Don’t have a magical wardrobe or closet?
No need to worry, Narnia is only a half-hour away.
Camp Narnia at Shawnigan Lake is open all summer long for children, preteens and teenagers to romp around the woods and broaden their horizons.
The 53-acre camp is known for its wide range of activities, most of which are based on the Narnia theme.
“The big thing is to use the kids’ imaginations to get them going in activities,” said Agnes Bartle, the new camp director. “We do a play every week in the summer on one of the Narnia books. We did one last night, it was really fun, there were 40 kids in costumes.”
Since the release of 2005’s The Chronicles of Narnia, the camp has also established a theatre week, where kids learn how to improvise and how to act and then put on a performance for parents and families. But Camp Narnia isn’t really a drama camp – even the theatre week kids do things like rock-climbing and bicycling.
Other Camp Narnia activities include crafts like copper enameling, candle-making, and making mosaic stepping-stones; sports like archery, canoeing and BMX biking; and learning skills from homesteading – where campers cut their own wood, start their own fires, and cook potatoes and bacon – and animal care at the camp’s small farm.
A perennial favourite of camp-goers at Camp Narnia is the challenge course, where teams of children have to navigate obstacles like a giant spider web and climbing wall.
“It emphasizes working together and learning how to co-operate,” Bartle said.
Later in the evening campers can participate in talent shows and play games like capture-the-flag.
Camp Narnia has several programs for teenagers, as well.
One of these is the 10-day Teen Adventure Camp, which sees teens participate in an outdoor trip that includes offsite hiking, canoeing and camping. Some of the skills learned in this program include shelter-building, fire-making, outdoor cooking and orienteering with a map and GPS reader.
“We have many returning campers, some of them have been coming here for eight or nine years,” Bartle said. “We like to keep things interesting for them.”
Camp Narnia, which used to be on Saltspring Island until the lease ran out, sees hundreds of kids pass through during the summer. In a given week, there are 60 or 70 attending campers and in the peak season about 25 staff members.
Camp fees range from $440 to $880, depending on the program and length of attendance.
For more information or to register for camp, call (250) 743-0448 or visit www.campnarnia.com.
Camp Narnia has since closed.
Hello there,
This is to announce that Camp Narnia will be re-opening its doors in the summer of 2011! The Camp Director is Agnes Bartle, long time staff member (1993-2006) and devoted Narnian fan. Come take a look at what’s going on at our website http://www.campnarnia.com and find us on Facebook.