Overnight Summer Camps
Ages 8-14
Overnight Camps – Ages 8-15
Running for over 100 years, our overnight summer camps give campers a classic camp experience! Our beautiful Clear Lake property boasts a beautiful dining hall, cozy cabins, a beautiful waterfront, over 180 acres of hiking trails, and so much more for overnight campers to explore. In small cabin groups, campers will have the opportunity to make memories and develop lifelong friendships. Our expert counselling staff consists of caring role models devoted to creating magical memories for each of their campers.
At overnight camp, campers will experience the best of what Camp Kawartha has to offer, as they swim, sail, canoe, kayak, windsurf, do arts and crafts, drama, dance, land sports, archery, and connect with the natural world! Each night our evening programs offer bursts of creative fun – whether it’s a pirate themed capture the flag or a Halloween themed dance, evening program transports our camp to new worlds!
Camp Kawartha provides a fun-filled summer experience for all our campers, but we strive to go above and beyond in all that we do. With a focus on leadership and connecting campers to the natural world, our campers learn to build connections with the communities around them. Our staff help campers to develop skills of teamwork, communication, collaboration, initiative, leadership, self-confidence, and so much more. Our low staff ratio (2 campers to 1 staff) means that campers receive plenty of individual attention each day, and that they can be known on an individual basis. Many of our campers return year after year to our Camp Kawartha community, their home away from home!
We offer a variety of session lengths from 3 nights to 3 weeks, so campers who are new to camp can give things a test-run before jumping into a longer session. For those who are long time campers, a 2-week session or our PLC and Canoe tripping sessions give campers the chance to enhance their skills, try new things, and begin to take the first steps towards our Leadership Programs!
Benefits of Overnight Camp
Campers learn to live, work and play cooperatively, to recognize and value each other’s strengths and learn from our differences
Provides opportunities for individual challenge and growth while expanding camper’s interests and helping them acquire new skills
Campers learn how to take responsibility and solve their own problems
Increases self-esteem, confidence and resiliency
Helps campers connect to nature
Fosters lifelong friendships and builds memories for a lifetime
Builds a culture of caring and stewardship.
A Day in the Life of Summer Camp
7:30am – Polar dip!
Wake up with a chilly jump in the lake to kickstart your energy for the day ahead!
8:00am – Breakfast!
Pancakes, Bacon, Syrup, Fruit – What do YOU put in your breakfast bowl to keep you happy all day?
8:40am – Health Hustle
All campers gather together on the field for games to kick off the day! Freeze tag, octopus, or something zany – it’s all on the table to bring the energy up!
9:30am – 1st Activity Period
In a one-week session, all campers get the chance to do ‘exposure periods’ in which they try out each of our water and land activities. In a 2-week session, campers sign up for classes, so they can develop their skills over the two weeks! Morning activities include Canoeing, Kayaking, Windsurfing, Sailing, Archery, Drama, Dance, Arts and Crafts, Land sports, and Eco Skills.
11:00am – Snack and 2nd Activity Period
After a morning snack, campers will move into their 2nd activity period where they try out another fun activity!
12:30pm – Lunch
Taco Salad? Hamburgers? Tasty Stir Fry? See what lunch has to offer! We often have theme lunches where everyone dresses up for an extra little bit of fun!
1:30pm – Rest Hour, Cabin Cleanup and Tuck!
A chance to tidy up your space, grab a sweet treat, and kick back and relax! On extra hot days, ‘Solar Dip’ in the lake takes place during rest hour.
2:30 – 1st Interest Choice
Interest choices give campers the chance to sign up for their afternoon activities. Maybe campers want something more relaxed – we have interest choices for that! Or they might want some upbeat fun – we have interest choices for that! Or maybe they’re looking to head out to the range for a hike – We have interest choices for that! Time to grab your water bottle and closed toed shoes and head out!
3:30 – Snack and 2nd Interest Choice
After a nutritious snack, campers move into their 2nd interest choice period where they can try out something new!
4:30 – GBRS (Free Time)
At General Boating, Ropes and Swimming, all our areas open up and campers can jump into whatever they would like to! Gathering a group of pals for a dip in the lake or a jump on our water trampoline is a great way to cool off; or maybe you’d like to build your windsurf skills and catch some waves! Whatever your favourite activities are, campers will have an hour of free time each day to use our facilities in full!
5:45pm – Dinner
I’m a fork, spoon, knife, spatula (cha-cha-cha)! Every meal at Camp Kawartha kicks off with a song, and dinner is no different! Enjoy some spaghetti and garlic bread, vegetarian curry, or Mac & Cheese, followed by tasty dessert! Dinner also starts off Evening Program with a skit to hint at the nightly theme.
6:45pm – After Dinner Free Time
As preparation takes place for Evening Program, the whole camp gathers on the upper playing field for some chill free time. Campers might choose to join in on our volleyball tournament, ‘beach of dreams’, play some guitar, join book club, work on their wilderness skills, or go cloud-watching!
7:30pm – Evening Program
Everyone’s favourite time of day, evening program is when creativity, teamwork, and action shine! Some nights are active running games, some nights are creative story-driven strategy games, or theatre, dances, and nature-based exploration! Each night has a different theme and lots and lots of laughs!
8:30pm – Snack & Check-In and Bedtime Begins
How would you like to wrap up the day with watching the sunset? Or gathering round a campfire and roasting marshmallows? Or having a dance party in the cabin? Each day, our campers have the chance to reflect on their days, connect with their cabin mates, and drift off to sleep. Bedtime varies based on camper age, with our youngest campers having lights out at 9:15pm, and our oldest campers heading to sleep at 10pm.
Introductory Overnight Camps
| Camp Session | Ages | 2024 Dates | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session N | 7-14 | Sun, Aug 25 - Wed, Aug 28 | $800 |
1-week Overnight Camps
| Camp Session | Ages | 2024 Dates | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session A | 8-14 | Sun, June 30 - Sat, Jul 6 | $1,400 |
| Session B1 | 8-14 | Sun, July 7 - Sat, July 13 | $1,400 |
| Session B2 | 8-14 | Sun, July 14 - Fri, July 19 | $1,200 |
| Session C | 8-14 | Sun, Jul 21- Fri, Jul 26 | $1,200 |
| Session E | 8-14 | Sun, Aug 11 - Sat, Aug 17 | $1,400 |
| Session F | 8-14 | Sun, Aug 18 - Fri, Aug 23 | $1,200 |
| Junior Canoe Trip | 11-13 | Sun, July 21 - Fri, Jul 26 | $1,260 |
2-week Overnight Camps
| Camp Session | Ages | 2024 Dates | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session B - (13 Days) | 8-14 | Sun, Jul 07- Fri, Jul 19 | $2,600 |
| Session D - (13 Days) | 8-14 | Sun, Jul 28 - Fri, Aug 9 | $2,600 |
| Wilderness Canoe Trip - (Senior Canoe Trip) | 14-16 | Sun, Jul 28 - Fri, Aug 9 | $2,730 |
| Wildnerness and Leadership | 14-16 | Sun, Jul 7 - Fri, Jul 19 | $2,730 |
3-week Overnight Camps
| Camp Session | Ages | 2024 Dates | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLC 1 - (20 Days) | 13-14 | Sun, June 30 - Fri, Jul 19 | $4,000 |
| PLC 2 - (21 Days) | 13-14 | Sun, Jul 28 - Fri, Aug 16 | $4,000 |
General Information About our Overnight Camps:
Typical Day at Overnight Camp
| TIME | ACTIVITY |
|---|---|
| 7:25am | Wake-up bell, Polar Bear Dip, Morning Hygiene, Table Setting |
| 7:50am | Breakfast |
| 9:00am | Health Hustle – Each morning after breakfast the campers participate in light exercise and fun games to start off the day. Led by our Leaders-in-Training and select staff, Health Hustle prepares us for the morning by raising the level of excitement and getting the energy flowing |
| 9:35am | Activity Period #1. |
| 11:05am | Activity Period #2. |
| 12:30pm | Wash up; Table Setting |
| 12:45pm | Lunch; Sign up for afternoon interest choice activities |
| 1:30pm | Rest Period, Tuck, Cabin Cleanup |
| 2:25pm | Interest Choice #1 |
| 3:25pm | Interest Choice #2 |
| 4:30pm | General Boating and Swimming (GBS) |
| 5:30pm | Wash up, Table Setting |
| 5:40pm | Dinner |
| 6:30pm | unstructured free time |
| 7:30pm | Evening Program |
| 8:45pm | Snack |
| Nighttime Routine | Each day ends in the cabin with a “check-in” – a chance for campers to reflect on the day. Our traditional “rose and thorn” check-in provides campers with an opportunity to share with their cabin-mates the highlights of their day and re-live the excitement of camp. As the session progresses, creative check-ins allow campers to learn from their experiences, both individually and as a group. |
| Lights Out | Younger campers (6-12) have their lights out by 9:30pm and our older campers have lights out by 10:00pm |
Activity Periods & Interest Choices
Morning Activity Periods
Activities include: archery, arts and crafts, drama, land sports, nature skills, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, swimming and windsurfing.
Afternoon Interest Choices
Activities consist of special events planned by counsellors. Capitalizing on our staff’s unique talents, a variety of different activities from Harlem Globetrotters basketball and Seaweed Monster swimming, to Dance Pack, Robin Hood archery and the relaxing and low-key Hunting for Four-Leaved Clovers.
Longer “Double Interest Choices,” offered usually once per session, focus on inclusion and group activities that might require a longer period of time including day hikes to our wetlands, trips to Sisters Island on our lake, and dance clubs
Adventure Program at Regular Camp
Activities include the climbing wall, high ropes, and initiative tasks. The oldest cabin groups (typically ages 13-14) will be scheduled in for an opportunity to experience our Adventure Program.
Younger campers may also be given an opportunity to sign up for and participate in adventure activities during afternoon interest choice periods.
Special Events
Each day is a special day at Camp Kawartha, and our staff are always working hard to provide the fun and excitement that they remember as campers. With that in mind, special events such as night hikes and high ropes are integrated into the cabin schedule to build on the excitement of the day and on one’s camp experience.
Theme Days
Each week, we break from the usual routine and do something completely different. It can be a backwards day, a camp-wide relay, or a carnival. Favourites include Campstock, where we invite our talented staff to perform on a main stage as campers travel to rotations from face-painting to mini-competitions, and EcoChallange, where campers must compete in an environmentally themed relay race across our 180-acre range. There’s always a great spirit and energy to these events.
Evening Program
The creative energy of our staff is channeled every evening into our awesome camp-wide programs. It all starts with a campfire the first evening and builds each night to include new innovate programs and old traditional favourites such as the talent show and Zing Tong! From dressing up as zany characters with phobias to collecting clues against the clock, staff and campers join together for some of the most memorable moments of the session.
Nighttime Routine
Each day ends in the cabin with a “check-in” – a chance for campers to reflect on the day. Our traditional “rose and thorn” check-in provides campers with an opportunity to share with their cabin-mates the highlights of their day and re-live the excitement of camp. As the session progresses, creative check-ins allow campers to learn from their experiences, both individually and as a group.
Lights Out
Younger campers (8-12) have their lights out by 9:30pm and our older campers have lights out by 10:00pm
What parents are saying about our overnight camps…
