Summertime Activited

[krier32]

I didn't want to take the other thread about "What CC's do?" to far off track.

 

Since there was a discussion about summer time activities and also spring time recruiting I thought I'd get a thread started about ideas for summer time activities (even though I am no longer in Cubs).

 

Promote your summer time activities during your spring time recruitment.

 

Ideas for activities:

1. If you have a nearby minor league baseball team, find out if they do a Scout night. Usually after the game they will play a movie and the Scouts get to set up the tents and camp out on the field.

2. Local tours of historic places.

3. Do you have a Duck Tours nearby?

4. Local ships/battleships usually do some type of Scout activity.

5. Sleep overs at local museums or nature centers (these usually run great programs, especially toward pins)

 

Anyone else care to add to the list?

[83Eagle]

We did a spring recuiting where we invited the boys to make stomp rockets and they had a blast, so to speak.

 

I did the pep talk and had everyone jazzed about summer activities, including a BBQ and bonfire program where they'd earn awards in addition to having fun; two different sporting events for local minor league teams where they'd get patches, a summer parade (with a patch), drive in movie (with a patch), and small community service project (with a patch).

 

Got about 6 to show up despite heavy recruiting by the boys and a "bring a friend" night. One paid app who has since decided to wait until fall.

 

Lesson learned, spring recruiting is a waste of time. Focus your summer events on your existing scouts and forget about recruiting till fall.

 

 

[momof2cubs]

We keep things kinda simple in the summer, since we have a lot of people that travel, vacation, etc.

 

We count Cub Scout Day Camp as an activity (June). This year we are going ice skating in July. We are in the South and it is almost always just insanely hot in July. We have tried and tried to do outdoor activities in July, but frankly it was brutal and most people didn't want to be bothered.

 

Our school systems starts around mid-August, so our August activities are Bounce Back to Scouting Night and Tiger Night (where we form new Tiger dens and recruit/persuade/blackmail/convince parents to be den leaders)

[Basementdweller]

I do a CM thursday evening hike every week except the three weeks of summer camps.....different metro park every week.... usually between 5 an 10 scouts and famillys

 

 

We do creeking with the Naturalist

 

Minor league baseball game.

 

Fishing Derby

 

Raingutter Regatta

 

Disc golf with a local club....

[MarkF]

We usually have a campout in June, which we use as our advancement crossover ceremony as well. Next month we are planning a local fishing expedition as well as getting to tour a medical helicopter that will land in the baseball field close to our meeting place. August we start back to school so hopefully we can plan a scouting kickoff/return to scouting event I see everyone else mentioning. Great ideas.

[Scoutfish]

Used to be a time, where our pack would set up a slip and slide. Everybody wait in line and then take thier turn and then wait...wait..wait again. WEll the few who showed up. Being on the coast and every other member having some access to a pool disn't help.

 

We started going to ball games. Not sure what league they would be: College ball players who want to practice over summer, but didn't quite make it into the camps.

 

Lots of great fun at those games too by the way. Cool contests between every inning.

 

Went to a WWII battleship, ( what boy doesn't love that?) WEnt to a military airshow on a military base. Static displays were 10 times better than the show because you can climb in, sit in, and touch the aircraft. They even accidentally learned stuff too! Went to a revolutionary war historic battleground. Went fishing too.

 

WE are going to spend a day at a pool in July and cook hot dogs and burgers. The whole idea is fun and games and not focused on earning or completing an achievemnts or requirement. Fun, for plain old funs sake. But if they meet the requirements while doing it...then cool!

 

We are also going bowling during our awesomely horrid humid days of August.

 

The biggest thing we found out is this: Don't just pick an activity. Pick something that they don't do every day. Pick something that ech boy can't just do any time he wants.

 

And remember the difference between fun for a boy under 11 versus fun for me or you.

[briantshore]

83Eagle,

Spring time recruitment is NOT a waste of time. Last year I only recruted one boy out of 25 that showed up. We do a joint roundup with 2 other packs in town. That one boy wanted to go with the others, but Mom had loyalty to our Charter Organization. She became a Tiger Den Leader, and that one boy recruited 2 of his friends by fall.

This year I pulled in 15 Tigers. Biggest class in over 8 years.

 

One place we go for Summertime activity there is a local water ski club that travels all over the country. They put on shows all summer and collect donations to cover there travel.

 

 

[83Eagle]

Well, it was a waste of time for us. Effectively went 0-for-7 on recruits versus attendees, with only a fraction attending what tend to have in fall. I won't do it again.

[Scouting4Ever]

June

We are holding a bike ride aro0und the lake. Scouts will get to work on the belt loop, pin and Bears will complete Achievement 14.

 

July

Pack Swim Party and Raingutter Regatta - The adults are making and painting the regattas all white. Cubs and siblings will get to marker, sticker the boats in any fashion they they wish. No prizes, challenge your friends for bragging rights and have fun! Everyone will get a chance to do the Swimming Belt Loop, Pin and advancement related activities.

 

August

Pack Picnic - We will have a picnic at the lake and are doing Geocaching. We did this at the camp out and it was a huge hit. The Scouts each got to find an arrowhead that we placed. We are thinking for this activity that they will all get to find a Geocaching patch.

 

There is also June Cub Scout Camp, July Webelos Camp and other activities that might "pop" up. We had a Library of Congress exhibit visit our town and we counted it as an activity and had a decent group show up with 2 days notice. I am digging the Cubmaster Hike idea and might have to throw in a week in July and August as an alternative activity.

[Basementdweller]

Why summertime activities are generally a waste of time.. Now keep in mind that we are a Pack of 40 families

 

 

Creeking With the Naturalist at a Major Park....We had 2 families attend.

Minor League ball game we had 3 families attend

Fishing Derby with prizes and BBQ......Zero Attend

 

This is despite 10-20 signing up for each event.......and zero cost involved.

 

We still have a couple more events to go.

 

 

 

 

[cfnunn]

In June our pack goes to Day Camp and Resident Camp. Also, we have a Rocket Rally so the boys that don't go to camp still get to do something fun. The boys get to make little paper rockets as well as soda bottle water rockets. We usually have about 15 to 20 boys show up for it.

 

In July, we have a fun Raingutter Regatta and water day with slip and slides and the fire department comes out.

 

In, Aug, the boys rebuild our Cub Mobiles and we have Cub Mobile races.