Child 1 Age 8 - 16 (Female)
Program(s) focused in Adventure (multi), Wilderness Skills, Arts (multi)
(5) Overall experience
My daughter loves Camp Oconto. She is a very artsy kid and she loves crafts, dancing, performing, and singing with her friends at camp. She has learned to live in a vibrant community with girls and young women of diverse ages, backgrounds, and abilities. She has acquired amazing communication skills at camp.
My daughter is fearful of swimming. Every year at Camp Oconto she has been gently coached to grow her skills and confidence in the water. She has even been brave enough to try white water paddling courses and go on longer canoe trips where her skills as a swimmer are essential.
(5) Reason for choosing the camp
I was looking for an outdoor adventure camp in the wilderness like the one I grew up attending. While the costs of Oconto are high, I have made the sacrifices to prioritize camp as an important foundation for my kids.
The collaborative learning, the lifelong friendships, the values of living in harmony with nature, the digital detox, and the character-building are all examples of why I make this choice for my kids each summer.
(5) Program quality and activities
I love that swimming and canoeing are part of daily life at Oconto. My daughter spent her early years rock climbing at camp and later shifted more time to artistic pursuits. She loved playing a role in the musical this year. It prepared her well for the musical she performed in at school this fall. She spent hours being creative in dance and special arts and crafts at camp. And she gained more confidence singing with others and solo at camp.
(5) Social dynamics and experience
My daughter has camp friendships that are strong and consistent year to year. They aren’t the closest bonds she has but that has been a great learning experience too. She can be friendly with everyone without having an exclusive group that she must always be with. Through her years at Camp Oconto, I have seen her improve her skills in communicating her needs and desires, sharing a potentially unpopular or difficult perspective with kindness and calm, and just going with the flow to enjoy the summer together. These are essential life skills that she has practiced at camp.
(5) Skills and growth
My daughter has learned so many skills at Camp Oconto. From collaborative problem-solving on canoe trips or in small group life, to dancing, singing, drawing and painting. She is a strong paddler now and though she is still nervous as a swimmer, she has grown her confidence and skills a lot. Her leadership and communication skills have strengthened at camp every year.
(5) Staff/Instructors/Counsellors
I have been so impressed with the caliber of staff at Oconto. They are well trained, they are approachable and responsible and they lead by example. Every counsellor has been an excellent communicator. This is why my daughter would love to be on the staff team at Oconto. The care and compassion shown to each child is amazing.
(5) Preparation and packing
Oconto has a great packing list. After a few years, my daughter could pack her own bag for camp. She learned quickly how to create a cozy environment for herself at camp. She does not go over the top with glitz and glam and feels entirely respected in her minimalist cabin setup. The point of being at camp is to simplify daily life and she takes that seriously!
(5) Advice and tips
Trust that your kids will be well surrounded at camp. Every experience is rich with learning about life. Kids need to have new and different experiences to know themselves and what they are capable of. Camp Oconto is a gentle stretch where kids get to grow and develop in a safe and fun way every day. It is worth so much to us as a family and even more to us as a society, in my opinion.
I attended Camp Oconto for ten years from age seven to 16 and I now send my two daughters there. Oconto has offered myself and my daughters tremendous joy, friendship, and community. I gained indepe...
Our daughter has been attending Camp Oconto for over a decade both as a camper and staff member. Summer is her favourite time of year. The traditional camp skills she has gained such as expertly paddl...
Both of my daughters were nervous and apprehensive about going to camp the first time. After the first year, I will never forget picking them up and one of them didn't really want to come home! That w...
