The Nature Bus — Attraction in Virginia Beach

I'd give 0 stars, but there were a few moments where my son enjoyed himself. I wouldn't trust the owner/camp guide with my child for the summer camp. She singled my son out the very first day, insinuating that he may be autistic, but he has adhd, and requires little to no assistance in school, or at any other camp he's attended. She broke the contract, by claiming she, and her half a day helper couldn't handle having him attend camp. Since my son doesn't require a care aid at all, the only other option she had was for me to attend with my son, despite the fact that I had paid $700 for a 2 week nature day camp, so my son could enjoy something besides video games, and learn some helpful things. He had been excited, and looking forward to camp, but after the first day he told me he felt embarrassed bc he was nervous, and shy, and that the camp guide didn't remind him about his towel, despite all the information about simple reminders, and redirecting that I stated in the Google form prior to camp. I figured it was just the first day, and being around a bunch of strangers would make anybody nervous, and I thought maybe the camp guide was also busy getting to know everybody etc., unfortunately that wasn't the situation. I observed the guide rushing so much, that nobody was answering the questions my son had, and often the guide & helper would be so far away, that my son had to run to catch up. Even carrying, and putting away 5 different items in a back pack while doing a scavenger hunt etc., would be hard for anybody, but by me being there, it seemed like they made NO effort to include my son sometimes. As if I was supposed to compensate for the actual part of the camp that I paid for, when really she said I'd only need to help my son if absolutely necessary, like in an unsafe situation, bc my son is in 7th grade, getting A's & B's, and fully capable. This also took away from his ability to socialize with the other children, and made the situation for my son, myself, and the other kids awkward, and unpleasant. I wasn't supposed to talk to the other kids... yet, when the guide & helper would be halfway across the farm etc., leaving children behind, those kids would come up trying to talk to me. How confusing 😕, for them, me, and my son. That just makes it appear as I'm not a kind parent sacrificing my entire week to ensure my kid gets the experience he deserved, and it almost makes me look, and feel like I'm a bad person, bc the guide wanted me to just ignore the kids. That's a ridiculous request for anybody. It was embarrassing for my son, since all the children knew I was his parent, and quite frankly, my son was more attentive, and well behaved than some of the other children at times, so it just didn't make sense of why the guide targeted my son after the first day. There were 2 days where the guide didn't secure belongings above the seats, and coloring books started falling on my son's head, and another child's head. A big box was making its way to falling on their heads next, and bc her helper wasn't riding on the bus with them, bc they were only available for half a day & then had to leave, I secured it, to prevent my kid getting injured. I wanted my son to enjoy himself, but on Friday (5th day of camp), it was quite a stressful situation. A camper sat down across from me, while I was trying to stay back & just observe my son, and I guess they started talking. I didn't acknowledge it, or even know what they were saying, or who they were talking to, yet the guide was very rude to me, and the camper. I told her I hadn't said anything, but she continued being accusatory & rude. I confronted her, when the kids played a bit further away, and she did not apologize for being rude, or wrong. Then she suggested that my son not return the next week, and I agreed that'd be ideal at this point. I requested a refund just for the week he'd not be attending, and she declined, stating her contract says no refunds. The items in the contract state for weather, being late, and missing...

I cannot recommend The Nature Bus's kids camp (ages 8-12) program, which my child signed up for Aug 11-15. My experience was negative due to lack of transparency regarding program policies, inconsistent communication practices, and unprofessional conduct. Limited Pre-Registration Information: The website did not provide all applicable rules and policies prior to payment. The behavior agreement was presented as a separate Google Form after registration. An email was sent for permission for my child to swim at the owner's home. This activity was not mentioned on the website. On 8/9 the owner asked for us to call her at 8pm to discuss medical history. Unexpected Requirements at Orientation: Parents were instructed to tell customers of REI to move their cars if they parked where the owner wanted to park. They also announced a "no eating" policy on the bus, with a consequence of throwing away all of the child’s food for the day. They still collect permission slips for swimming, but could not do it because one family was uncomfortable having their child swim at the owner’s home. Concerns During Pick-Up: I arrived at 2:35 PM and was asked to wait until all other parents had left before signing my child out. The owner then requested that I, my two children, accompany her, her intern, and another partner onto the bus. The owner proceeded to discuss my child's behavior, stating they were disinterested, drew Pokémon, and was not social. When I asked what she meant not social she did not offer examples, she labeled them a “loner”. The owner then accused me of misrepresenting my child's age and became visibly upset, asserting that I was an irresponsible parent for enrolling them despite the behavior agreement before payment. She demanded a "grandma," to act as a shadow. I said we are a military family (Family does not live in the state). I thanked her and began to leave with my children since the conversation crossed lines and became unprofessional. As we were leaving, the other partner physically blocked our path and then requested that I complete the pick-up form and write an incorrect, later time when I showed up early. Lack of Resolution: Later that day, my husband sent an email to the owner requesting a discussion of the events, the return of any items my child left behind, and a refund based on a breach of contract on their end. On Wednesday, August 13th, after receiving no response to our email, I went to inquire about my child's belongings. The owner became agitated and confrontational, engaging in accusatory questioning. I reiterated that I was only seeking any missing items and left. During the encounter, the owner accused my child of damaging a backpack, which had not been mentioned previously. Later, in an email, I reminded her that my child did not receive the backpack until after I left them Monday morning so I was not given an opportunity to inspect it to make sure it was proper condition. I encourage all participants to thoroughly inspect borrowed material before accepting it. On August 19th, the owner initiated a group text message including me and an unknown individual. She then requested to discuss my child’s behavior via phone. I reiterated that I was no longer comfortable talking to her over the phone and would only continue via email communication, stated that our child's behavior was no longer a topic for discussion, and requested answers to our outstanding questions. On August 21st, the owner stated that she did not have time for email communication, despite the Nature Bus's published policy indicating email as a preferred method. The owner has not answered our questions nor offered any apology or refund. This series of events led to a highly unsatisfactory experience. The lack of clear communication, the introduction of unexpected requirements, and the owner’s conduct did not align with the advertised services of...

August 2023: I signed my children (aged almost 8 & 10) up for this camp after going on one of Suzanne's Saturday outings. She struck me as very competent and enthusiastic, so I felt comfortable entrusting my children with her. She did not disappoint! After the second day of camp my younger child asked if he could do this next week too! They'll definitely be doing this again next summer.

Teachers Suzanne and Stephanie are both experienced elementary school educators and more than capable of handling the group of 16 kids in a nature setting. Plus they had a 3rd adult as an intern, which was great. The first morning the kids are assigned a backpack with some equipment for adventuring, like binoculars, a little fish net, nature journal, etc, and the teachers went over behavior expectations so everyone knew how important it was to be responsible so they can have fun.

The teachers made each day a field-trip for the group of 16 kids. Each day was new and exciting and we didn't know what was in store! The week my kids went, they went to: Pleasure House Point Natural Area, Virginia Living Museum, Sandy Bottom Nature Park, Virginia Aquarium, and the beach. It seemed the outings were tailored to the kids/weather and not set in stone in advance, which I liked and added to the adventure aspect.

This is a great camp to keep learning alive in the summer. Run by teachers, it has some school-y aspects woven into all the fun, like keeping a journal. That really made this camp such an opportunity to help my kids be more excited about those school-y things when they return for the next grade. My kids came home more interested in applying themselves to drawing and in the morning they were eager to get their things together to head to camp. This is so much more than childcare!

June 2023: I went on the Williamsburg lunch and lavender tour. What a great mom's day out with friends and friendly ladies. It was a well thought out itinerary...