SAN MATEO, CA

San Mateo Thanksgiving Camp

Here, we put kids in charge.

Preposterous? Possibly. Effective? You betcha.

When you trust kids, they trust themselves. For 43 years, we’ve put kids in charge of their own learning experience. As they try, fail, and learn on their own, they learn to trust their own judgment, and tackle the challenges of an ever changing world with creativity and confidence.

Campers choose activities minute to minute–deciding what they want to do, and for how long. Our job is to get out of their way, cheerlead creative risks, and provide just enough guidance to make sure nobody does anything totally* senseless.

*Totally senseless: By our definition, mistakes aren’t senseless. They’re how you learn.

Buy any number of days. Use them any time. Get refunds for unused days.

Buy any number of Day Passes to use any day we’re open this Thanksgiving session. You don’t even need to tell us when you’re coming–just show up! And if for any reason your plans change, we’ll refund your unused Passes automatically in full at spring’s end.

Lunch, snacks, and all hours, 8am–6pm, included.

WHAT IT COST

JOIN OUR INTEREST LIST

Activities

The camper’s dilemma.

Campers will design their day in real-time by choosing from a variety of activities offered at once. In the early morning and late afternoon, campers ramp up and wind down with recreational choices. For the bulk of the day, children will choose from the activities listed below. While we can’t say exactly what the day will look like, one thing is for sure: The campers are in control.

lounge_2 — A communal place to socialize & play with table games, cards, & puzzles, or create and experiment with art & crafts.

coding_girls — Campers will use scaffolded coding apps to build & play games on iPads. They’ll also have the ability to produce stop-motion shorts on our custom animation stations, create music, or remix their favorite song.

maker_boys — Explore creativity through crafts & inventor kits to construct take-home projects or collaborate on large-scale builds. Our hand-selected STEAM-based materials are designed to foster curiosity & exploration.

WS_features-min — Campers & staff join together to play indoor playground games, sports, or whatever kids are interested in that day. And to spice things up we'll have a surprise activity or performance this camp session!

sewing_girl3 — Hand & machine sewing are available for campers of all ages as well as options for embroidery & creating accessories or other artistic flare.

Food

Eat your heart out.

Life without delicious food sucks. That’s why our cuisine de camp features a mouth-watering array of tasty, nourishing grub. In partnership with local restaurants and caterers, we keep kids fired up with food they love — from crunchy quesadillas to salubrious Caesar salads to tangy tomato soup, and mucho more. Our menus include daily specials, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, and healthy snacks kids can grab whenever their fuel gauge dips into the red. Whenever humanly possible, we serve organics. Chomp, chomp. Munch, munch.

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

DAILY SIDES & SNACKS

VG= Vegetarian , VV= Vegan , GF= Gluten Free , DF= Dairy Free , SF= Soy Free , EF= Egg Free

Fees

What camp costs.

Buy any number of Day Passes, and use them any day we’re open this Thanksgiving camp session. There’s no need to reserve your days ahead of time, or even let us know when you plan to join–just show up! If for any reason your plans change, we’ll refund your unused Day Passes automatically in-full after the camp session comes to an end.

Day Pass and Summer Pass fees cover the entire Steve & Kate’s experience, including lunch, snacks, activities and the entire day from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Fee includes lunch, snacks, activities, and all hours 8:00am to 6:00pm.

Buy any number of Day Passes and use them any day we’re open this camp session
Unused Day Passes are automatically refunded at the end of the camp session

FINANCIAL AID

JOIN OUR INTEREST LIST

Does your employer offer back-up care through Bright Horizons? Learn how to use your benefits at Steve & Kate’s Camp, here!

Camp details

Here are the details you were looking for.

NOTES

*Information from Thanksgiving 2023 and subject to change for 2024

HOURS

8:00 am - 6:00 pm

AGES

4-12

ADDRESS

The Carey School
1 Carey School Ln,
San Mateo, CA 94403

DIRECTOR

Indigo

sanmateo@steveandkate.com

CALL/TEXT

650-539-0310

FOOD

View Weekly Menu

Important Info for Camp in San Mateo

Virtual Camp Orientation

Virtual camp orientation coming soon!! Check back here closer to the start of camp for everything you need to know before your first day. Once we get closer to camp, we’ll email you a link to our virtual, camp orientation. This will provide important information such as camp drop-off & pick-up procedures, how to check-in and check-out of camp each day, what to bring (and not bring), and a few more camp details.

Testimonials

These people are very smart. You should listen to them.

My kids love Steve and Kate's; they make strong friendships, they are able to feel the self efficacy of creation, and they learn more about what they enjoy doing when they have autonomy. [The director] always knew about everything that was going on with each camper and facilitated the camp experience to make sure that the students' voices were first and foremost. When my kids got out of the car each morning, they couldn't stop themselves from running to start their day at camp!

Jody

(S&K parent)

We are truly pleased with Steve & Kate's Camp. It's the kind of camp I would have enjoyed going to as a kid; but back then, we got to be kids. We love everything it has to offer and [our son] looks forward to going everyday! I only have great things to say about the camp and how it is arranged/structured. Steve & Kate's Camp is a great fit for our family!

Nichole W.

(S&K parent)

I loved the safety, the variety of studios & how much my daughter enjoyed them. The fact that we were able to drop in anytime was awesome.

Mariam M.

(S&K parent)

Your camp director

Meet your illustrious camp director.

Our camp directors are year-round employees. That means you are free to contact them anytime with your questions about life at Steve & Kate’s, or questions about life in general.