There’s a camp for every age, interest
Camps are one of the easiest ways to introduce children and youth to new skills
Sadie Kyllo can’t wait for summer camp season. The Grade 5 student has been going to camps every year since she was five years old and she already has her list of favourites for this coming summer, too.
“I like summer camp because it’s a place where you can connect with people that you don’t know and it’s a place to have fun,” says the outgoing 11-year-old.
“Also, you maybe signed up for some activity that you have never tried before, so you can find out you actually like an activity that you never thought you would.”
Indeed, for parents and kids alike, camps are one of the easiest ways to introduce children and youth to new skills, and to keep them from getting bored in the summer.
There is literally a camp for every age and interest, too, from chess to mountain-biking, diving to horseback riding. There are half-day camps for tiny tykes, day camps for preschoolers through to late teens, and sleepover camps, too.
Sleepover camps — also known as overnight camps — give kids a break from mom and dad, and allow youth to stretch their wings away from home.
This coming summer, Kyllo, 11, is especially excited about her week at Evans Lake Forest Education Centre. The Ross Road Elementary student has attended the sleepover camp for the past two years, and this year, some of her friends will attend for the first time. “It is a place to connect with other people, and because you get to do fun activities like swimming, rock climbing, canoeing and fun games,” she says. “It is in the middle of the forest and the forest is where we play most of the games.”
She’ll also attend Camp Fircom on Gambier Island with her mom for a few days; every year, the camp offers family camps, mom-andkid camps, as well as father-andkid camps, in addition to regular sleepover camps just for kids. (Best: you can sleep in a cottage, cabin, teepee, dorm, or bring your own tent.)
While each week is slightly different, the Camp Fircom mom-andkid camp has time for moms-only activities such as yoga or kayaking in the mornings, followed by family-friendly programming or free time in the afternoons. (Not surprisingly, it books up quickly.)
Then there’s Camp Qwanoes on Vancouver Island, where kids can try sailing, water-skiing, archery, Ping-Pong and guitar lessons, within a leadership-focused Christian environment.
Not every child is ready or able to attend a sleepover camp, however, and that’s where day camps are convenient. Evolve’s Vancouver Skateboard Camp takes boys and girls ages seven to 14 to a different skate park every day.
At Simon Fraser University, kids can take 3D printing camps, French, moviemaking, science camps and more, plus sports camps: basketball, weightlifting, football, cycling, you name it.
The University of British Columbia also has both sport and educational camps that range from music to art and sports such as tennis, synchronized swimming, cricket, dance and canoeing.
Have an adventurous child? Soaring Eagle Nature School takes advantage of the city parks to get kids outside and moving. There’s even a ninja week, where boys and girls can try to camouflage themselves and move quietly in the trees.
Fresh Air Learning also gets kids ages three to six outside, with camps at Jericho Beach and in North Vancouver, at Princess Park.
Then there are the Vancouver Aquarium’s AquaCamps, perennial favourites for many West Coast kids. “We run our AquaCamps all summer and they’re a great option for children to get a mix of learning, play and being outside,” says Hailey Renaud, the Vancouver Aquarium’s manager of children and youth programs, Ocean Wise.
“Campers get an opportunity to get hands-on with sea critters and learn about ocean conservation, plus do fun activities like arts and crafts.”
If your child loves the ocean, they may be interested Soaring over the water at Camp Qwanoes on Vancouver Island.
in learning to dive. Diving Locker has offered weeklong camps for children ages 10 to 16 every summer for the past couple of decades. Kids learn real diving skills and, by the end of the week, at least a couple will become candidates to get their junior open-water diving certification, says Chelsea Cameron,
Diving Locker’s sales and marketing manager.
Even if they don’t go that far, they still learn the theory and pool skills necessary to start them on a lifetime of diving adventures. “They definitely gain confidence underwater and a knowledge of the marine life we have here,” Cameron says.