Day Camps for kids 5-12

David Thompson Secondary

Our David Thompson Farm is located on the southwest corner of David Thompson Secondary, 1755 E 55th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5P 1Z7.

Millside Centre

Millside Centre, which is home to the Suwa’lkh Healing Forest and Medicine Garden, is located at 1432 Brunette Ave, Coquitlam, BC V3K 6X5.

Returning Campers

Registration will open for returning campers at 9AM on Wednesday, January 21st. A limited number of camp spots will be available for each week during early registration. If the camp you want is full, check back on Friday!

New Campers

General registration will open at 9AM on Friday, January 23rd.

Camp Fresh Roots uses sliding scale pricing for our summer camps. That means you choose what is affordable for your family. We strongly encourage families to pick the highest price they can afford, as doing so helps cover the costs for families who need more support. If the lowest cost is more than your family can afford, please reach out to camp@freshroots.ca about other options.

2026 Camp Fees

Yes! We’re excited to offer Camp Veggie Boxes this year! Like our standard Veggie Boxes, you’ll get a selection of the freshest veggies and herbs from our farms. You’ll pick up your Camp Veggie Box with your camper (Thursdays in Coquitlam; Fridays in Vancouver). There’s only 5 Camp Veggie Boxes available each week, so be sure to order yours when you book your camp.

Boxes sold out or you need more veggies? Be sure to stop by our market stands! In Coquitlam, you’ll see it when you come in to get your camper on Thursdays. In Vancouver, our regular market stand is at Van Tech on Wednesdays until 7 (and we may just be working on a pop-up on Fridays at David Thompson, just for our camp families… more details to come!)

Camp Fresh Roots does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, colour, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, family make-up, religion, or national and/or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, employment policies, scholarships, programs and activities.

Camp Fresh Roots is hosted on a working schoolyard farm and forest! That means we’ll be digging in the soil, using hand tools, looking for bugs, peering at plants, and moving through the sometimes narrow paths and uneven surfaces you’d expect to find between garden beds and on forest paths. We will also be preparing and eating food together!

You are welcome to visit the David Thompson farm with your camper at any time, and we’re happy to arrange a time to visit Millside.

While we will do our best to accommodate campers of all abilities, we do not have on site medical personnel, nor are we able to provide one-on-one aides for campers. Campers are welcome to bring their own aides, translators, or other support people. All campers must be able to follow behavioural expectations (see below) independently or with the support of a family-provided aide. Please contact our camp team at camp@freshroots.ca or call 778-764-0344 if you have any questions or concerns.

Yes! In August, our Vancouver camps are split by age, so campers ages 9-12 can have a program designed just for them. These programs take the theme of the week (Art, Food Systems, or Ecology) and go deeper, seeing how these can be used to make an impact on our communities. We strongly recommend signing your camper up for programs that align with their interests!

For our camp alumni, we also offer the LEX program for youth ages 12-14 who are interested in gaining leadership experience and volunteering with camp. Applications open in January, and we’ll send an email to families of eligible campers with more info.

We welcome campers ages 5-11 in most of our programs! We offer programs in August for campers as old as 12. For our camp alumni, we also offer the LEX program for youth ages 12-14 who are interested in gaining leadership experience and volunteering with camp.

For our July Full Week camps and our August Sampler, campers will be put into groups by age as much as possible, while keeping siblings and friends who want to be together in the same group together. Please include friend requests on your registration form! For August Full Week camps, Vancouver campers will need to register by age. Campers under 9 will not be able to register in the 9-12 group; 9 year old campers can be registered in the younger group upon request, but we recommend they register for the 9-12 group or join one of the July camps, as the 5-8 camp is specifically geared toward younger campers!

While we will do our best to honor friend requests, we may need to split up very large groups of friends to ensure a positive camp experience for all our campers. We will contact the families involved to find a good solution if this occurs.

Yes! You can join the waitlist for free! If a space opens, you will receive an email with a link to register. We reserve the right to prioritize siblings of registered campers or campers who are not registered in another camp session. As we know plans change, we will reach out at the end of May to see if you want to remain on the waitlist.

Cancellations

Should we need to cancel a camp session, we will notify families no later than one week before the session starts. If we cannot place your camper in another suitable camp session, we will refund the full camp fee. If we need to cancel part or all of a camp session at the last minute due to dangerous weather or other unforeseen circumstances, we will refund the camp fee for the days cancelled.

Our camp is outdoors, rain or shine, and we ask that campers come prepared each day for the weather. Typically, summer weather-related cancellations only happen if there is extreme heat or smoke, or, rarely, severe thunderstorms.

Refunds

If your camper is unable to attend camp, please let us know as soon as possible. Refunds are available as follows:

• Before June 1: Full refund, minus $25 administration fee (fee waived if cancellation is within one week of purchase)
• After June 1 until two weeks before start of camp session: 50% refund, minus $25 admin fee
• Less than two weeks before camp session: No refund.

If your camper cannot attend three or more days of camp due to illness we will offer a limited credit to be used toward next summer. All credits must be used by the end of the summer after they are issued.

No refunds will be offered for missed days in a camp week other than for illness.

Need to change weeks? Let us know at least two weeks before the start of the first session involved, and we will move your camper if space is available.

Camp Fresh Roots works hard to ensure a positive, respectful, and caring environment for all our campers and out staff. We also engage in some activities that have a higher level of risk, such as using farm tools and kitchen knives and stoves. We expect all our campers to:

• treat other campers, staff, and volunteers with respect
• treat animals, plants, and the land with care
• follow all instructions from staff
• stay within the supervised areas of the farm site
• stay with the group during off-site trips
• use precaution and safety when in public areas or travelling on public streets or roads
• use precaution and safety when handling gardening or cooking tools
• report illness or accidents immediately to staff

Whenever possible, we will work with campers and families to have a successful time at camp. However, repeated failure to adhere to these behavioural expectations may result in your child being sent home and/or asked not to return.