Dad N' Lad/Mom N' Me Campout

[Newbie Den Leader]

My son and I just got back from a combined Dad N' Lad/Mom N' Me campout sponsored by our Council at Camp James Ray (Cirle Ten Council). It was lots of fun with nature hikes, orienteering, BB guns, archery, leather craft, games, flag ceremonies, and a scout's own service on Sunday morning. All meals were provided in the dining hall. Best of all, you can go to one of these without planning an "agenda" for your den or Pack. It's just you and your son.

 

Has anyone experienced these type of campouts?

 

 

 

 

[gwd-scouter]

Since 2001, our Council (Blue Ridge) has sponsored Cub/Parent weekends at Camp Old Indian each weekend in October and November. These are one-night events that offer BBs, archery, canoeing, nature - the usual activities - plus meals in the dining hall. The weekends are very successful in our Council. One difference though is that you must be a registered Cubscout to attend with your parent/guardian.

[John-in-KC]

http://hoac-bsa.org/CMP_CS_Bear_Camp.cfm

 

Our Council specially built its Bear Camp operation!!!

 

YIS John

[resqman]

I attended a Cub Scout Overnighter with my son held at the local Boy Scout summer camp. The information was sent to everyone in the Pack but we were the only ones to attend.

 

We had a great time! As a den leader, I am often so busy running the meeting or activity, that I am not able to be a parent and revel in the smaller points of his successes. It was great just to be a parent and hang out with my son. We joked, talked, and enjoyed each others company. No interruptions from other boys or parents.

 

I recommend that all leaders with children in the program, take advantage of an outing where you are not the leader and are not likely to either get drafted partway through, or volunteer partway through. Being a parent is a lot of fun. I enjoyed not worrying about all the details, if things were running according to schedule, and all the other potential pitfalls.

 

My sister is a Girl Scout leader. Her council or district or whatever similar level of organization holds a leader and daughter only outing once a year. The leaders and their daughters get to be parents and children. She highly recommended it. Now that I have been through a similar experince, I too am a supporter of the idea.

 

Later this month my son and I are attending a Boy Scout campout as a guest. It will give us another opportunity to be a dad and son without leadership responsibilities. I look forward to only packing personal gear instead of a den or Pack worth of supplies.

[Newbie Den Leader]

We promoted the Dad N Lad/Mom N Me in our Pack but the response was low. Out of 35 registered boys, we had 4 go. Initially, we had a strong response of interested parents, but things dropped off quickly when the baseball season began of which many of our Cubs participate. Even with our issue, these events require more commitment from the parents because of travel time, cost, and the desire to camp outdoors in tents. Some parents dislike camping or dont have the equipment and its not really a workable option for them.

 

Im not complaining. Our Pack schedule is so full right now of various events, outings, and meetings that parents really have to pick and choose and ignore the rest.

 

[Greg Nelson]

Newbie Den Leader:

 

I was there! We came up one marker short of the medals on the orienteering, and have been poring over the map since, figuring out what route would have yielded 1 or 2 more punches.

 

We got zero interest from the parents, because of the high cost ($90 for a parent/son pair). I went mostly for the reason others have listed - to get to enjoy a Scout outing with my son, instead of being "on duty". I also wanted to scope out one of the council camps.

 

I enjoyed the large amount of "program" offered at the campout, compared to our pack outings. Still, when you compare it to day camp, with many more hours of activities for less money, and no need for parents to be present, Dad 'n' Lad is a tough sell.

 

Specifically, I got a lot of objections from my parents about the $45 for the adult. If they priced it like Circle 10 Webelos camp, where the parent pays half of the Scout cost, they might get more takers.

 

I think Russell E., Travis T., and the others did a great job putting the event together. Travis Taber mentioned that they evenually plan to offer 8 or 10 of these a year, each with a specific theme.

[Newbie Den Leader]

Greg,

 

It's nice to meet a fellow Circle 10 camper! I'm glad you and your son had a good time. I agree with you - the camp was well run and high quality. I'm not sure why the cost was $90, but I'm sure it was to cover the cost of the 4 meals and possibly (i'm guessing) provide a little fund raiser for the camp. The families in our Pack are not poor, but a $90 price tag and a 90 mile drive does cause folks to think twice.

 

We did not get any verbal objections about the price of Dad N' Lad, but I think some parents were hoping for a "family camp" that would cost much less and involve their whole families. We promoted Dad N' Lad/Mom N' Me as our "family camp" for the Spring, but that was probably a mistake. If another parent wanted to attend, the price jumps to $135 and that becomes prohibitive for many of us (including myself).

 

--Jeff