Can anyone recommend a good 1-2 week summer camp for 2 kids (ages girl 10 & boy 12) in So. Cal? Anywhere between Santa Barbara and San Diego would be fine.

I can only offer you second-hand experience from friends. They really love the different Pali Camps, www.paliadventures.com. Also, Lazy J Ranch in Malibu comes highly recommended.

There's also a camp on Catalina Island that is supposed to be good, but I don't personally know anyone who has attended.

I'm assuming you're looking for overnight camps? Here's a listing of lots of camps in Southern California:

http://www.whatsupforkids.com/resour...amps&Submit=Go

Idyllwild (in the mountains above Palm Springs) is a great arts/music camp

CIME on Catalina Island is wonderful

My daughter is a camp counselor at Wasewagan Camp and Retreat this summer in Big Bear. It's affiliated with "The Lazy J Ranch" camp in Malibu. It is a beautiful camp in Angeles Oaks and this session she has 9-10 year old girls. The girls are there for 2 weeks sessions and they have the time of their lives. They also have boys attend camp there and it's well-run and supervised. Activities include canoeing at the lake, horseback riding, swimming, repelling and rock climbing, biking, hikes, archery, arts and crafts and so much more. Our daughter loves it there. She's worked at the Lazy J during the school year on weekends and semester breaks from college. She is a child development major in college and she's doing exactly what she feels called to do. She loves everything about the camps. Contact Wasewagan at www.lazyjranchcamp.com and click on Wasewagan. Good luck!

Rawhide Ranch is inland towards Fallbrook (between OC and San Diego)
My son was there for a number of weeks thru the years.

A working ranch, the kids sleep in covered wagons or bunkhouses. They are assigned chores such as tending the chickens, slopping the pigs, grooming the horses. Every Saturday they participate in a rodeo. The year J was 7 he rode out on a pig.

Great fun, hard work, everuthing summer camp should be.

My daughter did the Catalina Island Camp and loved it.

Camp Pacific at the Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad is right on the ocean. Surfing and other water activities are its main emphasis, but I khow they do other things also.

ALtho during the school year it has the army/navy emphasis, I don't think that has any part in the summer programs.

Personally, I would take the reccomendation of a friend or neighbor over a "stranger" on a travel board.

Thank you all for these suggestions. I will look into each one. Thanks!!