Need Help for 2010 CS Day Camp

[Eagle92]

SSS

Thanks for the input and everyone keep it coming. Please keep it coming. With all the ideas I'm getting I am getting a plan. Still need to work out the details and talk to the others involved in the process, but we need a shot in the arm and any and all ideas are welcome!

[tdk101]

SSScout is absolutely right about the cheerleader type. Our PD is that cheerleader. She gets the kids going and they love it. Our Waterfront Director is cheerleader #2. There is always a little skit and cheering after the flag ceremony in the morning, a song before lunch. The other thing they do is blast music for the kids at the end of the day to dance - things like the locomotion, cha-cha slide, macarena, cotton-eyed joe. The boys love to get out there and dance while they are waiting for all the dens to arrive for closing ceremonies. It takes a while to get there if you had archery last! She also picks a couple of dens each afternoon to do their den cheers for all of camp. On the last day, every den does it, one right after the other.

 

After lunch in the dining hall there is also some silly song singing. Some of the boys don't like that becasue they are still trying to eat. Some kids just eat a little slower.

 

On Friday, we have a family picnic. Each family brings their own dinner. They get ice cream donated and watermelon too. For dessert, it's make your own sundaes. That takes place from 530 to 630. At 630, they hand out program awards to each den from each of the areas. Then each den puts on a little skit. Skits must be approved ahead of time by the PD to make sure they are appropriate. I guess one year they didn't and some people found it a little offensive. Not sure because we weren't there.

 

Each den learns how to fold a flag and gets to participate in either the opening flag ceremony of the closing flag ceremony.

 

Sports are run by the Boy scouts - 2 or 3 of them. The Cubs respond very well to that. Scout Skills are run by a couple of boys that just earned their Eagle last year. The lady that does nature is AMAZING!!!!!!!! I wish everyone could have a person like that - she is nicknamed the Nature Nut. She is awesome with the kids. They took a little hike and look at all kinds of creatures, trees, fungus, etc. She shows them different kinds of bugs. They learned to identify leaves. They love her and the program.

 

The one thing I would highly recommend is to keep the size of your dens small - like 10 or so. My Tiger/Wolf den was 8 boys and a sibling Tag-a-long. It was great. MY Webelos 2 son's den was 18. I thought -no big deal, those kids can handle it but everything takes so much longer to do when there are that many. Changing after swimming takes forever.

 

We have an early bird registration cut off. But they do allow scouts to sign up on Monday morning. Can be problematic. Last year they had lots of kids sign up on Monday and it threw off den sizes. This year that was not a problem. They offer a $50 reduction in cost if a parent attends camp for one day. If a parent is on staff for the whole week, there is a $100 reduction in cost.

[Nike]

Ouyr camp orders blank differently col,ored 3x5 flags and volunteers decorate them according to the theme. Then each den carries it around, and woe to them that forget their den flag!

 

Each district here also handles theri own registration, with Council only receiving the whole batch after the deadline in teh district. This way our volunteer manager can work teh volunteer ratios immediately. And be firm with that. We had to send kids home when their packs didn't have adequate coverage one afternoon.

 

Also, get your daily special visitors, BB and archery people lined up now. Archery: easy to learn, hard to master. Reserve equpment now unless your district owns their own. Get your range masters to training this fall.

 

Start talking up day camp at round tables now. New day, new program.

[Eagle92]

Thanks for the input an d please keep it coming.

 

A few ideas I have and I want your input. the comment on the cheerleader struck home as the energy level seemed almost non-existant compared to the CSDC I worked as a youth. Would adding elements of scout summer camp staff be appropriate, ie. staff singing, cutting up at the right times to get a laff, etc. I've worked 6 summer of scout camp to be a program freak, just don't want to go overboard and scare the cubbies.

[John-in-KC]

1) Wood project.

 

2) Cooking something.

 

3) For a noontime special, ask the fire department to send a ladder truck. Have it spray the kids from high deployed position.

 

3) Don't worry about the theme. Everything can be fitted to the theme.

 

I have a good friend who has not only PD'd, he's been CSDC NCS staff a couple times. I'll ask him if he's willing to share with you by email.

[John-in-KC]

Oh. Never mind the theme. Get with your DE and promote Day Camp at RT and other District Cubbing events... including Trainings.

 

Photos of Cubs having FUN are at least as important as the annual cartoon.

 

Get copies of the existing forms. Scan them in. Change the dates and prices as needed. If Council is unreliable, bypass Council.

[Eagle92]

Funny you mentioned photos, one of our staffers is a professional with the local police. he had his uberexpensive camera out taking photos of everything so that he could make a video for his son. WELLL the DE asked for a copy and the OA has agreed to make CDs for all the packs to promote CSDC for next year.

 

Just an update, I'll be making a presentation on 2010 CSDC tomorrow nite at the Discom. I'm encouraging a date be set so I can formally request vacation at work. I'll be presenting the good, the bad, and the ugle at the meeting and proposing some of my ideas to improve the camp. SO PLEASE KEEP THE IDEAS COMING.

 

It's been a very long time since I did CS events, so I'm rusty. But I have a funny feeling I'll be doign this for the next 10 years, so I migyt as well start off on the right foot.

 

THANKS GUYS AND GALS

[SSScout]

"Cutting up at times to get a laff"...

 

Good Lord, yes. I would much rather have a Skills instructor with a sense of humor than one who KNOWS EVERYTHING. (!)

 

You want Cubs (and Scouts?) to learn something? Even when it is about something dead serious? Make'm laugh alittle first, then teach and practice..

 

Talking to Cubs about life saving... Teach'em the rhyme "reach, throw, row, go". Now since we're in the middle of the woods, we ain't gonna ROW! and since the nearest water is in the tanker truck ("mobile spring"), we ain't gonna teach y'all to swim and GO! That's for Scout Camp when y'all are older! SO... we are gonna teach y'all about REACHING and THROWING!

You there on the end! You're drowning! (Cub smiles). Yell "Help! Throw me a rope!" (he says, help throw me a rope). Where upon, you throw him a coiled up hank of rope. After giggles subside, talk about reaching and demonstrate BIG LOOPS, NEAT COILS, and only throwing ONE end, holding on to the other! Figure eight knot in each end! You divide the Cubs into pairs, each pair with a coil of rope, 12 feet long, and with your Scout Staff Assistants assistance (make it fun for them ,too), they proceed to coil and throw and rescue each other. Later in the week, during Water fest, they "rescue" each other and pull their partner up a soap slick plastic sheet. See other CSDC threads...

Could you teach this "seriously"? oh sure. Which way would the Cubs remember best, you think?

CSDC PD leads flag opening ceremony, but is aware that the Scout Skills man may ad lib something. PD is ALWAYS the fall guy, ALWAYS the straight man, but the color guard does it's job when it's time, in good order. Thereby DEMONSTRATING and MODELING to the DWs and other Cub leaders in attendance, that it is OK to have fun and be silly and accomplish something important at the same time. WHATACONCEPT!!!(This message has been edited by SSScout)