Summer day camps will get kids learning about STEAM, the great outdoors

April 16, 2021 · 0 Comments

The summer is fast approaching, and while we don’t know just yet what the season might look like, outdoor day camps might provide the perfect solution to keeping kids active and busy.

Registration is now open for summer day camp programs hosted by Newmarket’s Pickering College.

Through their Hilltop Summer Discovery Program, students will have a chance to get close to nature and also pick up valuable skills in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) along the way.

Day camp programs are open to kids in Kindergarten through Grade 5.

Spread over six weeks, as well as over Pickering College’s 42-acre campus and their farm in Whitchurch-Stouffville, the camps open June 21 – 25 with the theme week “Interacting with Our Eco System,” followed by “Earth, Wind, Fire and Water” (June 28 to July 2), “Survival Challenge! (July 5 – 9), “Treasure Hunting, Archaeology and Orienteering” (July 12 to 16), “Traditions and Our Land” (August 23 – 27), and “Machines and Mechanics” (August 30 to September 3).

For older students in Grades 6, 7 and 8, “Mathtasia” will be the order of the day, helping students build their math skills “to meaningfully experience the subject and prepare them for the next grade.”

Held between August 23 and 27, students will work together through hands-on, fun-filled leadership activities that will allow them to share new ideas and gain new perspectives.

“We have such a long, history of outdoor education at the school and this is something the school does really well,” says Julia Hunt, Pickering College’s Senior Director of Strategic Innovation. “When we were thinking about doing a camp program, we wanted to focus on the outdoors as much as possible. Children really engage well with outdoor learning, and spending time outside is so good in terms of mental health benefits as well

There is also the added benefit of providing camp programs in the open air, allowing for programs to be carried out in optimal safety in light of current health concerns.

“We are incredibly fortunate to be on this beautiful campus and have various areas that facilitate different aspects of camp,” says Ms. Hunt, noting that a donation last summer of 48 tree stumps from the Town of Newmarket has allowed Pickering College to develop several outdoor classrooms which will be integral to camp programming. “We have those outdoor classrooms already set up. We have areas that are wooded with trails and we also have areas that are a little bit wilder for kids to spend time in. We also have a farm about 10 minutes away which gives us the option to do a full-day cookout for our weekly field trip. We have this opportunity down the road where kids can do all these outdoor activities.”

Incorporating STEAM into the curriculum was very important to Pickering College “for a number of reasons.” From an academic perspective, Ms. Hunt says STEAM skills are becoming increasingly valuable and, as such, it is important for students to pick them up from a young age.

“The program is an extension of what we believe in as a school in terms of our mission, vision and values,” says Ms. Hunt. “STEAM is something Pickering College prioritizes and outdoor education is also an important focus for the school.”

Given the six weeks of programming, parents and students can pick and choose what matters to them – and they can also go all in for the full roster of programs. That being said, safety is Pickering College’s top priority and following all Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education Guidelines, they are working to ensure that it can indeed happen.

“Last summer, we did run camps for two weeks at the end of summer and in order to run those the Ministry of Health had guidelines for camp programs and we were able to follow those. It included things like distancing, enhanced hygiene protocols, sizes of cohorts, etc. We are hopeful that any similar guidelines that are published this summer are ones we can equally adhere to.

“Campers are looking for a fun way to spend the summer and are going to love this combination of traditional camp activities with fun projects and outdoor education. Our camp is active, lots of fun, and there’s lots of different things to appeal to everybody.”

For more information on Pickering College’s summer camps, visit pickeringcollege.ca/camp.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter