him to come in, at his pace. They even noticed that he enjoyed spending time with a group of kids that were in a different group, and they changed him into that group.
By the end of the first day, he loved it and had a great time. He wanted to go back!
Bonus is that they did academic work daily that was interesting and fun.
(5) Reason for choosing the camp
It is close by, has a local feel (there were lots of children from him school there which is nice), they spend a lot of time outside being active, but also have a nice indoor space for those hot summer days. They do weekly themes with a nice adventure once a week (a magician came in one week, they had a bouncy castle one week, etc).
(5) Program quality and activities
Itinerary aligned great with his interests. They have a great mix of weekly themes. From science to magic - the weekly themes were captivating and the academic component lined up. One week they made their own glitter snow globes as a science project and my 5-year-old was able to explain to me how oil and water separates. It was great to see the creativity and education coming together.
(5) Social dynamics and experience
There were no issues with bullying or inclusion. He was made to feel very included by the staff. He was reluctant to attend at first, but the staff was amazing in helping him feel at ease. He saw familiar faces because the camp is local for us, which made his time there even better. The staff was excellent in noticing who my child was enjoying spending time with, and moved him into their group.
(5) Skills and growth
He definitely grew in his comfort level of being left in a camp daily, without knowing anybody. The staff helped him to develop his social skills by encouraging him to meet new friends. The staff was highly skilled in how to make him feel comfort and confident. Activities that pushed him were working with and playing with kids he was not familiar with.
He also really enjoyed and learned from the science week.
(5) Staff/Instructors/Counsellors
What stood out the most to me was that a lot of the staff are trained teachers or are currently in teachers' college. The skill set that the staff had is what will make me sign my kids up all summer next summer. The staff was clearly highly trained but also highly engaged with the children. This showed in the activities that they did with the kids.
(5) Advice and tips
This is a great camp to send your kids to. I signed my son up for a few camps last year but wish I had only signed him up for this camp. The routine of coming to the same camp every week and the consistency in the camp activities was great. He got to know the great staff and got more comfortable each week.
