Best Children’s Camp at Trout Lake

By Nicole and April Hughes, co-founders of Sunhouse Camps

If you live in East Vancouver and you have a child between the ages of 4 and 7, you have probably stood in your kitchen at some point this spring and thought: I need to find a real outdoor camp this summer. Not a babysitting program in a park. Not an indoor day camp that goes outside for an hour. A camp where my child is genuinely outside, genuinely cared for, and genuinely learning something that matters.

This article is for you. Sunhouse Camps operates at Trout Lake (John Hendry Park), in the heart of East Vancouver, for July and August. We are written about here not because we are the only outdoor camp in the area, but because we are the only Trout Lake camp built around a documented approach, staffed by qualified educators, with safety and parent communication standards we have not seen anywhere else in the city.

Here is what makes Sunhouse the right choice for East Vancouver families.

Built on The Sunhouse Method™

Sunhouse Camps are not outdoor activities. They are an outdoor approach. Every minute of every day is shaped by The Sunhouse Method™, a five-principle framework developed by founder Nicole Hughes over twenty years of working with children. The principles are: The Capable Child, The Body as the First Language, Regulation Before Reason, The Steady Adult, and Reinforcement, Reflection, and Integration.

The Method takes the best of traditional structure and the best of modern emotional regard, and it inhabits both at once. A child raised with The Sunhouse Method™ is loved, and they are also met as capable. Other Vancouver programs offer outdoor schedules. We offer an outdoor approach. Read The Sunhouse Method™ →

Our Educators Are Qualified, Not Improvised

This is the difference that matters most to parents and the one most camps cannot match.

• Camp staff managers are qualified primary school teachers. Not students. Not seasonal hires with a weekend training. Qualified educators with formal classroom credentials and real experience with children ages 4 to 7.
• Every educator is reference checked before they ever step into a Sunhouse session.
• CPR and First Aid certified. Every adult on site holds current CPR and standard first-aid certification.
• Background checked for child safety. Every Sunhouse educator clears a current background check before working with our children.
• On-site Method training. In addition to their existing credentials, every Sunhouse educator is trained in The Sunhouse Method™ directly by the founder. This is what allows our educators to respond to a child in tears, a child in conflict, or a child in joy with the same calm, grounded consistency.

Most outdoor camps in Vancouver run on a model of summer hires with a few days of orientation. We run on a model of trained primary school educators applying a documented approach. The difference is felt by your child on day one.

The 6:1 Ratio That Most Camps Cannot Match

Six children to every educator. Always. Every session. This is non-negotiable at Sunhouse.

Many Vancouver outdoor camps operate at 10:1, 12:1, or higher because the economics of camping push ratios up. We have built our model around 6:1 because below this threshold, you do not have an outdoor approach. You have a babysitting service in a park. Six children means an educator can know each child by name within the first hour, read each child’s body language by midweek, and meet each child where they are.

A Day at Trout Lake

The day begins with a walk into the morning, an energizing route around the lake with themed scavenger hunts to ground the children and gather the group. Older campers take on small leadership moments, reading the trail and supporting younger friends.

Shared meals happen twice a day. Snack mid-morning, lunch in the early afternoon. We eat together, and educators read aloud while children eat. This is intentional. Calm food, calm bodies, calm groups.

Between meals, children explore. Some days mean building shelters with sticks and tarps. Some days, mud and sand play at the lakeshore. Some days, hands-on experiments with natural materials. Every day includes generous time for child-led play in the grass and among the trees around the lake.

In the afternoon, we move into a more structured activity block, often a craft, a build, or a cooperative group game. As the day winds down, we walk back together and gather for a reflection circle or quiet game before pickup.

What Your Child Will Develop

A summer with Sunhouse is not just a week off school. It is an intentional developmental experience. Children at Sunhouse Camps actively develop:

• Gross motor skills. Climbing, running, balancing on logs, navigating uneven terrain, swimming and water play (where supervised), shelter building, hauling and carrying.
• Fine motor skills. Threading natural materials, drawing in the field, fastening their own backpacks, opening their own lunches, building intricate creations with small natural objects.
• Emotional regulation. Through The Sunhouse Method™, children learn to identify what they feel and to settle their own nervous systems with educator support.
• Social skills. Mixed-age small groups create natural opportunities for negotiation, repair, cooperation, and leadership.
• Confidence and capability. Children are scaffolded toward independence, not rescued from it. They leave a Sunhouse session knowing they can do hard things.
• Real connection to nature. Daily immersion in Trout Lake’s grassy fields, mature trees, and lakeshore creates lifelong familiarity with the outdoors.

A Curated Weekly Video for Every Family

Every family enrolled at Sunhouse receives a curated weekly video recap showing their child’s exploration, social moments, and growth. This is not a live social media feed. It is a thoughtful, edited weekly piece that gives you a real window into your child’s week. Our educators are present with the children, not posting in real time. We protect the experience.

Safety Standards

Outdoor settings require more vigilance, not less. Sunhouse safety standards include:

• Current CPR and First Aid certification for every educator on site
• Reference checks on every educator
• Background checks for child safety on every educator
• Active head counts at every transition
• Daily boundary review with the children
• Site safety checks before and during each station
• Clear communication protocols with parents for late arrivals, weather changes, or any incident

Where We Are

Trout Lake (John Hendry Park) is one of East Vancouver’s most beloved natural spaces. The lake, the surrounding grassy fields, the mature trees, and the sandy lakeshore create a varied outdoor classroom within easy reach of Commercial Drive, Cedar Cottage, Hastings-Sunrise, and surrounding East Van neighbourhoods. We are minutes from home for most East Vancouver families.

Common Questions From East Vancouver Parents

What ages do you serve? Ages 4 to 7. Children must be fully potty trained.

What are the dates? Sunhouse runs July and August at Trout Lake. Camp runs Monday through Friday. Specific drop-off and pick-up windows are shared with enrolled families.

What if it rains? We run rain or shine. Children dress for weather. We modify only for extreme weather or poor air quality.

What does it cost? Summer weeks are $500. Full summer month at $1,200.

How do you communicate with parents? Weekly curated video recap. Personal response to every inquiry.

How are educators trained? Camp staff managers are qualified primary school teachers. Every educator is reference checked, background checked, CPR and First Aid certified, and trained in The Sunhouse Method™ on site by the founder.

How to Enrol

Sessions fill quickly, especially July and August. Each session has a small cohort by design. When the 6:1 ratio is filled, bookings close.

View Trout Lake Camps →
Read The Sunhouse Method™ →
Contact Us →