Important
I have been saying for years, do not wear floppy loose kid shorts to camp!   Wallets and change fall out of the pocket too easily. We are teaching the students how to use money, carry a wallet or, clutch or purse. Toss out the kid clothes and get a proper pair of teen shorts where a wallet and change can snugly fit. Unfortunately, A student lost their wallet this summer. We got off the LRT and I did our customary wallet check, sure enough it was missing from a pair of baggy loose floppy kid polyester shorts.  We constantly check the kids during transitions to ensure they have all their belongings, but accidents still happen.  Ironically, that days lesson was what to do if you lose your wallet. 
  • The student was calm and did a fantastic job self regulating, super proud of him!!
We called OC transpo and thankfully they found it.   I harp on this each summer, a smaller wallet is preferred and please leave that loose silver change at home,  it makes the change exchange difficult for students new to spending money..  I cover this further down on the parent info page.
  • Using a fanny pack is good alternative, a purse or a a shoulder bag...as long as the money is on your body and not in a backpack.
John & Julie
Camp Hours/Location
Below is our lengthy Camp FAQ - if its been asked, we have the answer

Updates for 2021

Please note that due to Covid 19 there are changes in 2021 for your safety.  Ottawa Health will be our guide to keep the kids and church space safe:
  • At drop off there will be a sign in station in the basement foyer
  • temperatures will be checked at drop off
  • Hand cleaning, sign in sheet and money check done in the foyer. We have extra masks and gloves on hand for visitors or students who forget theirs.
  • Students are required to provide a mask.
  • Masks worn indoors until we hear further from Ottawa Public Health.
  • Outdoors, if further than 6ft, students may take their mask off.
  • If a child has a cough or fever, they must stay home and be tested for c19 before returning to camp.
  • If a cough or fever happens at camp, the child will need to go home and get tested. the child will have a comfortable space apart from their friends until picked up.
  • Students are required a personal amount of hand sanitizer for outings. 
  • We will be taking public transit.  We will only take the bus/LRT if we deem it safe for the kids.  Otherwise activities will be walking distance and local.
  • Surfaces, taps, door handles, light switches and banisters sanitized each day
  • Body cam use:​  We have up to 60 hrs of footage for each week.  This is NOT for casual viewing on the part of parents.  The recordings are there to capture a moment of time where a child was hurt or an incident where viewing the footage will clarify a matter.   The cameras will be in use on ALL outings and turned on at camp ONLY when we are alone w/ a child or an issue where the recording will clarify an issue. Be aware, at camp, we may not get the camera in time if a child needs immediate first aid.
Our life skills programming will reflect what is open and available.  There may be more time spent at Sunnyside Church.  Our life skills lessons at restaurants may be reduced due to space limitations. We will picnic more. Shop for food more, cook more, order take out.  Our social lessons  maybe at camp more,  revolving around our workbook and new worksheets.  We may spend more times at parks, playing indoor and outdoor games.  We just wanted you to be aware of the changes in programming before signing up.
Please send in
  • Hat (optional)
  • RAIN GEAR -  many a day students were soaked because of no umbrella!
  • Sunscreen (optional, students apply it on their own)
  • Water - its hot, lots of water!!!
  • Wallet or purse/clutch and watch, fanny packs for wallets work too.
  • Backpack if needed that day - do not send in anything valuable.   Phones and money stay on our bodies at all times!​
  • Girls should have extra Feminine products
Extra Notes
  • There will be no microwaves/cutlery/napkins available so please pack accordingly.  Send in personal cutlery and napkins.
  • A note on Wallets: please Do Not send in a change purse.  I discourage using change.  I want the students to be efficient and counting change at the cash can be tedious.  We will use bills when possible and change will go home or stored at in a locked box with their name on it.  The student can watch the money grow and then use it for personal shopping on Friday.
  • For the Ladies: A wallet in the pocket is fine, a purse, fanny packs are ok but not cool, the 90’s are over!  As long as the money is not stored in a back pack. We often have to leave our back packs behind at check ins for museums or other events and money can get stolen.
  • Interac cards/Credit Cards:  Cash is preferred as it is tangible and students can see it grow or get smaller.  If your child uses Interac or CC please ensure they know the following:  Pin Number (not written down), account type.  We are not at this time teaching students how to use Interac or CC. Students must come to camp already knowing how to use it if that is their payment of choice.

Intro Letter for Summer/March break Camp

The following is our intro  letter for all the camps. You will find info on all that is needed for each week.   Itineraries will be sent out separately a week prior to the camp your child is enrolled in.   To the right of this page is your itinerary.   You will see reminders of what to bring in.  How much Money is needed each day. The days planned activities.  Links to the restaurants will be posted under the itinerary for you to review.
New for 2021:
Phones and electronics stored in Room 1
  • All students required to store their electronics, in room 1 from 9 till 2:30 pm.  This prevents them from being lost and mitigates the temptation to sneak some screen time in when they should be talking to peers.
  • Phones are only to be used for Google maps, calculating tax and tip, or looking something up relevant to the program ie store hours or location.  
  • If your child struggles w/ screen time or defaults to using their phone when they should be social, please leave it at home.
  • Phones/tablets/game devices distract students from being social, its an easy escape when they are not sure what to do or say.  
  • We will never physically take a device from a student.  We will ask them to store it at 9pm, put it way or give it to staff.  If they will not comply, we will ask parents to keep the device(s) at home for the remainder of the week.
March break
  • Dress for the weather.  It can be a moody time of year and temperatures change daily.
  • We are out daily from 10 am till 3pm.  We want to ensure your child is protected from the elements.

For students without a data plan on their phones, we encourage you to download the map of Ottawa on Google maps.  If your child uses another map program, please look into downloading an offline version of it.  This will greatly help us teach how to use maps to find their way around the city.

Camp Location:
  • 58 Grosvenor, Sunnyside Weslyan Church
  • Please use the entrance on Sunnyside
Pick Up and Drop Off
  • Drop off is at 9 am  (I will be in at 8am so early drop off is ok)
  • Pick up at 4pm (this time is firm as Julie and myself have commitments after 4)  Please make arrangements ahead of time if the 4pm pick up is not possible one day.
  • If your child walks or buses home on their own and you have not indicated so in the registration form, Please send a signed note indicating that your child is given permission to leave the program on their own or wait outside past 4pm for a pick up .  
  • Please add some In case of emergency info (I.C.E) or an id card in your child's wallet. It can be as simple as info written or typed up.  I suggest laminating I.C.E info.  One of our  lessons at camp, "what do if lost and who to talk to".  Some students are not aware of where they live nor phone number and this would make things challenging if they ever needed to talk to police, O.C Transpo security or a store manager.  We also discuss what to do when we lose items and a lost wallet is recovered easier if contact info is inside.  Our students wear a lanyard w/ their OC transpo pass along w/ contact info for myself. 
  • You may have noticed at the past few socials and March break camp, staff wearing a video camera.  This is used to off site and turned off back at camp.  The camera will be used at camp to record one on one discussions w/ students. More information can be found on our Policy page

  • For students under 18: Medication including Tylonal/Advil need a written permission form that includes dose and time to be taken.  Some students will require Advil/Tylonal as needed, the note must specify this and the dose.  We do not carry pain meds nor provide them, please send in your own, we will monitor the usage.
  • Fever- If your child has a fever, they must stay home until the fever is over. If we detect a fever, we will send the child home for their safety.
  • 24 hours fever free before they can return to camp.  Same policy as schools.

Please dress for the weather
It can be very hot for summer and in march the weather varies greatly.  In summer so we recommend a hat and sunscreen.  The students can apply the sunscreen themselves at camp before we leave or at home.  
Do not forget it also rains...many a student has come to camp w/ out rain gear and been soaked....not fun. Pack an umbrella or rain coat in their back pack.
  • We do not apply sunscreen to the students.
Please send in clothes that will accommodate a wallet.  Baggy shorts and pants are super comfy but its far too easy for a wallet to fall out during play or transitions.  Girls may prefer to use a purse or back pack.  Please be aware that money cannot be left in a backpack or coats when we store them at museums or events where bags are not permitted. 
Money is to remain on the students body at ALL times. 

Coupons are welcome for restaurants and events.  Links to the restaurants are listed under the itinerary.  Please go over menus w/ your child to help them pick out a meal for that day. Some restaurants may be challenging as we are looking for diversity, exploring new cultures and getting the students out of their comfort zone.

 If you have an Access card, please send it in.

  • Each student will have a info package for them at the beginning of the week and in it will list the schedule, daily checklist, social information list and a daily budget.  Julie, Alex and I will review all the activities w/ the group on Monday Morning. We will learn how to budget for the week, keep track of our money, introduce the students and teach social skills.    We will help them make purchases and teach them how to use their wallet or purse/clutch. The lunch trips are meant to teach the students etiquette, money management and tipping. So we will remind them about tone of voice, appropriate conversation in a public place, please and thank yous.  
  • If cost is a factor for the lunches, students can share a meal ie nachos.  
  • We expect  the students to tip, %15.  We will teach them how to figure it out and we can use our phones to calculate the %.
  • Phones are encouraged for photos, calculators  and using apps like google maps to get around but NOT for games or social media. If a phone is misused during an outing ie used for texting, games or social media,  It will need to stay home for the week or stay at Sunnyside during all outings between 9 and 3.

Lunch Cost:
  • I am aware that eating out 2-3 times a week is not typical for teens.  Repetition is what helps them learn. Restaurant experience helps them learn to manage their money, socialize w/ each other, practice their social skills in a public setting and learn to be more independent.  
  • For picnics Please remember, there are no microwaves on any outing and bring your own utensils/napkins.  Bringing an item to share is welcome and we do have some designated “Shared” Picnic days where we have a communal lunch.




OC transpo:
  • We have training passes for all the students.  The passes will be handed out each day and collected at the end of the day by your educators,Liam, Catherine or John.  
  • If you prefer to have your child practice paying for and using bus tickets, a presto pass or bus pass please let me know and I will email you the cost for tickets or instruction on how to obtain a presto pass.

We will try return to Sunnyside at 3pm most days. In previous years most students were exhausted by the end of the day so this year I promised to give them some time to relax..   I want them to connect and bond so this extra time will be good them to just be themselves, socialize and wind down after a long day of walking. The students can socialize, play board games, share electronics, watch a video together on the projector.   Feel free to send in any games/DVD or electronics that you feel would be fun to share.  ALL electronics (phones are the exception) will stay at Sunnyside until we return at 3.

Payment:
If you have not paid in full, Please send in the remaining  fee for the week your child is attending on Monday morning ($280.25). Please email or call if you need clarity on the amount owed.  
Cheques made out to:
  • John Anderson
Electronic Money transfer to:
  • John@spectruminsights.ca
 
Please note, the week registered for is a week committed to including the full payment. We will not be offering part time attendance at a reduced rate nor reimbursing for missed days.  We also want to remind you of the no refund portion of the Intake form you filled out.
Thank you very much, it’s going to be a fun program!  Please note itineraries will be posted via email one week prior to camp. A sample itinerary is from last year is included below.  The current itineraries will be slightly different but this gives you an idea. Expect to eat out 2-3 times a week.
We will help the students keep track of what they spend each day.   We will encourage them to save their change and use it at the end of the week for shopping.   The students can save money by getting water instead of pop for lunches, sharing meals etc. Seeing their money grow may encourage them to save outside of camp.




What we cover weekly at the Spectrum Insights Camp

Learning to use public transit


  • Teach the student how to enter a bus
  • How to use the OC travel Planner
  • How to use google maps
  • Planning the bus route for the day or week
  • Emergency situations: Missed stops, If a student gets lost, Location of Yellow call boxes
  • What to do if left alone on the bus or left alone at a stop
  • Where to sit on the bus
  • Who not to sit next to
  • What to do w/ backpacks
  • How to talk to OC security and where to find them
  • Using Emergency Yellow Boxes

Safety:

  • What to do and say when approached by a stranger
  • What to do when Lost or separated from the group
  • Walking down the street, making room for the elderly or wheelchairs
  • Spatial awareness/social awareness
  • Using your emergency contact cards


Money Management:
  • How to use a wallet
  • Where to carry your money
  • Budgeting for the week
  • Daily Budget
  • Keeping track of money as they move through the day
  • Help the students handle money during transactions
  • Help the student learn delayed gratification (personal shopping is done on Fridays)
  • Losing money
  • Losing a wallet/purse
  • How to handle small change
  • Teaching the student how to be efficient during a transaction
  • How to stay calm when they feel rushed


Organization Skills:
  • Daily planning: Where are we going - how do we get there - what do we need
  • Ensuring the student has ALL their belongings during each transition
  • Medication - When is it needed - Do they have it w/ them
  • Using a watch and telling time
  • Printable weekly budget - Update it daily w/ the students
  • Daily Schedule posted


Social Skills
  • Daily greetings
  • Remembering names
  • Knowing the interests of each student
  • Conversation starters
  • Social etiquette in the classroom - In the city - On the bus - During transactions
  • Teach how to plan a socials

Memory Lane:  2019 Photos

July 8-12

July 15-19 2019

July 22-26 2019

July 29-Aug 2nd

August 5-9

August 12-16

Itineraries and camp photos for 2021 will be in this Column


 Most camp itineraries will be posted here a week before camp starts. Some will be posted ahead of time. At the top of each itinerary is the date of that week of camp and your child's name along w/ the camp leader. Please go over it w/ your child prior to camp.  This will help mitigate confusion when looking at the menu and help them decide ahead of time what their budget is.  For many students, ordering on their own and understanding the meal cost is a first time event.
Please be aware there may be last minute changes to itineraries and some may be missing where we are eating that week.   The Week before your child's camps starts, they will be complete.
Be aware that itineraries may change due to the needs/interests of the students or because of weather.

Right Click to view image in new tab to enlarge

Online Review

If you enjoyed your experience at camp, please consider writing a review on our FB page or emailing your thoughts for us to share on our web page:
Facebook Reviews
John@spectruminsights.ca

 2021 August 9 - 13 Team Julie: Griffin, Charly, Spencer, Mike, Jalen
​Right Click to view Itinerary

 2021 August 2-6  Team John
Summer, Charly, Simon, Jakob, Spencer
​Right Click to view Itinerary

August 2-6  Team Julie
Noah, Colin, Andres , Orion
Sonja, Karol Ann  
​Right Click to view Itinerary

Be Aware that some days we return at 4pm.  Most days we are at camp by 3pm but due to weather, traffic or bus connections we may return at 4pm.  Text 613.220.5920 if you need to pick up earlier or talk to your camp leader at drop off.

July 5 - 30 2021

August 10-14 2020

August 3-7 2020

July 27-31 2020

July 20-24 2020

July 6-10 2020

July 13-17

2018/19 pics

July 23-27

July 9-13

July 16-20

Sample Itineraries from pre covid times below. 
Your Child's itinerary is posted top of the page to the right

Picture