Cub Scout Camping ?

[kittle]

1. How often do your Packs camp?

 

2. Where do you camp?

 

I would like to see our boys get a taste of Scout camping, but am unsure how to start it. I fear there won't be much parental support, and without that it can't work. Right???

 

 

[LPC_Thumper]

Hi,

 

Let's look at your two questions a little differently...

 

1 - Packs camp as often as they'd like, and think they can. I know good Packs that NEVER camp, and there are Packs in my district that camp more often than some Boy Scout Troops. It really is an individual Pack's decision. Honest...

 

2 - Local Boy Scout property is a good place. My council has two camps, one rather built up and developed the other rather rustic. You guessed it, Packs use either or both. I've also seen Packs use County/State/Federal campsites. What ever is closer, and whatever your Pack feels will help them.

 

Since you are just getting started, who in your pack is BALOO trained? (BALOO is the Cub Scout based adult training that someone in your group has to have before you go camping. Many of your concerns will be addressed with this training) If you are still saying ????? contact your local shot office and ask about BALOO training. (I currently am preparing this course for our District this fall)

 

The fact that you are concerned says two things. 1st (and most importantly) it says that when you guys go, you'll have fun. You aren't just going to throw things together, and hope they turn out OK. 2nd (and almost as importantly) it leads me to wonder if you are really ready. Your questions make me think that some more training may be needed. At roundtable (you attend those, right?) you should feel free to ask these kinds of questions, and get local answers.

 

Good Luck, and HAPPY CAMPING

[cajuncody]

We love camping. We take the boys to a local KOA camp that is only a couple of miles from where they live. It gives them a taste of camping but with the ability to go home. Cub scout camping is not extreme, it is about the cubs being introduced to it within limits. Make it short and sweet and do it often.

Kristi

[kittle]

LPC.

 

Thanks for your input. To answer your question about BALOO, no one at the moment is trained. I am the only one interested that would be willing to go camping with the boys. And training has been hard for me to get to because of babysitting concerns. Now about roundtable, no I do not attend on a regular basis (again because of babysitting and that it is an hour drive from my home), although I would like to. I have been to 2 and found them informational.

 

I personally am not ready to take the Webelos den camping because they are VERY imature and disrespectful.

[ScoutNut]

To take just your Webelos den camping you do not need to have a BALOO trained leader. You also, don't need a WOLT (Webelos Outdoor Leader Training) trained leader, although it would be VERY helpful.

 

What you do need is a parent or another responsible adult for every Webelos.

 

A single leader can NOT take a Webelos den camping by themselves.

 

Camping with the entire Pack is family camping and, like Webelos den camping, a single leader can NOT take all of the boys in the Pack camping by themselves.

 

 

[SeattlePioneer]

Hello, kittle!

 

You have the right idea by promoting the idea of Cub Scout camping. Boys very often LOVE to go camping, and camping provides an abundance of time to learn Cub Scouting skills, do advancement activities and live and work together as Cub Scouts and Cub Scout parents.

 

But it sounds like you are starting from scratch in your knowledge of rules for Cub Scout Camping and perhaps camping skills too.

 

A good place to start would be to investigate your district and council programs for Cub Scout camping. These are camping programs organized especially for Cub Scouts that have a lot of activities and structure built into them which make it easy for those new to Cub Scout camping to get started and have a great time.

 

For example, in my district, there is a three day Cub Scout Daycamp during the summer, a resident Cub Scout Camp at which Cub Scouts do three or four nights of camping with a parent with lots of structured activities during the day and meals provided. There is even a special "Mom and Me" overnight camp that is specially designed for Cubs and their moms!

 

If you wish, you can discuss these camping opportunities with other parents in your den or pack and plan to attend one of them as a group, which will give the parents and Cub Scouts the opportunity to work and play together.

 

A good way to become informed about these opportunities is to attend your Cub Scout Roundtable, which will probably have handouts on these camps, and opportunities to talk about them with the Roundtable staff.

 

Your Cub Master or Cub Pack Committee Chair should be able to give you the date, time and location of the monthly Roundtable, and they ought to know about these camping opportunities as well if they are sharp.

 

There is also Family Camping, Recreational family camping at Scout Camps and Pack Overnighters, described in the Guide to Safe Scouting under Section III Camping.

 

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

[gavvin]

In our council and especially our district, cubs camp frequently. This summer, in addition to the week of Day Camp, the Council is sponsering 2 Dad & Lad campouts and 1 Mom & Me campout. The cubs have access to any and all of the council camps but tend toward one in particular. Camp Wisdom has Cub World and there are probably 10-20 packs at the camp on any given weekend. The camp is inside the D/FW metroplex so is easy to day trip to and Cub World has so many activities that a pack could go almost once a month and never duplicate activites.

 

All that being said, our pack holds 1 family camp out in the fall and do Day Camp in the summer.The Webelos have Webelos in the Woods, attend the Camporee for crossover ceremony and usually have one campout in the summer. Also, some troops invite the webelos to attend one of thier campouts as a recruiting tool.

 

Gavvin

[Its Me]

Our pack has three campouts a year.

 

One is council cub world all activities are programed by coucnil on council property.

 

Another is a district dad/lad mom/me on council property

 

The third campout is just for our pack and its held at an approved county park. Same place every year (although as the BALOO I would like to mix it up a little) The council has pre-approved ~14 area campsites, mainly county and state parks for cub camping.

 

 

[kenk]

kittle,

 

Read this section of the Guide to Safe Scouting on Camping:

 

http://www.scouting.org/pubs/gss/gss03.html#aa

 

It provides a lot of information about the sorts of camping that are allowed for each level of Scouting.

 

Though camping is lots of fun for boys, my advice, with all due respect, is to approach it age-appropriately. Don't try to turn Cub Scouting into Boy Scouting. There will be plenty of camping opportunities for the boys when/if they become Boy Scouts.

[kittle]

Thanks everyone. The more I think about it, I think I will see about scheduling a time the Webelos can go camping with the local Troop and leave it at that. My hope is that it will peak their interest in Scouting. Going camping with a Troop is what peaked my son's interest.

 

 

[SeattlePioneer]

Oooooooow!

 

Getting your Webelos Scouts camping would be a good place to START! And working with the Troop(s) in your area is also an excellent idea.

 

But please don't abandon the idea of encouraging camping by your Pack. That's a terrific activity that will do a lot to build the Pack and keep boys in Scouting!

 

I hope you find a way to sell your Pack Committee on the importance of adding camping adventures to their programs.

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

[kenk]

Kittle,

 

Call your local Council office and ask if they are planning to hold a Webelos Woods or similar. This is a Webelos-focused campout where the Webelos dens are paired with Boy Scout Troops and are exposed to Boy Scouting.

 

Our Webelos den participated in a Webelos Woods last weekend. It was a blast for the parents and the boys. I continue to be so very impressed with Boy Scout youth and leaders.

[zippie2223]

Kittle,

The one thing I have been noticing in our pack and district, is the more a scout camps the more likely they are to stay in scouting. I don't know if this goes for every pack or district, but the dens and packs that are will to show up at our New Cub Overnighter and/or Fall Encampment are the ones that seem to make it.

It may be that the leaders that show up at these events are the better leaders and therefore more likely to succeed?

Or it maybe that camping is what the kids and parents were looking for when they joined scouting and those kids are not getting board with the program?

 

I would venture to say its the latter. But I could be wrong

 

[Its Me]

I would say that most cubs are joining scouting because they want to go camping.

 

Now the family that has something going on for all four of our campouts, misses the day trips too and only shows up for one indoor den meeeting a month, soon discovers that junior has lost interest in scouting. Gee I wonder why? Maybe because he wasn't really doing too much scouting stuff.

 

It slieghs me when a parent goes out and buys all the equipment, then has one sleepless night on a cheap air matress then never wants to camp again.

 

How difficult can it be to to spend a night out in a tent every couple of months? Get a better pad and sleeping bag, take a Motrin before you to bed. Do something! Your boys want to camp.

 

/end rant.

 

 

 

[LPasn]

I just graduated from Cub Scouts. Our pack had scheduled one major event per month. For Sept., Oct., Nov. the event was a campout. For March, April and May, the schedule called for campouts. The parents complained about the price of food on the campouts so fewer campouts were held this spring. At graduation the boys and their parents complained about the lack of campouts. Go figure.

 

For me, Scouting is all about the outdoors and camping. Camping teaches the boys to take care of their world. They keep the tent clean and they wash their own dishes. The adults guide the younger boys. The boys develop confidence by doing these things. I believe that camping is imperative in Cub Scouts. The boys that go camping stay in scouts. That is the bottom line. They can look forward to camping without their parents as Boy Scouts.