FAD PAD

Community Subscriber
Oakland
Operated By: 
Mary Ellen Hill
Ages: 
Kinder, School-Aged, Preteens
Capacity: 
8 participants
Website: 
http://www.mehstories.com/

FAD (Fun Art and Drama) + PAD (Mary Ellen's home studio) = lots of exciting, creative and innovative summer camps, classes and more!

1 parent question ▼
Archived Q&A and reviews ▼

Parent Q&A

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  • Any experiences with FAD PAD summer camps?

    – Jan 27, 2023
    (5 replies)

    Hello! I'm thinking of signing my little one up for a summer camp at FAD PAD. I was hoping to hear from some parents about their and their children's experiences with the camps first. I'd appreciate any thoughts or "reviews"! Thanks!

    Jan 27, 2023

    We love the Fad Pad. Mary Ellen (the camp director) is amazing. It's a very small, intimate camp. She does wonderful activities with the kids, and each week is themed. Mary Ellen also visited our preschool weekly for storytelling and the kids adore her.

    Mary Ellen, who runs the camps, is a wonderful human being. My kids and I already knew her before they went to FAD PAD, because she worked at their after-school program. The camp is very small and has a very nurturing, hippie feel to it. The kids spent pretty much the whole day outside in Mary Ellen's backyard, crafting, cooking, playing, etc.

    Hi! The Fad Pad is great. Our five-year-old at the time did a week of Bot Bot camp last summer - his first camp experience - and he liked it so much that we have continued to take him there every Tuesday afternoon this school year for Mary Ellen's after-school activities. Her yard is beautiful and the kids do all kinds of wonderful, enriching things - cooking, drafting, gardening, tinkering, etc - as well as just having imaginative play time together. It's also nice that the sessions are 8 kids at most, and the mixed-age thing is a bonus too.

    Another fantastic thing about the fad pad: for all of the school holidays during the year - all those Mondays when kids have no school but we still have to work :) - Mary Ellen holds day long camps, 9:30-3:30. Our son loves those too, and they have occasionally been a godsend during busy times...

    FAD PAD was the BEST camp for my kiddo for years. She did Starwitz, fairies, cooking & gardening, ACC (adoptees connecting camp), BOT BOT (bit of this, bit of that, kind of a mix of all camps)…those are the ones I remember. No cell phones allowed, tons of art and imagination, structure and movement. It’s great for kids that need a smaller environment. Mary Ellen is an expert with all kids and has been doing this work for years. She is loving, magical, kind and has good boundaries. Yes! I recommend!

    My two kids are teenagers now and have outgrown FAD PAD, but it was one of their favorite camps when they were younger. Mary Ellen creates a magical world in her backyard and I'm so happy I found her camp when my oldest was in kindergarten. They enjoyed the crafts and gardening and cooking and especially climbing the trees. 

Parent Reviews

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Archived Q&A and Reviews

April 2008

Having experienced Mary Ellen Hill's positive influence on my child's development for over 8 years, I would highly recommend her three summer camps: Puppets & Pie, FAD (funs, art & drama), & Adoptees Connecting. Mary Ellen has an incredible ability to construct a camp where each child can be totally creative in a loving and nurturing environment. Her many years of experience as a teacher and story-teller help her to educate and inspire children of all ages. Yukari