Webelos Program at cub Day-Camp

[AntelopeDud]

Hello Scouters,

 

This is my first post to this forum. I look forward to some good dicussions with some obviously quality folks.

 

In our district, we are doing something a little different with our Cub-Scout day camp. We are going to separate the Webelos from the Cubs and have a separate program that is a bit more age-appropriate for them. The thought is to keep the Webelos interested in Scouting and to give the younger cubs something to look forward to as they grow in Cub Scouts.

 

Has anyone ever had experience doing this? I would love suggestions and tips. I am the Program Director for the Webelos and would love input.

[eghiglie]

Last year I ran a Webelos only day camp that focused on badges from the Webelos book and was only for Webelos to attend. The day was split into badge work, bb gun, archery, sports, craft work and water fun.

 

I was blessed to be able to get adult experts in Engineering, Science and Citizenship to came to camp and teach the kids. Bear in mind that these guys would not want to come to a cub scout event but because they would be talking to just the older cubs they came out to help. Its much easier to teach air pressure and electrical circuits to 4th and 5th graders than to 1st graders.

 

I was also able to get older crafts that required tools instead of glue.

 

The Webelos LOVED IT. There were no little kids that they had to be careful of and I was able to provide sports activities that were not normally done. They really felt grown up and I had very few discipline problems to deal with.

 

I also had 21 boy scouts that were a great bunch of Den Chiefs. When I had scheduled the days I arranged for blocks of time for the Troop members to do archery, BB Gun and water sports without the cubs. They never had that chance before at a Day Camp and even though it was a BB Gun and smaller bows they had a blast!

 

The boy scouts came in full uniform everyday and really impressed the kids with how they took care of there clothes. Some of the Webelos wanted to get the real green pants right away because of them.

 

At the end of camp I gave each kid a customized advancement sheet based on attendance just like Summer camp does.

 

The downside though was adult volunteer shortages. A few big packs in our area sent a lot of boys but no leaders to help. In our council we have to take anybody that pays the fee. So if a pack sent 15 boys and only 1 leader it was my problem to beg. The bigger packs also had the most boys missing a day or two but they awarded there kids all the badges anyway.

 

Council was also too busy to inspect me so I was not able to earn my Day Camp flag and Day Camp Director Shirt.

 

Every day I was short about two or three adults. They would commit and not come. In cases the adults were more trouble. The ones who came for just a day didn't like being separated from there kid.

 

The boy scouts had to step up to the plate and act in adult capacity and leverage knowledge from merit badges and such. They did a great job. Some of them only were going to work a day or two at first but when they saw the kids were so well behaved they decided to stay the week to work as a Den Chief.

 

The other blessing I was given is that I'm also a Webelos I Den Leader and the entire den signed up for the event. So when it was over the den already had 3 badges done and it was late June!

 

 

[WDL Mom]

Hi,

 

We also ran the Webelos stations seperately from the other Cubs. This past summer, the boys earned their Scientist pin, last year it was Engineer. Not sure what is up for this summer.

 

If we had 6 rotations for the day, 2 of the Webelos rotations were for the Scientist pin.

 

The difficult part was getting all the boys rotated through the stations. We had over 200 Webelos, and it took about a day and a half to get them through one station. Though with 5 days of camp we were able to cover all the requirements. Might have been a bit easier if we had a third adult to staff a third station.

 

The craft rotation focused on a larger project that would qualify for the Craftsman pin. The other 3 rotations were for swimming, archery and BB guns.

[SSScout]

My truly significant other is CSDC Director, which usually makes me a little bit of everything else. I've always liked the idea of seperate Webelos activities, as much as possible, 'cause, yeah, the webs would prefer not to hang out with the lil' brother Tigers and Bears. But the above description of the Webs Only camp (sounds wonderful) makes me wonder:

What did the Webs do before to fulfill all those requirements? How did the WDLs make it work? When I was a WDL, I had some fun arranging the SCientist pin stuff, but then I had an engineering background. We also went to museums and saw exhibits and such. Same with the other pins. A couple of saturdays in a neighbors garage, a couple of dads and handtools and whoosh we had some fine bird houses for Craftsman .

I suppose the camp situation makes it easier and better for those Packs and Dens that would have a hard time otherwise, but like was mentioned, if they didn't come for the whole show, how can you say they fulfilled ALL the requirements? In our camp closing memo that we send back with the Cubs, we make it clear that 'these' activities would POSSIBLY fulfill 'these' requirements, but it was "Scout's Honor" whether the Cub participated and did everything listed, and the Pack leadership was encouraged to check with the Cub and their Den Walkers. Our Den Walkers were instructed to keep track of their own Cubs, if possible.

Again, the secret is advance planning, alot of phone calling, and making the BScout helpers feel really useful and appreciated ( open archery range for the Scout helpers works for our CSDC too).

 

YiS KiSMiF(This message has been edited by SSScout)

[John-in-KC]

I submit:

 

IF the Director, PD, and Area heads are looking at the Wolf, Bear, and Webelos Handbooks...

 

THEN virtually any activity on the Day Camp schedule will crosswalk into the age-appropriate advancement plan.

 

For several years I was wood master for our District. I looked at the requirements and determined what could be signed off by Akela as a result of doing the wood project.

 

For a couple more years I was grubmaster for our District. Ditto.

 

You're already asking Scouters, many of whom give up a 40 hour workweek to serve our Program, to give up more time for a separate Webelos program.

 

I'm delighted you have more adult volunteers in your district than we do in ours!

 

As Barry says, I love this Scouting stuff.

[eghiglie]

I can tell you that in our area we don't have enough of adult volunteers. The attidude from most of the parents is that "its Council problem, because we paid our $60 for the week of day camp". Council would not raise the rate or require minimum adult volunteers from Packs because it might affect revune.

 

This year no Webelos Day Camp week was scheduled. There will only be the single Cub Scout Day Camp.

[Ms. Eagle 515]

This would be my fourth year as day camp program director, and eighth year working with Cub Scout Day Camp. I have seen previous directors have a seperate Webelos program run in conjunction with the camp (2 of each range, etc.) but that involved almost twice the amount of volunteers and I have not been able to swing it during my time. What I can do though is offer a more entailed craft for them and during advancement time offer them something out of their book to work on for advancement. My schedule has a Sr. Webelos den traveling to an activity with a Jr. Webelos den and usually the majority of the boys in both dens are from the same pack so they get to co-mingle with each other, and the parent chaperones enjoy being with parents and boys they know. The only time the Webelos have to be with the younger scouts is during morning assembly, afternoon closing, and the occassional special guest.

 

I would love to have enough adult volunteers to offer totally seperate areas, but I think what I do works and the younger boys do see what the older boys are up to in passing during the week and look forward to their turn. Our Council also offers a Webelos resident camp during the summer for four days with advancements, so if they really want to get away from it all, this is their opportunity.

[cubbingcarol]

Our council has a seperate Webelos camp during the summer. As for Day camp they do not have (at least not in the past 3 years) seperate Webelos events.

 

 

[devaney_scouts]

I ahve run Cub Scout Day camp as Camp Director/Program Director both. My first year we ran the Webelos in a seperate day camp, last two years we are running a webelos program within the cub's Day camp. I prefer the later. We have two day camps and a twilight camp and doing the Webelos within the cub's camps gives more opportunites for boys to attend. If they can't make one week, they may be able to make the other. I run the Webelos program seperate, but try to find speakers for the Webelos dens that also fit the theme for the camp. this year our theme is West Virginia Heritages and we are focusing on things that the webelos need for pins, plus belt loops the cubs can earn, plus archery, BB and swimming.

 

The hardest thing for me with webelos is adult volunteers. Many parents feel that they aren't needed at this age and if they have younger kids they want to go with the younger ones. I advise starting to recruit and train your den walkers for your Webelos now.

 

I run 9 dens of 12 to 15 boys with 2 to 3 adults minimum per den. The webelos comprise dens 1 2 and 3 and spent the first three rotations working on a Webelos pin a day. Your local tv station or radio station may help by coming out for communicator. Engineer is fun at camp and science is great to do. Send me a PM with your theme and email and i can see what I can gather for you to send.

 

Good Luck.

[Twocubdad]

I've been our district day camp director for five years. Under the previous administration and during my first year at camp we had a separate Webelos camp. It ran Wed-Sat with Friday night being a campout. With overnighters being discouranged then outright prohibited at day camps, we lost that advantage.

 

My second year we combined the two camps and just ran one week. Staff time was the biggest factor. The adminstrative staff and area directors were being asked to take two weeks for camp. That was just too much.

 

Even with Webelos and Cubs in the same camp, we don't do a whole lot differently between the dens. The Webelos just tend to go a little higher, longer and faster than the cubs. Fortunately, the Council runs a Webelos resident camp later in the summer, so that takes some of the pressure of us to do Webelos-specific things. They have ample opportunity for that at resident camp.