French Summer Day Camp Programs

At Camp Tournesol, we want all children to have fun and have an opportunity to learn. In order to achieve that, it is important that each camper conduct himself or herself in a respectful and appropriate way. Parents and Campers should review our guidelines together and ensure that your child understand them. Our code of conduct is based on the following 3 principles:

• Don’t physically endanger anybody.
• Don’t tease/put people down, even a little bit.
• Don’t do anything illegal, or that would horrify your parents.

More specifically, at Camp Tournesol safe, respectful and appropriate behavior does NOT include:

• Leaving an area without permission AND without a counselor for children under 6 years old or a buddy.
• Standing on tables or chairs.
• Climbing trees or breaking branches.
• Carrying or throwing sticks, stones or sand.
• Being disrespectful to counselors or other campers.
• Disregarding counselor’s instructions.
• Water fights or throwing water.
• Hitting, kicking, biting, wrestling moves or violence.
• Swearing or explicit and violent language.
• Stealing.
• Consistent use of English / no efforts made to use French (for the French campers)
• Putting arms or heads out of the bus window as well as standing or kneeling on the bus.

Here are the behaviors that ARE acceptable:

• Making efforts to express yourself in French all day and try to use English as rarely as possible.
• Obtain permission prior to leaving an area where your group is
• Always use proper language (no swear words or violent words)
• Follow instructions as given by counselors
• Be respectful towards all the counselors and your peers.

Any person found violating this code will be dealt with according to the following procedure:

• Warning / discussion by their lead counselor and appropriate consequences depending on the gravity of the behavior (sitting out an activity etc.).
• Meet with the Camp Coordinator and phone call to parent to identify a potentially successful strategy to improve the situation.
• After consultation with the Camp Director, parent will be asked to pick up their child from the camp for that day and discuss the issue with their child.
• Note that there is a possibility that the child will be asked not to accompany us during our field trip on Thursdays if we feel that his behavior precludes us from ensuring his safety and that of the other campers.
• Expulsion from the camp.

We are pleased to offer the extended care hours from 7:30Am to 6:00PM, where counsellors will organize informal games with children during the extended period of time.

• Before Care: begins at 7:30AM: $25 / week (no HST)
• After Care: up to 6:00PM: $45 / week (no HST)

However, there are important considerations for parents to know:

• Campers must be registered in advance to use the extended care hour service.
• You may register at the time of the camp, provided that there are still spaces available, by contacting the office to arrange payment.
• Registration and payment cannot be accepted at the door.
• Late pick-ups will be charged $10 for every 10 minutes after 6:00 PM with a minimum charge of $10. There will be no exceptions.
• A credit card must be on file for penalty fee. The counsellor (s) who will supervise this program are all counsellors for the day camp as well.

All of our campuses are schools and are the majority are not equipped with air conditioning. We do our best to keep your children comfortable but if this is a concern, you may prefer to keep your child at home for that day. Each campus is equipped with large fans that are placed in the gymnasium and certain classrooms.

In case of extreme heat, we will follow the following procedure based on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations.

Extreme Heat: Defined as a day where the temperature outdoors rises above 32 degrees Celsius.

In the case of a day with extreme heat:

• The outdoor periods will be reduced to a maximum of 40 minutes in length and only once in the morning and afternoon.
• Before going outside, all campers will be reminded to re-apply their sunscreen, and to drink lots of water. They can also bring their water bottles outside with them.
• The outdoor activities will not involve lots of physical activity and will most likely take place in the shade (if possible) to avoid unnecessary heat exposure.
• All recesses and meals will take place inside and the gym and/or hallways will be used for recess activities.
• Where possible we will incorporate games with water, such as sponges etc…to refresh the children.

40 degrees weather: If the weather exceeds 40 degrees Celsius:

• The campus coordinator will locate fans available at the school and place them in the gym to circulate cold air for the campers.
• Reduce the outdoor activities to only ONE 40 minute period in the morning.
• Can only go outside for a 5 minutes recess if there is shade available for everyone.
• It is the responsibility of the camp counselors to assure that all campers are following the rules.
• Modify the camp Schedule to cut out any excessive physical activity.
• Continuously remind campers to DRINK WATER.

Friday is the culminating day with campers presenting their challenge /rap developed during week and the Kinder program present their songs. The winning team gets their special a surprise gifts; and the afternoon is filled with fun obstacle courses, fun stations and of course the weekly freezes!

On that day, each one of our campus throughout the GTA also welcomes a special French workshop or French artist! The goal is to expose campers to a new skill or a new cultural event via a French artist.

Here is a description of the artists visiting us this summer. To find out who is coming to your local campus, visit the location page.

Camp Tournesol reserves the right to change workshops and French artists at any time without notice.

Jean Deshaies, magician: The magic and comedy of Jean Deshaies. With hundreds of highly interactive shows in Quebec, Ontario and elsewhere in Canada ans USA, get ready for an outstanding performance including magic, humour and public participation. But, how to be ready for that kind of performance? Hard to say. You will never be really ready for all the surprises that he prepared for you.

Mike Ford: Mike’s original and interactive song-cycle explores the life and time of Ontario’s first non-aboriginal visitor, Étienne Brûlé. Through his eyes, 17th Century Ontario, First Nations lore, early New France and contemporary issues of environment and inclusion are brought to life in a variety of musical styles.

Mystic Drums: Each show is a world music safari adventure that takes participants around the globe in search of amazing instruments and sounds. We travel to African jungles, South American rainforests and the Great Wall of China to discover clues from animal friends and learn about ecology. “The Legend of Marshmallow Island” features a magical island that rises from the middle of a mystical pond. Larry the Frog and friends go off in search of Marshmallow Island and the legendary dance party that takes place there. Featured instruments include Nigerian Talking Drum, Brazilian Quica, Vibraslap, Flextone, Chinese Gongs and more.

Joanna Moon’s French World Café: Quebecois singer/songwriter/guitarist Joanna Moon is joined by the talented upright bass player Scott Kemp in this lively performance. French World Cafe highlights the warmth of French musical culture as it has flourished around the world — exploring songs from France, Quebec and Louisiana. Participants will learn how to play Quebec’s spoons and sing along a few songs.

• Our French Awards: Our French tattoos are awarded daily to campers who made efforts in French.
• Our Badge System: There are 3 different French badges to be won during the week! You can read about our famous Badge system to see who impactful it is!

Speak French, it pays!

Now you can stop worrying about what to make your camper for lunch!

Continuing our long-standing commitment to the environment and reducing our footprint,  Camp Tournesol is happy to offer our all-new Healthy and Environmentally Friendly Lunch Program with Canadian Food Guide-approved hot lunch served family-style. All meals are 100% nut-free, shellfish-free and pork-free.

For just $42 + HST, your child can enjoy a delicious and wholesome meal from Monday to Thursday, and Fridays will still be reserved for a much-loved treat: our delicious pizza lunches. Friday pizza lunches will still be charged separately. (The fee for the week of August 2nd is $26).

See the meal plan menu.

You may purchase a nut-free pizza meal from Pizza Pizza which includes a water bottle, on Friday according to 2 different plans:

• $3.50 for one slice and
• $5.00 for 2 slices.

Dietary restrictions/ Allergies / Halal meals

We are happy to be able to accommodate the following dietary restrictions: Gluten-free, lactose intolerant and vegetarian for the 4 day meal plan ONLY. Simply specify your selection at the time of ordering.

Sample of vegetarian options: Veggie Burgers , Meatless Chicken Fingers , Veggie Ground Meat ,Veggie Chicken Slices , Meatless Meat Balls , Meatless Chicken Strips.

Unfortunately we can not accommodate Halal meals.

Parents regularly ask if we will provide close supervison for children with allergies or other medical issues.

Of course! Every camper’s safety is our utmost concern.

All of our staff are trained for first aid, CPR and administering an EpiPen. In addition, we have 2 qualified teachers onsite who provide support and supervision at each campus.

Do not hesitate to discuss your concerns with our staff at the office or onsite. In all cases, we count on parents to partner with us to make safety a priority. Help us with this process by providing as much details as possible when completing the medical forms!

Should you child be bringing any medication to camp, please let us know by completing this medication form and discussing it with your child’s counsellor on the first day of camp.

Camp Tournesol Espoir’s raison d’être is to provide an opportunity for children in French immersion or francophone schools who come from a disadvantaged family, to attend Camp Tournesol free of charge.

Each year, Camp Tournesol is happy to welcome deserving children, recommended by their principal, free of charge to our campus. These are children who come from disadvantaged families and who could not otherwise experience camps in the summer. As the demand has grown, we have formalized the process so that children from every schools and every school boards have a chance to be considered to take advantage of this opportunity.

Each year, we open spots for up to 4 % of our capacity which. Each year we estimate to be able to accept up to 75 campers.

If you know of a student that should be considered, please download and submit our application form prior to May 10th for consideration. You may download the English version or the French version. Please note that only applications submitted by principals will be considered; each principal will be contacted to follow-up with the application as it is received.

Here is what previous families have said:

“I just wanted to thank you for giving my daughter the opportunity to attend the camp. It was a great experience for her.” Ana

“I just want to thank you, my children were very happy at the camp as they rarely get a chance to participate in outside activities as we are new to Canada. This opportunity is very much appreciated.” Jeanne

We are pleased to offer transportation at a few of our campuses, from locations in neighbouring cities, free of charge. There is normally no transportation offered in the city where the campus is located.

Our busing service works as a depot system, not door-to-door. In other words, there are specific bus stops determined in advance and you must come to the most convenient spot for you to pick up and drop off your children. You can view our different bus stops on the page of your local campus under the Locations section. Unfortunately, we do not offer busing for all campus.

It is recommended to register for a bus stop at the time of registration as bus stops that are under-subscribed by the middle of may are cancelled. However, it is also possible to register at a later time if there is still space, by sending an email to info@campt.ca no later than June 30th. Unfortunately, it is not possible to register on the bus or at campus.

If a bus stop is canceled and another suitable one is not available, Camp Tournesol will issue a full refund.

In most cases and as much as possible, a Tournesol counsellor is on the bus with the campers, otherwise, the bus driver is responsible for the campers.

Come and splash with us at our French Camps!

In all of our French Camps throughout the GTA, we take campers on a fun-filled splash pad adventure every Thursday.

These highly-anticipated “water days” at our French summer camps, are packed with a nature hike, nature interpretation, fun on the playground, splashing around on the splash pad, camp games, sports (soccer, frisbees etc.), and lunch on site.

We encourage your child to bring a “litterless” lunch on water day. Because these are all outdoor programs; please make sure to pack the following:

• a water bottle to refill,
• change of clothes / wear bathing suit
• a towel
• a litterless lunch,
• sunscreen,
• good walking shoes

We will go rain or shine. In case of severe weather conditions, the water day will be canceled and can not be rescheduled. In all cases, the children will have access to a small beach type pool, a wading pool or splash pad. More details will be included in the parent handbook that is sent out in late May. Unfortunately, parent volunteers are not accepted on these trips.

The water day destinations are different each week and for each campus. To find out the exciting Splash Pad destination for your local campus, visit the location page.

Camp Tournesol reserves the right to change the water day destinations at any time without notice.

Our locations for our French summer camps are usually confirmed by early to late April by the school boards which is standard practice.

We typically screen the locations we post so we know there is a high likelihood of securing the permit. In the event where the school boards are unable to rent that particular school due to renovations, we are usually moved to a school nearby or if it is a greater distance, we would put a shuttle bus at that location. If there is a re-location and the new location is inconvenient to the parents registered, we offer a full refund.

We usually recommend to not wait for confirmation to register as our programs will close once they are full which may occur before we have a confirmation. Or in the case of a new location, if we receive insufficient registrations by mid-April, the location may be canceled.