Parent Handbook
Selected contents of the Parent Handbook appear below.
Mail & Telephone, Health Certificate, Medical Concerns, Luggage, Insurance, Name Tapes, Camper Allowance, Laundry, Sheets & Blankets, Packages from Home, Visiting, Camper Expectations, Swimming, Camping Out, Opening Day, Closing Day, Cabin Placement, Boy Scout Merit Badges
You can also download a complete copy of the Parent Handbook.
2008 Parent Handbook
281kb PDF - Acrobat Reader Required
Fax, Email & Online Photos
This summer Falling Creek will partner with CampMinder to offer access to daily photos of camp life and provide parents an opportunity to send one-way emails to their child. In order to send emails and view the latest photos and news from camp, you will need to log in.
Our strong preference and recommendation is that you communicate with your child via US Postal mail. Letters are more personal and meaningful to campers. Faxes are acceptable only for our international parents whose mail service is inefficient for our session lengths.
Except for our international campers, campers do not have the ability to fax or email messages home. We appreciate your understanding with this and other camp policies.
Mail and Telephone
Mail should be sent to PO Box 98, Tuxedo, NC 28784. It is helpful to include the boy’s cabin name or number on the envelope. Our phone number is (828) 692-0262. You may call us at any time during camp. If we are not available, please leave a message and we will return your call as soon as possible. During the summer, our phone is answered between 8:00 am and 10:00 pm. At other times, your call will be answered by an answering machine where you can leave a message or receive instructions for emergency contact.
We are happy to speak with you and will work with you to insure that your son has a positive and successful experience at camp. We do not allow direct phone calls to campers, and the campers are not allowed to call home. We have found that parental phone calls interfere with the boy’s adjustment and scheduled activities. We would encourage you to communicate with your child often through letters. Campers are not to bring cell phones to camp.
Health Certificate
In an effort to create a happy and healthy camp community for your son, it's critical that we receive your Health History in a timely fashion. We request that the health form be filled out and sent to camp by April 30th. Our medical staff reviews all forms prior to each opening day. Campers will not be allowed to remain at camp without a signed and completed health form. Please list any special instructions (such as shots or medication to be taken) on a card and mail with the form.
Common symptomatic medications such as pain relievers, antihistamines, ear drops, etc., are available in the camp infirmary and it is not necessary to send them with campers. No medication from home will be given to a camper unless it is in a pharmacy container labeled with directions and accompanied by the physician’s name who prescribed the medication. Incidental treatment and supplies are handled at camp with no charge, but prescriptions or “in-town” doctor or dentist visits and treatment will be billed to the parents.
Medical Concerns
Our infirmary is staffed by registered nurses and a physician throughout the summer. They screen minor complaints and provide first aid and administer and dispense medications as needed. All medications (with the exeption of inhalers for asthmatics and prescrition dermatological creasms) including aspirin and vitamins must be kept in the health center. Please speak with the directors before altering regular medications, such as ADHD meds or other regularly scheduled prescription medication prior to camp. Advanced emergency care and consultation are available at local physicians’ offices and area hospitals. A camp nurse, physician, or director will communicate with parents by phone in the unlikely event of significant illness or injury.
Luggage by Air or UPS
- Air
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While we strongly prefer not to deal with luggage at the airports, if you do send luggage (trunk, duffle bag, backpack, etc.) checked through on the camper’s airline ticket, it should bear the camp tags and stickers. Please put two (2) name tags on each piece of checked luggage - one from the commercial carrier and one from Falling Creek, showing both home and camp addresses.
- UPS
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Luggage may also be shipped by UPS which delivers directly to camp. Please Note: Our shipping address is different from our mailing address: c/o Falling Creek Camp 816 Falling Creek Camp Rd., Tuxedo, NC 28784. Please send luggage a week to ten days prior to your child's arrival in camp so that it will be at camp on time. We are happy to take UPS luggage to Hendersonville at the end of a session to be shipped. To expedite this, make sure that you print the camper’s name, address and phone number on the Travel Information Form and please indicate which pieces of luggage are to be shipped. Then call Mail Box & Pack, Inc at 828-693-1700 to arrange fro prepayment.
Name Tapes
It is important to have all your son’s clothing and belongings that he brings to camp clearly labeled with his name - including shoes, sleeping bags, tennis racquets, etc. Sterling Name Tape Co. is a reliable supplier of name tapes for clothing and other items. Order early as it takes several weeks for the labels to be printed and shipped.
Insurance
Most families have health insurance policies that cover children while they are at summer camp. The policy number and company name must be on the camper’s Health Form. Also, please send a copy of the front and back of your insurance card to camp. All bills for medical treatment and medication will be sent directly to parents for payment and/or insurance filing.
Camper Allowance
We suggest a weekly allowance of $25.00 for camp store items such as stamps, film, Falling Creek T-Shirts, shorts, stationery, etc. A ledger sheet will be kept detailing your son’s expenditures and any unused balance will be returned to the camper at the close of camp. Boys will not be allowed to overdraw! In addition to the Pre-order Form, the camp store will be open if you wish to purchase sportswear items on opening and closing days.
Laundry
We use a commercial laundry and ask that you send clothing of a simple nature that will look neat with a wash and tumble dry process. Laundry is sent in on a weekly basis and takes about two days to return. An entire cabin’s laundry is done at the same time and it is very important that all clothing be labeled with your son’s first and last name. Please do not use initials. There will be no laundry service for the Junior Camp.
Sheets and Blankets
Falling Creek provides blankets and sheets for all campers. Boys should bring their own pillows, pillow cases and towels.
Packages from Home
In the interest of fairness and to create a natural and non-materialistic camp community, we request NO PACKAGES be sent to campers. This does not include flat packages with books, magazines, or newspapers. Any packages received will be returned to sender. Please notify family and friends of this policy and remind them not to send food, candy, or gum in letters.
If your son has a birthday while at camp, it is an option to leave a small gift in the camp office on opening day for our staff to pass on to him on his birthday.
Visiting
Attending camp provides a unique opportunity for boys to gain independence and self-reliance. Therefore, we discourage visitation from parents and family members. There can be difficulty readjusting after a family visit for both the camper and friends or cabin mates whose parents cannot visit. We recommend parents visit camp on opening and closing days to meet Falling Creek staff and view the camp facility.
Camper Expectations
We expect all Falling Creek boys to be positive members of our camp community. Poor sportsmanship, inappropriate language, or ridiculing others will not be tolerated. Our campers are encouraged to be at their best, respecting others, and demonstrating high moral character. Bringing to camp or use of tobacco products, alcohol, drugs or drug paraphernalia are grounds for dismissal from camp.
Swimming
On opening day of each camp session, campers are required to take the swimming evaluation. If a camper does not meet the following three "mini-crick" requirements, tehy will take swimming until they can:
- demonstrate proficiency in four strokes - elementary back, side, breast and front crawl,
- complete a ten minute endurance test by either treading water or survival floating and,
- be able to swim continuously for five minutes, without stopping, while making constant headway. Speed, stroke choice and technique are not important as long as forward movement is maintained.
The Falling Creek term “Mini-Crick” refers to a camper who passes all the above requirements. A “Qualified Swimmer” is a camper who is competent and comfortable in the water, has passed his 10 minute swim test and 5 minute continuous swim, but needs practice on his basic swim strokes listed in (1). A camper at this level is allowed to participate in canoeing, sailing free swim and other aquatic activities while he continues to work on his basic swim strokes during an assigned swim class. A camper is given frequent opportunities to achieve the “Mini-Crick” level. Some boys find it helpful to practice their swimming before camp. Regardless of ability, every camper must demonstrate his skills in the lake each year. Free swim is offered to all campers before lunch and before supper each day.
Camping Out at Falling Creek
Campers at Falling Creek have many opportunities for spending a night (or more) in the great outdoors. Weekly overnight camp-outs with your cabin, canoe trips on rivers or lakes, backpacking adventures, mountain bike outings, and several rock climbs are a big part of our camp program. These could be some of the most exciting times your son spends with us at Camp.
Your son will need a few basic items for these camping trips:
- Backpack
Find one with either an external or internal frame. The frame is very important because it lets the pack maintain the proper shape for holding camping gear. Typical school-type day packs or book bags don’t have enough room for carrying a sleeping bag, clothes, and other camping gear. The pack needs to be large enough to fit about four soccer balls inside, plus have outside pockets and places where a sleeping bag can either be stuffed into it or attached to the outside. Lastly, be sure that the straps (shoulder and waist) fit your son.
- Sleeping Bag
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Hollofill and Polarguard are two recommended fillings for sleeping bags on backpacking trips. Those, or some other synthetic filler, are what is needed for summer camping trips. Be wary of Down or Cotton. You do NOT want a bag with either of these fills for camp use. Save those for sleep-overs or for camping in the back yard. Wet cotton, in a sleeping bag or on a camper ’s body, is cold and miserable.
Insist on a mummy-shaped bag that will fit into a stuff sack. When stuffed, it should be about the size of a watermelon.
- Rain Gear
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Fleece, Fleece, Fleece! Jackets, sweaters, hats made of this material retain their warmth even when wet. Again, NO COTTON ITEMS please.
A nylon jacket to go over the fleece will keep the wind away. Plastic ponchos are easily-torn when walking in the woods, making them useless.
- Other Items
Except for long trips, where a boy may be carrying 1/4 to 1/3 his weight in his pack, hiking boots are overkill. Trail-running shoes are fine, as are running or tennis shoes.
Flashlights with LED’s are wonderful on trips as are reusable eating utensils, plates and cups.
A pad to place under their sleeping bag is essential . Some are made of foam material that is more comfortable than simply sleeping on the ground. Others fill with air when used, then deflate for packing.
MARK ALL THE ABOVE ITEMS WITH A PERMANENT MAKRING PEN
You can order many of these items from Diamond Brand Outdoors. Over the years, we’ve depended upon them to provide us with knowledge, selection and discounted prices. We suggest you buy from a knowledgeable outdoor specialty store, not from a discount store.
Opening Day
Please arrive between 9:30 am and 12:00 noon. Your son's trunk will be removed from your car and delivered to his cabin. Please pack your car so the trunk is easily accessible. After you park, check in at the dining hall, and then on to the cabin area to meet your son's counselor and cabin mates.
A common question we hear from parents is: “How long should we stay?” As a parent, it's important to help your son settle in, but not linger. Campers will have a buffett lunch with their cabin groups at 12:30 and then begin a busy afternoon of activities!
Closing Day
Closing day is a busy and hectic time. Please plan to pick up your son between 9:30 am and 12 noon . This gives us time to finish last minute packing and have breakfast. If you need to pick up your son before 9:30 am, please let us know so that we can have him and his belongings ready. As you leave, stop by the table located at the dining hall to check out and pick up any medicines or other valuables that were checked in on opening day. You will also receive the remaining balance from your son’s store account. Lastly, take a moment before you leave to check that you have all your son’s belongings. If he is missing an item, please alert his cabin counselor. Every attempt will be made to locate an item before you leave. If the missing item cannot be found, we may find it during our camp clean-up after camp closes and mail the item to you.
Cabin Placement
One of the real benefits of a camp experience involves meeting and making new friends from different places. Falling Creek encourages campers to attend without concern for hometown buddies. We will honor a double request for only two campers from the same hometown to be in the same cabin, if their age, size, and grade level allow. Extra consideration is given to requests from campers with friends and relatives from different areas. All cabin requests need to be on the application, the Confidential Parent Questionaire, or communicated to camp in writing prior to April 30th. Often months pass between the application process and opening day. If a situation has occurred that would affect your son's camp experience, please include detailed information or contact one of the directors via phone or email.
Boy Scout Merit Badge Program
During our June, Main, and August Camp sessions, we will offer several Boy Scout Merit Badges and Rank Advancements. Each year the Merit Badges offered will change slightly depending on the different staff members volunteering their respective skills.
In order to work on a Merit Badge, boys must bring the appropriate Merit Badge Pamphlet along with a Merit Badge Blue Card(#34124A) for the counselor to fill out. The Merit Badge Blue Card must be signed in the appropriate place by the Unit Leader prior to arriving at camp. It is strongly recommended that your son read the Merit Badge Pamphlet and become familiar with the content and requirements.
On opening day of each session, the Scouts will be informed about how and when to sign up for Merit Badges and Rank Advancements. Working on a merit badge does not take the place of the normal activity periods. Each boy must then take the initiative and speak with the appropriate counselor to set up a time when they can work together on the respective Merit Badge. In several instances, your son will not be able to complete all of the requirements, but he can get partial credit. A boy can work on a maximum of two Merit Badges, although one is preferred. Staff members volunteer to be Merit Badge Counselors and they are all registered as BSA Merit Badge Counselors with the Daniel Boone Area Council and the Terrora District.
After your son's camp session is over, you will receive a letter from Falling Creek with the appropriate Blue Card(s) and a summary form to give to your son's Scoutmaster.
For more information about Falling Creek's Merit Badge program, please click here.
