Tom Sawyer Camps

As the parent of a senior counsellor, I am compelled to share too. I commend Mike Horner and his daughter Sarah as stellar role models. Their provision through TSC of high standards of training and team building has provided my son a platform for growth and enrichment along with many sweet memories. He too comes home tired and wearing mud…

This year was our first experience with TSC. My son is 9 and one of his buddies was going to attend. They didn’t sign up in time and didn’t get in. I was super concerned that my son wouldn’t have friends and would be challenged. The camp assured me most kids don’t have friends there when they start and that will change. So we did it, we dove in. Or rather, he dove in. First camp ever on his own and it was a slow start to love it, but everyday he came home with new silly songs and a joy that was infectious. He was sure it would only be this one year at the beginning of the session, and now he is wants to come back next year. He grew as a young gent– and I couldn’t be happier. My only wish is that I could have seen his fort they built! The staff was super communicative and wonderful. I’m so grateful we decided to go!

Though it seems to be the most expensive, I think this is the best summer program in the area hands down! We love the focus on nature, the hiking, the team building, the forts they create, the fantasy they include plus the hiking, swimming, and horseback riding lessons.
Kids get so much screen time that I appreciate the time they get outside playing in MUD at camp and the ice blocking too!
The door to door service is a nice perk as well.

My daughter has attended this camp for 10 years. It’s the best summer opportunity for kids in California, hands down. Aside from the usual being outside, away from digital devices, running around, horses/​swimming/​hiking kind of stuff, what makes this camp SO SPECIAL is its emphasis on teamwork and working together. There is no bullying here, and specific strategies the very well trained counselors use to help the campers in each small group work together in various fun group activities, projects and events. It’s about learning to take healthy risks with people and yourself, putting yourself out there. It’s not a camp where you have to be a superstar or a certain kind of person to succeed. Everyone is friends, everyone is celebrated.
This doesn’t happen by accident, of course. Every counselor is not only carefully screened and selected, but extremely well trained both in safety but also group dynamics, child development, and more. It’s just an incredible experience, and it’s a damn shame more kids can’t attend (though there is a scholarship program!!!).
Quite simply, if you want the very best for your kid, something that will help them be a good person as well as have a great summer, this is the place. A+++++++

This camp is awesome. This was my daughter’s first year and she had a blast. They totally prepare the kids and the parents before hand and everything is ran great. This is a camp I would love to go to as an adult it is so fun. I also have to say how great the staff is and how helpful they are with everything. I messed up dates for my daughter’s school and they worked with me on the issue. I can’t say enough great things about Tom Sawyer.

Simply the best summer camp ever in the San Gabriel Valley. This is the fourth years for my son. And he looks forward to it every year.
Their counsellors are great! They are fun, caring and super energetic! All the games and activity are great and fun. The horse staff are professional. Swimming is slways supervised by counsellor and life guards.
It ia definitely a lot more expensive than other camps that offered by local city. But the quality of the camp make it worth every dollar spent. They even pick up and drop off from your house in their special van!

Best camp I’ve ever attended hands down. Only sorry I had to stop after Outpost because we moved away. If you’re in the area PLEASE send your child to this camp. It’s the best gift you could give.

There’s something about letting a bunch of strangers take your kid away for an entire day that just doesn’t sit well with me as a mom. I have this feeling every summer when choosing a new camp and feel utterly grateful that families post their experiences on Unilocal,given the steep cost and inability for us parents to observe or participate firsthand.
My daughter went here when she was around 4 years old. She was the youngest in the camp and had a great time. She would come home with buttons and badges of activities she was progressing in, such as swimming, archery, and horseback riding. For enrolled families only, we could access pictures online for purchase. The pictures weren’t works of art but, as a collection, we used them as conversation pieces to review what she did during the day/​week.
She also loved riding the camp bus every day, hanging out with the counselors and other kids. Being outdoors is important to us and we appreciate that she had exposure to a variety of activities.
On the first and last day, families are welcome to camp to meet the staff and listen to camp songs, plays, etc. Oh and if your child is on the spazzy side, no worries! Tons of those kids come here too and their needs are well taken care of over a long, busy day.
We live on the Westside now and hope to find something comparable over here but haven’t yet, which is why I decided to write this belated review. Tom Sawyer is a must do for local families.

Tom Sawyer Camps is a GEM — a wonderful place where children UNPLUG from their devices, take a break from the pressure of academics and have FUN! In an age where kids don’t «go outside and play» and their days are filled with structured activities and sports, this camp teaches them how to be creative, take risks, and totally enjoy the outdoors. The staff are remarkable young adults who are well-​trained and responsible but know how to be silly and crazy in a way that encourages kids to be kids. Most all of them grew up in camp themselves.
Activities vary by age including swimming, horseback riding, building «forts,» playing in the mud, traditional outdoor games, ropes course, rock-​climbing, windsurfing, kayaking and more. On hot days the local fire department is known for arriving with the hoses to create cooling rain from the sky. Most importantly, kids learn how to make their own fun, not be entertained by others.
Here’s the best part. TSC provides door-​to-​door transportation! Your child will be picked up by a TSC counselor who is a very safe driver, in a TSC van with seat belts, and dropped off by the same in the afternoon. Camp activities start in the van, with songs and conversation — not the radio.
Let’s talk about price. Some will say that TSC is «expensive.» I say it is WORTH EVERY PENNY. When you factor in the transportation, along with all of the lessons alone (swimming, horseback riding etc.) you would be hard-​pressed to find a better deal. This camp is family owned and operated. This family works hard to keep the cost as reasonable as they possibly can.
I attended TSC. My kids have attending pre-​camp, day camp, and outpost. One child cannot wait to become a counselor herself!

My review for my 9-​year-​old son is exactly the same as Rosawan R. (below)… I was looking for «good old-​fashioned» summer experience for him — outdoors, unplugged, simple but adventurous. TSC is exactly that — they hike, build forts, ride horses, swim, learn archery, throw mud balls. It’s about as close as you can get to a 1950’s, rural, home grown summer in modern, über-​urban LA.
The same goes for my 3-​year-​old daughter at the TSC pre-​camp, except here it is much gentler where the counselors are amazingly adept at handling the special emotional and physical needs of toddlers. There’s lots of hand-​holding and lap-​sitting when needed, but that’s not for long — the toddlers quickly become fans of hiking, swimming, horse-​riding, and lots of song-​singing and games of chase!
We love TSC.

We sent our 4 ½ year old son to TSC this August and it was everything we hoped it would be for him. He not only learned how to swim, something he really didn’t want to do and had been resisting, he is a regular fish now, I can’t get him out of the water! I know it was because everyone there made him feel comfortable and safe. He has always been shy and tentative to try new and maybe scary things that he felt he didn’t know how to do, now he tells me «don’t worry momma, if I don’t do it right I’ll just try again», yup I cried. He loved the different magical stories and characters the Councelors developed thru his month there and he truly enjoyed getting up and going every day. Oh and now he wants to take full on horse back riding lessons! I can’t thank the Councelors enough, talk about a collective group of individuals that know how to have a good time but also be attentive to each childs needs and abilities. And YES it is very expensive, it was something we had to plan and scrape our budget for, we asked our family members to contribute instead of sending large amounts of toys and clothes he just didn’t need more of for his birthday and Christmas, and my husband thought his very financially conservative wife had gone off the deep end when I finally told him how much it was going to be, BUT he actually turned to me after picking our son
up on the very first day COVERED in mud and talking a mile a minute on everything he did that day and said «I get it now.» Yup I had some tears then too!

I pick up my 7 year old son at the end of a camp day and he’s disgustingly filthy, has wood and tree parts in his hair, has soaked and totally muddied shoes and a HUGE SMILE on his face. He sleeps early in anticipation for his next day at camp.
The counselors are responsible, fun adults playing and hanging out with kids. The counselors are totally into what they do and they do it very well.
Yes, pricey is what pricey gets, but this place is worth every penny!

Great if you can afford it. This year, for 9 weeks, it costs over $ 4000. And this is BEFORE the aftercare costs which most parents would need as the camp gets out early. We’ve been going every year but the costs are just getting out of hand.

I went here as a kid and now my daughter is going. The camp has been around for many years. The kids swim and ride horses. They have such a wonderful culture at the camp. Very good staff that care about the kids. They keep them safe and they have fun! Kids are outdoors with no TV and cell phones. Kids get dirty and play. Older kids go sailing and rock climbing. There may be cheaper camps, but this is the best! You get what you pay for.

My kids attend the after care camp at their school, Aveson. The team is led by Eric who could not be a nicer, more fun guy — and they plan lots of great activities that my two boys just love. They can stay inside and do arts or play card games, or they can be active outside and be directed in bball, pickup games or just play on the playground. I hear my kids tell me how camp went that day, rather than what happened at school!

My daughter LOVES Tom Sawyer Camp!
The location is great, the counselors are wonderful, positive, patient and enthusiastic. The entire staff, from the office receptionist to the councilors and on up to the directors really care about your child and providing a wonderful experience.
The kids get to do so many great things. My daughter talked non-​stop about riding a horse, the hikes, seeing frogs and the echo princess. This was our second year and we plan for many more.

My kids love this camp/​program. They always come home with an exciting story of what they did at camp that day. I told my son to go take a shower– he smells like Hahamonga. His response to me was «doesn’t it smell Gooood’. So I know he’s having a good time. My daughter loves the fact that she can swim laps during her free time in the pool. The transportation pick up and drop off is also an added bonus.

Highly recommend this camp! My son typically does not like camp, but Tom Sawyer was a completely different, positive experience for him (and by extension for me). Plus, every time I emailed or called with a question, I received a prompt, helpful response.

My family loves TSC so much that we come all the way from Phoenix so they can enjoy several weeks of summer camp! We stay with friends and the kids do awesome activities every day! My 9-​year old boy gets to play in the mud, build forts in the forest, ride horses and go swimming every day! My 12-​year old daughter gets to learn how to wind-​surf, body surf at the beach, hike, build forts and do a high– ropes course! The staff are awesome, caring and very diligent about each child’s safety.

This is the greatest adventure your child will have! Our daughter has been going to TSC since she was 3 and she is now 14. She loves everything about Tom Sawyer.
We love Tom Sawyer because of what she gets from the camp that she isn’t aware of. Confidence, imagination, leadership skills, friendships, team-​building, compassion… we can go on forever. Her teachers constantly tell us she is a leader in Middle School because of these skills. And she is surviving Middle School because of what she has gotten from camp. We give a lot of credit to TSC!
Luis and Ginny Villa