Get to Know Camp

Camp Food

Healthy, delicious, and local food is a high priority at camp. We provide plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, homemade baked goods, and, as much as possible, source locally grown foods, including from our own vegetable garden. Since year one, most of our meat and eggs have sourced from local, small-scale farms. Additionally, there are vegetarian options at every meal.

 

Our meals are served buffet-style so that kids/youth always have lots of choice for each meal. This includes a salad bar in which campers can choose from a variety of brightly coloured veggies, homemade salad dressings, and lots of greens. We have lots of “deconstructed” meals so picky eaters can eat only the foods that they like!

 

Snacks are served between meals and before bed.

Examples of meals:

Breakfast: Oatmeal, Eggs, Toast, Pancakes, Cereal, Sausage, Fruits

Lunch and Suppers: Salad Bar, Sandwiches, Quesadillas, Tacos, Soup, Chicken, Roasted Vegetables, Burgers, Pizza, Hummus, Spaghetti

Snacks and desserts: Fruit, crackers/cheese, homemade cookies and muffins, brownies, etc.

Sleeping Arrangements

All campers sleep in our cozy bunkhouse. There are two wings, each with 4 camper rooms, a full bathroom with showers, and a private staff bedroom. Seven campers can sleep in a room. Each room is assigned a “room leader”. This is a camp counselor who comes in at bedtime to help with the transition to sleep. They work with their room group to come up with night time rituals such as reading a chapter book, doing light stretches, chatting about their day, doing guided meditations, etc. This is a special part of camp for many kids!

 

Sleeping in a room full of kids is very different from a bedroom at home! There can be lots of different noises – snoring, whispering, getting up to use the bathroom, etc. If your child is a light sleeper we recommend coming up with a sleep plan ahead of time. This could be talking with your child about strategies to help them fall asleep or even introducing a white noise machine to their room in the weeks leading up to camp.

 

Some campers enjoy making a cozy “nook” in a bottom bunk by tucking a sheet or light blanket under the top mattress. This makes a dark little cave and can block out noise and shifting lights. If your child would benefit from this, please send along an extra sheet or light blanket and instruct them to grab a bottom bunk!

Camp Activities

Echo Pond includes a wide variety of activities and lots of opportunity for choice. Every day of camp, campers can sign up for skill sessions, which are short, interest-based activities that allow them to explore new skills or dive deeper into things they love. Each year, we introduce brand new activities, so no two summers feel the same.

Camp activities generally fall into four categories:

  1. Outdoor Adventure (e.g. orienteering, map and compass, shelter building, outdoor cooking, whittling, archery)
  2. Arts and Crafts (e.g. painting, writing, and drawing outdoors; natural dyeing; mobiles; bracelets)
  3. Nature Discovery (e.g. edible plant walks, observing nature using your senses, “magic spots”)
  4. Being Active (e.g. swimming, canoeing, hiking, group games)

In addition to skill sessions, there are lots of classic camp experiences like campfires, music, storytelling, scavenger hunts, a talent show, and other fun surprises. Campers also have access to sports equipment and games during free time, as well as our beautiful vegetable garden, where they can help harvest vegetables for meals.

Every week of camp is different. Some skill sessions depend on weather and group interest, and we follow the flow of the group whenever possible. We are always on the lookout for spontaneous camp magic.

Please note that some activities, such as whittling, archery, and outdoor cooking, do not take place during Junior Camp (ages 7–9).

The Importance of Unstructured Outdoor Play

Alongside planned activities, unstructured outdoor play is a core value at Echo Pond. We strongly believe that free play, especially outdoors, is essential for children’s physical, emotional, and social development. This type of play is often lacking in children’s everyday lives, and we intentionally provide as much of it as possible at camp.

This can look like relaxing in hammocks, making up their own games, exploring “Fern Gully” and building small forts, chatting with friends, or following their curiosity wherever it leads. This kind of play supports creativity, problem solving, confidence, emotional regulation, and social connection in ways that structured activities alone cannot.

Our staff are always nearby to ensure safety and inclusion, while still giving campers the space to direct their own play, negotiate ideas, and learn from one another. Often, this is where the most meaningful moments of camp happen.