A Typical Junior Camp Day

Junior Camp is set up differently to the rest of our camp sessions, it is an opportunity for the boys to experience a sample of camp to get a feel of camp life.

A typical day at Falling Creek is filled with fun, laughter, and adventure! From the early morning, campers engage in a variety of activities that help improve their skills, build friendships, and create lasting memories.

Morning Watch

Morning Watch happens every morning, before breakfast. It is a time where we gather together and sit in silence for a bit as the boys & counselors trickle in quietly and sit as cabin groups. This provides an opportunity to reflect and ponder thoughts for the day. We then have a Falling Creek staff member share a story that has a moral tied to our theme of the week.

We had Matt Sloan introduce the theme Honor as he gave us a definition for what honor means to him. Honor can mean a lot of different things. Honor your friends, honor your family or honor yourself. Matt emphasized paying respect as a form of honor. He challenged the campers to honor the campers before them, by trying new things and being open to the possibilities.

“Reputation is what other people know about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.” - Lois McMaster Bujold

Activities

Falling Creek offers a range of different activities that help grow each individual. Junior camp is set up differently to our other session as each boy gets an opportunity to try every activity offered in this session. Our usual sessions have the boys choosing their activities, but since Junior Camp is an introduction to Falling Creek, we offer them a taste of everything.

The boys stay with their cabins and counselors and follow a schedule that allows them to try 4 different activities everyday. By the end of the week, they will have completed 15 different activities that have helped them foster a new sense of accomplishment.

The boys enjoy learning new skills such as pickleball, horseback riding, arts & crafts, climbing wall, blacksmithing, paddling, outdoor skills, F.A.R.M. & woodshop, as well as enjoy activities such as archery, riflery or fishing. Another fun activity that these boys get to indulge in includes a Day Hike on camp property to some of our beautiful camp locations, visiting the Falling Creek Falls or the “Top of The World” view.

Free Choice

Free choice offers the boys an opportunity to gain independence and decide what they would like to do. Our free choice activities are loads of fun as we offer activities ranging from reading a book on the Grassy Knoll to Jumping off the diving board onto the blob. The boys get to choose between relaxing and rejuvenating or embarking on another exciting adventure. Free choice is offered twice a day, just before lunch and dinner.

The boys can play chess, ping pong, foosball or warriorball, join in on a pick-up game of indoor soccer in the Thunder Dungeon, or play together in one of several creeks. This is their time to decide what to do with their time and foster independence.

Evening Program

Monday’s EP was a wonderful, competitive game of Capture the Flag!

The boys split up into Green and Gold teams (this is a long standing friendly rivalry that we have going on at camp). Often our EPs will involve Green vs. Gold games that allows each team to score points with one being the victor at the end of the session.

Yesterday’s game of Capture the Flag had both teams eagerly battling it out to reign victorious as it was this session’s first Green vs. Gold event.

Each team’s flag was hidden in the other team’s area. The goal of the game is for each team to find and return both of their flags to their side of the map.

It was a tough battle, and both teams were strong competitors, but only one team could win. In the end, it was the Gold team that won the first Green vs. Gold game.

Milk and Cookies

To end the day off, the campers go to the handwashing station to wash their hands for Milk and Cookies.

Every weekday evening the boys get to enjoy some milk and a cookie before going off to their cabins for their bedtime routine including washing up, brushing teeth and participating in evening embers.

The perfect way to end off a great day at Falling Creek.

Notes about Homesickness:

By now, you might be getting some letters home that detail new friends and cabinmates. While we know that many letters will contain fun stories about new activities, we also know that many will share feelings of missing home or missing being where they feel comfortable.

Now that the boys have been here for a couple of days and camp is still new to them, this can be a time when homesickness could begin to show in some of them. Homesickness is completely normal and we’re prepared to work with each boy, as no situation is the same.

If you do get a homesick letter in the mail over these next few days, don’t panic. These feelings are common for all campers at some point throughout the session. Boys who showed feelings of homesickness early on have now become more comfortable, yet the letter home is usually a snapshot from the first 24-48 hours. Encouragement from all of us to be active, participating in their regular 6 activities and signing up for special opportunities, is a huge positive movement forward in getting adjusted to camp. New friendships are also a key to success.

Please be assured that if your son shows any continuing signs of homesickness, we will be in touch with you. A good rule of thumb typically is that no news from us is good news, and the homesickness usually passes quickly.

The boys are learning to be independent and resilient, and you are giving them a great opportunity to do that by allowing them to be at camp.