Recently we had the chance to experience a Family Fun Day at the Camp Yowochas Outdoor Centre, which is owned and operated by YWCA Edmonton.
I am sure many can relate – this year I knew it was extremely important to us to really make a commitment to enjoy the outdoors more, especially during the winter. Truth be told experiencing a Family Fun Day at the Camp Yowochas Outdoor Centre was the best way to start!
Family Fun Day At The Camp Yowochas Outdoor Centre
With bookings available Wednesdays-Saturdays you can expect to spend the full day enjoying outdoor winter activities. Your day will consist of 4 activities that are chosen by you. The list to choose from includes:
- fire building
- outdoor cooking
- initiatives (group challenges)
- low ropes
- nature hike
- orienteering
- shelter building
- games in the field
The cost to book is $35/person, however, if you are staying in The Fox Den, you can also book a Family Fun Day for just $125/family if there is an opening available.
How Our Adventure Went
Our morning started off at 9 am with a quick introduction to our outdoor programmer for the day, Casey (aka Thistle) and then we started off for an hour-long nature hike around the property.
One of my favourite places that we hiked to was the highest point of the peninsula (Camp Yowochas is located in the hamlet of Fallis on a peninsula on Wabamun lake) where the kids enjoyed playing a quick game facilitated by Casey.
After we returned from our hike and a short break, we moved onto our next activity of fire building. The first step was to make some kindling and tinder which was done by using a camp knife and another piece of wood, this is also known as batoning. .
My inner voice was screaming with worry at the beginning but having Casey explain the clear expectations of knife use helped me to have more confidence in my kid’s capabilities AND they rocked it.
We enjoyed a fire (lit by the kindle and tinder from the kids) while we ate our packed from home lunches. In hindsight, I would have packed some marshmallows and some camp chairs to make it more comfortable. The best part about it though was the absolute amount of peacefulness that you feel when you’re there.
After we were finished with our lunch we spent the next hour making an outdoor shelter. Camp Yowochas has a designated area on their property specifically for shelter building so there were plenty of long logs to utilize. I am sure my kids could have spent the whole afternoon doing only this.
We ended our day with some orienteering, which gave us a nice walk around the property again. With a little time left, we were also able to visit the low ropes course where we played some problem solving games.
If you’re looking for something to do with your family this winter I highly suggest a Family Fun Day at the Camp Yowochas Outdoor Centre. Lastly, here are some things that I will leave you with.
- All rules and regulations set out by AHS regarding covid-19 will be followed and are subject to change at any time.
- You will be given a list of items that you need to bring, I really suggest a camp chair if you’re doing some fire building
- One adult parent or guardian for every four children is required
- Your home base will also include a designated outhouse for your group (yes you do everything outdoors)
Thank YWCA Edmonton Camp Yowochas for hosting us for a Family Fun Day! All opinions are 100% my own.