Spring 2024 Referral Promotion
During checkout, enter the name of a NEW STUDENT OR CLIENT for both of you to each receive a $50 CREDIT towards your next purchase at Les Petites Pommes!
Register NowHamilton French Summer Camp
As our flagship program, started in 2009, each day of French Summer Camp features a balance of both indoor and outdoor activities such as games, hiking, playing at the park, and also French reading, writing, speaking and listening activities.
Session 1: July 2-12, 2024* ($620)
Session 2: July 15-26, 2024 ($680)
Session 3: July 29-August 9, 2024* ($620)
Session 4: August 12-23, 2024 ($680)
Session 5: August 26-30, 2024 ($350)
Leadership Camp: July 2-5, 2024* ($295)
STEAM Camp: July 15-19, 2024 ($360)
1 Week Only: Your choice of date ($350)
*No Camp on Canada Day and on Civic Holidays
Grades SK-8
Before & Aftercare Available
Hamilton French Winter Camp
The winter break is a wonderful opportunity to explore French using the holidays, the winter weather, vacation time, and hopes for the New Year with a blend indoor and outdoor activities, games focusing on French reading, writing and speaking practice, and crafts.
December 30, 2024
December 31, 2024 (Half-Day)
January 2, 2025
January 3, 2025
Ages 5-13
Before & Aftercare Available
Hamilton French PA Day Camp
Each PA Day Camp session has a specific theme focusing on having fun through games, crafts, activities, hiking (weather permitting), and a general enjoyment of our day off of school together.
September 20, 2024 ($80)
November 1, 2024 ($80)
November 22, 2024 ($80)
January 24, 2024 ($80)
February 28, 2025 ($80)
April 4, 2025 ($80)
June 6, 2025 ($80)
June 27, 2025 ($80)
For a limited time, register for 7 PA Days and receive 1 FREE day! This special is available until September 20, 2024.
Ages 5-13
Before & Aftercare Included
Hamilton French March Break Camp
March Break Camp is fully structured and features a balance of both indoor and outdoor activities like games, hiking, playing at the park, French reading, writing, speaking and listening activities.
March 10-14, 2025
Ages 5-13
Before & Aftercare Available
Our Camps Give An Extra French Boost
Vocabulary Development
Understanding Verb Conjugations & Tenses
Improving Writing Skills
Aural Comprehension
Promoting Speaking Practice
Having Fun Building Confidence In French
What Our Families Are Saying
I was so impressed with the camp. It was our last camp of the summer and I was worried J wouldn’t like it as much because it was more structured and there were learning activities throughout the day, but he loved it! He always came home happy and with a smile on his face. He also told me he loved the hikes! Thank you so much!
Nancy S.
Parent (Hamilton)
My girls adore your camp! My little was a little nervous about the French aspect the first day, but was proudly showing her work to me by the end of the week! Such a fantastic program! I can’t say enough about how great the staff are and my kids LOVE going!
Gina M.
Parent (Hamilton)
My son really liked how often you were outdoors. He loves going to the playground to play! The day the hike happened was a big highlight as well!
Tanya B.
Parent (Burlington)
What a lovely camp. John is so friendly and welcoming each morning. The kids are all so happy, and have such fun filled days. Highly recommend this day camp.
Nicole N.
Parent (Hamilton)
This was our first experience with a French language camp. My daughter had a great time and came home many days asking to register for another session. She loved all of the activities and being outdoors! I also liked how small it was in terms of number of campers, which is helpful in providing more one-on-one support (especially for those littles just starting out with the French language). This was a perfect camp to get our daughter excited about entering French Immersion in September!
Ruth C.
Parent (Hamilton)
I’ve been coming here for 3 years and they have helped me tremendously to progress in my French academics, mostly because of the amazing environment and the patient counsellors.
Erik K.
Student (Hamilton)
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French Camps FAQ
What level of French do students usually have?
The majority of our students come from a French immersion background, followed by core, private and then homeschool. Students are broken into 3 age categories: 5-6, 7-9 and 10-13. In our youngest age group of ages 5-6, many children have not yet started French immersion or are still considering it while some have had 1 year of experience. In our older age groups, there are mostly French immersion students. However, we do often have enthusiastic core, private and homeschool students and this is awesome too!
Do you speak French 100% of the time?
No, we do not speak French 100% of the time. At Les Petites Pommes, whether it is during our in-person or online programming, we have chosen to use a bilingual approach to language learning. This means that while we will speak French the majority of the time (and our teachers are fluent in both French and English), we will use English to support the teaching of new concepts and not penalize children for not being able to communicate 100% in French. We find that this creates an inclusive, accessible and supportive environment for language learning as students are not constantly called out for being at different levels of their development and language learning journey. We can quickly identify student levels and if we notice that they are not communicating in French to their potential, we will encourage and motivate them positively to try again en français.
How do you manage multiple skill levels?
Our bilingual approach is one of the key ways we manage and address multiple levels in one classroom in terms of ensuring understanding, participation and a positive learning experience for our campers. Another way we manage this is by specifically creating activities that have different tiers and paths towards completion. For example, a writing activity which may ask about what a child’s favourite part of the day was maybe completed with a single sentence, varying lengths of a paragraph, or simply a picture, depending on age and ability. This allows students to work at their own levels and not compare themselves to each other. When students are not constrained by expectations or fearful that their work is not good enough, they simply start to take joy and pride in their accomplishments and improvement naturally occurs. This is the opportunity that summer camp provides us and what makes our program a place for students to flourish so that they keep coming back every year. You would be surprised how often we hear, “At first my child didn’t want to go to French camp, but now it is their favourite camp!”
Can my child attend as an absolute beginner in French?
Yes! Many of our students have not started French immersion yet. It is our honour to be your child’s first experience with hearing and learning French and our main goal is to leave them feeling excited, confident and motivated to start at school.
If my child is very shy, how will you support them?
We have had many shy children attend our camps over the years and this is no different in our online programs. Concerning online, if a child is nervous, we usually recommend them participating with their camera off at first as they get used to new people and comfortable with us. We still include them in conversations and we wait until they want to participate by choice. This is just one scenario, as we are happy to work with families and come up with different solutions together.
Location & Times
At Les Petites Pommes, the learning never stops and the fun never ends at our in-person French camps available throughout the year in Hamilton, Ontario.
All of our French camps in Hamilton run Monday to Friday from 9 AM-3:30 PM (EST/EDT), with drop-offs starting at 8:45 AM and pickups at 3:45 PM.
We also offer Before & Aftercare as an addon to your registration, running from 8:15-8:45 AM and 3:45-5:00 PM.