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Comments
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9/3/18 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Old school camp with science bent. My son has attended up to 6 weeks each of the past four years and looks forward to hanging out with similar kids and counselors who relish talking science, building things, and having mini adventures every day! Staff and owners are always responsive. Great value and opportunity for kids to explore and figure things out (my son build a himself a decent chair this last summer, among other things.)
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7/22/18 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
My son has gone for 3 years and he loves it! He's done a couple of the sciences twice and still learned more. He loves seeing friends from the year before and also making new friends.
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7/6/18 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Loads of activities with sciences. Also small and friendly.
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3/26/18 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
The owners and staff of Camp Watonka are top notch! My son will be attending Camp Watonka for his 6th year. He absolutely loves it! We plan our Summer around it and talk about it throughout the year. Most of the counselors are from other countries, adding that bit of worldly culture for the campers. The activities are amazing, fishing, swimming, climbing, archery, shooting, dirt biking, robotics, rocketry and more. We have attended every closing ceremony, where the campers receive all of their awards and ribbons for their achievements. The shooting instructor, Joe Macey, give such a touching speech each year, which is funny, heart warming and very emotional. Can't ask for a better experience for our child.
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2/16/18 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
"5 stars. Excellent place to spend the summer" My son has been spending 2 weeks at Watonka for the past 5 summers (this will be his 6th). He absolutely loves it. The camp is very well run, well maintained and organized. I have always felt he was well taken care of and safe. The staff is amazing, not only caring and fun but extreamly knowledgable and professional. He has done a science every year electronics, chemistry, darkroom photography, fly fishing as well as woodshop, riflery, and motorbiking. The lake is beautiful and there is a stream running near camp where the boys can fish. Overall my son has grown and matured eaach time he goes to Camp Watonka. We are very grateful for all they have done for him.
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2/7/18 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
We will send our son back for the 3rd time this summer (2018). Why? Because it is a great camp - it is educational, it creates more independence, self awareness and personal growth. So happy we found Camp Watonka.
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7/3/17 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Brilliant camp friendly staff, brilliant range of activities and the sciences are awesome ! Fully elective time table which makes every day different and more fun
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7/3/17 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
Kicked my son out and refuses to issue a refund! So basically stole thousands of dollars! Staff cusses at kids and yells in their face while telling them there is nothing they can do about it cause their daddy isn't there! Unfortunately my son has never met his father but thanks for throwing that in his face! Unbelievable!
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8/3/13 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
This is my second year at watonka and I loved it. You are now allowed to bring phones and they have wifi. The food got a lot better from last year. They have an amazing range in activities unlike any other camp. Watonka has an amazing lake and river and they're staff is really nice. I would suggest Camp Watonka to anyone
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7/22/13 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
My 10 year old just spent his second summer there (1 month). He loved it and can't wait to go back! He has nothing but good things to about the relaxed atmousphere, the counselors and the other kids. He is shy at home but LOVES this camp!
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8/12/12 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
It is my third year at this camp and yet again I had alot,alot of fun in the four weeks that I was here. Alot of people think that the ''eat everything on your plate rule'' is harsh and stupid, but I think the camp is being smart and its your kid's fault if they took 2 burgers took one bite and hated them. The camp definately has and old school feel which gives the camp a ton of personality. You sleep in good quality wooden cabins and the staff is superb.
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7/11/12 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
I liked it. It was fun. I'm going for a whole month next year! I liked the food.
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1/11/12 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
I went in the late 1990's early 2000 and I loved it. There were so many activities I could really get into. Some of my biggest hobbies (photography, computers, lego robotics, biking) originated there. I was first really exposed to physics at Watonka and went on to study that in college. The open schedule was great because it gave me the freedom to decide what I wanted to do and when (more or less). Sure, there were gripes. I had a year with bad counselors but I talked to the director and changed bunks. The eat-what-you-take rule is dumb, but certainly not a big deal in the grand scheme of things (and the food was pretty good). For any boy who is interested in science, I strongly recommend sending them to Watonka!
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1/3/12 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Camp Watonka is a great place. The fact that a lot of counselors are former campers should be a good indication of how much most people enjoy Watonka. The size is just right to foster a close knit group and the location is second to none.
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8/5/11 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
The staff is fun and easy going, the activities are fun and you get used to them after a while, the food is OK not the best but eddible, however homesickness is a rather overlooked topic at camp, there are no phone and no way to contact parents ECXEPT by letter, the field trips are fun and ussualy go well, all together its an OK camp
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7/22/11 |
5 |
2 |
5 |
4 |
2 |
its good because the staff is amazing i like them facilities need updating, They have over 50 activities to choose from,
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4/3/11 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
This camp was amazing. My very first camp was horrible. this was my first sleep away camp in 4 years. food is great and same with field trips.you will never get bored.i would highly suggest this camp.
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3/4/11 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
I've been to this camp for the last 3 years and seen a number of changes. I think their long history is why they had the 'eat what you take' and 'no contact with home' stuff. But they have stopped this in the last couple of years. They still don't wont waste so kepp the price down but everyhting is a lot more flexible. I really like the small size where everyone knows everyone else and I like being able to choose my own activities.
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8/2/10 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Camp watonka is amazing!!I love the staff, food, and the lake is so beautiful. and you get a great experience of science and technology. when you are old and grey, you will think back to the good ol days at this gorgeous camp. the wilderness is to die for. and the food, yummmy stuff. I made great friends. and the people that own this place, they are the sweetest family. and you will never regret going here. <3 <3 <3 I LOVE THE WACKERS!
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10/22/09 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
I was a 5 year camper, who by the middle of the 5th year realized the stupidity of many of the camps rules and schemes to bring in new campers.
Homesickness is ruled with an Iron Fist, allowing no contact with the outside world except for letters, which means many younger campers who may just need a conversation on the phone with their parents to help aleviate the feeling of homesickness are mostly ignored and don't enjoy the expirence.
The recent change from 2 to 1 week sciences have made it virtually impossible to aquire any more than a cursory introduction into the topic of choice. A decision made to help 2 weeks campers "get more sciences" actually gives them more veraity and less depth. The added veraity can be helpful for younger campers, but for older campers it proves to confuse things as they can not delve deep enough into material to gain new knowledge, rather than supplementing basic knowledge of the subject.
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1/14/09 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
The "science" classes are boring if you are really interested in science. I knew all the stuff they were teaching in school, and you only get to take 2 classes. The stupid eat everything on your plate is a joke. I almost threw up at the table when I tried to eat my piece of pie for dessert. It was gross and it was my favorite kind of pie. If you're a smart kid, stay away from here. Wish I had gone to camp with my brother instead.
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12/30/08 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
Terrific camp! I have gone to Watonka for seven years in a row. The activities are unique, and I learned things you coulndn't learn anywhere else. It's a little tough for the young ones, but great for middle schoolers and up. Highly Recommended!
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5/12/08 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
This is an average camp with kind of an old school feel. Its setting and location allow for several different types of activities. While good for the sciences the "fun" type activities and equipment, while recently updated, still falls behind other camps but then i guess you can't have it all. The lake is loaded with snapping turtles. I saw a few bad things happen including a counsellor return to a campers cabin after a night at the bar and urinate in the corner of a cabin while drunk. Also i saw a kid almost get washed away in the river on a hike that took place during bad weather. The eat what you put on your plate rule is harsh especially on the young ones who may not even tried the food on the menu before.
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4/9/07 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
ive been to the camp 3 years its gooood rifle is real fun with joe and i like leather and chemistry and lots of other stuff
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6/26/06 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
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5/26/06 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Camp Watonka is a great camp. Most of the staff are friendly, and the activites are awesome. You'd think that with a science camp, it would be only geeks who go, but it's really not. They mask learning behind fun. Summer '06 is my 6th summer at Watonka!
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