Pack Trips

[mkarlinm]

I was just wondering what kind of trips do you take with your pack's. Do you go as a pack or just as a den? I know camping and hiking but do you go to science center together or maybe a hayride. I have had someone approach me saying that I need to make sure I do not plan things that some people can not afford and they might be to embarrassed that they can not pay and drop out of scouts becuase of it. I do not think a trip to the zoo or science center is to expenive. I think camping with the council and district that is expensive. The poor vs. rich. I am the poor and if something comes up that i can not afford I make a decision to go or not or just wait for another event.

 

I know some of you will bring up fundriasing and i was told some people do not know enough people or have enough time. I just feel like these are excuses. I am the cubmaster of the pack, treasurer, i work full time take college courses and still find time to be there for my son. I just Prioritize (can not spell).

 

If you can just give me some feed back I would appericate it.

 

 

[Pack212Scouter]

Our Pack does many events year around. Rock Wall climbing, Pumpkin Picking & Hayride, Bike Rodeo, Camping 3 times per year +1 for Webelos in the Winter, Raingutter Regatta, Pinewood Derby, thinking about Space Derby. We've actually had some cubs transfer over because we run an active program and theirs didn't do much.

 

We do have a scholarship fund to help those who need it. All we require is that the parent helps the pack, the boy does some fundraising, and they attend what we pay for.

[MOMSCOUT24-7]

 

Our pack has a large number of people in the "poorer" category. We have a pack of about 45 boys, so outings get expensive quickly.

We only camp once a year, but we do many hikes and other outdoor activities. We plan Pinewood every year, and rotate Rain Gutter or Space Derby.

For our pack outings we have to keep things cheap. One way we save money is by piggybacking on to other activities.

A nature center in our area has a free weekend every year. Another group does a free fishing day. The tree lighting ceremony in our town is free and they have cocoa and smores! The more of these things that we have done (in full Uniform) the more resources we have found.

We have also found ways to give back this way. Helping a local charity put together food baskets for the needy and cleaning up after these events.

We do push day camp. Parents have to pay for it themselves, but we get the money in early, so it is less expensive. We do a driving/walker list so parents only have to go one day. We buy the t-shirts ($8) for any kid if a parent signs up. This is expensive, but our day camps are very well run and worth the money.

 

 

[ScoutNut]

We do both den and Pack outings. We try to do things that are not to pricey, and to help our families out the Pack will pay for the cost of the Scout. That way the family only has to pay for adults and siblings.

 

The concept that some people might be embarrassed because they can't afford an event and drop out of Scouts is silly. If they drop out it is NOT because they could not afford to go on a Pack outing! As you stated, every family makes their own decisions about what events they are able to attend. Non-attendance can be for various reasons. Money can certainly be one of them, but so can sports, family activities, homework, etc.

 

Some of our Pack outings are -

 

Bike Hike

Fishing Derby

Kite Fly

Reenactment (Revolutionary War, Fur Traders, etc)

Circus

Hockey Game

Minor League Baseball Game

Picnic

Rocket Shoot

Campout

Corn Maze

Hayride

Toy/Model Show

District Cub Days

Zoo

State Park Day Hike

Maple Sugaring Festival

Nature Centers

Various Museums

Reptile Fest

Council JOTA Event

 

 

 

 

[AnniePoo]

"The concept that some people might be embarrassed because they can't afford an event and drop out of Scouts is silly"

 

No, it's not silly. Even though many packs (like ours) offer confidential financial assistance for any or all events, some parents find it embarassing to take such assistance. We try to do as much free stuff as possible. Ten dollars might be nothing to one family and might be an impossibly amount of money to another family depending on their current situation.

[FScouter]

"Even though many packs (like ours) offer confidential financial assistance for any or all events, some parents find it embarassing to take such assistance."

 

OK, so it's embarassing. What should they do: pay, take assistance, or forgo the event? This isn't rocket science.

[Karen_216]

We do a variety of things. We have at least one pack overnighter in the fall- the price varies by venue. This year it's 25.00 pp but last year they were 50.00. We do different things so the kids get a variety.

You still offer events. I don't think someone will drop out becasue of 1 event being too expensive, If every evetn is pricey that may be a different story. You have to look at the demographic of your pack- if it's an economically depressed area then do events that are low cost. I find many places give a good scout discount. I'd arrange something and see the response.

Not doing fundraising because you don't know anyone is just an excuse. That's what popcorn show-n-sells are for. Also I go with my son door to door to sell for his take order. I work and my husband does too and lets face it- being a cubmaster takes a lot of time. If you can do it then anyoine who is committed can find time to ask a few people. If they are one day things then maybe they can't make the 1 day but if it's over a number of days or weeks that excuse does not pan out.

You can do car washes too. If someone is given the opportunity and chooses not to and then complains about the cost of the evetns i have to wonder how involved they are anyway.

Offer events in advance and the option to make payments- I did that for camp.

You need pack events for the kids to get to know each other and it also help them with advancements. If someone can't go then they don't.

[ScoutNut]

Sorry, but if someone is telling you that the reason their family quit Scouting is because they were embarrassed that they could not afford to attend Pack outings that IS silly. It is also most likely just an excuse they are using to justify the fact they really did not want to be in Scouting and would have found another excuse even if the Pack had 100% free outings.

 

I do not know of ANY Pack that gets 100% attendance for every single one of their Pack outings. I know we don't. I also don't know of any Pack that will call every member who did not attend an outing and ask for an explanation of why they did not attend. There are MANY reasons a family can have for not attending, lack of funds is only ONE.

 

One of the things we do at our Pack Committee meetings is to evaluate our program for the last month. If we ran an event that had poor attendance we look at the event to try and see why. We look at all of the contributing factors (including cost) to see if there is something we can do better, differently, or even if we want to do it again at all. Your Pack should be doing the same.

 

For families who can not afford an event, they simply do not go to that event. They attend the events that they can afford. If a Pack ONLY has expensive events, and a family is embarrassed about asking for financial assistance to attend these events, I can understand that. However, you look for a different Pack that runs a more affordable program, you don't quit altogether.

 

 

[mkarlinm]

Thank you for all the responses. I feel better about this topic. I was starting to doubt myself on being an effective Pack Leader. There has been times that my son and I could not go on an event that we planned becuase of cost but that is a choice that we make together as a family. Sometimes there is something that is coming up more important for another reason and we save our funds for that.

 

Thanks again to all.

[Karen_216]

Here are evetns we do as a pack:

--Local college Scout football game - 2.00 pp- sometimes the timing is off and this year it's really early but every year at least a few families go. If we have a group we tailgate before hand (BYO food and sodas only) and get to march the field in uniform and w/ the pack -flag- kids love that sort of thing.

--Some sort if overnighter at a musem, battle ship, zoo, this year it's at a historic fort-- we get at least 50 peopl for these every year- even when 2 were offered and they were 50.00 pp.

--Parades-- another opportunity to display our colors and dress up and be out in the community - at Christmas kids wear their santa hats or elf ears. This year a Dad is making a float.

-- any den schedules events that are opend up to the pack, corn maze, hay rides, pumpkin and apple picking (you pay if you want something but the tractor ride to the field is free and it's lots of fun to wonder the fields!!!

-- look at community events - local historic walks, star gazing events, fall pumpkin days, fire works and community days in the summer. Most of these are free. I found out this summer about a local communty history hike and movie at the park and free concerts n the park. Easy way to do summer events that are already arranged!!

 

-- this year we are going to the cub camp in the winter for the weekend. We haveto bring all our own food but get a centrally heated bunk house w/ full kitche and fridge and one of our parents is a rnage master so we can use the bb range. We do have to rent the building and bb guns but the price will only be about 5.00 pp.

You can't make everything free but sometimes you can get good discounts.

We chose to have a very low registration and pack dues and sell popcorn as our main funding.

Families pay their own way for special events we make available that are offered through council and sports teams. We all pick and chose what we can do. Minor league teams are a great deal less than major league/NFL teams.

There are so many options- that person complaining can arrange something too.

There are always complainers. Tell them to put up or shut up (but not in those terms!!

 

 

[Buffalo Skipper]

Our pack comes from a more affluent area of town. And we work hard to make cost a non-issue for those who cannot afford it. Our most expensive trip is to the battleship USS Alabama. They offer overnight stays for groups (mostly scouts), and the cost is 16.00 per person (not including food). Every child must be accompanied by a parent, so a minimum of $32.00 per father/son plus food.

 

Family camp (2x a year) is $15 per person for 2 nights. We also visit the Naval Aviation museum once a year, which is free, as is a downtown historical society tour, which we do every couple of years. We do most of our activities as a Pack. Our combined Webelos do another campout each year. We frequently go to the Florida Caverns and a Falling Waters, which has a 100' waterfall (the largest in Florida!) These parks have a more diverse geological base, as well as unique forest areas, so we ususally work on Geologist and Forester pins.

[Basementdweller]

So what is the Leader/parent ratio to scouts for these outings?

 

We are currently fighting this battle now. So on a day trip a ratio of 1 leader to 3 scouts and overnight 1 to 2. What do you guys do?????

[mkarlinm]

We require each scout to have a parent or guardian with them at all times.This never seems to be an issue.

 

Melissa

[AlFansome]

 

For all our outings, we require that a parent come with his/her son for a few reasons. First, all Tiger cubs MUST come with a parent. Second, Cub Scouts is a family program and getting parental involvement is key on many levels. Third, it'd be unfair to the leaders if this turned into Baby Sitters of America...if we opened the door, we leaders know exactly which parents would use us as a babysitting service. Finally, just from a safety perspective, having extra eyes and ears is helpful.

 

For us, cost isn't an issue since we're in an affluent area and since most of the things we do (except overnighters) have no or minimal cost..such as hikes, kite flying, nature museums, etc.etc.

 

[Basementdweller]

I wish we were that luck with adult participation. Adult participation is always and issue with our group.