Weekly Themes (Updated May 7)

*All activities and trips differ by age group and are subject to change without notice as needed.

Week One: July 2 – 5 All About the Elements Week (Closed July 1)

Campers will have the chance to explore artistic elements, and get creative, channelling their energy into various creative outlets and experiences! Campers will be encouraged to bring their creativity to each day, and will be invited to express their artistic side through movement, literacy, visual arts, and architecture. A Special Visitor will join us, to takes on an exploration of our creative brains, and we will also spend a day exploring emotions to engage our scientific brain! We only ask that you bring an open mind, and join us for a week of inspiring activities! Activities: Play with Clay, Picasso Masks, Zentangle Gardens, Potential Field Trip and more! (Activities vary by age and group choices.)
– Junior Explorers Activity Calendar
– Senior Activity Calendar

Week Two: July 8 – 12 – Earth H2O

Set sail with Camp Waterdown this week, as we explore the Earth’s ecosystems and environments! With a focus on H2O, campers will get the chance to explore all that Earth has to offer, and learn how they can help protect Earth’s ecosystems! Campers should bring their intuitive and questioning minds this week, and will explore all that Earth has to give, through inquiry and exploration. Together, campers can expect a week of wet and wild scientific discovery, and adventures in our local ecosystems! Bring your inquisitive minds, and prepare to trial-and-error our way to learning about some of Earth’s most interesting (and unknown!) ecosystems! Activities: Tie Dye, Sand Clay Prints, Underwater Dioramas and Volcanoes, Water Balloon Yoyos, potential Field Trip and more! (Activities vary by age and group choices.)
– Junior Explorers Activity Calendar
– Senior Activity Calendar

Week Three: July 15 – 19 – Mission:Celebration

Have you ever wondered what else is on our planet? How other families live? What traditions other cultures have? And how did we get from where humans started, to where we are now? During this week of camp, we will be discussing all this and more!! Campers will be journeying through space and through time, taking a look close to home, and out into the world. We will spend our days at camp learning about the different families and cultures within our local community, and further out into the world, using a variety of senses and inquiry-methods. Each day will be like stepping onto a plane, into a time machine, or into a friend’s home, as we celebrate different families and cultures through time, and through location. Each camper is unique, and Camp Waterdown is looking to celebrate our diversity, and the diverse world we live in, so join us this week for a celebration of us! Activities: Fingerprint Necklaces, Language Learning Trivia, Community Walk, Self-Portraits, Special Guest and more! (Activities vary by age and group choices.)
– Junior Explorers Activity Calendar
– Senior Activity Calendar

Week Four: July 22 – 26 – Out of this World

Imagine a world with no questions left to answer, no scientific discoveries left to make and no more technological advancements. Think about a place where everything is understood, and learning is never-ending. While we are years away from a world like that, Camp Waterdown hopes to enhance our understanding of a scientific world this week! Come with us as we jump on a rocket ship, hop into a submarine, or shrink ourselves down in size! Using science, technology and math, campers this week will get to ask questions, and discover answers! Working together to solve problems through trial and error, campers will explore who, what, where, when, why and how! Join us as we answer the questions of the universe! Activities: Slime, Ballon Space Rovers, Magic Stars, Walking Rainbow, Space Jam, Special Guest, Solar Oven Smores and more! (Activities vary by age and group choices.)
– Junior Explorers Activity Calendar
– Senior Activity Calendar

Week Five: July 29 – August 2 – Camp Camouflage

Camp Waterdown is taking on a new name this week, as we explore all that the natural world has to offer! Join us this week for Camp Camouflage, where we take summer camp seriously! This week children will have the opportunity to use their inquiry skills and natural curiosity to investigate the nature that surrounds them! Spending as much time outdoors this week, camper’s will be able to learn about the various plants and animals in the ecosystems that surround camp, and explore other environments through our special activities this week! We are excited to unplug from technology, and spend some time this week reconnecting with the natural world, while engaging in fun and stimulating activities, to spark the creative and outdoorsy side of us all! Activities: Sunprints, Forest School, Animal Habitats, Nature Weaving, Stick Rafts, Special Reptile Guest Daytime Camp-out and more! (Activities vary by age and group choices.)
– Junior Explorers Activity Calendar
– Senior Activity Calendar

Week Six: August 6 – 9 – Legends un the Limelight (Closed August 5)

3, 2, 1! ACTION! Join Camp Waterdown this week as we explore our favourite superheroes, princesses, cartoon characters, singers and movie stars! On top of our favourite stars, campers will also explore the performing arts, developing an understanding of costume design, directing, acting and performing on stage! Campers will have the opportunity to find their niche, discover what part of a crew they would most like to be apart of, and learn what goes into a production! Together, we will use inquiry and discovery skills understand human movement to produce choreographed dances and movie scenes, unleash our creative writing skills, and show off our individual talents! Activities: Circus Masks, Tik-Tok Like Challenges, Create Comedic Videos, Clowning Around, Special Guest and more! (Activities vary by age and group choices.)
– Junior Explorers Activity Calendar
– Senior Activity Calendar

Week Seven: August 12 – 16 – Active Bodies, Active Minds

Camp Waterdown is calling all athletes this week, as we explore movement, exercise and wide variety of sports! Campers will have the opportunity to explore some of their favourite sports, and try out some sports they might not have tried before! Camp Waterdown will also encourage movement through dance, yoga, and other exercise types. If you have ever wanted to explore how the human body moves in creative, artistic, athletic and safe ways, then this is the week for you! Not only will we explore physical movement, but activities will also focus on the science of movement, and learning which forces act on our bodies to help us move in specific ways! Activities: Ninja Obstacle Course, Soccer / Flag Football Scrimmage, potential Field Trip, Relay Races, Play Ball! and more! (Activities vary by age and group choices.)
– Junior Explorers Activity Calendar
– Senior Activity Calendar

Week Eight: August 19 – 23 – Adventure Academy

Camp Waterdown is going big at home this week! Join us for our final week at camp, while we explore our local community! This week, campers will be joined by community members, highlighting all our community has to offer! Campers will also get the chance to explore our community through walking day trips to various popular community locations! We are ending the summer with a fan favourite field trip, to say farewell with a bang! Activities: Archery, Geocaching, Sports, Special Guest and more! (Activities vary by age and group choices.)
– Junior Explorers Activity Calendar
– Senior Activity Calendar

Scroll or click back to the top of the page to see the other tabs.

Anaphylaxis and Medication Forms

Does your child require an Anaphylaxis Emergency Plan and/or Epi-Pen* or other Medical Forms?

If Yes, Please download and prepare a new Anaphylaxis Emergency Plan (will open in a separate window) – or contact us regarding Medical Needs – and submit to us 2 weeks or more in advance of your child’s attendance. Provision of your child’s own prescribed Epi-Pen labelled by the pharmacy with the child’s name will be required upon first day of attendance. [All our staff are required to review, and it is posted in all our serving and food preparation areas.]
DOWNLOAD NOW

If applicable, attendance is not permitted until we receive and review your plan.

If your plan includes prescription and non-prescription medications or procedures in addition to an Epi-Pen, then we will also require an original Medical Practitioner signed instruction note (otherwise our staff cannot administer additional measures).
Scroll or click back to the top of the page to see the other tabs.

Policy Summary

• Only Canadian residents with up-to-date compulsory immunizations, or a certified exemption, can be accepted at our program.
• Children, families and staff can choose to wear medical masks at any time.  We do encourage children who are ill to be kept at home to help prevent the spread of infections (which could cause unexpected group cancellations due to lack of staffing).
• If a full camp week is cancelled before starting due to requirement by the City of Hamilton Health Unit or the Province of Ontario, full payment for the week will be refunded.
• We can not refund for any illness, voluntary absences, cancellations or withdrawals.
• We may offer children a space in a closely-aged mixed grouping (either younger or more senior to their usual age group). This normally means that Grade 1 – 2’s can be grouped in a Junior Explorer Program group, or JK/SKs can be grouped in a younger Senior Adventurers group if required to fill our capacity or to meet educator to child ratios. Mixed age groups also occur naturally in the Extended Care Hours program at the beginning and ending of each day as children are dropped off and picked up before the main program.
• Although we can’t guarantee the exact age range, our experienced adult leaders ensure that all children are appropriately placed and engaged in the programming at their level, and it is a perfect placement for siblings wishing to be in the same group.
• We are unable to offer “friend” or “staff leader” placement requests. We will be able to offer sibling placement requests only if their ages allow us to do so.
• We have established guidelines for behavioural conduct of staff, parents and children with specific remedies that may include required withrawal from the program. These can be found in our Parent Handbook.

Payments

Payment is required in full upon registration and in advance of attendance.

Payments will be accepted by PayPal (Credit or VISA Debit cards) or INTERAC eMail Money Transfer.

No refunds will be offered for cancellations after payment (special circumstances can be reviewed by request).

Split payments can only be received by INTERAC Email Money transfer and must be fully memoed with Child Name and Program Name. We will only issue separate receipts to payees if arranged in advance and only where a child resides at more than one location during the period of care. All payments will be final except as noted.

Families require alternative payment options should contact our registration team at register@campwaterdown.com

Some families may be eligible for care subsidization through the City of Hamilton.

Instructions for Payments will also be sent to you by email upon placement and available in your Family Registration page.

All registrations (paid or not) are tentative pending program approval by the Ministry of Education, HWDSB, The City of Hamilton and other related authorities.

Changes

We can not “exchange” weeks if those weeks are sold out.

 Please be aware that restrictions, additional fees and no-refund policy will apply.  Camp Staff will not be able to make changes for you although they must be contacted by phone for any daily absences or questions or information sharing needed that may affect your child’s well-being at camp.  We require written instructions in advance for any new alternative pick-up arrangements not noted in your registration as per our Safe Arrivals Policy. Camp Staff will report on your child’s day when asked by phone or upon pickup. We do not accept absence notifications by email.

Refunds

• Should a Full Program Week be cancelled in advance due to a requirement by the Minister of Education, the Hamilton-Wentworth School Board or Hamilton Public Health, then we will refund your paid fee for that week in full.
• You must pay the balance of your fee upon registration or within 2 business days of registration, addition, or after offer of placement from our Wait List.
• No refunds are offered for voluntary cancellation of your registration unless approved by the Executive Director of the program for limited reasons.
• No discount or refund is given for partial week attendance.
• Credits or refunds are not given for late cancellations, late arrival, early departure, illness, absences, dismissal, or program / facility closures due to emergency, weather.
• Credits or refunds are not given for absence due to any personal occurrence of communicable illnesses or parasites (cold, flu, chicken pox, mumps, lice, etc.), elective or scheduled medical/dental reasons.
• Cancellations due to serious and unexpected emergency medical reason (requiring hospitalization or affecting ambulatory mobility and ability to participate) for all programs are subject to the Executive Director’s approval and receipt of an original and verifiable doctor’s letter.
• Insufficient Funds Returns are subject to a $50 administrative fee.
• Any refunds granted will be returned within 4 weeks time.

Please understand that the financial obligations of Camp Waterdown / WDCC (a registered charity and not-for-profit organization, are fixed for each program and the withdrawal of a camper does not lessen our operating expenses.

Camp Waterdown (WDCC) reserves the right to terminate the registration of or to withdraw a child from program participation at any time, at the Program Director or Executive Director’s discretion, in the interest of the child and / or the Camp Waterdown (WDCC) program. In the case of temporary withdrawal or permanent termination of a registrant’s participation, an affected child in attendance will remain in care until safely discharged to the designated parent or guardian. In such cases, a proportional refund for full days terminated will be considered.
Scroll or click back to the top of the page to see the other tabs.

Wait List Policy

Space in our programs is limited (and we adhere to Ministry guidelines for safe and effective Adult/Child ratios, as well as any restrictions imposed by Hamilton City Health Department guidance).

We reserve the right to cancel and refund paid enrolments if an accidental overbooking or program cancellation occurs.

Wait List priority is not guaranteed as we do not take deposits until space if offered for acceptance. Our Wait List is reviewed using our existing Priority Placement Protocol (that favours existing client families) among other considerations, as well as any optional considerations provided by the Ministry of Education or Hamilton Public Health. We will only contact you when we are able to offer you a space but that can occur right up to the Friday before the start of the Camp Week in some cases.

Registration Process

Prior Camp Waterdown Registrants / Members

You will be familiar with our system from past program enrolments, and all are started from the Child Records & Program Registration Tab in your Family Registration page.

Your prior registration information from the past year is held in our system to make registration for multiple programs easier but must be reviewed annually and you may receive a warning asking you to do so before completing your registration.

 New Registrants

Our process is a little different than a standard Online Cart system as we collect the entire registration and safety information in a series of three steps.

The registration process consists of these steps:

1. Login or Create a New Membership (using the last Tab on this page).
2. Create or Review and submit a Parent Record and then add Child Record(s) from your Family Registration page
3. Use the Program Registration links that will appear next to your child’s name in your Family Registration page.

Please proceed to the “START REGISTRATION” Tab to the left.

If you have any questions email register@campwaterdown.com

Scroll or click back to the top of the page to see the other tabs.

Start Your Online Registration

Use this form to begin your registration if you do not already have a Parent Record and Child Record in a Family Registration page (this would normally be WDCC Pre-School Graduating Families who DO NOT have older children in one of our School Age programs). If confused or stuck, please email register@campwaterdown.com for further guidance.