City of Ottawa offers plenty of camp options
Energetic, entertaining, educational and most of all, fun – if you’re searching for a March Break camp for your child, check out what the City of Ottawa has to offer. “We’ve got a huge variety of camps from east to west for four to 14-year olds,” says Carly Haydt, recreation supervisor with the City of Ottawa. “There’s something that will appeal to many interests.” Most community centres will offer general interest camps that include sports, crafts and supervised outings. Haydt says that the larger facilities will offer all the camps, while smaller community centres might offer just one. “Sometimes it’s easier for younger children to experience a camp in a smaller facility,” says Haydt, “especially if it’s the first time they’ve been at a March break camp.” And Haydt wants to remind parents that the camp staff is trained in CPR, have had police checks and have gone through the High Five program to understand the principles of child development.
First-time camps this year include puppetry, circus arts and a hockey game play camp. “We’re excited about these camps,” says Haydt. “The puppetry camp will appeal to the artists out there and the circus arts will include tumbling, acrobatics and juggling – great for an energetic child.” Haydt says that the hockey game play camp is just that – simply playing for fun. “Think of it being a hockey pick-up game but for kids.” The games will be determined by age and ideal for any budding hockey lover. For the tech-minded child, the city has partnered with Future Kids Ottawa for exciting programs. “This is perfect for any child that likes programming and games, like Minecraft or Block-based EV3 programming,” says Haydt. “Campers will be doing variables and learn about electronic components.” For older children, there are Lego Robotics camps where they’ll learn how to build robots using motors and gears.
Is there a budding artist in the family? Then make sure you check out the Leonardo camp. “This is not only about painting and drawing, but about science and nature,” says Haydt, “just like Leonard Da Vinci.” Budding film makers can learn about animation, hand-drawing, Claymation and painted film using cameras to create a short film. For active children, the gymnastic Ninja obstacle camp might be just the thing. Think Ninja warriors, says Haydt – a lot of fun and very active. And don’t forget the numerous hockey camps. “Most of these are instructional,” says Haydt, “and they cover off everything from learning better skills in general, to camps just for goalies.” The camps also offer inclusive integration for special needs children. “Our staff provides extra support so special needs children can be accommodated in just about every camp.”
Haydt says that for the first time this year in Orleans, daily registration will be offered. There are still spaces available, but Haydt suggests signing up soon. Visit www.ottawa.ca/recreation or drop into your local community or recreation centre to sign up.
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