Breakfast For Cub Pack Overnight

[Eamonn]

But we do allow Tigers to cook marshmallows on sticks in the campfire. I think we'd have a riot if we tried to overrule that.

I hate to be a kill joy, but I have never ever seen a young Cub Scout eat one of these things.

Most times you end up with a stick to which a molten lump of sugar is attached. Which is a very dangerous situation to be in.

Eamonn.

[SeattlePioneer]

******* Report From the Pack Overnight *****

 

 

The Pack Overnight really went beautifully. I'm amazed to say that most things went pretty much the way they were planned.

 

The foil pizzas were a hit with the Cub Scouts.

 

After the awards ceremony/crossover, the Cub Scouts came trooping down the trail, to find a fire layed for roasting marshmellows and making 'smores. The youngest Tiger Cub was supervised in lighting off the fire.

 

After the 'smores, everyone hiked over to the large camp firebowl, where the Scout Troop SPL had layed a double campfire. Again, the youngest Tiger Cubs lit off the campfires.

 

Breakfast the next morning went very well. We filled a 12" Dutch Oven with about six pounds of linksausage, which baked very well in an hours time. Four pancake stations were supervised by adults as Webelos and Boy Scouts cooked breakfast for about 35-40 people.

 

Our Boy Scouts impressed everyone (including me) with a really snappy flag raising ceremoney. The Kiwanis Club camp we were using sported a 48 star flag, and on command the Scouts broke out the flag for display which the Cubmaster read a history of the 48 star flag. They did a fine flag raising job, only partly spoiled by our out-of-practice Troop Bugler who butchered the bugle call for raising the colors.

 

Busy, busy busy! I was pooped when I got home!

 

This evening I was out making a special trip by the home of crossed over Webelos Scouts to invite them to out Troop Meeting tomorrow, and an elementary school carnival we'll be at on Saturday.

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

[ScoutNut]

I can't believe no one picked up on this.

 

OMG - TIGERS lighting campfires!!!!!

 

Whatever were you thinking???

 

I realize that you know little about Cub Scouts, & the Age Appropriate Guidelines don't mean a lot to you, but TIGERS lighting campfires? Even with "supervision" - come on!

 

To all of you brand new Cub Scout Lukers out there -

 

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!!!!

[SeattlePioneer]

ScoutNut,

 

 

Yep, the youngest Tiger Cubs were given the honor of lighting off the fire we used for 'Smores and the double header fires for campfire.

 

 

This was done directly under the supervision of an adult leader.

 

Guidelines are guidelines, not rules. They deserve careful consideration, but aren't bars to action if adult leaders decide activities are safe and properly supervised.

 

Earlier in this thread it was pointed out that the guidelines discourage Cub Scouts from cooking, too. Would you use those guidelines to decide that Cub Scouts shouldn't be permitted to roast hot dogs on a stick or marshmellows?

 

That's my understanding of this kind of issue, based on the discussions I've seen so far.

 

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

[dlearyous]

One of the Wolf Badge requirements is to help plan, prepare and cook an outdoor meal with an adult. Therefore if BSA's Age Appropriate Guidelines for Scouting Activites states outdoor cooking is restricted to Webelos level & higher it confuses me.

[ScoutNut]

The handbooks spell it out pretty well. Everything in Scouting is progressive & age appropriate.

 

When you look thru the Tiger, Wolf, Bear, & Webelos handbooks you will see that in many cases you have the same requirements in each book. Each level has requirements for food, flag, music, health, sports, etc. Even in Boy Scouts they have requirements for many of the same things they did as Cubs. Does that mean that a 15 year old is doing the same things as a 6 year old? Of course not. Does a Bear repeat the same stuff he did as a Tiger or Wolf? Nope.

 

Tigers don't have a clue about campfires & shouldn't be lighting one. They go on hikes & picnics & make Ants on a Log.

 

Wolfs start planning & learning the basics of cooking. They might know how to start their family grill, but not a campfire.

 

Bears are now baking and getting more creative with their cooking. They are starting to learn about the basics of what it takes to live & cook outdoors.

 

Webelos are the Big Guys of the Cub world and are becoming more & more independent. Cooking at home is old hat now and they are venturing into the world of camping big time. They are learning how to build, take care of, and cook with, a SAFE campfire. They are starting to learn to work together as a den & what it will be like to camp as a Boy Scout.

 

 

So you see, it's not confusing. It is Progressive & Age Appropriate. It is following the BSA program.

 

 

[dlearyous]

I did notice how a lot of things were being repeated going from the Tiger handbook to the Wolf handbook and was disappointed, at first that is, then realized it is helping to reinforce what the boys have learned and to progressively learn more about the "subject".

 

However, I was replying to your post about Cub Scouts below Webelos being restricted from outdoor cooking. Not to the post on Tigers lighting a campfire. The conflict in your statement from the BSA guidelines and the Wolf requirement to cook and outdoor meal is what confuses me.

 

 

 

[SeattlePioneer]

Sorry, Scout Nut, I don't agree.

 

 

I see nothing in the Scout rules that prohibit a Tiger Cub from lighting off a campfire when directly supervised by an adult.

 

Guidelines are guidelines, not rules. As I understand it, that means they can be disregarded when competent leaders decide there is good reason to do so.

 

This past weekend, I applied the guidelines at a Cub Pack Overnight to allow only Webelos and Boy Scouts to cook pancakes. But Tiger Cubs and Cub Scouts made their own foil dinners ---those who wanted to put them on and took them off a grill, while being supervised by an adult. That was minimal enough exposure to fire to be safe, in my view.

 

The same with guidelines that discourage Tiger Cubs and Webelos from outdoor cooking. Would you really suggest that such Scouts shouldn't be permitted to roast hot dogs or marshmellows over a fire?

 

I'll be glad to have someone point out a rule that prohibits such things, and I'll respect it. But the case hasn't been made as far as I can see.

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

[Vigil-Hiker]

I am glad that things worked well for the campout, but I don't like the idea of 6-7 year-olds lighting fires. I hope you had instruction including the dangers of fires and what is required for safety when have a campfire.

 

We usually have hamburgers and hotdogs cooked by an experienced volunteer crew for the whole pack. Last fall the adults had steak for dinner. Cleanup was easy since we had portable propane George Forman grills that mostly self-drain into a resevior. We have s'more and hot chocolate for snack. Breakfast is hot chocolate/coffee, orange juice, bagels, cinamon rolls, and a variety of fruits. We do quick breakfast in order to break camp so most families can get to Mass on Sunday (very Irish Catholic here, 3 Catholic churches and 2 Catholic schools in our town)

 

Saturday lunch is always BYOBL (Bring your own bagged lunch). We set up ~ 10:00am and have activities following set up for those don't have to leave for Soccer, Baseball, or Football games. The athletic group comes back for dinner and stays the night, the rest play games/hike/fish and get fire wood for evening campfire.

 

My son has a late Baseball playoff game this year, so may miss dinner. We may eat at the field or bring foil packet dinner to cook in camp fire when get back to camp. Baseball is big here, so we try to work with it. Only 13 boys teams for the 7-9 year-olds.

 

Any one else go pack camping even on a wet week-end? We had one (I missed due to a family wedding) that was a light rain Sat-Sun. So had games and knot tying in large tents to entertain the cubs.

[ScoutNut]

dlearyous -

The Wolf cooking a meal outdoors is usually done in the family backyard on a grill.

 

The Webelos doing outdoor cooking is building a campfire & cooking on the fire. Or learning about camp stoves & cooking on a campstove. Or a Dutch Oven, or a Buddy Burner, or a Box Oven, etc.

 

It is cooking outdoors vs outdoor cooking.

 

The Wolf is just starting to learn. The Webelos has progressed further & is getting ready for Boy Scouts when he will be cooking & camping on his own.