Cub Camp Program
Mountain Camp Woodside offers a special Cub Camp program for campers ages 5 to 6 years and up to incoming 1st graders. Our cubs are split into multiple groups – Bear, Cheetah, Lion, and Tiger…oh my!, with a maximum of a 12-campers to 2-counselors ratio.
Activities
The Cubs participate in most of the same activities that older campers do, such as fencing and archery, but all activities are structured to be age appropriate and accommodate the learning styles of our youngest campers. For instance, during swimming periods, our Cubs wear life vests so they can safely explore our pool and they do not participate in mountain biking. Cub activities are scheduled and they do most activities twice.
Schedule
Our Cubs stay with their group throughout the entire day and are under constant supervision by our Cub counselors. Cub Camp gives children a chance to try all that camp has to offer in a supportive and structured environment – ideal program for a child’s first camp experience. To accommodate the younger ages, the Cub Campers’ day ends at 3pm. If your Cub Camper needs to stay later, “Extended Cub Care” options are available.
Drop-Off Info
Drop-off is from 8:50am each morning. Drop-off can be one of the hardest times a day for some of our younger campers, however going to camp is an excellent time for campers to grow, gain confidence and independence and to make lasting friendships! In our experience, campers rebound quickly and end up having a great day after they leave their parent or guardian. We have set up a curb-side drop-off process as sometimes parents staying around can cause the home-sickness to drag on. We take pride in our counselors and their ability to help your child gain independence and learn how to adjust by keeping them involved at camp.
Pickup Info
The normal cub pickup time starts at 3:00pm at the main field. If you sign up for Extended Cub Care, you can pick up your camper in our no-park pickup system on the field starting at 4:15pm to 4:35pm. Please bring your Day Camp Placard with you for pickup for us to verify that you are authorized to pick-up your Cub.
Pre-Cub Camp
New this summer, we are offering a “Pre-Cub” camp program for campers who are at least 4 years old by the start of their camp session. They will be organized into small Pre-Cub groups like our other Cubs and will be able to do all of the same activities as the bigger kids. Because of the increased camper-to-counselor ratios, we are only able to offer our Pre-Cub camp program for a selected number of sessions. Please check our Dates & Rates page for the sessions that this special program is offered.
Additional activities
Swim Lessons
Swim Lessons are offered Monday-Friday from 3:45-4:15pm. Lessons are semi-private, with up to 3 campers per 1 instructor. Lessons are geared more towards new or beginner swimmers. Space is limited, so we recommend signing up fast to register your interest. While Cubs wear life vests during their swim time, they will not wear life vests during swim lessons. Swim lessons are offered for an additional $325 per week.
Example Cub Schedule
Here is an example activity schedule. We change it each week and introduce new activities, however, it gives you a good idea of the weekly activities the cubs do.
FAQ
Cubs get to try almost every activity at camp! They get to do archery, fencing, tennis, soccer, basketball, nature, science, arts and crafts, dance, drama, pool, sidewalk chalk, story time, campfire and face painting. The only activity they do not participate in is Mountain Biking.
Parents can request for their campers to be in the same group with their friends and family. We try to accommodate as many friend requests as possible. However, as we can only have 12 kids in each group, it becomes more difficult to honor multiple requests. In this occasion, we will try our best to make sure they are with one of their requested friends.
The Cubs will be at the main camper pick-up location (where you dropped them off in the morning) for Cub pick-up which is 3:00pm . We ask all parents to bring their ‘Day Camp Placard’ (which has your camper’s name and group on it) with you and put it on the dash of your car so our counselors can read it off easily. If you have any questions, please click here for a short video on our Drop-Off and Pick-Up process.
We have an Extended Cub Care option for campers that need to stay a little later. They will hang with the Cub counselors and play games until all camp pick up, which starts at 4:15pm.
Yes! We offer a PM care option that runs until 5.30pm.
Please bring a towel, swimsuit, water bottle, goggles (if needed) and a good layer of sunscreen. We will provide everything else. We also have sunscreen all around campus and our counselors help put on sunscreen throughout the day. In our experience we have found that the less you pack, the less you lose!
Yes, we have a lost and found box by the office. However, it doesn’t fill up until we do our camp cleanup each weekend. If your camper loses something, please check back at the start of the next week. We will keep it boxed and labeled by session for the entire summer. At the end of each summer, we donate dozens of boxes of lost and found to goodwill.
Your camper does not need to pack a lunch and snack. We provide a boxed-style lunch based on the menu provided by the Woodside Priory School. However, if your Cub us a particularly picky eater, you might want to consider supplementing their lunch with someone from home. The more variety, the better. Each afternoon, we have a snack at 2:30pm.
Of course! Our focus during Cub pool time is fun. All Cubs are required to wear a life vest in the pool and most of our counselors choose to wear them as well. This allows children to safely and confidently explore the entire pool.
If you have a friend who might be interested in learning more about Mountain Camp Woodside, please click on our Refer-A-Friend and we will send them information right away.
If they enroll into Mountain Camp Woodside, you will be eligible for our “Refer-A-Friend” credit.
This was a great first camp for my nervous 7 year old boy. Thank you! - Sara M.
