NOTE: An earlier version of this story listed the camp dates from March 15 to 19. Brock Recreation moved camp programming to April 12 to 16 shortly after Education Minister Stephen Lecce’s announcement on Thursday, Feb. 11 that the March school break would be moved to April.

Brock University has designed a memorable virtual camp for kids this April Break.

Registration is open for families who are looking for a fun, safe and rewarding experience with Brock’s Virtual April Break Camp.

Campers will enjoy hands-on activities with a variety of themes including science, technology, art, adventure and sport designed by Youth University, the innovative learning environment for kids run by Brock’s Recreation Services.

The virtual camp runs each day from April 12 to 16 for youth in Grades 2 through 8.

“One of Brock’s core pillars is strengthening the Niagara community,” says Greg Zwiep, Program Manager, Brock Recreation. “We will support the Niagara community and its families by providing safe and memorable programming options for their children this April Break.”

In July 2020, Brock made the difficult decision to cancel its summer camps due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but launched Camps at Home as an online catalogue for parents and guardians to access lesson plans and links to fun camp-related activities.

Brock’s virtual camps have the unique opportunity to revitalize social group learning for kids in a fun environment, says Youth University Program Manager Michelle Leone.

“We miss camp as much as our campers do,” she says. “Our new virtual programs give us the chance to interact with new and familiar faces as we learn together. Although we can’t be together in person yet, we know camp is where we can make friends, feel good about ourselves and try new things, and we’re looking forward to continuing this online.”

The virtual camp aims to teach kids important life skills while having fun and giving them a sense of being valued and belonging, Leone adds.

Campers participate each day from 11 a.m. to noon through Microsoft Teams and will receive a link to access the meeting prior to April Break.

Camps are typically moderated by two staff members and are tailored with kids’ screen time in mind. They include daily activities using common materials found in homes.

“We understand students have primarily been participating in online schooling the last little while, so our focus was to avoid long virtual programs, but rather short and fun experiences to recreate that camp atmosphere,” said Zwiep. “We ensured the virtual format could be easily followed.”

Virtual April Break registration is now open online here. For any questions, please contact youthuniversity@brocku.ca

For those unable to participate in virtual April Break programming, parents and guardians are encouraged to access the library of activities available online at Camps at Home.

More information on Summer Camp programming will be announced in the near future.