I Don't Wanna Grow Up Kids Camp

My 5 year old went to 6 different camps last summer through Palo Alto (Enjoy), Stanford, and Legarza - this was by far his favorite. He has asked that he only do this camp next year. He got to go to various locations around the Bay Area and explore nature. It was definitely his only camp where he was a kid being a kid. Will definitely do this next year!

Very good. My kid really enjoyed the activity but the weather on that week was really hot.

My son had so much fun that he wanted to do it the following week. If your kid has any interest in learning DnD or already does, I highly recommend this program. James is kind, enthusiastic, patient, and an incredibly imaginative DM (Dungeon Master)

My kids had a wonderful experience at this camp, and even requested to come back for another week! My youngest son loved the outdoor imaginative play aspect, and my eldest appreciated being able to have in-depth discussions with the excellent instructors. My daughter would like me to mention that they were kind, caring, and attentive (as well as funny). My kids also liked the overlap between larping and D&D. The camp was perhaps less structured than some other camps, so if your children do well in this kind of environment (lots of free-play) then I would definitely recommend this camp. It was so gratifying as a parent to see the big smiles on their faces at pick-up, and to see them excited to go back day after day.

Excellent camp. We tried out for a single day, I wasn’t sure how my 5 year old would like it, and she had a blast.

She doesn’t have much free time this summer, but said she wants to go the entire next summer.

My son loved this camp so much that we ended up canceling other camps and doing two additional weeks of LARP :) Outdoor play all day, a good mix of kids ranging in ages, creative play and engaging leaders - what's not to like?

My girls loved it and said it was a lot of fun. They didn’t think they would like it but ended up loving the live action role play.

We arrived at the park and discovered that there was no camp. Despite receiving multiple confirmations and reminders from ActivityHero that the camp was scheduled, it was not there. I had read a similar review about this camp, but I thought it might have been a one-time accident. Unfortunately, this is not the case. I advise others to be aware that this camp is not reliable and to have a backup plan in place.

It turned out that James (an organizer), sent a cancellation email at midnight (!) on the day of the camp.

My 9 year old enjoyed the camp a lot, and keeps talking about it.

My kid had fun but one day we showed up for camp and no one was there. We tried calling the number listed and no one answered. Another parent recognized my kid, waved us down, and said they had gotten a call that there was an emergency and camp was canceled. Understandable, stuff happens, but we never got a call or even an email, and I’ve tried calling and emailing to find out about rescheduling or getting a refund and haven’t gotten any response at all. Plus as another parent wrote, there’s only one counselor which is typically fine, but my kid says he leaves for ~30 minutes at a time during the day.

My child enjoyed the activities while they were happening, but in the middle of the day the counselor left the children unattended in the park to get his lunch. To me this is extremely dangerous and unprofessional. He should have either packed his own lunch or ordered a delivery lunch. To leave a group of eight to twelve year olds unattended in a park with strangers, homeless people, and nearby busy roads and train tracks is not safe.

Our son had a fantastic time. Great teacher and a really positive environment. We would definitely repeat.

This camp was not like any camp we have gone to in the past. In hindsight, we should have read between the lines of what the camp was really offering. However, we do not want others to miss the signs we did. Our experience was as follows:
Our kids were driven in a bus to to a neighborhood public park with water features. There was 1 adult for 11 kids. The adult stayed near the park bench and was on the phone or lying down on the bench so there was no supervision. There was also no engagement or activity planning by the camp. This is probably the intent with “free play”, but we did not realize that and I wanted the next family to be aware. The kids were asked to use the public bathrooms to change into swim wear and afterwards came home in their swim clothes (although mostly dried off). There was a snack break where the kids were offered ice cream. We decided to not send the kids after the first day. The 1 star is to convey that we would not recommend this camp to anyone unless they need immediate help as this camp does do walk-ins.

Good camp. Kids were happy and tired from a whole day of outdoor play and hiking/tidepool etc.

My son attended for 2 weeks and he loved the camp with James being a DM! He is now even thinking about organizing a D&D club at his middle school. Amazing job!

This was my son’s favorite camp this summer. Highly recommend for kids who love to play D&D!

The camp is great! My 14 year old daughter loved it, she asked to buy her DnD book and I didn't expect her to be so into something. Will definitely sign up again

My child spent all day running around outside and having a blast, Lincoln really connected well with the group.

My son loved this camp. As promised he came home tired and sleepy. Enjoyed every bit of it.

I have been an educator for over twenty years in the roles of teacher, principal, superintendent, and equity coach. Most kids will tell you that their favorite time of the school day is recess, lunch, and PE. The reason is simple: kids get to socialize and have fun in a safe environment without a lot of structure. Essentially, they get to just be kids for a while without getting in trouble for being loud and energetic. We wonder why youth struggle so much these days, but then we expect them to sit quietly all day in classrooms, spend countless hours on homework, participate in structured sports, and when they finally do have time to themselves, they sit in front of screens.
When I saw this camp, I did not hesitate to have my three daughters attend (one elementary and two lower middle school grade aged). Finally, a place where my daughters were able to explore, socialize, and play while being outdoors, in nature! Each of my daughters had their own experiences, branched out to make their own friends, and returned home with their own fun, adventurous stories to share. As a working mom, I am so grateful that I found a camp that took my girls on fun day trips that provided opportunities for unstructured play--exactly the kind of days I try to create for my girls when I am able.
My girls really loved James and thought he was hilarious and fun (more fun than me, for sure). Besides having loads of fun outdoors, they also gained self-confidence, practiced important social skills, and spent many summer hours without their faces staring at a pixelated screen! 6 Stars!

I had so much fun at this camp. My favorite part was Shadow and Diesel and popsicles. I hope I can go back next summer.

My kids would so much rather be home playing video games or on TikTok, which is not how I like them to spend ALL day while on vacation. I started with signing them up for a full week. The first day, they were groaning and moaning about going. Seriously. How terrible am I to take them away from staring at a screen all day and forcing them to actually go outside and play? Sheesh! By the end of the week, I had already signed them up for a second week. Yep--they had that much fun! Sometimes we have to push our kids to be more sociable and adventurous. After COVID, my kids now spend so much more time on electronic devices and it has been SOOOO hard to change things back. This camp was so perfect for them and I will be sending them back again soon. Ya, they came home and ended up wanting to play video games for the evening but two hours of games is WAY better than 12 hours of video games! Tip: Definitely send some extra (warm) clothes because the wind at the beach can be chilly!
Last thing-My kids are different than other kids and they felt included and accepted at this camp.

Lots of fun! The beaches were the best part to collect shells and rocks.

I think this is a great organization offering an excellent service to the communities. The time spent allows kids to interact with peers and with adults. It gives them an opportunity to form friendships and grow as human beings from all backgrounds. I'd highly recommend them!

We attended the summer day camp and had tons of fun exploring the beaches and parks. The counselors were attentive and kind to the kids and supervised them well while still allowing them freedom to play on their own.

My kids have participated in this camp on a couple of occasions and have always thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The children are allowed to play and interact with other children and supervising adults at their own discretion (for the most part) which allows them the opportunity to play and explore as they choose.

Throughout the years of me attending weekly camp, many chances for growth presented themselves. First of all, as a member in the roleplaying game, I was given a place to learn to be comfortable. I learned how to speak publicly, how to take charge of a group, along with other important social skills. There were times for cooperation; sometimes a party member needed healing, or maybe we had to solve a puzzle together. The camp placed an emphasis on teamwork and collaboration, which has greatly helped me to this day. Additionally, this camp led me to know several close friends. I constantly got to meet new people and learned how to develop friendships. The counselors were also amazing at teaching us how to resolve conflicts in-game and out of game whenever needed, and these skills still prove useful! I'm so glad I got the opportunity to come.

This camp is so much better than other camps because you can spend the time how you want to have fun instead of being forced to join an activity for hours that you don't like very much. You can make new friends and you get to help pick where everyone goes.

I got to help run the camp with my nephew! What an awesome experience!

Highly recommend. Fun camp counselors, beautiful parks with lots to do. Kids will be happy and tired at the end of the day!

I spent a week with I Don’t Wanna Grow Up kid’s camp last summer. It was a joy to see all those kids laughing and playing with their friends in the summer sunshine. A free play camp is a good thing for kids whose lives are so planned out that they don’t have time to play, use their imagination, and make friends with a variety of kids of different ages and of different backgrounds. The camp was well-run and a spirit of fun seem to control the interaction of the campers and staff. I will definitely send my kids to this camp again.

Amazing staff and opportunities for kids. What a great way for kiddos to spend time outside for the summer.

As soon as our child started going to I Don't Wanna Grow Up Kids Camp, she declared "this is the best camp ever!" James and his team know how to see the world through a child's eyes, never losing the magic of discovery. They are joyous, flexible, kind, courteous, and oh so patient. Highly recommend!

This was an amazing camp! Our kids loved it and can't wait to go back.

The online Dungeon and Dragons games were a great opportunity for kids across the country to interact with each other.

My daughter learned about the game and had fun. The DM was helpful, patient, and knowledgeable. Great experience.

I really love the idea of having kids playing in different places especially beaches. However, this camp failed my expectation and we have to quit in the middle. My expectation is as simple as any other camps offered: I can drop off/pick up my kid as scheduled and the communication is smooth and I can find camp teacher/manager if I need. People are very nice, however, the camp is poorly managed.

There is no fault tolerance if anything unexpected happened. And the time scheduled is just for reference. During our enrollment, we were almost never able to drop off kids at the park at 8:30 am especially on Mondays, since no one is there. And there is no notice of what is going on. Parent has to stay, take care the kids and make calls to figure out what happened by themselves. And most of the time, your call weren't answered. Turns out some adults had family emergency or someone's car stopped working. James had to make last minutes arrangement, finding other people. These are all understandable reasons. But as a camp, it should have the backup plans instead of letting parents waiting cluelessly on weekday mornings.

Pick up time is just for reference as well. They were not on time or even closer(to 4:30 PM since my son didn't want to attend it anymore and wanted to be picked up asap). The only way to figure it out is to call James or others and they usually don't pick up the call. Again, left us no clue when we can go and pick up the kids. We don't leave close to those parks and there are ~15 min driving from our home. Very inconvenient for working parents.

The camp itself is ok. But I do not recommend sending kids without friends together especially if your kids are little. My son is 5 and he is the youngest kids in the camp. The second youngest is ~8 year old. Most of the kids are much older. He made one friend in the first week and none in the second week. He didn't want to attend it anymore and we were really struggle with the no schedule/information as mentioned above. Finally we dropped out(no refund). It would be better to have a group of friends attending this together or your kids can easily make friends with older group of strangers(my son has many friends at his age). Otherwise, I don't recommend it. I really regretted signing up two weeks before trying out the camp.

This is a must-do summer camp. My daughter enjoyed it a lot and wants to return back. This camp worth each of the pennies that you are going to spend. I highly recommend James and his team [especially Diesel :)], they are awesome. Thanks!

Amazing camp! Our daughter loves playing outside, exploring nature and new places and she really loves dogs. I can't believe we were able to find a camp that has it all! She came home happy, tired and full of great memories every day, and she is looking forward to next week's trips and adventures and playing with Diesel and Shadow.

After nearly a year of quarantined distance learning, this camp was a welcome change of pace for my 7-year old. Everyday at about 4:30pm I picked up a messy, exhausted but super happy kid who made new friends at this camp. This was worth every penny!

My son loved this class and was engaged for the entire week. That's all that really mattered here. Thank you.!

My son hadn't played the game before. He had a lot of fun and now a new hobby.

My sons, ages 6 and 9, attended camp with Lincoln and 3 other kids in April. It was like all their dreams come true! They had a ton of fun - Lincoln created fun adventures for the campaign, and gave the kids a good mix of physical activity and imaginative play. And the boys made friends whom we've hung out with since camp ended.
I will say that I would have preferred a clear "masks for everyone" policy without exceptions. I made a game time call and decided that outdoor interactions were likely to be safe, but I can see lack of consistent masking being a deal breaker for others.

Pros: The counselor, Lincoln, ran around and actively played with the campers. My kid got some sunshine and exercise.

Cons: Lincoln took the campers in his vehicle without wearing a mask. There were complaints and I thought this issue was addressed, but he continued to wear a mask only intermittently, including while engaged in close combat, and even discouraged campers from wearing masks. We are not in a place in the pandemic where this is safe behavior—especially without parental consent. I mentioned this to the camp director (who happens to be Lincoln’s father) & he stated, “ As far as the mask outdoors I don't require it from employees or children and I have seen no evidence to suggest that it is necessary under those conditions”
Lincoln was also nearly 30 minutes late to camp one day, with no phone/email notice to parents. This is a big issue for parents who are counting on being able to drop off kids and get to work.
Finally, Lincoln made a number of comments that reinforce gender stereotypes, such as having kids line up “ladies first”, label push-ups as “men’s push-ups” versus “women’s push-ups” (the latter being the easy ones). When my son objected, Lincoln stated that men are stronger and women are more caring. I also mentioned this concern to the director, who told me a story about how Lincoln once helped a girl in distress, as evidence his heart is true, but did not see the issue of gender stereotypes as a problem, stating that everyone has their own parenting style and they can’t please everyone.

We were very excited to sign up for this camp. It turned out to no be a good fit for us. The camp counselor refused to wear a mask. he didn't seem to understand my concerns. My kids are 12 years old and they were the oldest ones. So they were a bit bored that way. They came home saying that some kids were overly aggressive with their foam weapons... One of my kids got insulted and bullied, and the counselor didn't even notice. He did show concern after the fact when I texted him about it, but by then my kids didn't not want to return. It seems like this is more of an outdoor daycare than an organized camp. The one activity my kids liked was "Capture the Flag". Otherwise, they said they were bored and that the counselor was on his phone all day long. I don't think there is anything wrong with free range camps, but I don't feel like that is what I signed up for. Too bad.

Our two children (6 years and 8 years) loved this camp. They learned about Dungeons and Dragons and came home exhausted every day. Thank you, Lincoln!

My 8-year-old strongly requested to attend this camp after his first time with this camp two years ago. He enjoyed the camp so much. He even brought his own fishing and crabbing gear to it. My only concern is that he was so focus on playing that he only a little bit snacks the whole day. But what he said was one word “fun” !

Great camp! My 10 yo's main complaint was it was very exhausting :)

My daughter loves D&D and had a great week at this camp. I loved that it was outdoors, and that Lincoln got the kids moving and playing all day. This camp is great for kids who love role play and using their imagination, and getting them to do it outdoors.

I initially had technical problems the first day, but the folks at IDWGU were very understanding, allowed my boys to listen in despite their limited participation, and let them join again for free the next day to fully participate when the technical difficulties resolved. They both enjoyed it immensely and were engaged the entire four hours! We signed them up for an additional session as a result. We will definitely sign up for more as the school year progresses.

My 2 kids had so much fun. They loved just being outdoors all day playing in nature with other kids. James is very accommodating and easy to communicate with. All very responsible staff.
We felt safe to leave our kids with them all day. For working parents it's a great thing that this camp is a full day, not an early pick up like most camps.

Highly recommended! My 11 years daughter enjoyed D&D camp for 5 days in the week of Aug 17. Her D&D master was Thomas who was quite funny, and he gave odd situations that kept the game fun.

Our son, Jack, had a great time at camp. Jeff did a great job as dungeon master!

Great camp, My son (9) loved every minute of it! That’s all he’s talking about now :-)

Both my boys LOVED the D&D camp so much we went from 2 days to the whole week and more. Fantastic!

The camp was amazing! My two daughters (8 and 11 years old) are begging for more. Every day was a different adventure for the kids and they loved it. The staff is amazing and the activities are greatly loved by the children. It’s guaranteed that the kids will love it, will come back happy, tired and dirty and will have a great night of sleep. Great outdoor camp!
THANK YOU: James, Cristiane and staff.

We absolutely loved this camp! Our princess, two weeks short of 5 yrs old had a blast with the teachers and other kids. We can't wait to come back. Thanks for taking so good care of our darling and showing her the best kid friendly spots ❤️

What an excellent camp! It kept my 12 year old semi-new to D&D son riveted for the entire session, every day. Being a little ADHD, my son also enjoys trying to surprise people with unexpected moves... the Dungeon Masters (I think that's what the leaders are called?) were great at rolling with the punches and keeping the story going! My son proclaimed it the "Best camp EVER" and can't wait for the net session!

My 11 year old son loved D&D camp with DM Cliff! My son has fallen in love with the game since pandemic and has a few regular games set up a week with friends and my husband's friends, but this online camp brought out more happiness and excitement to engage with a virtual group than I've seen him have in 4 months. Thank you for providing immense joy for my son who has felt cut off from the world and nervous about starting middle school online in the fall. It gave us hope that it could be fun and possible to make new friends in this new environment.

My guys really enjoyed the Dungeons and Dragons online camp! The software was a bit finicky to get installed and use, but we figured it out. It was a neat idea to offer D&D online, and has increased their interest in playing the game offline too.

My 13 year old son loved the online dungeons and dragons camp. He has been interested in d&d for a few years, but this was his first opportunity to play the game with a group of kids. He can’t wait for the next session to start.

This is as close to what summer was like when I was a kid as you can get in the bay area. My son's attended 4-5 things and looooves it. It's not run as regimentedly as most things around here, so you have to be a little flexible, but I appreciate that experience for my kids. James is awesome and I will continue to send my kid several times a summer.

This camp was the perfect remedy from months inside and virtual school. James and his team simply love taking kids for an outdoor adventure every day. Both my son (11) and daughter (8) enjoyed every minute and I can't think of a better way for them to spend the summer than with an fun day at the beach, playing in a creek, or taking an easy hike in a local park. They even have a "kids choice" Friday. Planning on more sessions later in the summer!

My son, (5-year olf and fist time summer camp) loved this camp!

My kids loved this camp! Every day they came home tired and full of stories to share!

This was the first camp for our daughter and she was feeling a little nervous at first. She was instantly welcomed at the drop off with warmth and enthusiasm that put her at ease. She ended each and everyday with lots of fun stories about her day and totally tired out, which is a great sign! Saturday morning she wanted to know when she was going back to I don’t wanna grow up camp. We will be signing up for another week soon.

We would highly recommend and will look for more opportunities to attend their D&D sessions in the future!
My 12-year-old son had a SPECTACULAR time at the week-long, 4 hr per day, online camp. His quote, "It was awesome." My observation: he was engaged and excited the entire time (so much so that he kept telling me to "shush!" every time I walked by his desk). From what I glimpsed on the screen and overheard of the game play, the Dungeon Master did a great job in preparation and in guiding game play, especially for a group with diverse levels of experience.

My husband grew up playing D&D and has shared his love of the game with our boys. Our two youngest (ages 11 and 13) beg for more. So happy to find this camp where they can play, meet new friends and not be in front of a screen! They both had a great time at the camp over winter break. Signing them up now for the regular Saturdays!

Our 12 yo son's first time trying D&D and we dropped him off without knowing anyone else there. James (the leader and dungeon master) made him feel so welcome and he had a great time. He left wanting to go to the next camp!

This summer (2019) my three kids went to the Outdoor Free Play Camp. The camp was amazing. Every day was a different adventure for the kids and they loved it. Whether it was the beach, hiking at a park, or swimming at the aquatic park they liked the supervised freedom and change of scenery. Not to mention the Friday Kids choice was always their favorite day as ice cream seemed to always be involved.

My son is on the spectrum and being at summer camp is not easy for him to be successful. However, quite a few of the outdoor free play camp counselors/leaders had some sort of educational training which made having my son at the camp truly fun for him, the other kids, counselors, and me. The camp saw my son as a whole person and worked with him to be successful to where everyone saw his behavior and his spirits improvement over the summer.
Originally, I signed up for 4 weeks at outdoor free play camp, and 2 weeks at another camp. The other camp did not know how to work with kids on the spectrum, and they let my girls sunburn even thou they were asked to apply provided sunblock. Last minute on a Wednesday night I called the camp leader at outdoor free play and told him my situation and he told me there was be room for my kids and asked me to sign up on Activity Hero. My kids finished out an additional 2 weeks at the outdoor free play happy and without sunburns.
Outdoor Free Play is now my go to for summer camp.

My 14-year old daughter went several times to the D&D camp and loved it! So much we asked James to run a birthday session with her friends. Everyone had a blast, and it was a great introduction to D&D for all of them.

I can’t say enough good things about this camp or James, the owner who runs it. I connected James with a child I mentor, for whom summer camp has previously always been out of reach, and James welcomed him with open arms. When he missed a day, James reached out to me to make sure everything was okay- something I thought to be very impressive and caring given how many kids/locations James is looking after every day. Further, he asked to be connected directly to the non-profit I work with so that he could try to help even more under served kids attend camp.

Most importantly though, the camp itself was amazing. The kids got to do new things every day- swimming, hiking, field trips, capture the flag. Hearing about all the different activities made me feel nostalgic for my childhood summers! I feel like I Don’t Wanna Grow Up offers exactly what its name implies- the quintessential summer experience that celebrates kids being kids. When I asked my mentee how camp was going he said “I wake up happy every single day because I’m so excited to go to camp!” It doesn’t get any better than that.

Bottom line- this is a great camp run by great people who deserve your business!

My kids and I talk about homeless almost every time we see some on the street. Powerless they seem, we feel powerless when discussing them too. I am truly grateful that James is organizing such an ongoing event for an opportunity for kids to benefit the society with their own little hands. The value is beyond words. Thank you!

My son went on this event. I could see the pride in his eyes to have spent the day for a great cause. James was very encouraging and make Kian feel good about his contributions. My son will gladly go on this event again.

I'm on the fence about leaving 3 stars (not 4), but despite all the things that went wrong and how they were handled, my kids did love the camp. This is why I'm leaving only 3 stars:
The Good Stuff::
James, the camp owner, is a really great guy, and his brother Thomas ran our little group (he was amazing!). I really did appreciate who they were, and what they were trying to do (as a camp in general). I love the idea of this camp, it's sad that I have to send my kids to a camp just to go out and play haha...modern day in Silicon Valley I guess. Anyway, my kids LOVED the camp, and adored Thomas (we all did). In response to another review, James did send a very helpful informational email the night before camp. Unfortunately, my husband was out of town, and I was sick, so I didn't get a chance to read the camp email (like I normally would). The camp is broken down into 4 pick-up and drop-off park locations, and all camps meet at the exciting daily venue that is planned. So, there are 4 camp counselors (including James) to run the camp. The email said that there would be a 1:5 ratio of counselors to kids. Loved the camp, believed in the camp, and planned on sending my kids there every summer going forward! Cool!
The Not-So-Good-Stuff:
1. First Red Flag: We arrived at our drop-off pick-up park location on the first day of camp, and no one was there. After about 20 minutes, I decide to check my email for an update because I thought it was odd for a camp counselor to be this late for a camp on the first day (especially with all the good reviews!). I read my email, which was very helpful, with all the counselors names and phone numbers etc. I called Thomas, and he was on his way (no big deal). The poor guy is not from the Bay Area, and he hadn't fully anticipated the horrible morning traffic. He arrived, so no big deal. Oh, I also read in the email that we were not supposed to let our kids bring any important items with them (nice shirts, favorite stuff etc.). Of course, my son brought about 4 sentimental things that we could not replace (including his only swimsuit, his school backpack and our house key)!
2. Second Red Flag: I decided to pick my kids up from the aquatic park (the fun location for the day), instead of the picking them up at our pickup spot, because it was a very hot day. I arrive at the aquatic park, and my kids are starving. No one told them where the free snacks or extra waters were. What was worse, was that they were both extremely sunburned (horribly bloodshot eyes, they were exhausted and extremely dehydrated). I asked my kids to get their stuff and get in the car. My son couldn't find his backpack. I'm not even sure how that can happen, when there is a picnic table with ALL of the kids' backpacks - and there are 2 camp counselors sitting at the table. I was told that one of the kids from another counselor's group had taken my son's bag by mistake. I called James right away, because I really wanted to get my hands on the backpack. He was sure it would turn up, and said he'd look into it himself (thanks!), he also joked about how many items he had in his lost and found. It made me wonder why he wasn't sending an email to parents at the end of each day, detailing the items in the daily lost and found? He did mention that some people just come and take what is not theirs (that's just disgusting), so I had some sympathy for his efforts.
3. Third Red Flag: While picking up my kids at the aquatic park, I noticed that one of the young counselors hadn't realized that one of his very young kids had run off FAR from the camp table - he had to scream at the top of his lungs to get the kid to come back. I know kids move fast, and we've all been there, but it just made me worry a bit (hopefully no Camp Galileo incident in the future).
4. Fourth Red Flag: That night, I emailed James for an update, and I mentioned how sunburned my kids were. I mentioned that I was hoping the counselors could help my kids reapply their sunscreen, especially given that it was an outdoor (water-themed - that week) camp. His email response was: "with so many kids spending so much time in the water we're fighting a losing battle." I was really surprised by this response. Surely, one adult can look after 5 kids, and set an alarm to apply their SPF throughout the day. It's ok, because Thomas was a rockstar, and did just that! My kids weren't the only ones terribly sunburned though.
5. Fifth Red Flag: I spent 3 days trying to get help from James, to no avail. I didn't know at the time, but he was swamped and couldn't get back to me. So, I ended up emailing each of the parents individually, asking if they had my son's backpack. Granted, whoever took the backpack meant to steal it, because my son's name and phone number were all over the bag (and everything inside the bag was labeled). No one had found it, but I had to be the one to reach out to each parent.
6. Sixth Red Flag: My kids couldn't go to camp the second day, because they were so badly sunburned. They were supposed to go to a really cool goat farm in Pescadero (and the beach!)! I even saw some amazing photos of the place on the camp's website. Evidently, none of the kids got to go to the goat farm, I can't remember the reason, not enough tickets or something? It was a very hot day, so at least they went to the beach, and they all had a blast (my kids heard all about it the 3rd day). Unfortunately, a similar thing happened on the 4th day of camp. The kids were supposed to go to a marine reserve north of SF, hike near the water, and look at starfish etc. (also highlighted on the camp website)! However, they ended up having to hike far away from the water (the weather was in the upper 80s/low 90s that day), and my kids were really disappointed (and hot). The kids were hoping to have cooled off by the water, but the camp hadn't reserved enough spots to do the water hike (they had too many kids)?
By Thursday night, I had my husband call James (I was exhausted and still very sick). James said that ANOTHER CAMP's kid came over to the camp table and claimed my son's backpack. He said he knew the name of the other camp, and he would get the camp owner's help on tracking it down. We were SO grateful! He was so lovely and we were hopefully. Light at the end of the tunnel, and faith restored in the camp!
*Post-camp, nothing was followed up on. I had my husband call last week. James ended up saying they didn't know who took the backpack, and that it was just a RANDOM KID who claimed/took it - the kid wasn't at camp at all!?! Evidently, there are kids who do this knowingly (watch out). How does something like this happen? I'm very saddened that James didn't see this through 100%. He actually told us to call San Mateo county ourselves. No offer to reimburse us, no offer to make the call... just thanks and buh-bye. Maybe I'm acting too uptight, first world problems after all.
I was so ready to write an amazing review about the camp, I really wanted to! It IS a fantastic camp, and I adored James and Thomas! But by the time we were done dealing with the hunt (with no email or phone response for 4 days), and being blown off at the end, I was just ticked off, and had to write a more critical review. I am responsible for letting my son take so many important things to camp, so it's ultimately my fault. However, NO ONE should be allowed to come to the camp table (where all the COUNSELORS are sitting!) and take ANYTHING. And those other red flags were concerning too. My Advice to the camp:
1. Get an admin to handle all the emails, and parent concerns. Email the parents at the end of each day with a list of found items (photos would be above and beyond). Also, get an automated email going for last-minute registrations, or have an admin contact them directly with camp information that was sent out before they registered.
2. Have someone else run the camp. James is amazing, and he should oversee the direction of the camp, still have fun (it's his baby, and it's such a great idea!), but it's getting too big for him (for any one person actually!). When an owner gets tired, crabby with the kids, or fed up with running the minutiae of a business (from what I heard, and from what we experienced as adults), it's time to get more organized and formal help (and grow). Please make some changes before you ruin the amazing caliber and experience of this playful and timeless camp. This camp could go anywhere, if done right, if managed by the right people - or it could just have the potential to be run much smoother with less stress. Honestly, it could be a huge chain, if you want it to be. It's one of those obvious ideas, that most people don't try to excute. There is so much potential for greatness here - just my 5 cents. I think the recent suffering reviews are good news - that you are getting too big! lol!
2. Have a system for organizing the kids' stuff.
3. Keep a much better eye on the kids!
4. Make sure the kids stay hydrated and sunscreen'd.
5. Hire more counselors who know the Bay Area, who are trained in running and GROWING (especially counselors who know the Bay Area mentality, the expectation levels, and the crazy type-A parent factor - like me). You have to step it up while you still have a great reputation.
6. Sign extra kids up for the day trips, so they actually get to do what is advertised on your website. It's understandable that it would happen one time in the week, but not twice.
5. Go to different venues if there are thieves casing the area, or find a way to keep people and thing safe.
Parents, if none of this stuff upsets you, and you can send the kids off to camp learning from my mistakes, then send your kids!!!
They will have a BLAST. ***Just be responsible for their hydration, their SPF, their stuff, and their planned expectations. If you can let it all slide, then send them. They will love it (I hope).
That's why I gave three stars, instead of four. I hope you read this James, a lot of great things can come out of this experience. Thanks for your passion, your love of adventure and children, and for trying to make it a memorable experience.

My 10-year-old son attended (via the Rengstorff Park location) one day and I will not take him back, due to safety and communication concerns. In particular they invited my child to sit in the front seat on the freeway (unsafe for kids under 13 per NHTSA). Also they were over an hour late returning, apparently due to a combination of having left very late (can happen due to last-minute logistical snafus) and worse-than-usual traffic (also happens), but they did not communicate effectively to the parents, at least some of whom were worried sick. There was zero communication for the first 40 minutes after the rendezvous time, after which point the owner's mother (who had a subset of the kids with her) arrived and told us the rest were "on their way" but she couldn't narrow it down further. The driver used the rationale that he couldn't call/text while driving for safety reasons (agreed) but that doesn't explain why he couldn't send a communication upon leaving quite late or upon making the stop on the way. Overall I just don't feel comfortable sending my child with this program.

My son went to many camps this summer, but this was his absolute favorite. I will not take off a star for the fact that they asked us to be there at 8:30 and the organizers only made it at close to 9...then they said they would come back with the kids at 4:30 pm and they came back at 5:30....It was insane waiting for so long...The organization of the camp clearly needs work and more manpower as there are too many kids participating for the amount of people chaperoning the kids.
However, my son had such a blast (he turned 9 this summer) that he said out of all the camps he went to, he would like to be in this one most next summer. I had him in here one day and he said next time he wants at least a week. I am considering putting my daughter with him next summer as well. She was too going this time around. I just hope for a better organization next time. I sent him with sunscreen and no one helped him throughout the day with it and he had really bad burns on his back and chest that hurt him for 2 weeks. But he had fun and he was safe, so what more could I have wanted? He kept telling about this camp to all his friends!

Our son enjoyed this camp a lot -- not often kids get to run free all day in new places, but that's the gist of it, no more, no less. Since kids come in and out of the camp constantly the owners should send an automatic email to anyone who signs up on activity hero with "what do expect/what to pack/where to meet" a bit more in depth - all we had was the short activity hero description, no email - granted we signed up last minute. Would be good to explain adult to kid ratio. Had no idea where to park and we were lost a bit figuring out where the meeting point, stressed out we had missed the departure. Luckily they did not leave until 9am (definite plus). Our son loved the camp but do think they could tighten up how they interact with parents entrusting their kids. Still a good option as needed, and they are flexible and responsive.

It was a last minute sign up but my daughter ended up having so much fun. Cuesta park is very convenient and because it was so hot, they ended up taking the kids to the beach. The kids had a blast! Will definitely sign up for next summer as well.

First time signing up for camp with I don’t wanna grow up! My daughter absolutely loved it!! Lincoln and Andy are the sweetest! Thank you!

My son had a great time going to beaches and playing outdoors. He said he loved the camp. The administration could use some improvement - emailing instructions sooner and using a better check-in/check-out system so parents can have confidence our kids are in good hands and only being picked up by authorized people. But overall, my son had a great week.

Highly recommend this program and we will definitely sign up for it next year. Sent my son (5 yr old) there for just one day to fill in a gap in my schedule. He was really really happy at the end of the day, and talked about where the group planed to go to the second day. And he was quite disappointed after I told him that we had another arrangement for him. So far the kid has been to 5 different camps including this one. When asked about which one he liked most, he said it's this camp without a slight hesitation.

Highly recommend this program. Excellent programming and locations. My daughter loves this camp and asks for it all the time. James and the team are thoughtful and caring and definitely deliver on their promises of a good time for the kids and a tired kid for the parent.

Hands down! Best camp my kids ever attended! I have an 8-year old and 5-year old. This was absolutely their favorite camp!

I sent my 9 years old to I Don’t Wanna Grow Up for two sessions. He didn’t get to attend all days during the first session as it was his birthday on the Wednesday and I though it would be nice to have a day off with him. He liked the idea at first, but after attending camp, he wished he could also spend some time with James and the friends he made there on the day of his birthday. The second week just confirmed how much he liked it and he says he wants to go back again.

The staff is amazing and the activities are greatly loved by the children. It’s guaranteed that the kids will love it, will come back happy, tired and dirty and will have a great night of sleep.

Awesome camp!!!! My son returned home each evening, happy, dirty and tired!!😀

My 6-year old son has been to the outdoor free play camp during spring break and asked to go again this summer. This is now his favorite camp! James takes the kids to amazing places where they can play and learn about nature.

Thank you, James, for this authentic service experience where you feel the direct impact of your actions. My kids loved handing out the kits and lunch they made for the people who are homeless in SF. Highly rewarding!

Amazing!! My son cannot wait to go back. Thank you James.

Great camp for elementary school kids! My 10 and 8 y olds loved being outdoors and playing all day!

Both my kids (a girl-11 years old, and a boy- 12 years old) had so much fun at the DnD camp in Mountain View. The kids were playing with other kids, James was with them as the DnD master ("adventure manager"). They walked together, supervised, to get lunch. Everything was very well organized, the atmosphere was great and the kids are ready to sign up for another session. They had the best time.

My son had an amazing time! He enjoyed the full day of playing and exploring nature. He came home with a huge smile on his face and a great attitude. James and his son, Lincoln, made the camp special!

My son enjoyed this camp, so much of fun begin outdoors!!

James was great with my daughter. She wasn't really into it when I registered her. Dropping her in the morning that day was a challenge. But when I picked her up she was all fired up and excited to tell all about her experience and how she enjoyed it.
James was also nice in complementing her with her help and I appreciate that very much because that will give her confidence and encouragement to do more of this kind of activities wth good cause. Learning and helping at the same time. Looking forward to have her participate in the future again.

James was great for the week camp my kids (Dean and Alexandra) did with him in late August. They said it was their favorite camp of the summer! They said it was the main one where they didn't feel like they were still being bossed around like at school. Every day they were out exploring, having fun and just being kids. They came home happy and tired every day. Will happily sign up for one of his camps again.

My daughter had a wonderful time! She came home dirty, exhausted and a huge smile.. Huge thumbs up!

Highly recommend!! James and his crew were excellent! Both my son (9) and daughter (7) absolutely loved this camp! They said it was their favorite camp of the entire summer! They loved all the excursions, especially Half Moon Bay. Mostly, they got to enjoy being a kid and having fun with nature. We'll definitely be signing up again next summer.

My 5-yr-old loved his experience. He’s tired, dirty and happy when he returned from the camp!

I just signed in for one day, and it is a really great experience for my 7-year-old daughter. She loves it.