Environment & Lake Safety Education
Cow Island Day Camp includes a curriculum developed by an educator. Kids participate in carefully crafted activities to foster learning and curiosity related to the lake environment and lake safety such as: identification of indigenous and invasive species, life jacket safety and activities that raise awareness of fire risk and fire safety. Check out more about these enriching experiences.
Our island is our playground and learning space. The campers are taught to respect it - why we cannot harm plants and trees and why we cannot catch all the crayfish, hurt bugs or chase squirrels. We rotate content daily, but repeat weekly. Daily favorites include predator and prey, flower scavenger hunts and crayfish identification.
Species Identification
One of our most popular activities is species identification. Here a group of counsellors and campers are exploring the local crayfish species.
They start by creating a comfortable and appropriate environment for the species. They learn how to carefully catch and observe crayfish. Using printed and laminated charts, they identify the specific species and gender.
Water Safety
Younger campers wear life jackets, as part of their water safety practice. All campers are monitored for comfort and ability near water.
Water safety is huge for us. At the start of the summer, all volunteers and counsellors are led through a workshop on dock and boat safety and “how to lifeguard” basics. While we ensure a core staff of certified lifeguards are on premises at all times, we teach all counsellors to monitor small groups while keeping an eye on the balance of kids. We have safe toys for water play and areas designated for levels of interest and ability. Most importantly, we take the role of “dock bouncer” seriously. Each counsellor takes a rotation guarding the dock with a list of those that need life jackets to walk on it. That awareness and constant monitoring is key.
We also teach the campers about proper procedures around shoal markers. We identify shallow areas using mapping activities to show the importance of boat safety and the value of shoal markers in helping us keep safe.
Nature Appreciation & Engagement
Our nature station specifically focuses on activities such as finding rare leaves and plants or identifying indigenous and invasive species – spotting them on the island in a “hide and seek” format. Here we also use laminated sheets to enhance the educational experience.
One of the regular stations of activities is “challenge”, which always involves using nature in a safe way to promote biodiversity awareness. The challenge station involves using natural tools on the island to complete a task - fort building, tallest tower, bridges, fire pit design. Here campers used fallen tree branches to create a stable structure that can bear weight.
We teach fire awareness in conjunction with wind patterns along with fire safety tips including how to control a fire and when to ask for help
Other activities include flower pressing, bark and leaf rubbing for identification, bug charts and natural scavenger hunts. Mapping is an important skill we embed into the various stations too - campers draw proper maps of the landscape and then use them in other activities.
Youth Counsellor Development
Counsellors debrief and learn each morning and afternoon. During the end of day sessions, we often invite guest speakers (BRLA members) to share their expertise in mini-training sessions. We have provided training on: first aid, water testing (Water Rangers), science and biodiversity, boat use and safety along with tips on how to improve the experience for diverse campers.
