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 These are answers to your most
Frequently Asked Questions.
WHAT IS WAHANOWIN'S ORIGIN?
In 1867 (Canada's Confederation)
the land upon which Wahanowin now
stands was granted by the British
government to a man named John McPherson.
He built, using limestone from our overnight site on Lake St. John,
the Stonehouse, which was the first settlement and post office in
Simcoe County. (Hence our excellent mail service). The property was
farmed for many years until it became a campsite in 1935. In 1955,
Harold Nashman and his mother Anne (Bubby Nash), on a snowy winter's
day discovered the site and knew immediately it was a place for children
to flourish. The Nashman family has owned and operated Camp Wahanowin
for 3 generations and look forward to celebrating our 52nd anniversary
in 2006.
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WHO ARE THE CAMPERS AND WHERE ARE THEY FROM?
Our campers are boys and girls aged 6 to 15 years old. Wahanowin can accommodate 450 campers per session. The majority of campers come from the Toronto area, but our reputation is far reaching. In fact, many campers come to us from Montreal, Buffalo, Detroit, Cleveland, New York, Chicago, Florida and across the United States. We also attract international campers from Mexico, Israel, France, England, Venezuela and other countries.
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ARE CAMPERS ALLOWED TO "HANG OUT" IN THEIR CABINS?
With over 40 amazing activities and enthusiastic staff, campers rarely want to "hang out". Our cabin based program allows campers to be with their friends throughout the day participating and having fun. The day is very active and eventful, but we do set aside time after lunch (Rest Hour) and dinner (Free Play) for less structured (yet supervised) activity. At Wahanowin busy campers are happy campers.
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WHO ARE THE STAFF AND HOW ARE THEY SELECTED?
Many of our staff have grown up at Wahanowin and have been trained in our CIT program. All staff are interviewed and carefully screened by the directors. Cabin Counselors are university or senior high school students with good camping backgrounds and a genuine interest in children. Activity instructors are qualified professionals or skilled students who are all aware of the special responsibilities in dealing with younger children. Wahanowin staff are spirited and loyal. Together they form a dynamic team and make our camp a special place for kids.
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WHAT ARE THE CABINS LIKE?
Our rustic but comfortable cabins accommodate 8 to 12 campers depending upon the age group. All cabins have indoor washrooms, electricity and bunk beds. Many are equipped with showers and for those that are not we offer three large shower houses with plenty of hot water. We are currently upgrading and renovating all our cabins with expanded washrooms, increased living space, more shelving and new bunk beds.
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IS WAHANOWIN THE CAMP FOR YOUNGER CAMPERS?
Wahanowin began as a junior camp and established a reputation for meeting the needs of younger campers. Although we have grown to accommodate all age groups and provide an excellent and dynamic program, we have not lost sight of our roots. Click here for Friendships & Memories.
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IS WAHANOWIN AN ACCREDITED CAMP?
We are an active member of the Ontario Camping Association and meet or surpass all required standards. Click here to visit the OCA web site.
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WHEN IS VISITING DAY AND WHAT ARE THE RULES?
Visiting
Day for our 2007 season is Saturday,
July 21st from 10:30am until 2:30pm
SHARP! Our gates open at 10:00am for
parking. Parents may take their children
out of camp for lunch (but must return
by 2:30) or enjoy our lunch buffet in the Dining
Hall. Parents may not bring food to be
left with campers. Parents may not visit
their child at any other time during
the summer. Click here for
more details - Visitor's Day.
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CAN I GET A TOUR OF WAHANOWIN?
Absolutely! New families that have not yet seen Wahanowin may arrange to see camp. Contact us to set up a convenient time to visit camp in early spring or the summer.
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CAN I CALL MY CHILD AT CAMP?
Our experience indicates telephone calls are almost always negative for both the camper and parent. Therefore, Wahanowin has a strict no phone call policy. We will always contact you if the situation requires it. Trust us to have your child's best interest in mind. As well, we have a strict no cell phone policy for all campers.
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DOES WAHANOWIN HAVE A RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION?
While we are not a religious camp, the majority of our campers and staff are Jewish and we observe several Jewish customs and traditions. Our menu is kosher style. Every Friday night we celebrate Shabbat in the Dining Hall followed by the Friday night service. Each week a different Unit leads the service, which is comprised of commentary and songs, related to a Jewish theme. Being a family run camp we strongly believe in making everyone feel welcome and comfortable as a member of our community.
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HOW LONG ARE YOUR SESSIONS?
Our camp season is 7½ weeks in length and campers may attend
for the entire time (Full Season),
the first 4 weeks (July Session)
or the last 3½ weeks
(August Session). In addition, we
offer a 2+2 session for younger campers
currently completing grade 4 or younger.
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IS THERE ARE DOCTOR ON SITE?
Yes we have a fully equipped Health Centre with 4 nurses and a doctor on site everyday throughout the summer. The closest hospital in Orillia is only 15 minutes away from the camp.
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HOW'S THE FOOD?
Great! Our master chef, Chris Lakiotis, has been at Wahanowin for over 40 years. His care, standard of excellence and attention to detail all combine to continue the reputation and tradition of fabulous food (and plenty of it) at camp every summer. We are able to accommodate many special dietary needs and provide nutritious meals for campers and staff that are vegetarian, lactose intolerant and kosher. As well, we are a nut safe camp and do not serve or have any products with peanuts or other nut related ingredients.
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IS THERE A LAUNDRY SERVICE?
Yes! Once a week campers send their laundry out in bags (lights and darks) to our camp laundry service. The service picks up the camper's bags, washes, dries and folds their clothes and returns it the next day to the cabins. Proper name tagging is important for this service to run effectively.
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CAN CAMPERS BRING FOOD TO CAMP?
No! Campers may not bring food to
camp. Each camper receives 3 nutritious
and delicious meals each day, plus afternoon and evening snacks. In
addition, campers go to the Tuck Shop three times a week to receive
candies, drinks, chips, popcorn or freezies. Additional food causes
excess garbage, attracts insects and animals and often causes conflicts
within a cabin group, between the haves and have-nots.
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HOW'S THE MAIL?
Every camper must write home three times a week to receive their Tuck (works like a charm). Allow 5 to 7 days for delivery of mail in either direction. We suggest parents send a couple of letters prior to the start of your child's session so that there is mail waiting at camp when they arrive. As the mail is slower for out of province families, we allow these campers only, to send a fax home once a week.
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CAN I EMAIL MY CHILD AT CAMP?
Yes, we do offer an email service for parents to send letters to camp. There is a nominal charge for this service accessible exclusively through our web page. Sign up by checking the appropriate box on our application form or contact us. Our info@wahanowin.com address is not part of this service.
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HOW ARE ACTIVITIES SCHEDULED?
Campers travel with their cabin group from one activity to another. This strengthens the bond between campers within the cabin. This approach ensures friends are always together participating throughout the day. Each cabin group will visit every area at least once a week. Individual choice is available daily to all campers during General Swim and is scheduled for older campers on a regular basis.
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WHAT DO YOU DO ON RAINY DAYS?
We are always prepared in the event of a rainy day (or as we like to say, liquid sunshine). Many activity areas continue in the rain because they are adaptable to either indoor or outdoor venues. We have eight, large indoor rec halls for group games. Many of our evening program activities are easily adaptable for rainy days. As well, we always have a camp carnival, staff talent show, popular movie or indoor campfire program ready to go.
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WHAT DOES WAHANOWIN MEAN?
The answer can only be told at camp around the campfire! See you there.
If you have additional questions that were not addressed here, please contact us and we will be happy to answer them for you. We look forward to hearing from you!
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