If you’re looking for camps in and around the Toronto area this summer, we have the inside scoop on where to get information. If you have never sent your child to camp, here’s a great article on five things to know about summer day camps. For those interested in overnight camps, here is an informative article on preparing your child for overnight camp.
Tracie (our fearless leader) recently appeared on Global TV to discuss some of our favourite camps in the Toronto area. Also, a great place to start looking is the Our Kids Camp site, or head on down to the Our Kids Camp Expo if you’re in the Toronto area for an in-person chat with camp leaders to get a good feel for camps in Ontario.
Camp Awakening
This special camp is a registered charity providing an integrated summer camp with outdoor recreation & leadership programs for youth with physical disabilities. Their traditional summer camp programs for boys and girls operates out of two mainstream camps in Ontario – Kilcoo Camp for boys near Minden and Camp Oconto for girls north of Kingston. Campers enjoy wilderness adventures through their canoe-tripping program, and traditional in-camp activities such as swimming, sailing, kayaking, land sports, ropes course, climbing tower, horseback riding, archery and handicrafts.
Outward Bound Canada – Adventure Day Camp
Outward Bound Adventure Camp is a highly active, experiential summer day camp for pre-teens. Their programming focuses on building vital skills to prepare youth for the challenges they will experience in high school and beyond. The activities are designed to address Outward Bound‘s “Four Pillars”: Physical Fitness, Self-Reliance, Skills Mastery and Compassion through Service. The 1- or 2-week experience delivers an exciting day-camp program in a process that uses group and individual challenges, community engagement and service, high adventure and “urban expeditions”.
Camp Kirk
Established in 1993, Camp Kirk sits on 110 acres near the village of Kirkfield, Ontario. This camp welcomes children from all over the world with Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorders, some Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), and those with incontinence or enuresis (bedwetting) issues. The facilities include, amongst other things, a swimming pool equipped with a diving board and a slide, two 40′ (foot) climbing walls complete with overhangs and a basketball court. Periodically, canoe trips are sent to Algonquin Park, the Leslie Frost Centre and other wilderness areas of Ontario.
If you’re looking for more traditional day camps, try Crestwood Valley, SMART Camp, Camp Green Acres, Zodiac, Adventure Valley or Downsview Park.
If a sports camp is what your child is interested in, take a look at Lytton Park, Ryerson University, The Dance Place, Pedalheads, Camp U of T, POWER Soccer, Just Bounce, FitFix Jr., Gotta Dance and SportBall.
If you think your child is ready for an overnight camp: Muskoka Woods, Kettleby, Kandalore, Camp White Pine, Camp Tamarack or any of the various YMCA Overnight Summer Camps.
If a special-interest camp is something your child might like, you might want to check out The Chef Upstairs, The Conservatory of Dance and Music, Sunnybrook Stables, Second City Camps, Horizon Arts Camp or even Evolve Skateboarding.
We also have many more listings in our Camps section as well as in our Parent-Tot & Drop-Off Programs, Party Resources, School and Daycare Programs, Education and Sports sections.
Image credit: Trekking Rinjani/flickr
