Contact(s)
525 Beaver Creek Rd
Laurel Creek Nature Centre
Waterloo, Ontario
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$170 - $370
Summer camp at Laurel Creek Nature Centre is all about being outdoors and connecting with nature. We believe that the best camp memories come from exploring nature, making discoveries, building a campfire, hiking through the fields and forests, finding frogs and water creatures and connecting with the natural world. Along the way we know that campers will make new friends, learn new games and discover new skills. The camps are action-packed and full of different activities each and every day. All camps focus on environmental discovery and engage campers in the outdoors in a fun, yet educational way.
Campers can enjoy a different camp theme each week with hikes, crafts and activities designed to make the outdoors fun! Campers are outdoors exploring the fields and forests that surround the nature centre. Our highly skilled team will share their passion and knowledge of nature and outdoor adventure with your child. Our goal is to connect your child to a lifetime of appreciation for nature and the outdoors.
Intermediate and Senior camps offer kids something a little more challenging and are designed to provide an even more exciting camp experience for our older campers. These camps include much longer wilderness treks and adventures.
Our staff to camper ratio is 1:8. All staff have first aid training. Grand River Conservation Authority is an Accredited Member of the Ontario Camps Association.
Please scroll to the bottom of the page for a listing of camp themes and dates.
Camp programming is from 9:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m. Supervision is provided from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m for free. Every camper receives a free t-shirt too!
FAQS
What should my child bring to the camps?
Day camp programming takes place outside as much as possible. So they need to be prepared to get wet and dirty.
To make sure that your child has the best possible experience at camp, please be sure to send them with the following items:
How do I register, and who can I contact the organizer with any questions?
You can register here. About two weeks before camp starts you will be sent a camp information package. This will hopefully answer all your questions but if you have any specific questions feel free to email LaurelCreekNC@grandriver.ca.
What is the refund policy?
Full refunds will be granted if requested six weeks before the first day of camp. Refunds requested after that time and up to three weeks before the first day of camp will be subject to a $50 administration fee. Refunds requested less than three weeks before the first day of camp will be subject to a $100 administration fee.
Camp Options:
I Heart Nature (Ages 6-10) July 8-12: Do you love Nature? Prefer outdoors to indoors? Exploring rather than being stuck in one place? We will explore using all our senses while wandering through the different habitats that make the Laurel Creek Nature Centre special. Meet and learn about animals, create things out of natural objects, build using what is at hand, and investigate the outdoors using nature play.
Naturalist-in-Training Leadership Level 1 and 2 (Ages 14-16) July 8-12:The Naturalist-In-Training (NIT) Level 1 and Level 2 are designed for teens aged 14 (or 13 entering grade 9 in September) to 16 who are looking for skills that will help with future employment and an opportunity to complete their community volunteer hours. During this leadership week, campers will have the chance to gain certifications such as emergency first-aid and ORCKA-level canoeing. They will also develop leadership skills and build a knowledge base that will allow them to feel comfortable leading camp activities such as games, arts and crafts and natural history. An evening program on Thursday night until 10pm is included in this week-long camp. Campers who have completed NIT Camp with a positive review from their camp staff will be welcome to come back at least one additional week of camp where they can volunteer and apply their new skills! First year participants will be Level 1 with returning campers joining Level 2.
Storybook Forest (Ages 6-10) July 15-19: Celebrate the magical folk of the forest and fields and inspire your imagination. We will start each day with a story that will be the theme of our daily adventures. Complete quests, search for creatures, and write stories of your own. Is it myth, magic or Mother Nature?
Art Outdoors (Ages 9-12) July 15-19: Get your creative side outside! This week, campers will get to experience nature while using various art mediums. We will be letting outdoor activities and natural materials be our inspiration to create some imaginative art. Some topics we might cover include painting, sketching, sculpting, natural plant dyes and digital photography.
Buddy Adventure (Ages 6-10) July 22-26: Adopt a stuffed buddy on the first day of camp and take part in an adventure together every day. A few adventures for your buddy will include building shelters, raft racing and nature hikes. After a week of fun-filled challenges take your buddy home with you.
N.E.W.T. (Ages 11-13) July 22-26: Nature, Engineering, Water, and Technology Camp. Nature; we will be going on hikes, catching living things, and meeting creature teachers. Engineering; we will build structures outdoors, see how a dam works, and learn about some animal engineering wonders. Water; we will search for aquatic creatures, make water for survival, and may even get wet. Technology; we will find our way using GPS, play with digital photography, and record our nature sightings to citizen science websites. Please bring your bike and helmet on Tuesday for a biking safety session. We will keep them at the Centre overnight for our bike trip to the Conservation Area on Wednesday.
Growing Wild (Ages 6-10) July 29-August 2: It's time to get mucky and discover your wild side. We have a full week of outdoor experiences and challenges lined up for campers. This week we will explore forests, meet the creatures that live in the pond, get nose to antennae with the bugs that live in the meadow and practice some survival skills.
All about Animals (Ages 9-12) July 29-August 2:Are you an animal lover? Do you want to learn more about animals? This camp is for you. You will get up close and personal with the animals that live in and around the Nature Centre and learn about those that don’t. Find out what animals eat, where they live and some of the cool things they do to survive. Activities this week include adventure hikes, survival games and nature investigations.
Get Outdoors Girls (Ages 6-12) August 6-9: Outdoor Girls is a unique opportunity for girls to explore nature and get comfortable with all things creepy, crawly, muddy and slimy with fellow girl campers. Make new friends while having fun outdoors! The week will include hikes, edible wilds, art projects, animals, campfire songs, stories and outdoor skills. Girls get to take the lead and learn some outdoor skills to help you develop a lifelong love for getting outdoors.
Splish Splash (Ages 6-10) August 12-16: This week you will not stay dry. Water covers over 70% of our planet. It is vital to our survival and a whole lot of fun! Join us as we look at water above and below the surface. We will wade in, get wet and make cool discoveries and most importantly we will have fun, learning about this incredible, but limited, resource.
Child in the Wild Survival Camp (Ages 11-13) August 12-16: Become more comfortable in nature while learning to read and understand the land and its wildlife. We’ll practice skills like observing, navigating, tracking, shelter and fire building. We will be testing your skills in a teamwork survival challenge!
Sticks, Stones, and Bones (Ages 6-10) August 19-23: Build, create, and uncover mysteries of the past and present. Try your hand at building structures and creating art with sticks. From exploring rocks and minerals to discovering ancient animals and solving nature mysteries, this camp is sure to please young naturalists.
Icky, Sticky, Yucky, Mucky (Ages 9-12) August 19-23: Take a close look at nature and spend some time investigating scat, owl barf, pond slime, bones, misunderstood animals, worm droppings and more! Nature can seem weird and gross sometimes but we will explore how fascinating it can be through activities such as swamp water microscope study, owl pellet dissection, making edible scat, snail slime, and worm compost tea!
Buzz and Flutter (Ages 6-10) August 26-30: We will explore the world of insects and other creepy crawlies. We will learn about pollinators and spend time in the wildflower garden. We will look under logs and under the water. We will find out where bugs live, what they eat and how they survive. We will go on bug safaris, make bug hotels and other bug crafts.
Catch, Release, and Record (Ages 9-12) August 26-30: We will be participating in citizen science by catching, observing, and doing surveys of living things and reporting sightings to various nature organizations. Improve your observation skills and reflexes; many things don’t want to be caught! We will also lend a hand by participating in some eco-helper tasks to help species that need an extra hand.