Camp Big Canoe loves being a small and tightly knit camp community!
This gives us the opportunity to participate in special Camp Wide Programs that the entire camp enjoys together:
Campfire
Our campfires are legendary! On the first night, Special Day and last night of 12-day sessions, the entire camp community gathers around a fire (usually on our beach) while the sun goes down over Hart Lake. Camper units, individual campers and staff can perform songs, play musical instruments, or tell a story. It is a time to gather as a community around the fire and enjoy the company and the talents of each other in a beautiful setting by the lake. Complete with wild active moments, sidesplitting laughter, and peaceful tones – with a heavy dollop of tradition.
Evening Program
After a day of exciting activities with their unit and in Streams and Individual Interests, we gather as a camp community for a camp wide game or program. These games can be high-energy, forest-based activities that allow campers to expend their final bit of energy before bed, interactive role-playing games, or other programs bound only by our signature and significant staff creativity. These games can include Capture the Flag, Fire Bombers, Jewel Heist Mystery, Kangaroo Kourt or How Well do you Know your Counsellor!
Cheese House
If our out-trips are the most talked about highlight of each session, Cheese House is a close second. Our own take on a talent show, units and individuals take part in a night of skits and sing song with silly and fun, bordering on the insane, as the themes of the night. Laughter is the sound heard most often, although a groan or two at the cheesy-ness of it all can sometimes be heard, as campers and staff step out of their comfort zone and provide an evening of great entertainment for the whole camp. The evening ends with a little bit of tip off for what tomorrow may bring – because tomorrow is Special Day!
Special Day
Truly the most “special” of all our special days at camp. On this day, we break routine to enjoy a day like no other. It starts with a welcome sleep-in and a special breakfast provided by our kitchen staff. As a camp we then head out to our Chapel for a morning of thanks, sharing songs, skits, and stories. The afternoon is spent enjoying special activities that encompasses all aspects of camp. With a pre-selected theme, the units are divided into larger groups who will spend the day together participating in activities that will bring an exciting conclusion to the day. Themes have included Christmas in July, Alien Invasion, Medieval Times, and the Search for Carmen Sandiego to name just a few. The day is closed with a feast in the dining hall and our second camp fire. A very special day indeed!
Banquet
The last dinner of each session is our final banquet where every camper receives an award from their counselor reflecting their time at camp. Banquet is an opportunity to wear a zany costume from home or borrowed from Music & Drama, or an opportunity to dress a little fancier than the normal camp attire! Our chef and kitchen crew work hard to prepare a special meal to celebrate an awesome session.
TSTL (The Sky Is The Limit), Beach Party and Lake Swim
On the last full day of each 6-, 7- and 12-day Session, campers head down to the beach for a fun-filled Beach Party. This is also the time when campers who have signed up (and passed the test!) to try their hand at Lake Swim – the legendary swim across the entire length of Hart Lake!
The rest of the day is spent with their units, where the counsellors have planned an activity uniquely tailored to the interests of the group – topped off with a cookout lunch, and our closing banquet for dinner.
Camp Big Canoe
Camp Big