Recognized throughout the midwest as Ohio’s premier summer camp since 1959. Beautiful lakefront setting, talented experienced staff and wide variety of activities. Campers choose own schedules within general framework. Most of all it’s great fun! Special intro for 6-10 year olds. ACA accredited. At Falcon, ‘Good Things Happen by Design.’
Address: 4251 Delta Rd SW
Carrollton, Ohio 44615
Phone: (330) 627-4269
Website: http://www.falconcamp.com
Email: [email protected]
Gender of Campers: Boys and girls daily activities separate with planned co-ed activities
Dates: June 16 – August 10, 2024 in 1,2,4,6 or 8 week sessions
Ages: 6-16
Q&A with the Falcon Camp:
What makes Falcon Camp unique?
The two most frequent comments from campers for what makes Falcon the best: “We get to choose our own activities” and “At Falcon, I get to be myself”. Third most popular: “The food is great.” (we do eat well at camp!) Our camp size is intentional. With 110 campers, we’re small enough to know everyone yet large enough to find friends who like the same things you do. There are no strangers at camp. The staff/camper ratios also allow for individual attention and individual instruction when appropriate. There is a personal touch to everything we do for campers and for parents. We have two mottos at camp and both speak volumes about who we are and what we do: “At Falcon, good things happen by design” and “Fun for Now, Skills for Life”. There is always spontaneous fun at camp but the foundations are built on intentional planning and design. Camp has to be fun so you want to be there but the activity and social skills you learn carry on for life. Falcon Camp experiences and friendships are forever.
What activities are offered at Falcon Camp?
Swimming, sailing, canoeing, paddleboards, kayaks, fishing, arts and crafts, woodworking, archery, riflery, tennis, drama/theater, singing, music, nature study, western riding, English riding, horse care, hiking, camping overnights, cookouts, fire building, dances, basketball, softball, soccer, street hockey, flag football, frisbee, volleyball, camp sports, leadership training, and more! Instruction given from beginner to advanced in every activity and an awards system to recognize accomplishments.
What is the camper-to-counselor ratio?
In living areas, 4:1 with older campers and 3:1 with younger campers. In activity areas, ratios change as appropriate. Some activities like archery or horseback riding may have individual instruction if helpful, a sailboat may have one staff and 2 campers while a soccer game might have 4 staff and 20 campers. There is always a minimum of 2 staff in every area with several supervisor level staff constantly moving throughout camp to give oversight and instruction.
How much time do the campers spend outside?
As much as possible! As a resident camp, most of what we do is outdoors except eating and sleeping. We do come in when it rains (most of the time!) and have buildings for crafts, drama, nature study, etc when we have inclement weather. Most of the day is spent outdoors and evening campfires in front of your cabin before bed is typical.
Does the camp provide lunch/snacks or do parents need to provide them?
Camp provides 3 meals and an evening snack every day. We eat well with multiple choices and plenty of food.
What is the typical daily schedule for campers?
Campers who volunteer for horse care rise at about 7:15 am. Everyone else gets up about 7:45 with breakfast at 8:15. Activities begin at 9:00 after cabin cleanup. Our activity periods are 1 1/2 hours each and we have two in the morning (9:00 – 10:30 and 10:30 – 12:00). Lunch is at 12:15 followed by rest hour until 2:00. Two activity periods take up the afternoon (2:00 – 3:30 and 3:30 – 5:00). All campers travel in age appropriate and gender separate groups for each activity period. During each period, every group has several activity areas that are exclusive to that group and then each individual camper chooses what activity area they want to go to within those choices. All campers are encouraged to try every activity but if you have favorites you can go there every day during that period. For example, if you try sailing and like it a lot, you can choose to sail each day during that activity period. Or, you can sail one day, canoe the next, go fishing the next day or cut any of them short and go for a swim. You choose what you do.
We have dinner at 5:30 and then evening activities are different every night, with campers as part of the planning. Evening activities are often coed but not always and then a snack around 8:15 with younger campers moving toward showers and bed with older camper campers moving toward campfires or some socializing before heading off to bed.
How old are the counselors and how are they trained?
Senior staff are college age or slightly older with a minimum of being a high school graduate. Junior counselors are high school seniors learning to be be counselors and assist senior staff. CIT’s are high school juniors who are beginning the first stage of learning how to be counselors and they assist everywhere.
Staff training takes place year round, especially for admin and supervisory staff. It is a constant learning process. Senior staff are also expected to take online training programs throughout the year and are compensated for certifications and additional training in their activity areas. Leadership staff, horseback riding staff and waterfront activity heads have two weeks of staff training prior to camper arrival with the remainder of the staff arriving for one week of training before opening day.
What accommodations are made for campers with special needs?
We work with families on an individual basis to see if Falcon is an appropriate setting for their child.
Is this an overnight camp?
Yes
What does the camper’s living situation look like?
Campers live in simple but comfortable cabins with 8 campers and 2/3 staff in each cabin. Several cabins for older girls hold 10 campers. Cabins are built of block and wood with large screened windows for airflow. Bunk beds and a wooden floor are made with lumber created from our own trees. Bathrooms with indoor plumbing/hot water showers are adjacent to the cabins with a very short walk. Each camper shares a bunk bed and a set of shelves to place clothing and equipment. Your trunk or clothes container easily fits next to the bed. Plenty of space for everyone.
How do parents and campers communicate?
Children write home on a regular basis with camp newsletters and on their own. Parents can send regular mail or emails which we print and hand out same as regular mail. Cell phones are not permitted at camp. Parents are permitted to call for special occasions (birthdays, etc) and parents are always welcome to call us to check on their children. While we would never refuse a parent permission to speak to their child, we might ask you to come and take your child home if calls are too frequent because you aren’t ready for your child to have this kind of experience. Every camp consultant and every camp director will tell you that phone calls create way more homesickness than they cure. We know it’s hard for parents but really is best for your children! We do take photos and upload them almost every day so you can see everything going on each day. On occasion we miss a day if technical issues occur -we are in a rural area. Happy to discuss any of this further with parents.
How does your camp handle homesickness?
First off, we recognize that homesickness is a normal occurrence and happens to some degree to everyone. We work hard to move through it, give personal attention and encouragement as needed, sometimes some different activities, sometimes help from other veteran campers who have been through it, putting some thoughts on paper, having a special stuffed animal to hang on to at a tough time and other tools we teach our staff to work with. We are also adamant about making sure our staff know they can always move things up the ladder if they need help with a camper for any reason. In any case, we actually think it’s pretty cool that your child loves you enough to miss you and we let them know that! Part of the growing process is to help them enjoy sailing while they miss their mom or go on a trail ride while they miss their dad. It’s ok to miss your parents and to have fun at the same time.
What are the meals like at camp?
Great food, plenty of options, plenty to eat. Our menu is camper oriented rather than adult oriented but is restaurant quality food and preparation. We eat family style although this year may require some changes in how we serve and eat our meals. Each breakfast has a hot option cold cereal with multiple choices, fresh fruit, yogurt, etc. Lunch is soup/sandwich/salad bar type of foods, Dinner is more substantial sit down meal ( as an example of main entrée. a lunch might be chicken tenders but dinner would be chicken breast. We do offer vegetarian options and some other dietary needs that can be discussed on an individual basis.
Can parents visit the camp?
We do have a visitor’s day half way through for campers who stay four weeks or longer. There is not a visitation day for one and two week campers. Parents are welcome to visit camp before opening day to see the facilities.
What percentage of campers return every year?
We have a 70 – 75% return rate. We like that general percentage because it means we have a nice mixture of old hands and new faces. Most of our campers come as individuals although some do come with a friend. New campers are welcomed with open arms.
Is the schedule highly structured, or do kids have a lot of free choices?
Please read the daily schedule and other information above. Our campers have lots of free choices within a structure, are encouraged to try new things and can get deeply involved in a particular activity if they desire.
Is transportation available to and from camp?
We do offer transportation from the Pittsburgh or Akron/Canton airports for our camp families coming from long distance or other countries. Other families drive to camp and we like that so you have the opportunity to meet staff, know the camp facility and have a larger comfort level with who is taking good care of your child.
