Welcome to Camp Tournesol! Below are answers to our most frequently asked questions. You will also find location-specific answers on the page for each location. If you don’t find an answer here, contact us – we’re here to help!
Campers between the ages of 4-13 (that is, they will be between 4-13 years old on the first day of camp, July 6, 2026) are eligible to enroll. Based on the activities and overall structure of the camp, campers must be at least 4 years old by July 6, 2026. We are sorry, but there are no exceptions to the age restriction.
Please note as well, that all campers must be self-sufficient in the washroom, as camp staff are not authorized to assist your child.
We try very hard to accommodate each camper where we can. Camp Tournesol is committed to ensuring a successful camp experience for all campers. Unfortunately, our staffing structure does not allow for 1:1 camper support. If your child has an Educational Assistant (EA) at school that assists with behaviour concerns, they are required to bring a qualified support person with them to camp. Please note, all campers are required to be self-sufficient in the washroom as camp staff are not authorized to assist your child. Camp Tournesol is unable to provide this support, parents/guardians are required to make these arrangements. Full disclosure on the camper Medical and Behavioural Form is required at the time of registration and failure to do so may result in participant removal, no refunds or credits will be issued should this occur.
Unfortunately, we do not offer half day enrollment or part time enrollment. While it is your choice to only send your child for half a day or a few times a week, there is no price discount. The full enrollment fee will apply.
All lost and found items will be kept at camp until the end of the last week of camp, at which time they will be donated to a local charity if unclaimed. They will not be shipped back to Head Office. Camp Tournesol strongly recommends that you label everything and check daily to ensure that your camper has returned home with their belongings. Campers who bring valuables of any kind to camp do so at their own risk, so please leave valuables at home. Camp Tournesol is not responsible for any damage, loss or theft of personal items brought to camp.
Typically we have 1 counsellor for every 7 children, though some variations apply.
Camp Tournesol has locations all over Ontario, from Timmins to the Greater Toronto Area and beyond! View them all here.
Not all facilities are air conditioned. Visit each location page for the site you’re interested in, and in the FAQ section of that page (at the bottom) it will note whether that specific facility is air conditioned. We understand that some days get quite hot in the summer, so precautions and measures are taken to lessen the impact of the heat if a particular camp location does not have air conditioning. Fans are installed, frequent water breaks are taken, outdoor activity is limited during heat advisory days, freezies are provided to campers, and more, to help minimize the impact of the heat. Please note, refunds will not be given due to hot days at camp.
Registering for summer camp is easy!
Be sure to register early to get the location and weeks you’d like!
Sorry, campers do not receive any camp gear included as part of their registration.
Unfortunately, we are not selling camp gear for the 2026 camp season.
Camp Tournesol is not offering a lunch or snack program for summer camp 2026. Campers should come to camp each day with a packed lunch and snacks, as well as a reusable water bottle, to keep them powered up and energized for a day of fun!
Absolutely! Camp week themes are selected based on the interests of campers as well as all-around fun things to do. Regardless of the theme, all of our activities are created with both our male and female campers in mind. In other words, while all activities relate to the weekly theme, more importantly, they are all gender-neutral and designed to facilitate learning new French vocabulary and facilitating French conversation. Read more about our themes and programming, including a sample day at camp.
Yes! Each year we continue to add more and more activities and options to ensure the campers are always busy learning and practicing French while having fun!
Water play is a favourite at Camp Tournesol!
Weather permitting, we will set aside some time, each afternoon for campers to get wet and wild with water toys, buckets, and more. To ensure a fantastic day, parents should ensure they pack their campers’ bathing suits, a towel, a hat, sunscreen, water shoes, a refillable water bottle, a plastic bag (for wet clothing) and a change of clothes. A packed lunch and plenty of snacks are also important to keep the campers fuelled and energized throughout the day.
We also encourage campers to bring water toys from home for water day!
Camp Tournesol staff will provide additional supervision, ensuring that everyone stays hydrated, sun-protected, and safe while having an unforgettable time at camp.
Each Friday offers a celebration of the week’s adventures, achievements, and fun, with an Open House during the last hour (3pm-4pm) of the day!
Campers will proudly showcase what they’ve learned throughout the week, including sharing their very own My Week at Camp Tournesol posters with you.
The Open House allows campers to shine and share their growth with family and friends. It’s the perfect conclusion to an incredible week, leaving campers, parents, and staff with cherished memories and a sense of accomplishment.
At Camp Tournesol, we work to nurture a lifelong love of French, no matter where your camper is in their French language journey! We are here to meet them where they are with fun activities and experiences, with just the right amount of French (from a little, all the way to fully immersive) to build on their existing language ability.
In order to best do that, for each week of summer camp, you have the option to register your camper in one of two streams, depending on their current French background: French Foundations or French Mastery. Learn more about all of our streams here.
Camp Tournesol offers 2 different stream options for your camper: French Foundations or French Mastery.
French Foundations is designed for campers who do not attend or are just starting out in a French immersion school program and/or do not speak French at home. Foundations campers typically have some French experience or vocabulary (which they generally learned at their non-French immersion school in French class), but aren’t yet speaking with fluency or confidence, and would not be comfortable in an environment where French is primarily spoken.
French Mastery is for campers who either do go to a French immersion program and/or speak French at home. These campers are able to speak French very well, and are ready for the full French immersion environment our Mastery stream offers them to build on their current level of fluency and confidence in the language. French Mastery campers would be comfortable in an environment where French is primarily spoken.
If you’re unsure of which stream is ideal for your camper, don’t hesitate to contact us and we can help you decide!
Above all, we want to ensure your camper has a wonderful experience at Camp Tournesol, where they feel challenged but not frustrated as they build their French skills, from wherever they are now. Our interest is in building a life-long love for the French language!
If your camper starts camp, and you selected a stream that turns out not to be ideal for them, don’t worry – we will almost always be able to switch them to the other stream right away.
Our French Foundations and French Mastery stream spots are not limited, we allow registration for each on a first come basis, up until the total capacity for that location and week is reached. We find this almost always results in a good mix of proficiency levels, resulting in all campers building on their French knowledge.
Our French Foundations stream is designed for campers who do not go to a French immersion school program and/or do not speak French at home. Foundations campers typically have some French experience or vocabulary (which they typically learned at their non-French immersion school in French class), but aren’t yet speaking with fluency or confidence. Having said that, all campers are welcoming in French Foundations – even if they’re brand new to the French language!
As a general rule, we speak and use as much French as we can with French Foundations stream campers, in consideration of each camper’s current French proficiency. We are always striving to maximize French use, to ensure that campers feel challenged, but never frustrated. This is true in particular activities or conversations, but also over the course of the week, as their comfort level with counsellors, each other, and the French language grows.
Our French Mastery stream is for campers who either go to a French immersion program and/or speak French at home. These campers are able to speak French fairly well.
As a result, our French Mastery campers will be fully immersed in the French language at camp. Counsellors will speak to them in French, and they will be expected to reply to counsellors and speak to each other in French, as much as possible.
Of course, our focus is on having fun and building a life-long love of the French language, so we are always striving to ensure that campers feel challenged, but never frustrated. This is true in particular activities or conversations, but also over the course of the week, as their comfort level with counsellors, each other, and the French language grows.
We do! Counsellor-in-Training (CIT) positions are volunteer positions. Visit our Jobs page to learn more and apply.
Summer camp operates from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day.
We also offer early drop off starting at 7:30 a.m. and late pick up until 5:30 p.m.
You can add this extended before camp care and/or extended after camp care to your cart at checkout when you register for camp, or purchase it later if you prefer.
Before camp care is $40 for a 5 day camp week and $32 for a 4 day camp week. After camp care is $40 for a 5 day camp week and $32 for a 4 day camp week. Before camp care and after camp care are separate purchases, so you can purchase just before care for the week, just after care for the week, or both.
Please note, only entire weeks (not individual days) can be purchased.
Yes! Early drop off starts at 7:30 a.m. and late pick up is offered until 5:30 p.m. You can add this extended before camp care and/or extended after camp care to your cart when you register for camp, or purchase it later if you prefer. Before camp care is $40 for a 5 day camp week and $32 for a 4 day camp week. After camp care is $40 for a 5 day camp week and $32 for a 4 day camp week. Please note, only entire weeks (not individual days) can be purchased. Before camp care and after camp care are separate purchases, so you can purchase just before care for the week, just after care for the week, or both.
A sample camp day for Mondays through Wednesdays will look something like this:
Please note, many of our activities may take place outside, depending on the weather. Outside activities may take place onsite at the camp, or at a nearby green space or park/playground. Activities throughout the day are based on a variety of health and safety factors as well as weather.
For more information about our programming and a more detailed sample day for one of our themes, visit our themes and programming page.
To ensure their safety, campers must be signed in at the time of drop off and signed out at the time of pick up, by their guardian. Guardians must indicate the names of the authorized persons for pickup on their online registration form and everyone must show physical identification in order to sign out a camper.
You are required to show physical identification every day, even if we know you. No camper will be permitted to leave camp without being signed out by an authorized adult. The same safety rules apply to all. Should a parent wish to add an authorized person(s) to the approved pick up and drop off list for their child, they may login to their account or call Head Office (888-892-1889).
Camp Tournesol staff will bring the camper(s) to the normal drop off/pick up location and the parent/guardian will be required to sign out their camper(s). For your child(ren) to be released from camp, the person signing them out must:
We take the care and safety of your child(ren) very seriously. Under no circumstance will a child be permitted to leave camp without being signed out by an authorized adult who has verified their identification by showing physical government issued photo ID.
We post this information on the location pages as soon as we have it. In the case where Camp Tournesol is located at a university or a college this information can take a while to be forwarded to us as they have internal procedures they must follow to make drop off and pick up as seamless as possible. An email is sent prior to the start of each summer camp week with this information.
It is important that all campers come prepared for a full day of great activities and fun. Please be sure your camper has the following items every day:
Please do not bring toys to camp (except for water toys on water day), and please leave all electronic devices (including cellphones) at home. If you need to contact your child, call our Support team (888-892-1889) and we will contact the camp to relay messages or plan for your child to call you if it is urgent.
There is at least one staff member at every site that has their First Aid and CPR certification. However, Camp Tournesol counsellors DO NOT administer medications (unless its an Epinephrine Auto-Injector in the event of a life-threatening episode of anaphylaxis or Glucagon medications for type 1 diabetics, experiencing severe hypoglycemia (severe low blood sugar), or assisting a camper with the use of an inhaler in the event of a severe asthmatic episode, etc.)
If your child requires medication to be taken throughout the day at camp, please note that camp staff are not trained or authorized to administer medication of any kind. All other medications must be taken by the camper independently, or parents/guardians must make arrangements to return to the camp to oversee the administration of medicines. Also, please ensure this information is communicated clearly on the application form when enrolling your child.
Yes! At least one staff member at every site has their First Aid and CPR certification.
Due to an increase in food related allergies and sensitivities in society, we request parents to take special care when preparing their child’s lunch and snacks. Camp Tournesol tries to provide a peanut and nut free camp. We encourage our families to be sensitive to those who may have peanut butter and/or nut allergies and ask that parents and guardians support our attempts in reducing the risks. Please only provide peanut-free and nut-free items in your child’s lunch and snacks. Parents should be aware, however, that we do not monitor compliance of this request in every location and do not search campers’ lunches. There may also be other camps or people in these locations not affiliated with Camp Tournesol.
Our Refund and Cancellation Policy is as follows:
Note that this refund policy applies only to new purchases made for the 2026 camp season. It does not apply to camp sessions, services, or merchandise purchased in previous seasons, including any for which credits were previously issued.
Cancellations/Refunds: Camp Sessions
Participants who have purchased camp sessions on or before May 14, 2026, may request a full refund (minus a non- refundable 2.4% processing fee) for any reason, provided the request is made in writing to Head Office on or before May 14, 2026. To request a refund, please contact our Support Team via email at [email protected].
Cancellation requests received in writing on or after May 14, 2026, are subject to a $100 cancellation fee per camper, per camp session (plus the non-refundable 2.4% processing fee). This fee will be deducted from the refund amount. Refunds are not available once a camp session has begun.
Cancellations/Refunds – Before and After Care Services
Before and After Care services are refundable at any time, including during the camp season, provided they are cancelled at least one full business day before the start of the camp session for which they were purchased. To cancel Camp Merchandise or Before/After Care services, please contact our Support Team by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 892-1889.
Cancellations/Refunds: Cancellation Initiated by Camp Tournesol
If Camp Tournesol must cancel a camp location, session, day, service, or merchandise product (either before or after June 15, 2026), a full refund will be issued to the participant. Reasons for cancellation may include, but are not limited to, funding availability, low enrolment, insufficient staffing, or supply chain issues.
While Camp Tournesol makes every effort to finalize these decisions by May 15, 2026, this may not always be possible.
In the unlikely event that Camp Tournesol is forced to close due to a government order (e.g., pandemic-related restrictions), participants will receive a credit for the full value of their purchase, which may be applied to the 2027 camp season.
Transferring to a Different Camp Week
Participants may transfer to a different camp week by providing at least 7 days’ notice to Head Office. Transfers are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed. To request a transfer, please contact our Support Team by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 892-1889.
Right to Not Issue Refunds or Credits
Camp Tournesol reserves the right not to issue refunds or credits after a camp session has started, under any circumstances, including but not limited to:
10. The camper does not meet the minimum age requirement to attend camp
Participants may transfer to a different camp week by providing at least 7 days’ notice to Head Office.
Transfers are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed. To request a transfer, please contact our Support Team by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 892-1889.
There is no guarantee that sessions will be available for your requested date(s) and location(s).
No. We suggest that parents evaluate their situation closely prior to enrolling their child and that should a situation occur where the child indicates they are not “having fun” or “didn’t learn anything”, strongly encourage them to try their best the next day. Children often focus on one thing during the day they did not like but in actuality they had 10 other positive things happen. Another suggestion would be to discuss the situation with the camp staff on site as there is often more to the story.
Payments can be made by credit card during the registration process. VISA and Mastercard are accepted.
As a not for profit, Camp Tournesol does not have a formal subsidy program as our fees are already at cost. However, we do accept funding from any organization that wishes to assist.
We suggest parents contact their local service clubs and agencies to enquire about existing summer camp subsidy programs. A call to your local MPP and MP offices could also provide some ideas as to funding.
There is a 2.4% Credit Card Surcharge added to all transactions to cover the fee that payment processors charge. This is a non-refundable fee.
Registration for camp is paid in full at the time of registration. (We no longer accept deposits.)
