Jimmy Vincent, Camp Director/Outdoor Education Instructor
Hello Parents and Guardians
Here at the Humber Arboretum's Nature Camp we strive to provide your child with fun and experiential activities that help to develop a sense of wonder, and foster a deeper connection with the natural world. The Humber Arboretum is located on 250 acres of beautiful urban green space nestled along the West branch of the Humber River. Humber Arboretum nature camps run out of the Centre for Urban Ecology, Ontario's only Platinum certfied EcoCentre!
Through a combination of songs, natural crafts, hikes, and ecologically focused games and activities we try our best to send your children home exhausted and full of knowledge!
Seeing the smiles on children’s faces when they are rolling logs, building shelters, feeding chickadees, or simply interacting with nature is one of the greatest gifts one can receive. It is for this reason that myself and the team at the Humber Arboretum are so passionate about connecting children to the outdoors to ensure that children never forget why nature is so important in our lives.
Mental health issues like anxiety and depression are on the rise in our youth. Research shows that with advances in technology activities that require direct focus (TV, tablets, smartphones, video games etc.) are increasing. These activities are not necessarily bad; they simply are very stressful on the brain as it has to work very hard to focus, extract, and retain the constant bombardment of information. Nature plays an important role in counteracting this stress.
Experiencing nature gives the brain time to relax because it is not being forced to focus on anything in particular. In the natural world the brain is free to wander from one point of focus to another and enjoy the beauty of nature without the need to extract information. Simply put, nature is essential in providing balance in our technologically advanced society.
So if you are looking for a beautiful place where your child can experience the healing powers of the outdoors while exploring rivers, ponds, meadows, forests, wetlands, and gardens, then this is the perfect camp for you!
All at the Humber Arboretum "Where Learning is Natural"