Activities
Outdoor Skills
Canoeing
Recommended for grades 4 & up
Offered late spring and early fall, this program provides basic instruction in flat water canoeing skills. Participants will learn small craft safety, equipment use, and paddling techniques while exploring a portion of Wolfe Lake. Groups may be assigned either 25-foot voyageur canoes or traditional 17-foot tandem canoes. Keep your eyes open as sightings of loons, turtles and other wildlife are common.
Fire Building
Recommended for grades 5 & up
Students work in small groups to design their own pit and build a fire. Technique and safety precautions in choosing a campfire location are covered.
Outdoor Cooking
Recommended for grade 2 & up
IAWAH staff instruct students in the art of outdoor cooking and students learn the specific characteristics of a cooking fire by preparing a snack over an open flame.
Shelter Building
Recommended for grade 2 & up
Whatever the season, whether snowy, wet or dry, participants can learn how to construct a usable shelter with minimal supplies and resources. This activity involves creative thinking and group cooperation.
Orienteering
Recommended for grade 6 & up
Orienteering is a recognized sport that uses a compass and map to navigate through a series of checkpoints. Participants learn the parts of a compass, how to take bearings and read a map, along with other related skills. IAWAH's orienteering courses offer a range of challenges for varying skill levels.
Archery
Recommended for grades 7 & up
Students learn about archery equipment, technique and safety guidelines prior to target shooting in the indoor or outdoor archery range. IAWAH offers the use of compound and olympic recurve bows.
Pond Study
Recommended for grades 2 & up
Students look at the complex relationships between animals and their environment and the diversity found in a pond ecosystem. Discover life forms of all shapes and sizes— aquatic macro-invertebrates, reptiles, birds, amphibians and mammals. This hands-on experience is sure to bring science to life.
Nature Hike
Recommended for grades 2 & up
IAWAH staff guide participants along one of several beautiful, natural* trails, highlighting points of interest which explore the diversity of nature. Discover beaver ponds, northern mixed hardwood forest, seasonal flowers, rocks and minerals and poisonous and edible plants. Watch for animal tracks to discover the wildlife living nearby. Hikes are tailored to match your classroom curriculum on request.
*All IAWAH trails are preventatively maintained. Please direct any trail maintenance or forest management questions to the office.Adventure
Initiative Games
Recommended for grades 1 & up
Initiative games are games with a purpose. They are the beginning stage of the Team Challenge program and provide opportunities for the participants to have fun together as a group, acquaint group members with each other, introduce teamwork, encourage positive communication, and promote problem-solving principles.
Team Challenge
Recommended for grades 5 & up
Team Challenge consists of strategically designed problems presented to a small group of people. The problems are presented in a sequence beginning with icebreakers and initiatives, then building towards trust activities and increasingly more difficult tasks. Guarding one another's safety is a key component in the process.
Team challenges include time in our low ropes courses, which are located in a beautiful forest setting, as well as a number of other team building challenges. Elements allow participants to use team skills while taking on a challenge from 1-10 feet off the ground. Facilitators design an activity sequence depending on the participants' needs, focus, and group dynamics.
Whatever the dynamics or desired focus, IAWAH's facilitators can design and lead a Team Challenge program that is right for you—rain or shine!
Examples of some team challenges at IAWAH:
CROSSING THE MULE
As a single team, all members begin the challenge standing on a thick log suspended 90 cm above the ground between two trees. With the help of their team mates, each participant has to cross the log or “The Mule” by passing under a suspended horizontal rope about 20 cm above the log. The object is to complete the task without anyone touching the ground. This group dynamic encourages communication and teamwork. Two members will act as spotters and crash mats are placed below the log for safety.
THE SPIRAL
The object of this activity is to move a 4x4 post from the outside of the spiral to the centre without the post touching the ground or going out of the boundaries set by the rope on the ground. To accomplish this, the post will have 12 (or more) lengths of rope attached where each team member holds. Communication is key in order to manoeuvre the post to the centre.
Climbing Wall
Recommended for JK to Grade 12
IAWAH's 121 m (1300 ft) square-foot indoor wall has eight faces with climbs and bouldering routes ranging from beginner to advanced. Rock holds of varying sizes and textures allow participants to use different climbing and bouldering techniques. Overhangs, inclines, and micro holds make the climbing wall an excellent choice for participants of all ages and abilities.
Night Hike
Recommended for grade 5 & up
Guided along one of IAWAH's many trails, students hear fun facts and play trail games that teach more about the world of nature after dark!
Swimming and Games
Swimming
Recommended for grades 4 & up
As part of our spring and fall program, one hour of supervised swimming is provided upon request each day. Enjoy a dip in refreshing Wolfe Lake after an action-packed day!
Archery Game
Recommended for grades 4 & up
A unique take on paintball, but without the mess (or pain!). This game is perfect for challenging another cabin to an archery dual on the playing field. With protective barriers for cover, shoot out all the opposing team’s targets while avoiding getting hit yourself. Players use protective masks and use arrows with large foam heads.
Survival Game
Recommended for grades 4 & up
In this engaging outdoor predator-prey game, students role-play as herbivores, omnivores and carnivores. The game is played over a large area and participants learn what it takes to survive as an animal in the wild. Students leave with an improved understanding of the diverse interactions within ecosystems including the impact of natural forces and human activity on animal populations.
Wide Games
Recommended for grades 3 & up
Get a taste of classic summer camp large group games like Capture the Flag, Monkey Heads, or Brog.
Ice Breakers
Recommended for all ages
IAWAH provides icebreakers to all groups at no extra cost. Start your camp experience with crazy get-to-know-you games, designed to introduce the staff and let off some steam after a long trip.
IAWAH takes the safety and well-being of our guests, seriously. An Important note for Participants.
Testimonials
Thank you for the tremendous job you have done in cultivating an atmosphere at camp where young people can hear the voice of God.
Staff parent
This is one of the very few places where folks with very different faith traditions come together.
Best retreat we ever did!
Director
When you step on to the property, it is powerfully evident that God is at work here. It is clear that God has a purpose for the people at IAWAH.
Volunteer
I felt like through the challenging experiences, I was able to mature as an adult and as a Christian. I was encouraged by fellow staff members through difficult times and enjoying the relationships built throughout the summer.
Summer staff
Your staff is all gracious, helpful and joyful. It’s a winning combination.
Guest
Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.
Jeremiah 6:16
I really learned a lot about myself and others by serving in different roles. I enjoyed every minute of camp this summer, and loved working there.
Summer staff
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and learn not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5,6
What I learned was the true power of God and his acceptance of people – whether they are perfect or not. I learned to always trust in the Lord and always have faith in his plans. This week changed my commitment and helped me to know that when no one is there for you – God is!
Girls Camper
