Everything you need to know before your kid spends their days outside with us. If something isn't answered here, send us an email and we'll sort it out.
A relaxed, supervised outdoor camp with plenty of time for exploring, creating, playing and making new friends. Days are loosely structured. Kids hike, get to know the plants and animals around them, make nature art, and fill the rest of the day with free play, stories, songs and outdoor adventure games.
Along the way they might pick up a few skills like knot tying, map reading or building a shelter, but there's no pressure. Nature Camp is the more laid-back side of AIL. Kids get to follow their curiosity and build a real connection to the parks in their own community.
Lots of unstructured time outside. Building forts, digging, climbing, imagining. This is where a lot of the best moments happen.
Short hikes around the park, looking for birds, bugs and tracks, and learning what grows where.
Nature art, stories, songs and games. Kids get creative with whatever the park has to offer.
Both weeks meet at McArthur Island Park, by the Kamloops Sport Council. Your pre-camp email will have a Google Maps link to the exact meeting spot.
Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 3:00 pm
Monday to Thursday, 8:30 am to 3:00 pm
Every day looks a little different depending on the weather and what the group is into. Here's roughly how it flows.
A parent or caregiver needs to sign your child in and out every day. It's also the best time to check in with the coach.
Your child carries their own bag all day, so pack it with them and make sure they can carry it comfortably. Label everything.
Send clothes that can get wrecked. Kids will be sitting in the grass, digging in the dirt and splashing through puddles. Spring in Kamloops means cold mornings and warm afternoons, so layers are everything.
Kids have a lot of freedom to play at Nature Camp, so we set clear boundaries and teach them to look out for themselves and each other.
One coach for every 8 kids. Our lead coach on site has current first aid, and every group carries a first aid kit and a phone to call for help.
McArthur Island sits right by the river. Kids only go near the water's edge with a coach, and never go in.
Kids stay inside set boundaries and always have a buddy. On day one we teach whistle signals and what to do if they ever get separated.
Spring is tick season in Kamloops. Coaches do tick checks during the day. Please do a full check at home every evening too, especially the hairline, behind the ears and waistband.
On day one we talk about the animals that live in the park and what to do if we see one. We look, learn, and leave them be.
Tell us about allergies, medication or anything else we should know when you register, and remind your coach on day one. Kids with an EpiPen keep it on them.
We go over these together on the first morning. It helps a lot if you read them with your child before camp.
No put-downs. Include everyone, cheer each other on, and keep language kind.
Look closely, touch gently, and leave plants and critters where we found them.
Leave no trace. Pack out what we bring in, and leave every spot as good as we found it.
Stay inside the boundaries, stick with your buddy, and stop when you hear the whistle.
Coaches always try to redirect first, and it almost never goes past step one.
We head out in rain, wind and cold. When kids are dressed for it, they have a great time in all of it. If conditions turn unsafe, like lightning or high winds, we adapt.
We do our best not to cancel, and we'll move camp indoors when we can. If we do have to cancel, we try to make the call the night before, and you'll always hear from us at least 1 hour before camp starts.
Wildfire smoke and extreme heat are covered in our cancellation policy. If a camp day is lost to smoke or heat, you'll get an 85% program credit.
Nature Camp is more relaxed, with more free play, exploring and creating. Bushcraft & Beyond spends more time on outdoor skills and hands-on challenges. Both are full days outside.
No. Nature Camp is made for kids of every comfort level outside.
We split kids into smaller groups for different activities, based on who's registered that week. Everyone still comes together for circles, games and lunch.
We go out anyway. Rain is part of it. Send a waterproof jacket and a change of clothes, and we'll keep everyone moving and warm. If conditions are unsafe, we adapt, and we move camp indoors when we can.
No. Please pack a lunch and two snacks, plus more than you think they'll need. We're an allergy-aware camp.
Your pre-camp email will have a Google Maps link to the exact location.
We do our best to put kids with their friends. Just let us know who.
Yes. Tell us everything we need to know when you register so we can best support your child. If your child has extra support at school, has an IEP, or there's any other helpful information we can use to make camp exceptional for them, please share it.
Yes. Check out our Kamloops summer camps.
Everything you need to know is in our cancellation policy.
We'd much rather you ask than wonder. Send us a note and we'll get back to you.
Email us Cancellation policy