Wilderness Adventure Day Camp (5-12)

Do we have a summer filled of adventure, imagination, creativity, fun! 

We have themed weeks where we will include the mystery and wonder of our wilderness spaces. Access to these wild spaces is crucial to our well-being and child development. But don’t worry, we are not being all textbook teachings. We learn naturally as we were intended. With hands on exploration that ignites the curiosity to explore and inquire what and how things are in our natural world. We learn to have good relations not only to the creatures and plants that live around us, but to each other and to ourselves.  We will be spending our days storytelling, playing games, mindful and timeless wanders, sit spots, survival skills, bushcraft, preparedness, crafts, arts, songs and so much more.

Each child will leave with their own memorable experiences and skills, new friendships and a deeper connection to the earth and to self. 

Ages: 6-12 years of age
Hours: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Location: Ganong Nature Park,  350 Todds Point Rd, Dufferin, NB E3L 3R8

Week 1: July 4-7 is for the Wilderness Apprentice program (no camp for 5-12 year olds this week)

Week 2: July 10-14:Damsels and Dragons
Are you ready for adventure? Magic? Mythical creatures? It’s more likely than you think! Come join us for a week of fantastical wonder. Where reality has changed and past stories walk among us. We will learn of the mysteries of the forest, and embark on a mythical adventure. 

Week 3: July 17-21 Zombie Apocalypse
Be the Go-To-Person in times of emergency. We will be teaching emergency preparedness  that can include a power outage, natural disaster, roadside breakdowns, outing disasters and pandemics. The preparation is the same, it is about awareness, being prepared and keeping your calm. Through a fun assimilation of a Zombie outbreak, campers will learn how to survive and be prepared for anything. BE AWARE, BE PREPARED!

Week 4: July 24-28 Outdoor Skills
Come on out and learn the skills to be safe while hiking, camping, atving, canoeing or anything outdoors. Learn to assess an area for hazards, how to use natural landscapes to navigate, what plants and trees to each and what can help us in an emergency, learn how to be unseen in nature and how to reduce the impact to the inhabitants in the forest. Learn basic survival skills while exploring the wonders of the wild spaces.

Week 5: July 31- August 4 Wings and Things
Have you ever tried to follow a track only to find it circled you and started following you? During this week we will discover the language of the forest and the signs that tell us a story. Did you know birds alert everyone of our presence? Have you ever wondered how you can enter a forest unseen? Or how to see more wildlife, find those feathers and skulls or even where the animals live, eat and raise their young. We will learn to track animals, behaviour and movements, language, habitats, challenges in the forest, arts, crafts, storytelling and so much more.

Week 6: Aug 8-11 Land-Stewards
Put together our teams and learn ways to be a land steward for our planet. We can start small in our backyards, but really the world is the limit. Just like Gary and Sam Bencheghib who started Make a Change World and started cleaning the garbage in the ocean, no idea or invention idea is discarded. We will learn about the animals and plants that are the land stewards  and discover how we can collaborate with them to make our spaces a better place.  We will learn stewardship practices on the land locally and learn how ecosystems work, how we can leave no trace when we are in the landscape, play fun games, tell stories and so much more.

Week 7: Aug 14-18 Spy vs Spy
What makes a good spy? Well there are a lot of skills of awareness, supercharged senses, and observation skills. We will learn how to observe wildlife and capture their secrets of coded languages, find clues to mysteries and bring the intel back to headquarters for debriefing. A fun week of learning about wildlife, habitats, silent in the forest, incognito missions, games, puzzles and so much more.

Week 8: Aug 21-25 Wild Expedition
Have you ever spent a night under the stars or in a tent? Have you cooked your own meals over a fire and managed your camp? How about packing for a camp? Well this week we will learn how to plan and deploy an overnight in the woods. We will build our own shelters, build our own fire, cook our own food and have fun around a fire. We recommend this week for 8+ as we will be spending a night out in the forest.