2024 Home & Away Testimonials

We originally signed up for a “Day 1” slot. I was a former Walden camper/staff alumni and was 100% convinced my kid should be at camp on Day 1. Fast forward to the start of camp. Turns out, Home & Away was the absolute best thing that could have happened to us. My son is a fairly anxious kid, so being able to bond with his cabin and counsellor before making the trip to Walden really helped with the transition. Another plus was that we didn’t have all the “Day 1” crowds at the buses when he left. I am 100% convinced that if he had gone on Day 1 he would have been petrified and getting him on the bus would have been a real struggle. We still had some tears at the busses, but he was so much more comfortable this way (and if I’m being honest, I regret signing him up for Day 1 originally!).  I am officially a Home & Away convert and cannot say enough good things about the program.

I was definitely a little skeptical when my son was put into the Home & Away group. I initially wanted him to start camp with the rest of the campers and experience the firsts with everyone. BUT, after having gone through the experience, I have to say that I’ve converted! I think it’s an amazing program for many reasons. The kids really get to bond with their friends and counselor at Robin Hood for 2 weeks before all moving to Walden. The cabin actually all got together pre-Walden and went for ice cream on a weeknight. It was really great to see the kids interacting & playing, plus all the moms/dads got to meet and chat about our excitement/fears etc. about the boys heading to sleepover camp for the first time. I also was really excited for the boys to experience some of the great programming Walden has to offer during the second 2 weeks of July (Color Wars to name a few). And lastly, I was thrilled to come up to camp on Visitor’s Day, to see the boys’ cabin, meet their counsellor and experience a fun day at the camp with my whole family. Our son loved showing us his bed and his favorite activities. My younger son will be doing the long-weekend next year and I wouldn’t hesitate to do the Home & Away program again. 

The Home and Away program at Camp Walden was fantastic for our family. Spending two weeks building friendships at Robin Hood before heading off together was incredible. This certainly allowed the kids to feel comfortable and eased the transition to a new environment. We are thrilled to have participated—it offered the perfect mix of familiarity and adventure, making it a memorable experience for our daughter. We are already counting down the days until next summer! 

We feel incredibly fortunate to have been part of the Walden family for the past four years. When it was time to enroll our younger child, we immediately knew that the Home and Away program was the perfect choice. This program offers a supportive and nurturing environment that helps ease campers into the overnight experience. The presence of a familiar counselor and friends made the experience truly wonderful for our daughter, who is already eagerly looking forward to returning next year!

My son had the best experience at home and away,  although I was initially nervous there was no need to worry!  The fact that he went to daycamp for two weeks at Robin Hood with the same group created such a cohesive cabin and they all got along so well and really enjoyed every minute of the experience at Walden. He can’t wait to go back!!

While we hadn’t planned to do Home and Away, we could not have been more pleased with the seamless transition from Robin Hood to Walden.  Both camps took such amazing care to form bonds with the campers and their counsellors, which provided the best possible scenario for our child.  It was most definitely a blessing in disguise.  We had complete confidence in the program and that our daughter would have the most positive experience at camp!

Although home and away was not my first choice it was an incredible opportunity for my son. It’s a very unique experience being able to bond and connect with a small group of campers and counselors and then be able to travel together to the next step of their camping journey. Getting on the bus to leave for Walden was a seamless experience thanks to the small group environment and the familiarity of faces around them. When they got to Walden they already had a strong bond which grew more for the remaining two weeks. The experience was phenomenal for our son, and we would highly recommend it for any camper. 

We had not originally registered or planned to be part of Home & Away and were surprised when it was offered to us. However, now that we’ve been part of Home & Away we think it’s a wonderful program and wish our older son had gone through it. The time at Camp Robin Hood helped prepare them for the structure and longer days at Walden, they knew their entire cabin which really helped ease their worries getting ready for Walden and they even had one of their Robin Hood counsellors join them. We are so happy we got to be a part of the program!

I was thrilled that my daughter got a Home and Away spot. She says that Home and Away “was the single greatest experience of my life!”  Knowing her cabin and counsellor in advance made the transition to overnight so much easier.  It gave me such peace of mind that she felt so comfortable and confident getting on the bus to head up to Walden.  

Home and Away was such a great option for our family.  Our kid had the opportunity to genuinely bond with his cabin and counsellor for two weeks before embarking on his first real overnight camp experience.   He was so excited to go away with his friends that all nerves about being away from home were melted away and he couldn’t have been more eager and excited to go on the bus. 

The positive momentum that started at Robin Hood carried him through his time at Walden and the cabin is all ready to go for all of July next year! 

Home and away is a genius program that sets your kid up for a positive experience.  Plus we all got to go up on Visitors Day!