Summer Camps 2026

2026 Summer Camps

We have various day camps for different ages and interests.
Choose one or more!

Camps fill quickly. REGISTER NOW to avoid disappointment.

FOREST EXPORERS Day Camp #1 (ages 4-6):
July Dates 6 – 9, 2026 (Mon-Thurs)

FOREST EXPORERS Day Camp #2 (ages 4-6):
July Dates 13 – 16, 2026 (Mon-Thurs)
FULL – Register for Waiting List as spots may open

WAY OF THE SCOUT Day Camp (ages 8-12):
July 13 – 17, 2026 (Mon-Fri)

WOOL AND WONDER Day Camp (ages 8-13):
July 20 – 24, 2026 (Mon-Fri)

NATURE NINJA Day Camp (ages 7-13):
August 3 – 7, 2026 (Mon-Fri)

TOOL MAKERS Day Camp (ages 9-14):
August 10 – 14, 2026 (Mon-Fri)

WILD ADVENTURERS Day Camp (ages 8-12):
August 17 – 21, 2026 (Mon-Fri)

For DETAILS about each camp and to REGISTER, click on camp name or see below.

10% Sibling Discount

FOREST EXPLORERS Day Camp

AGES: 4 – 6 years

DATES & TIMES (2 sessions):
Camp #1: July 6 – 9, 2026
This session is FULL. Register for the waiting list
as spaces may open up.

Mon-Thurs,  9:30am to 1:30pm

Camp #2: July 13 – 16, 2026

Mon-Thurs,  9:30am to 1:30pm

While you may sign up your child up for either or both camps, there will be overlap/repetition between the two.

COST: $385 plus GST

LOCATION: South end,  Salt Spring Island, BC

Birds! Plants! Mud!
This exciting nature-based camp for 4 – 6 year olds has a different theme every day!

Fun, age-appropriate activities include plant identification, wanders in the forest, exploring the beach, learning about birds, playing games, singing songs and more.

The instructors have a particular love for this age group, with kindness, compassion, and an attachment-centred approach forming the container for so much fun and play.

Each day takes place at a different beautiful location (forest, beach etc) in the south end of Salt Spring.

Limited space for small group size.

INSTRUCTORS:

NIKOYA CATRY-BAUER has breathed nature connection since birth and grew up attending WOLF programs for 11 years before continuing her education and work life, which has included travel to wild places, dance performance and choreography, gymnastics coaching with Salt Spring Gymnastics,  creative childcare for active families, gardening, and ongoing training in natural horse training, equine bodywork, as well as working as a horseback trekking guide in New Zealand. Nikoya loves to move and laugh, and brings both a gentle attunement to children’s sensitivities and a vibrant sense of aliveness and play. She is deeply connected to nature, and has a special place in her compassionate heart for young children, horses, and chickens. Nikoya was the original Forest Explorers mentor many years ago and continues to love leading it.

ANJU OTSU grew up on Salt Spring Island and attended the WOLF Kids program for many years. With a passion for supporting children as well as nature, she graduated UVIC with a degree in teaching and has spent the last few years working in outdoor education as well as adventuring in nature and getting to know other cultures. Anju has joined Nikoya numerous times throughout the years leading the Forest Explorers camp for young children. 

Together, Nikoya and Anju bring a lot of experience, love, patience, humour, compassion, creativity and adventure to this age group!

WAY OF THE SCOUT Day Camp

AGES: 8 – 12 years 

DATES & TIMES: July 13 – 17, 2025

Mon-Fri  9am to 3pm

COST: $425 plus GST

LOCATION: Salt Spring Island

Stealth – Camo – Invisibility – Sneaking – Play – Skills
So Much Fun! This camp is like the best game of hide and seek you ever played plus so much more!

Scouts are the Protectors of the Forest. They are skilled naturalists with knowledge of edible and medicinal plants and ancestral skills. Scouts are masters of camouflage and concealment; they can track and trail animals, all while moving unseen across the landscape. 

Learn old skills of stealth, tracking, and plant ID, as a way of becoming a part of the natural world around you. These old skills have allowed kids all over the world to thrive in nature. They allowed Aragorn to lead the hobbits to safety from the ring wraiths in the Lord of the Rings!

We will play camouflage and stealth games, go on wild tracking and trailing adventures, learn to navigate without a map or compass, practice ancient skills and crafts, and cultivate a deeper sense of our place in the natural world.  Through activities and challenges youth will discover greater self-confidence, learn cooperation and teamwork, and gain a sense of environmental care taking.

Come learn the ways of the Scout:

• Survival skills

• Wild Edibles & Medicines from the land

• Animal Tracking

• Interpret the language of the birds

• Camouflage

• Stealth & Moving Invisibly on the Land

• Become a Protector of the Land & People

• Exciting Games & Inspiring Stories

• And much more!

  INSTRUCTORS:

  GARRETT ROKOSH is a graduate of the Wisdom of the Earth Immersion and Apprenticeship, and has worked as a mentor with Wisdom of the Earth as well as Thriving Roots Wilderness School in Victoria. In addition to his nature connection work, Garrett leads Authentic Relating Circles in the area. Garrett always has his hands and mind learning something new, working on a skill or craft, be it hide tanning, friction fire, bow-making, hunting, or harvesting from the land and sea. Garrett brings authenticity, joy, passion, adventure, and fun surprises and games wherever he goes.

  SCOTT LUCYK discovered his passion for nature connection as an adult, and graduated from the Wisdom of the Earth Immersion and Apprenticeship, after earning his BA in economics and working as a policy analyst for the government. He thoroughly enjoys mentoring children in nature at WOLF Kids and privately, and has a special passion for sneaking and stealth games, music and singing, storytelling, astronomy and the wonders of the night sky. Scott has a wonderful imagination and curiosity that draws people in, strong communication skills that support children in feeling safe, and usually has a friendly and playful twinkle in his eye

WOOL AND WONDER Day Camp

AGES: 8 – 13 years

DATES & TIMES:  JULY 20 – 24, 2026
Mon – Fri 9am to 3pm

COST: $435 plus GST

LOCATION: Salt Spring Island, BC

Join us for a magical week of creativity, nature, and fibre arts! 

This exciting new camp is perfect for crafty, curious kids who love to explore and create with their hands. 

Learn spinning, natural dyeing, knitting and more! 

Together, we’ll dive into the world of natural fibres—with a focus on wool—while enjoying playful outdoor adventures, games, and hands-on learning.

Campers will discover the fascinating journey of wool, from raw fleece to beautiful hand-spun yarn. Along the way, we’ll experiment with natural plant dyes, explore colour and texture, and bring our creations to life through fun and imaginative projects.

Each day is filled with creativity, connection, song, and plenty of time to play and explore the natural world.

During the week, campers will enjoy:

• Exploring wool and other natural fibres

• Learning the process of transforming fleece into yarn

• Creating with natural plant dyes

• Ocean visits and nature exploration

• Singing, music, and storytelling

• Fun, games, and making new friends

INSTRUCTORS:

NIKOYA CATRY-BAUER has breathed nature connection since birth and grew up attending WOLF programs for 11 years before continuing her education and work life, which has included travel to wild places, dance performances, gymnastics coaching with Salt Spring Gymnastics, creative childcare for active families, gardening, and ongoing training in equine bodywork, as well as working as a horseback trekking guide in New Zealand. Nikoya loves to move, laugh, create with her hands, adventure in nature, and brings both a gentle attunement to children’s sensitivities and a vibrant sense of aliveness and play. She is an avid crafter and knitter, and has a special place in her heart for children, horses, kittens and chickens.

ANJU OTSU grew up on Salt Spring Island and attended the WOLF Kids program for many years. With a passion for nature as well as supporting children, she graduated UVIC with a degree in teaching and has spent the last few years working in outdoor education as well as adventuring in nature and getting to know other cultures. Anju has joined Nikoya many times throughout the years leading popular camps at Wisdom of the Earth, and loves to create inspiring learning environments for children, make beauty with her hands, explore, laugh and sing.

NATURE NINJA Day Camp

AGES: 7 – 13 years. 

DATES & TIMES:  August 3 – 7, 2026

Mon-Fri, 9am to 3pm

COST: $435 plus GST

LOCATION: Salt Spring Island, BC, South end

Learn the amazing skills and secrets of the ancient ninjas from a real Ninja master, in this exciting camp! Practice stealth and camouflage, travel silently and invisibly among the shadows, communicate with secret codes, discover animals and plants, learn stick fighting, jumping and climbing skills, and more through games, stories, and traditional Ninja training methods.

Real skills, real challenges, and real adventure:

• Natural Camouflage (get down and dirty!)

• Stealth and Invisibility

• Animal Tracking

• Immersion in Nature and Sensory Awareness Training
  

• Sneaking & Natural, Silent Movement

• Secret Codes

• Plant Medicines

• Stick Fighting, Jumping and Climbing Skills

• Martial Arts Ethics & Role of Protector/Helper

• Games and Stories

• And much more!

INSTRUCTORS:

FRANK DOSS is a highly skilled multiple black belt martial arts teacher and nature mentor, who has been practicing ancient bushcraft and wilderness skills for decades and brings these ancient practices to life with passion and enthusiasm! He has worked with Wisdom of the Earth since the very beginning, and teaches all over Vancouver Island (see bio).

CAOIMHE MERRICK is a graduate of the Wisdom of the Earth Immersion and Apprenticeship program, and a current youth nature mentor for WOLF Pups. She earned a B.Sc in Anylytical Science, Chemistry and Microbiology from the Universty of Dublin, and since discovered that she’d rather connect with the natural world directly in the woods, meadows, garden, and shoreline. Caoimhe (pronounced quee-va) is an avid cyclist, champion of the environment, and loves gardening and growing food, being in nature and with friends, mentoring children from preschoolers to teens, and learning ancestral skills and stories. She can often be found with a guitar in her hands, a song on her lips, and a twinkle in her eye.

TOOL MAKERS Day Camp

AGES: 9 – 14 years 

DATES & TIMES:  August 10 – 14, 2026

Mon-Fri, 9am to 3pm

COST: $425 plus GST

LOCATION: Salt Spring Island, BC, South end

 Learn to make fun and useful tools out of simple materials like wood and rope and a knife, in this exciting hands-on creative camp! A great camp for kids who love to make practical things with their hands. Every tool has a story and so of course, Frank will bring his great stories and Ninja lore, as well as exciting and fun games! 

Real skills, real challenges, and real adventure:

•  Make a mallet

• Fashion nails out of wood

• Make a wooden box
  

• Design a stool to sit on

• Create least 5 tools/items you can make and bring home

• Immersion in Nature and Sensory Awareness Training
  

• Play Games and hear great Stories

• And much more!

   

INSTRUCTORS:

FRANK DOSS is a highly skilled multiple black belt martial arts teacher and nature mentor, who has been practicing ancient bushcraft and wilderness skills for decades and brings these ancient practices to life with passion and enthusiasm! He has worked with Wisdom of the Earth since the very beginning, and teaches all over Vancouver Island (see bio).

CAOIMHE MERRICK is a graduate of the Wisdom of the Earth Immersion and Apprenticeship program, and a current youth nature mentor at WOLF Pups. She earned a B.Sc in Anylytical Science, Chemistry and Microbiology from the Universty of Dublin, and since discovered that she’d rather connect with the natural world directly in the woods, meadows, garden, and shoreline. Caoimhe (pronounced quee-va) is an avid cyclist, champion of the environment, and loves gardening and growing food, being in nature and with friends, mentoring children from preschoolers to teens, and learning ancestral skills and stories. She can often be found with a guitar in her hands, a song on her lips, and a twinkle in her eye.

WILD ADVENTURERS Day Camp

AGES: 8 – 12 years

DATES & TIMES:  AUGUST 17 – 21, 2026
Mon – Fri 9am to 3pm

COST: $425 plus GST

LOCATION: Salt Spring Island, BC

Learn to track animals, identify birds and edible plants, go on wild adventures, make crafts, and play fun games, all while building a connection with the living Earth and making new friends.

For generations, nomadic humans have lived close with the land, using all of these skills and more to survive and thrive. In fantasy, Robin Hood used these skills to steal gold from the rich and give it to the poor; in real life, Tom Brown Jr. used the same skills to track and rescue missing people from the wilderness. Our highly skilled mentors bring these practices to life with passion and enthusiasm.

Discover skills and adventures to awaken your spirit of adventure:

• Ancestral survival skills

• Wild edibles & medicinal plants

• Animal Tracking

• The language of birds

• Expand your senses and learn Invisibility

• Exploration and Adventure
  

• Storytelling, Song and Games

INSTRUCTORS:

SCOTT LUCYK is a graduate of the Wisdom of the Earth Immersion and Apprenticeship, and is well known in the community for his Astronomy Workshops that are adored by kids and adults alike. Scott also offers his goodness to the world through song, partaking in a Victoria based Barbershop quartet, and offers Harmony singing workshops on Salt Spring. Scott brings fun, laughter, creativity, incredible stories and songs, and skills in scouting, bird language, herbal medicine, and more. 

MARIE WHIMBEY is a graduate of the Wisdom of the Earth Immersion and Apprenticeship, and is a nature mentor at WOLF Kids, as well as a former mentor at WOLF Victoria. Marie has a passion for clowning as well as music, and brings a playful sense of creativity combined with compassion and kindness to her work with children. She has taught nature connection, fire making and other ancestral skills, clowning, and more to both youth and adults.