Contributed by Brittany Fleming, Activity and Group Tour Assistant, ILSC-Toronto
We had another amazing summer with our Junior Camp here in Toronto! Daily activities and weekend trips help students familiarize themselves with all the city has to offer. Toronto is a sprawling city with many distinct neighbourhoods and cultural districts, with things to do at every turn. As our students learned, Toronto is many things encompassed in one city. It is urban and busy, multicultural and diverse, full of nature and peaceful all at once.
Touring Downtown Toronto
We Torontonians love our “concrete jungle” that is downtown. It’s where our school is located as well as Canada’s Financial District, hippie-friendly Kensington Market, Chinatown, and Old Town. Downtown Toronto is a great mixture of bustling sidewalks, the lights of Yonge-Dundas Square, the sounds of buskers on street corners, the hum of the subway underground, as well as little parks, neighbourhoods of families, and our tranquil waterfront on Lake Ontario. Students in our English camp get to experience all of these elements and more!
The Juniors posing at Toronto’s beautiful waterfront (with a selfie stick, of course)
Diving into Toronto’s Arts Scene
Often named the most multicultural city in the world, Toronto is home to almost all culture groups of race, religion, and lifestyle. Toronto is also one of the best cities in the world to explore museums, art galleries, theatre performances, and live music. Our Junior summer Campers experienced these cultural events, including visits to the Royal Ontario Museum (pictured below) and the Art Gallery of Ontario, home to many paintings by Canada’s great artists, The Group of Seven. In addition, we supported local theatre by attending a Fringe Festival play, and of course, did a lot of shopping on trendy Queen West and the Eaton Centre (shopping is an art, right?)!
When you’re in Egypt, do as the Egyptians do! The Juniors at the Royal Ontario Museum
Wandering through Parks
Our English summer camp wouldn’t be much fun if we didn’t explore a few of the 1500 parks. Toronto is known as a “City within a Park” and we agree! There are lovely parks every few blocks, and summer is the best time to enjoy them. Every year, we visit Toronto’s largest park, High Park. Located on the west side of the city, the park has walking trails, an outdoor theatre, a lake, and a restaurant. At night, it is famous for raccoon and coyote sightings! Parks are a great escape from the busyness of the city; they are places to hike, swim, and experience the nature around us.
The students at High Park, the largest park in the city
The city of Toronto is many things. It is definitely an awesome summertime city for a language adventure!
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