Range Master and a quality camp experience

[Basementdweller]

Well in reading about disappointing camp experiences I began to wonder.

 

What makes a great day camp experience?

 

What events are the most fun/memorable?

 

My son is a wolf and already has four summer camps under his belt. Two years of resident camp and two day camps. I am a little worried he will be bored with camp this summer. Lets face it all camps have the same basic activities, BB, Archery, Swimming, fishing and crafts. Sooooo, what other activities are a possibility??????

 

It dawned on me that the Day camp Director announced her retirement last summer and most of her staff will not be returning. I am not one of the "in crowd" in the district but I still would like to help. How does one do this??????

 

In that train of thought what kind of training does it take to become a range master? Is the training good for archery and BB? I assume it is NRA training, I would like to know exactly what class name I need to take.

 

I covered a lot of ground but you guys got me thinking.

[SctDad]

I think that one of the best ways to help keep summer camp different would be to go through and break the boys up into age/rank groups and work on things that are in line with advancement. That way the boys have something different each year. If done right, you will have 4-5 years worth of rotation and they are not repeating the same things over and over.

 

BB Guns and Archery are always favorites. The boys I have met love it. But keep it different by helping them not only earn their belt loops, but their Sports Pins and maybe helping them improve and earn the Jr. Shooting Sports Team Patches. My son loves having the large patch from the shooting sports team on his shirt. Don't get me wrong, it was not given away, some of the boys in his summer camp den did not get their Patch. So Time for improvement is also a must.

 

I know that you also have other questions about how to get into the helping program, I would suggest finding out more from your council. I do not know too much about the specifics, but I am trying to learn.

 

Hope this helps.

[SSScout]

Advance planning, obviously is the first requirement. But, plan what??

 

Aside from the usual "favorites" of archery and BBs, and their good effect depends much on the Range Officer's attitude, we have found that the CSDC success depends more on the "fun" factor than on the "advancement" factor. Even teaching map and compass or knots and rope should be fun rather than a chore. The boys can go to school in Septenber. Camp must needs be fun and thus be memorable.

Games: Throw ropes to rescue people, tie knots to be skillful. When the boy asks "is THIS a square knot?" Ask what his name is, and proclaim it a 'Charley knot'. Watch the smile.

Flag ettiquette & folding: find a few BIG flags so the boys can fold in teams of 6 or 8. Include the DenWalkers. Nobody sits in the back and schmoozes! Get a few historic flags and stretch their thinking with a fifteen star "star spangled banner" and a thirteen star "old glory", teach a little history along with the "requirement".

 

Map and compass: Go to Oriental Trading and order the colorful compass on a string, about $.50 each. DONOT order the black and white cheaper one, it isn't even magnetic. "On the count of three, everybody point NORTH! 1,2,3" and watch the fun. Talk about finding one's way. We tape up a series of maps and relate each to the other: first a National Geographic Map of the Universe, then to the Solar System, to a Globe, to a World Map, to a USA map, to a State map, to a County map, to a Map of the Park. We give'm a map of the park(park service, free) and we find ourselves on it. We play with the compass and magnetism and steel. Tiger or Webelos, the boys go away with a working compass and simple knowledge of how to use a map. Watch the smiles.

Seek you the WOW factor. Seek out "specials", hopefully in agreement with the Council CSDC theme. Be creative in remembering, calling, inviting, following leads.

In past years, we have had a professional archer do a demonstration, the State Police medivac helicopter land and talk about their work, Radio Control Model Planes, car race clubs, off road giant dump trucks, fire and rescue folks, a cowboy trick roper, a hot air balloon, the Army Corps of Engineers (Army Major in full uniform teaching Cubs to make structures with toothpicks and gumdrops... your tax dollars truly at work!), the Blue Knight come to speak of child safety, bicycle stunt riding, monocyclist, Park Police mounted corps, State Parks Scales and Tails animal demonstration, local farmers animal pens, homing pigeon hobbyists (mass release!), NASA will send an astronaut and exhibit with sufficient notice. Form "CUB SCOUTS" on the ground with Cubs and Staff and have the local Traffic Spotter fly over.

Say "Cub Scouts" and watch the doors open.

Even in the most rural council, ask around. Every Cub would love to see the inside of a BIG TRUCK up close. Farm Tractor, harvester, road grader. Contact your local National Guard Armory, see if they have an M114 sitting around to OOO and AAH at. The State Soil and Water Conservation, State Extension Office all have outreach departments.

Start the conversation.

Home Depot and Lowes will come out and lead hammer banging crafts for free or little cost.

Make 2x4 balance beams (over the Grand Canyon!!) or island hop between cinderblocks and 2x6s. and a net covered obstacle course.

The last day before lunch, we plan a Water Festival, with lots of wet stuff to do. ('course all this depends on a good water supply) Tug o'war over a kiddy pool mud pit. Water gun battle, super slip n'slide (poly sheet on a slight incline, a couple drops of detergent every so often and a dripping hose), straw bales stacked up in low pyramid to climb on, a relay wet sponge toss, a dunk-the-Cub Leader game. Because of the cleanup problems, we donot recommend water balloons or whipped cream or crazy string or shaving cream things.

After lunch, the fireless campfire. Skits, cheers, songs. Both from the Staff and the attending Dens. And a last awards ceremony and goodbyes. Lower the flag the last time.

 

Just a few ideas from our District's experience.

 

And don't forget to have fun yourself. If you are enjoying the camp, the moreso will your young charges.

 

Keep it Simple Make it Fun KiSMiF...

 

 

 

 

(This message has been edited by SSScout)

[DeanRx]

I think both SctDad and SSScout have you pointed in the right direction.

 

As for the "rangemaster" issue...

 

I have inquired at my council about becoming rangemaster qualified. It is not an easy thing to do. First, you must take the NRA training, not a big deal - can be done in a weekend, most likely a little drive from your local area (or even in your local area).

 

However, then you must qualify in the BSA training program. This usually happens over several weekends (some of which are extended weekends). Think Wood Badge on steroids. All checkoffs are pass / fail, and ALL must be completed. That means if you make it through the first 3 and fail the 4th test... you restart the next time they have training (which might be just once or twice a year).

 

Also, there is not a "partial" rangemaster in BSA. If you decide to do it, you will be trained and test out on: Air Rifle (BB-gun), Archery (recurve bow), 22-cal rifle, skeet and trap for shotgun (12-gauge), and black powder rifle. Its an all or none deal. You can't just qualify on BB-gun and archery so you can be rangemaster for cubbie summer camp. You have to know the black powder stuff and test out on it, even if you NEVER use it again in your life.

 

Finally, once you become a rangemaster, you are a rangemaster for your council. The expectation is that you will make yourself availible on multiple weekends throughout the year to provide rangemaster service at the local BSA camps for resident camp, Webelos Woods, BSA resident camp, and local unit campouts requesting range services, etc...

 

Many people (myself included) think they will just get the training, so when "our" unit goes camping, we can have a rangemaster along to do BB-gun and Archery... nope. You belong to the council. As one rangemaster I was talking with at our last pack campout stated, "You better have a real understanding wife, or be divorced, because you will need to be able to justify spending the majority of your spare weekends teaching kids how to shoot BB-guns."

 

While I may still do it - I have been made aware it is truely a "labor of love" and very time consuming both to get through the training, and then to live up to the time commitment expectations.

 

DeanRx

[Lisabob]

DeanRx, I dunno about all that for cubs. I was an archery range master for our cub day camp for a few years. The only required training was a one-day BSA shooting sports training. It did not require me to know a darn thing about archery, by the way. It was really more a safety training than a skill training. That was about 5 years ago but I don't think the requirement has drastically changed since then.

 

Now I went out of my way to seek additional info and advising (informal training I suppose) , but to run a cub archery range at day camp, that was not in any way required. Perhaps the rules are different for resident camp, and I know that they are more stringent for Boy Scout camp ranges, but those are also different kettles of fish than a cub day camp archery range.

 

I will agree that the ranges were most kids' favorite day camp experiences, and a heck of a lot of fun to work at too!

 

 

[Gunny2862]

Not all councils use their Rangemasters as extensively or possibly train them to the standards DeanRX gives as an example.

 

Our Council held a Rangemaster Course for the express purpose of creating a group of BB Range qualified operators to provide service to day camps and packs. They drew on previously qualified Arrow range operators for the other portion of the day camps.

We(about six of us) covered the NRA material and BSA information with a practical application over the course of one very long day with a BSA and NRA certified Instructor.

 

As a Scoutmaster I went to be able to get some limited exposure(gotta recruit as you go ) to Cub Scouts and Webelos as well as providing service within the council. I would have been unable to do so had our Council operated the way DeanRx indicates his does. I have enough going on with the Troop.

[scottteng]

It sounds like the council was giving you requirements to become a Shooting Sports Director. I would check with a shooting sports director or the shooting sports committee to see if there is a breakdown especially for cub scout events. I can not see how they could maintain enough staff if they require all this training. Here we have cards for each individual discipline Rifle, shotgun, black powder, archery, rendezvous, and cub scout. The first three require 20 hours OJT to get a card and then 10 hours every 2 years to maintain. The last two are 10 hours then 5 hours. We are a volunteer workforce if they make things too hard to do no one will do them.

Shooting sports is a major draw for cub and boy scout events.

[kretzb]

Our Council offers training in Cub Scout Shooting Sports to certify range safety officers in archery and BB gun shooting. The all day course is held on a Saturday at a Council Scout Reservation. Since this is 70 miles away, our district still has a shortage of trained ranger officers. Were trying to get Council approval to hold a training locally.

[Gunny2862]

I concur with scotteng's assessment on this one.

[Basementdweller]

Thanks for the responses.

 

Rangemaster certainly warrants further investigation. In thinking about it further. If the men in women don't want me in their club thats fine. I will just do my own thing with our Pack. I am thinking a week trip to Gettysburg......

[DeanRx]

Thanks for the info on the rangemaster qualifications from other councils...

 

I'm going to have to get the name and number of our council "Shooting Sports Director" and get the scoop straight from him.

 

The training I outlined was conveyed to me by our Council Training chair at BALOO this past summer and was re-iterated to me by the rangemaster we had on-site at the BSA scout ranch for or Fall Pack Campout in November.

 

I figured between the two of them, I was getting accurate information ?!? Maybe I need to dig deeper. I'd be more than willing to help out / train / be availible at a "cubbie" rangemaster if there is such a thing. Especially if on the Saturday's I'd go to the scout ranch as a rangemaster, I can have my son tag along and get in some time on the firing line between or after offical groups.

 

Dean

[shortridge]

Use a theme, get energetic volunteers who are willing to be a bit silly, and activities and events will naturally fall into place.

 

Themes that I've worked with at residential Cub/Webelos camps include Knights of the Round Table, Pirates of the [insert name of local body of water], Wild West and Space.

 

With a little creativity, backstory, costumes and decorations, even the "standard" camp activities adapt themselves very easily to the themes, which makes each year a new experience. Campers can fire their ray guns (BBs) at the alien spaceships (balloons) to keep them from taking off, walk the plank (diving board), learn cowboy knots and cowboy cooking (hobo dinners)... not to mention skits, stunts and storytelling, which should be an integral part of the program.