Congratulations on being a part of
GOS Summer Sessions this July and August.

We are committed to providing a positive and unique experience for your child.
This package supplies parents and caregivers with important information to help create a positive, safe, and magical time in the woods

Quick Reference: key information

For camp & program related communications
contact Program Director Chris Green @ 519-400-9507 | connect@theguelphoutdoorschool.com

For any and all account or payment related communications contact admin@theguelphoutdoorschool.com.

If you know in advance your child will be absent, late or need any early pick-up;
please contact the Site Manager as indicated in your Welcome Email which arrives the week prior to your scheduled camps start.

The Old Stone Road Bridge takes us from the parking lot @ 733 Stone Rd to our Outdoor Clossroom.

Location and Timing

Stone Road Site. 733 Stone Rd. Click Here for Directions. Please use the parking lot @ 733 Stone Rd East.

Eramosa Eden Site. 8178 Indian Trail, Guelph/Eramosa Click Here for Directions.

Drop-Off is between 8:30 am - 9am.

Pick-Up begins at 3:50pm (all participants must be picked up no later than 4:30.)

Each location has an assigned a site manager, which will be indicated in your pre-camp welcome email sent out the week prior to each week-long camp session. The Site Manager will be your contact for any late drop-offs, early pick-ups, or important / timely day-of communications.

Lunch, Snacks and Water

Food: Please pack a full day of (litter-less) snacks and lunch for the child in your care.

In our experience, unprocessed, low sugar / high protein options will help keep kids going steady all day long.

Water: Please equip your child with a durable, labelled water bottle 1 litre minimum. Depending on your child’s needs, 2 water bottles may be better.

Keep try to keep it litter-less and limit disposable (one time use) bottled water.

Our level of activity and full immersion in the elements requires lots of water. We do have additional water fill up stations available, but please still pack as if there weren’t!

Unless otherwise notified, nuts and seeds can be brought as food items. Please remind your child(ren) that they are not to share any food with other campers.

Clothing & Sun Protection

Footwear:

Kids love wading into the river, water shoes and bathing suit are strongly recommended. Water shoes are essential for river play as we cannot control what goes into the river, and broken glass has been a concern.

Note: We are not a swimming camp, and the river is shallow. But it's fun to hunt for bugs and cool off in the water.

For everything else, running shoes or light hikers are a wise choice. Rubber boots for chilly rainy days make a lot of sense.

Clothing:

Please make daily judgment calls on dressing for the weather

Consider sun gear, like a brimmed hat. The camp is run primarily in the shade of a cedar grove and can be milder than out in the sun, but we do get out on the land and into the sun.

Long (and light) pants are great for avoiding bugs and scrapes in the woods, and protecting against sun in the open.

Packing rain gear is always a good precaution. When the rain comes, kids will often make shelters from tarps and ropes provided. A second set of clothes is always good weather they get soaked by rain, or fall in some muck.

Sunscreen:

If parents want their child wearing sunscreen, we ask that it be applied prior to arrival. Staff may not feel comfortable applying sunscreen but will regularly prompt participants to re-apply throughout the day / as needed.

Health & Safety

Ticks are increasingly found in Southern Ontario. As such, we recommend doing a nightly tick check with your child. If a tick is discovered, staff will make immediate contact with you to decide together how to proceed. It is GOS policy that staff do not remove embedded ticks because of medical concerns around proper removal and testing. Please refer to the Ontario Guide on Ticks and Lyme Disease for more facts and safety procedures.

Inclement Weather: GOS staff have been trained in identifying the safest places for participants in all types of inclement weather. Recognizing that we do not have an indoor space, parents are welcome to decide, case by case, whether to pick up the children early. Make contact with your Site Manager for early pick-ups.

Illness
If your child has any communicable disease (pink eye, chickenpox, viral infection, etc.), please refrain from bringing your child to camp while they are symptomatic

Knife work & Carving is a natural interest for kids and adults. Working with knives together normalizes responsible use.. Kids feel a sense of self-esteem and competence when they are offered the opportunity to use this basic tool. Carving projects also build the capacity for sustained focus, fine motor skills, spatial awareness….and basic first aid :)

Tools

Programs with participants 8 years or older can bring tools, a knife and/or fire making gear. These items are not required, though for older groups, they are allowed. Goslings programs do not allow for knife use, and fire making tools are not needed.

Knife Guidelines:

• Blade approx. as long as the user’s hand is wide.

• Either fixed blade (non-folding & with sheath) or folding with a locked blade. Swiss army knives are not acceptable carving knives.

• Knife use requires respecting our agreements, and instructors reserve the right to take possession of a knife for the remainder of a day in response to unsafe use.

• If you are choosing to send a knife with your child, please check in staff on the first day, show the tool.

Participant Conduct

We strive to maintain an atmosphere of mutual care, respect, and safety throughout the summer, and in all of our programs. We ask that the following guidelines are reviewed with your child(ren).

Respect for other’s feelings and property
Cooperation with each other
Listen to group leaders
No aggressive behaviour or abusive language
Communicate with a group leader if someone is bothering/upsetting you

Staff will use approaches that are positive, supportive, consistent, proactive and based on logical consequences and will reach out to a caregiver when/if needed. Please let us know of any family or behavioural concerns. Staff will make every effort to accomodate participant needs, however, GOS reserves the right to withdraw your child from a camp program should their behaviour jeopardize the physical safety and security of themselves, participants, staff or property.

Build this into your school year.

GOS Summer Sessions are a great way for a child to spend their days in summer. If you notice that your child benefits from time in our programs - consider continuing on a weekly basis, during the school year. Our weekly outdoor immersion and mentorship programs help kids create lasting and meaningful relationships - with themselves, other kids, mentors, and the natural world.

GOS weekly (school year) programs start on the second week of September and mirror the school year, ending in June. There are weekly program options for all ages, and we know that regular participation in nature immersion programs throughout the year leads to big benefits on all the metrics: social, physical, emotional, spiritual, and academic. Give it some thought. Over 3oo families take part in our weekly programs during the school year.

This is for everyone. Mutual Aid @ GOS

Guelph Outdoor School is gives you the ability to help change the story on who accesses vitally important nature immersion programs.

GOS commits to Mutual Aid because we know that nature connection is only worth doing if everyone has a seat by the fire. And we know we can’t depend solely on the systems in place to ensure that everyone gets what they need.

To donate directly to the Guelph Outdoor School one-time or monthly, here's the link

If you require a tax receipt, here is the link to our project with the Small Change Fund. They will send you a tax receipt, and the donation comes straight to us to help kids get outside.

donate directly (no tax receipt)

donate and receive a tax receipt