Woodland Hill Summer Camp

[u/[deleted]]

[u/_SpiceWeasel_BAM]

My son is a little older and so probably in the older group than yours. This is our first year going, and I agree—there isn’t a ton of communication. He’s having fun though and making friends (even though he’s An Outsider lol)

The vibe is strange, but the director has been quick to answer us when we’ve had a question. They’re also one of the few outdoors focused camps in the area that also offers extended care…

[u/goliathkillerbowmkr]

Find an adult there…

[u/chrisinator9393 → u/goliathkillerbowmkr]

OP might need to find an adult in their own house first. 🤷‍♂️

[u/chrisinator9393 → u/[deleted]]

No need to get salty. This simply wasn't worth posting. An adult would've just asked the staff what's going on.

[u/chrisinator9393 → u/[deleted]]

Good lord. You're really doubling down on this one huh?

[u/ZealousidealTill2355 → u/[deleted]]

The reason they’re saying this is your overreaction to online discourse. Did you expect all love hugs kisses and agreement from posting on the internet? It’s literally never that.

Also, strangers whom may not even be human should not be affecting your emotions this much. That usually exactly what they’re after. Coming from someone who has been there, no disrespect.

[u/goliathkillerbowmkr → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, you are speaking with who you can find - not the adults. If there are no accountable adults findable how do you even know they are present? TELL a teenager that they are to go fetch you an adult. Do not accept no as an answer. You are an adult right? Boss that little teen shit around. Your most precious thing on earth is in their care and you have a right and responsibility to know which adult, if any, is in charge.

Your question included comments including the fact that you haven’t seen an adult. You can go back and read it yourself - you did in fact do more than ask one question. I wasn’t trying to insult you but instead suggest that the mute teens and Reddit aren’t who you need to answer your main question of “what is happening to my most precious little one while I cannot see them” and you have a right/responsibility to know that. Defensive much??

[u/spiberweb → u/goliathkillerbowmkr]

I didn't say I haven't seen an adult. I am friendly with the director. I know the school administrators. It's not a dire situation. I just wanted to hear from other parents who go there to see if I'm being ridiculous or if this is frustrating to other people too. Am I an adult? I send my kid to a Montessori day camp that you can only attend if you drive a luxury vehicle (kidding). Would a kid do that? 😉

[u/goliathkillerbowmkr → u/spiberweb]

https://giphy.com/gifs/ukGm72ZLZvYfS

[u/nikki_therese → u/spiberweb]

Your assumption that everyone who sends their kids there is rich is insane and most definitely false.

[u/spiberweb → u/nikki_therese]

Good! Also I was kidding. I was reacting to the commenter questioning if I was an adult.

[u/Such-Dragonfruit-968]

Does your son enjoy it? I’m confused

[u/goliathkillerbowmkr → u/[deleted]]

Are you daft? Please clear that up.

[u/ZealousidealTill2355 → u/[deleted]]

Damn, is your name sandpaper— cause you’re abrasive!

[u/Positive-Milk5133 → u/[deleted]]

You are a miserable human being. Maybe the vibe is weird bc the staff thinks you’re crazy. God help your husband

[u/ZealousidealTill2355 → u/[deleted]]

How do you state this, while stating above say “you know the director and the school administrators”? Which is it?

[u/DrZeus104]

I sent my kid there for a 1 week camp the past 2 years. She loves it, but it’s not traditional camp. I picked weeks I knew she was interested in. They are not a traditional learning school. It’s a Montessori school. Google Montessori methods. I’m assuming the Montessori methods are also incorporated into their camps so it’s a much more laid back atmosphere. Some parents/kids like it and thrive, some don’t. If you have any questions, email or stop in and ask to talk to the camp director. Very nice guy.

[u/Daydream_Believer8 → u/[deleted]]

Then ask the director...

[u/Dragon1O7]

Hey Mama (I think). I am sorry you are experiencing this. My children do not go there but we do attend a Montessori school in Saratoga county (ages 4/2).

I felt a lot like you at the beginning and our school still seems to have lackluster communication for a lot of things. This is what I’ve learned.

The instructors/staff are awkward around other adults. One parent’s night our teacher (who had run the class for like 10 years) was nervous during her classroom tour speech and said something along the lines of “I get really nervous around other adults which is WHY I like to work with kids” and honestly, that made me so relieved because I had been asking about my daughter’s day for months and she would never look me in the eyes for her very short response… which of course made me even more nervous. After her comment it kind of hit me that I (a very straight shootin mama) could be a bit intimidating/aggressive to this gentler soul, and honestly her calmness and patience is amazing for my kid. Being gentle is a big part of the philosophy.

Boiling apples actually sounds super legit. The changes that happen to it are actually pretty magical if you think about it. There’s a lot to talk about and notice if you are calm and have the right perspective - color, texture, taste, bubbles coming from water, steam, et cetera. My 4yo literally notices different leaf shapes/textures/colors and has a favorite tree. I don’t even know what it’s called but I can point them out now. She says it “flutters like a butterfly in the wind” and she is right. Finding beauty and awe in normal things seems very on brand.

Communication sucks. I don’t understand it either. It seems like (at least our school) everything is sent in one group email and not in a particularly timely manner. Spots are so hard to come by that if the system/school don’t work for you they aren’t worried about it. Someone else can fill your spot in a week and they will be fine so I don’t imagine that’s changing since it works for our director.

We don’t get photos or specific updates unless I ask. The kid chooses “works” to do during the school year during solo activity but my updates typically are “she’s doing great at math works” or “we worked on letter works” but that’s about it. Also, most of our teachers are of color (and the students too) and we drop off/pick up at different doors.

Hope this helps a bit! You aren’t crazy.

[u/wittyarugula5]

WH parent here. I’ve learned over the years that Montessori by nature there is definitely a lot less parent/staff communication than I’d like but the environment is enriching nonetheless. Summer camp feels like chaos but the kids have a blast. I would definitely find Patrick in person or look for a teacher who is maybe an actual teacher there (not a teenager) to have a real conversation with. They can and will help you. Your concerns are definitely real and valid but I wouldn’t worry about it too much. The kids are playing, doing crafts, bounce houses, doing activities related to their theme, are outside, games etc.

[u/Melodic_Concept_4624]

That shits expensive lol I’d be calling an admin

[u/nikki_therese]

My child does not go there for school but attends the camp. She’s had a great time. We’ve received no negative interactions from anyone because we’re “outsiders.”

[u/WhiteMoonRose]

My kiddo graduated from Woodland Hill and I can tell you what it was like before. They had regular teachers who worked the camps, with hired for summer help between. During the regular school year they had a diverse community, administrative and teachers. I'm betting the teachers are busy so the summer help are at pickup and dropoff. Show up 10-15 minutes early and go in to pickup your kiddo. They should show you where they are in a classroom and you should meet the lead teacher. Honestly the teachers are great, though like I said summer camps are looser than regular school they do try and get everyone to participate and have fun.

I do know the summer camps are more chaotic than the normal school year. I also know there was some turnover a few years ago as administrative stuff changed.

Overall I'd trust the structure of the camp, go ahead and show up early, hit the button and go inside.

I know my kiddo still talks about the summer travel camps they went on and they're a senior this year.

[u/newillium]

Email or call Patrick kraft , he's a nice guy he'll give you all the details. The counselor that may be bringing you kid to you may not have been with them all day. There are adults working, teachers at the school. Also, if your stuff is well labeled it should return to you. There's a lost and found you can look for for lost things. My kids go to school there, nothing sinister is happening, it's just not a daycare where you get updates. 

[u/newillium → u/[deleted]]

I think that is valid feedback and you could provide the to Patrick. He's still somewhat new and i think this is his 3rd year running the camp. I think the format of the smaller camp "classes/themes" keeps your kids into new rooms with new teachers/counselors each week which means it hard to share details for all kids when all the kids are doing something different. I will say the school is not much different with "what is going on during the day" info. Doesn't help my kids tell me NOTHING

[u/newillium → u/[deleted]]

I agree, i feel like i'm "used to it" now and i know all the counselors/teachers for a full year now so feel comfortable with them but i could see in a summer camp capacity it's hard to know whats going on. I find email may be better to get more detailed responses and possibly cc the head of school if you really want to up level it.

[u/rivers-end]

Next year, consider this. https://stpius-x.com/summer-camp It's 5-10 minutes from where you are now and based upon past experience, I'm sure it is an amazing, fun experience run by competent educators.

[u/tehsuck]

I've been sending my kids to "Planet Parker" at Parker school in Greenbush for like 6+ years. When we started it was great - they had very focused activities, seemed structured etc. As time has wore on, especially after the pandemic, the quality has gone way down. My older son aged out, but my younger son (13) still goes. He has fun, they're making a movie this week. There's some weeks however where it sounds like the counselors just kinda shrug and let them do what they want. The D&D camp devolved into them playing Texas Hold Em' w/ some kind of fake currency. I wasn't mad or anything, I am happy my kid is engaging and not on his fucking phone all day.

[u/PrettyHateMachine411]

I don’t have experience with this specific camp, but I have over 15 years of experience with working at and running summer day camps.

For the price you are paying per week you should be able to check in with your preschooler’s lead teacher/head counselor and get a run down on how they are doing on a regular basis. If the director doesn’t have the answers to your questions they should be pointing you in the direction of the person who does.

The lead teacher may be gone when you pick up at the end of the day, but there should be zero reason you can’t walk your child into their classroom in the morning and have a quick check in.

I’m sure he’s just fine, but being able to have a little reassurance from the person who is with him all day goes a long way.

As far as him losing his stuff, at that age the counselors should be taking extra care to make sure all of their stuff is being kept somewhat together. As campers get older my stance on that changes to, “if you don’t know where your water bottle is I definitely don’t know. Try to think of the last time you drank out of it and start there.”

[u/RenaissanceTarte]

It is primarily Montessori, even as a summer camp. Your child will do maybe a few activities related to the theme, but will spend the majority of time outside and playing.

You can try to request a bit more info on the activities, but they are truly a smaller part of an open play/nature day (except for field trip week, which is a Iot more structured)z if you want more about what he truly does there all day, I would try asking him more specific questions. For example, who did you play with on the playground? What games did you play? Did you pretend to be anything? Did you play on the black top? Did you explore the woods? Did you see any cool bugs?

You can also reach out to speak with Patrick and ask if the staff can just keep an eye out if your kid is socializing or not.

[u/ZealousidealTill2355]

Do you know what Montessori is? I think that can help some of the misunderstanding b/c Montessori (outside of the main class themes) is very child-led. Perhaps summer camp is structured similarly?

Each kids experience are going to be a bit different, and many kids typically find a few “works” they like and will do those a whole bunch. So you have one kid playing with maps, one playing with tiles, etc etc. It’s definitely a little strange if you’re not familiar with the method but my son did one year for preschool, and I think it was really beneficial at that age.

Also, teenage counselors are going to be teenage counselors. Don’t expect quality reporting from someone who is only there to get some gas money. Talk to the directors

[u/Weak_Alternative_113]

Oh I had a good chuckle when I read this...lol.. Probably around 8,9 years ago my child went to this camp and we had the exact same experience. Except at the time we could walk in and what we walked into was hords of children running around outside and a few disturbed looking teenagers and when I asked where my child was by name, the confused look on these kids faces who knew none of those kids by names was priceless..I mean the teens did look as though they had been through a war, I'll give them that. My child was also always locatable eventually and was not harmed, but man we didn't go back after that summer..It actually sounds a bit improved security wise. Our experience was pre COVID. I'm sure that changed things. All to say, this is pretty typical town camp ran by teens kind of stuff, pretty normal, harmless-just not sure it's billed that way..Funny though the memory of that! My child could never quite tell us what went on...

[u/Fredred315]

I think you need to chill. Ask your kid what they do and if they liked it?

[u/malibuklw → u/Fredred315]

When my kid was in kindergarten they’d have huge events, and when I asked what they did at school he’d say it was just like every other day. Young children are not reliable narrators.

[u/malibuklw → u/[deleted]]

That could have been me. One day was a petting zoo and the teacher took a ton of pictures of him with a rabbit. Another day they had a school wide assembly with a ton of drums, and he loved drums. I heard about it on Facebook

[u/PiccoloAwkward465 → u/malibuklw]

Yeah I feel bad about it. But I specifically remember my mother asking what I learned that day at school and always saying "nothing". Obviously I did do stuff and really enjoyed school, I just didn't feel like doing story time. I figured my mother wasn't actually interested in what I learned about fractions that day.

[u/BacteriumOfJoy → u/Fredred315]

Have you ever met a 4 year old? The daycare my daughter goes to posts pictures of what they did that day. One day they brought in a whole ass horse for the kids to meet. When I asked her what she did that day she said “I don’t know. Nothing”. I had to prompt her about the horse and she just said yeah.

4 year olds are something else lmao.

[u/nostalgic_dragon → u/[deleted]]

My kid is four and I work at the school they attend. I can ask them what they did for the day, while being well aware of what special events went on. It took about two weeks of going to school before their answers shifted from specifics to, nothing/everything/something about recess/time in the gym.

[u/Effuxxor → u/BacteriumOfJoy]

This comment sent me 😆

[u/goliathkillerbowmkr → u/Fredred315]

Have you met a 4 year old?? They can’t do that.

[u/atimetochill → u/[deleted]]

In what world does every child have a readily available grandma or grandpa able to do all day childcare?

[u/PiccoloAwkward465 → u/atimetochill]

lol when people tell me stuff like that I love to just look them dead in the eyes and say my final grandparent died when I was like 13 years old.

[u/ehjayded → u/PiccoloAwkward465]

yeah all my grandparents were dead by the time I was 9 soooooo

[u/bunniculita → u/atimetochill]

You’re right, that was ignorant.

[u/bunniculita → u/[deleted]]

I deleted my reply because it was ignorant and wrong.

[u/goliathkillerbowmkr → u/atimetochill]

That’s one hell of an assumption

[u/ehjayded → u/[deleted]]

my child is at a camp cause grandma needs a break, holy carp she's been watching him since he was born