Activities

General Games and Activities

Have you heard about our Traverse Wall?  It provides a low-risk rock-climbing experience for all ages.  The trick is that you move sideways, not up - so if you fall, you just step down onto the ground!

Looking for some help with your camp plan?  Camp Sylvan has a tub full of ideas.  No really - there is a tub with 31 program activity kits.  Each activity kit explains an activity, provides most of the materials, indicates which section it is geared for and outlines any badge requirements.  Just book the kits when you book your camp - list the kits you'd like in the DETAILS field.

Interested in learning more about the birds in the area? Check out Environment Canada's Wildspace.

Here are some ideas for games and activities to help make your camp a success.

Winter Games and Activities

Princeton's Outdoor Action website is an excellent resource.  Here is their guide to winter shelters.

Do your youth know about Hypothermia?  Here's a guide to help Cub and Scout aged youth.

Active Healthy Kids Canada gives a few ideas about how to make the most of your time outside in the winter.  The web has lots of resources for snow games - have fun researching and playing!

Attractions Nearby

Joany's Woods is a 367 acre parcel of land to the north and west of Camp Sylvan. Recently purchased by the Thames Talbot Land Trust, the property is bordered by the Ausable River to the west and is accessible at the south end from County Road 7 (Elginfield Road). The property is classified as an Environmentally Sensitive Area and contains various landforms and rare species of scientific value. The Ausable Trail committee of Lambton Wildlife Inc. has established a hiking trail through the property as part of an extension of the Ausable Trail. The property also contains two other trails used for hiking and bird watching.

Rock Glen Conservation Area and Hungry Hollow are well-known to fossil hunters.  Rock Glen is home to the Arkona Lions Museum and Information Centre which houses a collection of fossils and Indian artifacts found in the area. There are stairs, boardwalks and bridges allowing visitors to safely explore the steep sides of the glen and the 10 metre high waterfall just upstream of the Ausable River.  Take your group all the way down to the site of the old Hydro dam to enjoy incredible fossil hunting. (Digging is prohibited.)  You'll have a difficult time deciding which specimens to keep!  The Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority provides educational programs on more than just fossils.  Choose from such topics as Climate Change, Species at Risk, and Insects.

To Rock Glen from Camp Sylvan - The Back Way:
Take Sylvan Road south (turn right leaving the Camp) to Townsend Line, turn right.  Follow Townsend Line to Rock Glen Road, turn right and follow it to the Conservation Area.

To Rock Glen from Camp Sylvan – The High Way
Take Elginfield Road west from the Camp.  Turn left (south) onto Highway 79/Arkona Road.  You can turn left at Rock Glen Road before you enter the village of Arkona, but if you miss it, turn left at Townsend Line in Arkona. Rock Glen Road will be on your left after you pass through the village.