Teacher Information
PROGRAM OFFERINGS
The Olympia Outdoor and Challenge Education Centre offers an excellent selection of daytime and evening programs that can be chosen based on the objectives and goals of your trip.
For over 20 years, Olympia has offered challenging outdoor education programs for students from Grades 5 to 12.
Our customizable programs are available in both the spring (May and June) and the fall (September and October). They are a perfect way to kick off the school year, or celebrate the completion of one!
Program options
To accomodate every schools schedule and budget, we offer 2, 3, and 4-night programs. We also offer single day and weekend trips.
Program structure
Daytime programs are usually conducted in activity groups of 10 – 14 students. During evening programs your whole school will come together to participate in large group activities.
SAMPLE SCHEDULE
School: St. Mary’s | # of Students: 24 | # of Activity Groups: 2
Arrival Day: Wednesday | Departure Day: Friday
| WED | THURS | FRI | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 1 | Group 2 | |
| 8:00-9:00 am | Breakfast | Breakfast | ||||
| 9:00-10:15 am | Initiatives | Low Ropes | Beaver Pond Hike | High Ropes | ||
| 10:30-11:45 am | High Ropes | Beaver Pond Hike | Giant Swing | |||
| 12:00-1:00 pm | Lunch | Lunch | ||||
| 1:00-2:30 pm | Arrival, Tour & Games | Canoeing | Initiatives | DEPARTURE | ||
| 2:30-3:45 pm | Low Ropes | Archery | Archery | Canoeing | ||
| 4:00-5:00 pm | Free Time | Free Time | ||||
| 5:00-6:00 pm | Dinner * | Dinner | ||||
| 6:15-7:30 pm | Survival Game | Capture the Flag | ||||
| 7:30-7:45 pm | Snack | Snack | ||||
| 7:45-9:00 pm | Minute to Win It | Campfire | ||||
* Dining Hall procedures will be explained 15 minutes prior to dinner time.
DAYTIME PROGRAM OPTIONS
Archery
Students will visit our on-site archery range and learn the fundamental skills of this growing sport. They will receive instruction in proper shooting form and compete in fun, interactive games.
Beaver Pond Hike
Students hike to a local beaver pond to explore a real beaver habitat. We will discuss the beaver’s impact on biodiversity, its place in the ecosystem, why the beaver is the perfect water species and the beaver’s historical significance to Canada.
Bouldering
A great sport for beginner or expert rock climbers. Climbers climb horizontally across the wall so their feet are never far from the ground. Multiple students can climb at a time which means more time climbing. Includes an introductory lesson on climbing techniques, trial climbs, and fun bouldering games!
Canoeing
Students will learn the basic parts of the canoe along with proper strokes such as the J-stroke, draws, and prys. After the dry land training, students will be given the opportunity to practice their strokes on beautiful Oxbow Lake, while playing exciting canoe games with their fellow classmates.
Climbing Tower
Olympia’s four sided, 40 foot climbing tower is designed to provide the right level of challenge for every student, whether they are a beginner or an expert.
Giant Swing
The newest addition to our high ropes course. This 40 foot swing is the definition of challenge by choice! Two participants are hoisted into the air (to a height of their choice) and release themselves to swing over the lake!
High Ropes
Our high ropes course is often said to be the highlight of everyone’s experience at Olympia. We have a number of individual and team elements. High ropes help to expand comfort zones and take your students to new heights!
Initiatives
These are activities where students are presented a challenge and have to come together and work as a team to accomplish their goal. Students are encouraged to take a leadership role and communicate effectively to put their ideas into action.
Blanket Toss
One by one, students take turns sitting in the middle of the blanket as their classmates pull on the handles tossing the participant into the air. This is a great activity to have fun while building trust amongst your class. This activity requires a minimum of 19 people.
Kayaking
Students will begin with an instructional period on dry land where they will learn how to fit a PFD and paddle, the different parts of a kayak, as well as a variety of paddling strokes. Students will then move to the water and try out their new strokes. We will then finish off with some fun water games.
Low Ropes
Olympia has a wide variety of outdoor as well as indoor low rope elements. These activities are designed to improve cooperation, goal setting, conflict resolution techniques, physical agility, interpersonal skills, and problem solving skills.
Orienteering
Students will learn the basic compass principles such as how it works, the different parts, determining directions, and following bearings. Students will then put their new skills to the test by doing one of our on site orienteering courses.
Outdoor Life Skills
Students will learn what to do if they were to become lost in the woods. Topics include fire building, finding potable water, shelter building, navigating without a compass and most importantly how to get found.
Trust Building Activities
Through a combination of different activities, students will develop mutual respect, trust, communication skills and cooperation. These activities can bring a group closer together and break down barriers between group members.
Zip Line
Students learn to trust and build self-confidence when they jump from our 35 foot tall platform and enjoy the ride of a lifetime.
EVENING PROGRAM OPTIONS
Adventure Race
Your school will be divided into smaller groups. Each group will be given a series of clues. Running around camp, they will work as a team to decipher all clues and try to be the first team to win!
Campfire
No trip to camp is complete without the time honoured tradition of a campfire. Enjoy fun and interactive songs, games and stories around a cozy campfire overlooking one of Muskoka’s most beautiful lakes.
Capture the Flag
A fun and high energy game where the group is divided into two teams and try to capture each other’s flag without getting caught.
Carnival
Students work in small groups playing a number of fun activities to see which group can win the most ‘Olympia Bucks’.
Counsellors’ Choice
Olympia staff love to play and know countless games your students will love! Let us pick one of our favourite activities that we believe will best suit your school.
Dance
Have a dance in our Sportsplex. Schools often bring their own DJ, but our Olympia DJ is available if needed. This activity is best suited for larger groups (at least 40 students) but is available to everyone.
Minute to Win It
This game show style program gets everyone up in front of the crowd and out of their comfort zone! Contestants have one minute to complete a task to win a point for their team. Everyone’s new favourite program!
Movie
Bring your own or watch one of our movies that ties in with the Hero’s Journey theme and is appropriate for your age group (e.g. Harry Potter, We Are Marshall, etc.).
Murder Mystery
Students watch a skit put on by their counsellors where a murder takes place. Working in small groups, students then interview the suspects and try to determine who is guilty.
Night Hike
FALL ONLY. Many students don’t have the opportunity to spend time outside during the night time where they live. By taking a controlled walk around camp, students play fun games and become comfortable in the dark while learning about nocturnal animals, night vision and astronomy.
Skit Night
Students can come to camp with a skit ready to perform, or make up skits at camp with our ‘skit in a bag’ game. In this game, students will be divided into small groups and given a bag of props. They will then have approximately ten minutes to create a skit that incorporates all these props and then present it to the other groups.
Survival
The game of predator versus prey where students are given the identity of an animal that is an herbivore, omnivore or carnivore. Students will go through the struggle of finding enough food and water to survive while dodging their predators.