Free to Be
Summertime brings a sense of freedom and unstructured fun - especially at camp!
How do we foster that feeling of joy and freedom for the boys here at Falling Creek?
Freedom of the Outdoors: Cabin Overnights
At the beginning of every camp session, we have Cabin Overnights. This is where each cabin hikes out to a nearby shelter to go camping together, cook dinner outdoors, and hang out around the campfire.
They’re free from screens and technology, able to connect with nature - and each other. These Cabin Overnights are an important part of building the camp community every session. Boys are able to build trust together, push their comfort zones, and bond as a cabin.
On Monday night, Betula and Tsuga cabins headed out on their overnights, while Sorrel and Robinia cabins will go on theirs later in the week. Though campers have the freedom to choose whether or not they leave camp on an adventure trip during the week, we want every boy to be able to experience camping at least once.
It’s a lifelong skill that every boy should know, to be comfortable camping in the woods. The camaraderie of boys and their counselors sitting around a fire, enjoying a meal, eating smores, and telling stories - it’s hard to beat. When you have just the one cabin, you can really hear the boys’ stories and they can get to know each other to bond better in friendships.
Yates Pharr, Camp Director
Sleeping outdoors can be intimidating - especially for first timers - but it can also be a freeing experience once boys learn that they can do it. Some boys realize that they really enjoy camping, and this opens up opportunities for other trips or ways that they can expand their comfort zones.
It allows groups of boys to focus on each other. Being outside their comfort zone promotes growth—it stretches their limits and expands their definition of what ‘comfortable’ can be.
Will Wilson, Outdoor Adventure Director.
On Cabin Overnights, boys are able to see a little more of Falling Creek than they would otherwise see in their daily activities. There are wooden shelters scattered throughout the 900+ acres of camp, so boys don’t need to bring tents on Cabin Overnights. Some shelters are reached in a short 15 minute stroll, while older boys may go on a longer 45 minute hike to reach others.
Some are up high on the mountain like “Chief’s Lookout,” which has a great view down into the Green River Valley, and faces the mountains for perfect sunset watching. Some are nestled into the valley like “Chainsaw Gulley,” with plenty of rhododendron thickets to explore and build forts in. Some are next to creeks, or even at the base of Falling Creek Falls like “Copper Cave” and “Otter’s Den,” where you can fall asleep to the sound of the water.
Free to be Silly: Counselor Makeover
What did the boys do when they weren’t on their Cabin Overnights? Monday night’s Evening Program was Counselor Makeover!
This Evening Program is a great example of the freedom to be silly at camp.
To play, the Sorrel and Robinia cabins competed in teams for who could dress up their counselor best to fit the theme. To start each round, there were several items in the center of the gym, and one camper from each team would race to grab a single item to bring back to their “costume chest”. They could use their “costume chest” in every round and build upon it as the game went on.
The theme categories ranged from sports player to royal king, video game streamer to mummy, and plenty of other silly characters. Teams had 30 seconds to dress up the announced counselor using only the items in their “costume chest.” Then the counselors had to “walk the runway” and show the judges their looks.
Not only do you have to be creative to play, but the counselors also have to embrace looking goofy! They were great examples of how there’s no fear of judgement at camp. You’re free to be yourself and act silly. As the counselors modeled and joked around, the gym was full of laughter and contagious joy.
Freedom of Choice: Activities and Trips
This session is about exploration and curiosity, where new campers can build confidence during a short time away from home, much like our Junior Camp session. However, during 2-Week Camp boys have all the same “freedom of choice” that our longer sessions offer. Boys are free to choose their daily activities and even sign up for outdoor adventure trips off property.
Away from the pressures of school friends or the expectations of home, boys are free to follow their own interests and try new things. They may discover that they enjoy archery, try riding a horse for the first time, learn how to paddle a canoe, or challenge their fear of heights at the climbing wall.
There are 6 activity periods each day, and boys are able to change their schedule if they so choose. If a climbing, biking, hiking, or paddling announcement is made that sounds fun, boys simply leave their daily schedule behind and sign up for that trip. These trips off property are already beginning today!
Additionally, there are two “free choice periods” each day, before lunch and dinner. During these times the swim docks are open, or boys can play unstructured games on the fields, courts, or under the Dining Hall.
Typically, a boy’s daily schedule is set around their classes, sports practice, or after school activities. Here, they’re able to decide how they want to spend their day.
At camp, the boys are free to just be - whether that’s camping in the outdoors, being silly during Evening Program, choosing what to do for Free Choice, or having the freedom to pick their own daily activities.
The boys are gaining independence and resilience, and you are giving them the freedom to do that by allowing them to be at camp.
A Note About Homesickness
Speaking of which, gaining independence is a process that takes time, and we wanted to share a quick note about homesickness.
By now, you might be getting some letters home, describing these trips or detailing new friends and cabinmates. While we know that many letters will contain fun stories about new activities and cabin adventures, we also know that many will share feelings of missing home or feeling upset. We wanted to make a note of encouraging you as parents in case a few have begun to receive homesick “snail mail” letters, reflecting boys’ feelings during the first few days of settling in at camp.
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. The challenging times for them can be when things are moving at a slower pace, such as during rest hour or at night. This is also usually when they have the most time to write home!
Please be assured that if your son shows any continuing signs of homesickness, we will be in touch with you. Getting them doing things is the quickest way to get their mind off of home and distracted by the fun trips and activities.
A good rule of thumb typically is that no news from us is good news, and the homesickness usually passes quickly!