Insight Into Activities

Morning Watch

We had camp counselor Jay Williams talk to us about what it means to honor yourself, as well as its importance.

Jay explained how honoring yourself is super important. He shared with us how it is necessary to rejuvenate and make sure you are getting the time you need to recharge. Don’t overwork yourself, and pay attention to what you need.

Jay shared a story about how when he was little, every Saturday, his grandfather would tell him to play outside, as opposed to playing video games. Jay didn’t understand this much when he was little, but later realized the importance of being outside in nature. Taking time away from technology to honor himself.

An example Jay gave of honoring himself included taking time to read a book, or even playing with your friends. Whatever you need to ensure that you are doing well.

Insight Into Activities:

During this week of Junior Camp, boys will get to experience a sample of 15 different activities around camp. Here is a look at what we do in some of those activities.

Arts & Crafts: This activity provides the boys an opportunity to connect with their creative sides. The boys get to create lino prints which involves them carving out a picture on a lino pad and then using ink to press print the picture onto paper.

Blacksmithing: The boys will learn the basics of blacksmithing, including how to better understand the heating and cooling process, as well as learning how to shape the metal. At the end of each session the boys will be given a metal leaf to remind them of their time at Falling Creek.

F.A.R.M: This stands for Food, Animals, Repurposing, and Manpower, all things that are important at this activity. Here the boys learn the basics of looking after a farm or garden. They learn about chicken maintenance as well as how to grow and plant their own seeds. They help water the gardens, learning about the soil and how to properly prepare it for planting.

Horseback Riding: The boys learn about horse care, including how to brush and groom the large majestic animals. They get to know the animals on a ground level first before hopping onto their backs. Once they have groomed the animals, they enjoy a lovely little ride around the ring being led by a trusted camp counselor.

Outdoor Skills: Outdoor skills is a time for boys to learn the essentials of bushcraft. They learn about the Leave No Trace concept and how to follow it. They also learn handy methods of building a fire in the outdoors, how to structure it and what to do to keep it going.

Swimming: This is a fun activity! The boys get to play on the blob, enjoy the high dive, roller coaster, high wire, and swim in the lake. The boys also perform a swim check to see if they qualify as a Green or Gold swimmer. If you want to swim laps or have fun, swimming is a time to cool off and enjoy yourself.

Woodworking: In woodworking the boys are able to learn the basics of cutting wood, sandpapering and gluing the wood. At the end of the activity, they will have created an ornament that is a horse head shape to take home with them. They get to cut, assemble and paint the wood in order to achieve this.

Cabin Overnights

Half of our boys went on their Cabin Overnight last night. This is an opportunity for the boys to grow independence and experience the outdoors.

Cabin Overnights are designed to help the boys grow and learn outdoor skills. It also allows the boys an opportunity to get together and bond as a group. These Cabin Overnights are also a fun way to introduce boys to camping who may be less comfortable with the idea of sleeping outside. For some campers, this is their first time on an outdoor overnight trip, so they are able to expand their comfort zones along with the support of their cabin mates.

Overnights help the boys connect and form a brotherhood. They cook their food over the campfire, and share stories while enjoying yummy s’mores.

Evening Program

For the cabins not yet on their overnight, we enjoyed Evening Program games on the field and in the “Thunder Dungeon.” The boys split up by Cabin Lines to enjoy their EP.

Sorrel and Tsuga went to the Land Sports Field to play Yoshi Tag, followed by Taco Cat. While Robinia and Betula played dodgeball in the Thunder Dungeon.

Fun fact about Taco Cat is a fun game that started in around 2010, it is a game that our very own Falling Creek counselors came up with. In Spring 2022, we pitched the game idea to EPIC (Emerging Program in Camps) and shared the idea with other camps in the community. The idea of Taco Cat is to combine games such as Yoshi Tag, Capture the Flag as well as Ultimate Frisbee to create a fun, competitive, friendly, battle for the boys. Each team wears flag belts, as well as has a Flag to capture, the idea is to get the flag from the opponent’s side. There are Hula Hoops that mark safe zones in the enemies territory, as well as frisbees that help free your teammates once they have been captured. It truly is a game of madness and fun. A camp tradition and a camper favorite.