Summer Sessions @ a glance

• 9 Weeks. You choose how many. Do one, do nine!

• 2 Locations: Stone Road & Eramosa Eden. Location details below.

• 4 Age groups between 4 - 14 years

• Drop-Off as early at 8:30am. Pick up as late as 4:30.

• Small groups & Great Ratios: Up to 15 participants in each group. 2 - 3 Instructors. 5:1 ratio, participants to instructors.

• $395/week. Sliding Scale & Instalment Options available, see below.

• Led by professional instructors who do outdoor programs year round.

Sliding Scale and Mutual Aid

Guelph Outdoor School is committed to ensuring that everyone has a chance to participate. We offer discount codes so that families can self-select a code for a discount that fits their budget.

Mutual Aid codes help to offset social and systemic barriers to wealth accumulation based on racial and ethnic identity, and are specifically for Black, Indigenous, and families of colour. Representation matters- please let us know here if you’d like to be a part of GOS summer sessions, even before registration opens, or if your preffered programs look full.

Sliding Scale codes options are to support families who experience barriers to wealth accumulation that are not based on race or ethnicity: single parent households, families and participants with mobility, physical, emotional, or mental challenges, or families who have been significantly affected financially by Covid-19.

Take what you need, give what you can. This is an honesty-based system trusting that anyone participating in our programs wants GOS to succeed. You can also slide up, and make a donation at checkout with Full Value Coupons.

Mutual Aid

Discount Codes specifically for Black, Indigenous, and families of colour.

GOLDENROD10 (10% discount)
GOLDENROD20 (20% discount)
GOLDENROD30 (30% discount)
GOLDENROD40 (40% discount)
GOLDENROD50 (50% discount)
GOLDENROD60 (60% discount)
GOLDENROD70 (70% discount)
GOLDENROD80 (80% discount)
GOLDENROD90 (90% discount)
GOLDENROD100 (100% discount)

Sliding Scale

Discount codes to offset barriers to financial resources not based on race or ethnicity:

DANDELION5 (5% discount)

DANDELION10 (10% discount)

DANDELION15 (15% discount)

DANDELION20 (20% discount)

DANDELION25 (25% discount)

For Summer Scholarships above 25%, please get in touch by phone or email.

Full Value Coupons

allow you to slide UP :) Full Value Coupons are in place if you and your family really love what GOS is doing and can cover more than our standard fees. Your options include:

Make a Donation at Checkout

Donate to our Next Child in the Woods Bursary Program (one time or monthly)

Be the next Local Business Sponsor.

What’s it like? A week in the woods with GOS

Structure: Each day is the same and every day is different.

Opening Circle: we never miss a chance to celebrate the new day, share stories, give gratitude and hatch plans for the day. Every child is welcomed into the circle, and can speak and be heard.

Warm Up and Sensory Games: we get moving, we get silly and into our bodies - looking, smelling, running, hiding, listening,

Focus of the Day: a focused project, a special mission, some new thing to try. Making rope, painting with mud, tracking a porcupine, creating art, inventing a song.

A Time for Timelessness: in the afternoon, we do as we please. Catch crayfish, tell stories under a tree, go for a wonder, keep going on a project from the morning, do skits. A time for being kids.

The Approach

Connection over Information: GOS programs emphasize connection to self, others, and the natural world through mentorship, song & story, sensory awareness and nature-based challenges. We engage hands-on skills that promote self-esteem and confidence, as well as relational skills: conflict resolution, empathy, and co-operation.

Designed for Success: good ratios (5:1) for responsive mentorship and meaningful adult-child relationships, with limited group sizes (15) designed for meaningful and uncluttered nature connection moments, emotional regulation, a peaceful experience, and thorough supervision.

Full Nature Immersion: Just a tarp, sitting stumps and a firepit as a gathering spot. Opportunities for calculated risks, ample opportunities for kids to pursue their interests and try things at their pace. Low distractions - very few gimmicks or toys, empasizing nature connection. A community of instructors who are passionate about nature-connection and show kids that this stuff matters!

For more, take a look at Why Outdoor School?, our Staff Bio Page, and Testimonials

Four Age Groups:

Little Goslings (4 & 5) Big Goslings (6 & 7) Wildlings (8-10) Wild Things (10-14)

Locations

Three Age Groups:
Little Goslings (4 & 5) Big Goslings (6 & 7) Wildlings (8-10)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there swimming at GOS camps?

No, Guelph Outdoor School Summer Sessions are not swimming camp, and do not have certified lifeguards. Our programs do include water play in stretches of the Eramosa river with a depth of up to 1 - 2 feet, staying in particularly shallow and heavily supervised stretches for younger participants. The river is for exploring, playing, keeping cool, looking for crayfish, etc. Our ratios are 5:1 with steady supervision with experienced instructors who do this for a living.

The Fine Print

We’re running 9 Weeks of Summer Sessions 2024 - here are the dates:
Week 1: July 2 to 5 [*4 day week*]
Week 2: July 8 to 12
Week 3: July 15 to 19
Week 4: July 22 to 26
Week 5: July 29 - Aug 2
Week 6: August 6 to 9 2024 [*4 day week*]
Week 7: August 12 to 16
Week 8: August 19 to 23
Week 9: Aug 26 - Aug 30

Cost of a full week of camp is $395.00 total •  Mutual Aid Options Available

Payment plans:  When checking out you can choose from the following payment options.

  1. Pay in full at time of checkout

  2. Pay $50 deposit per camp week.  Then pay 2 instalments - either May 1 & July 1 for camp weeks 1-5 or June 1 & Aug 1 for camp weeks 6-9

  3. Pay $50 deposit per camp week.  Then pay 3 instalments - either May 1, June 1, July 1 for camp weeks 1-5 or June 1, July 1, August 1 for camp weeks 6-9

Before and After Care is available between 8-8:30am and 4:30-5pm, with an additional fee:

Contact Sonia in the office to arrange scheduling and payment for before and aftercare.  

Cancellation Policy for Weeklong Camps: 

We ask that the first $50 of any registration be considered a non-refundable deposit. A full refund (minus deposit) can be issued if you cancel with 21 days notice or more, prior to the program start date.  Cancellations within 21 days of the start date of a camp week are non-refundable. 

Location changes or changes from one program date to another are charged 6% of the cost of the program to recover the associated administration fees.

Although we rarely need to do so, GOS reserves the right to cancel a program or change a program duration, tuition or location. The Guelph Outdoor School is not responsible for costs associated in these cases.  We reserve the right to withhold refunds if any duration of a program is cancelled due to inclement weather, or circumstances out of our control, which may include provincially mandated program/business closures.

Upon registration, each account owner / caregiver will receive an electronic parent welcome package with program details, which will include notes to support your child’s experience with GOS. It advises on considerations including:

• Food:
Please pack a full day of [litter-less] snacks and lunch for your young person. In our experience: unprocessed, low sugar foods will help keep kids going steady all day long.

• Water: Please equip your young person with a durable water bottle 1 litre minimum. Our level of activity requires lots of water. There will be extra water, and please still pack as if there weren’t!

• Clothing: make daily judgments on dressing well for the weather. Keep in mind that we don't have indoor space: just a small wall tent to get changed, etc. Long (and light) pants are great for avoiding bugs and scrapes. Kids love wading into the river, so water shoes and bathing suit is always good. Water shoes for river time as we cannot control what goes into the river, and broken glass is on ongoing concern. Provide sun gear, like a brimmed hat. The camp is run primarily in the shade of a cedar grove and can be a degree milder than out in the open, but we do get out on the land and into the sun. Labelled rain gear and a second set of clothes can be kept on site, at parent's own risk. We are unable to offer refunds if any duration of a program is cancelled due to inclement weather, or circumstances out of our control.

Participants MUST be at least 4 years of age on the first day of participation.