Thanks for an awesome week of wintertime fun at Winter Holiday Camp 2023. See you next year!

Junior and Senior Winter Holiday Camp is offered for full-week registration only (January 3-6, 2023, 9:30 AM-3:30 PM). Camp is offered for $372.00 for all four days.

This year, we are offering Kinder Camp for ages 4-6 years for half-day, morning sessions only. The cost for Kinder Camp is $200.00 for all four days (January 3-6, 2023, 9:30 AM-12:30 PM).

At the High Park Nature Centre, we want all kids to experience the joy that time in nature can bring and grow up with a connection to the natural world.

Given the High Park Nature Centre's desire to ensure that all kids get the chance to experience the joy that nature can bring we've launched a new pilot program called the Happy Camper Fund Bursary. This pilot program has been made possible thanks to a generous donor (that wishes to remain anonymous).

The High Park Nature Centre strives to ensure that all kids get the chance to experience the joy of nature. Thanks to a generous donor, we are able to provide our financial aid program called the Happy Camper Fund Bursary. If you would like to apply, please follow the link below.

Click here to apply to the Happy Camper Fund Bursary.

Click here to donate to the Happy Camper Fund.

For all programs, children MUST be of the minimum age of the program on or before the start of the program.

Kinder Camp: 4-6 years. Kinder Camp will run for two separate session. The morning session will run from 9:30 AM-12:30 PM and the afternoon session will run from 12:30-3:30PM each camp day.

Junior Camp: 6-8 years. Junior Camp will run from 9:30 AM-3:30 PM each camp day.

Senior Camp: 9-12 years. Senior Camp will run from 9:30 AM-3:30 PM each camp day.

All camp groups will spend lunch together (12 PM-1 PM), however, the remainder of the day will be spent separately.

Requests for cancellations or refunds must be made in writing and submitted to the High Park Nature Centre at info@highparknaturecentre.com.

• Requests for refunds made 14 or more days before the start of the program will receive a 90% refund (10% will be retained as an administration fee).
• Requests for refunds made less than 14 days before the start of the program will receive a 50% refund.
• Requests made less than 7 days before the start of the program will receive no refund.
• A doctor’s note may be required for cancellations due to medical reasons.
• Refunds are not granted for inclement weather.

If a program is full, you may choose to be added to the waitlist through our online system. When a space becomes available in a camp we will contact those on the waitlist by phone or email.

The High Park Nature Centre promotes awareness and respect for nature through year-round, hands-on outdoor nature education and park stewardship activities. We strongly believe that an important part of connecting with nature involves responsible, active outdoor play.

At Nature Centre programs, we do engage in activities such as playing in soil and getting dirty, climbing trees and balancing on logs. Our staff prioritizes safety by establishing clear guidelines with all participants. Children are encouraged to decide if/when they are ready to participate in these activities and are supervised throughout.

If you have questions or would like to talk with staff about your child's participation in active outdoor play, please talk with us.

Programs will proceed rain, snow or shine. Please be sure to dress your child appropriately for the weather as we will be outdoors for most of the activities. Indoor programs will be run in the case of severe inclement weather such as heavy rain, thunderstorms, snowstorms or high winds over 35 km per hour. If you have any questions please call our office at 416-392-1748.

At the High Park Nature Centre we strive to create a safe, inclusive environment for everyone. We want to work with children and parents/guardians to overcome challenging behaviours. Our staff use positive reinforcements, empowering language, and friendly reminders of what appropriate behaviour looks like, sounds like, and feels like. When conflicts arise, we guide children through conflict resolution discussions so they can develop empathy and interpersonal skills. When necessary, staff will discuss with parents/guardians strategies for improving behaviour.

However, in some cases a Program Coordinator may need to remove the child from the program. Parents/guardians will be asked to pick up the child immediately. A refund will not be given in this event. Examples of behaviour that will result in removal include (but are not limited to):

• violence to themselves or others,
• bullying,
• damaging property,
• refusing to follow safety rules,
• repeatedly running out of sight, or
• continued disruption of the program.

Cancellations due to COVID-19

We will continue to diligently follow and align our programming with Toronto Public Health guidelines for day camps. If sudden changes need to be made to the number of participants we can allow to gather outdoors, we will be in touch with as much forewarning as possible.

Unfortunately, due to our limited schedule and resources, we will not be refunding or able to accommodate make-up visits if you cannot attend due to personal reasons related to COVID-19. This includes the need to stay home as a precautionary measure if you or your participants are feeling ill, if you or your participant contracts COVID-19, or if a decision is made on your group’s behalf to not attend due to COVID-19.

In situations where the Nature Centre cancels a program due to staff availability issues, participants will be eligible for either a make-up visit or a refund for the cancelled visit. Please note, refunds do not apply to cancellations related to extreme weather – Please read our general cancellation policy for more information.

Should the Nature Centre need to cancel an in-person program due to government-implemented COVID-19 measures, we may give the option to move sessions online, or to receive a 90% refund (with 10% retained as an administrative fee.)