So what do you do with your Cubs on a campout?

[dedkad]

I did a campout with my Webelos last spring, and they had a wonderful time. Unfortunately, they had too much of a wonderful time playing and enjoying the camping and I was unable to really get them focused to just sit down for a little bit to go over some requirements. I'd really like to knock out a few requirements with the boys during our next campout, but I don't want a repeat of our last campout where it was like pulling teeth to get them to even pay attention. Is it too much to expect them to sit still while camping? Should I just focus on a few fun outdoor requirements and save the book work for a den meeting?

[walk in the woods]

Our last unit overnighter we had a flag retirement on Friday night, then some silly stuff around cracker barrel (balloon launch, games). On Saturday we did rockets, geocaching, and water balloon volleyball after breakfast. It started raining after the rockets so we made garbage bag ponchos and got after the rest. The answer to your questions, in my ever so humble opinion, are yes and yes.

[TSS_Chris]

They shouldn't be doing book work while camping. You're in the outdoors, get them out and doing things.

 

For my pack overnighters, we focus on outdoors requirements only. So we hike, we practice pitching tents (especially if we are sleeping in a cabin), we do foil cooking. Other than that, we try to get the kids involved in games that may (or may not) help them with requirements, and we'll take advantage of any other unique opportunities the camp has to offer.

 

I only hold 2 very brief lectures during the campout: At the Friday night cracker barrel, I'll do a quick leave no trace session, and at Saturday's breakfast, I do a quick "what do you do if you get lost?" lecture, drawing heavily on the NSAR's "Hug a Tree" program.

 

Make sure the boys have enough free time to explore and discover the world around them. I've thrown my plans out the window because someone found a box turtle or decided to build a fort. They learned more from those than I could teach them with what I had planned.

[JoeBob]

"Unfortunately, they had too much of a wonderful time playing and enjoying the camping and I was unable to really get them focused to just sit down for a little bit to go over some requirements."

 

STOP! You missed it! Your boys had fun camping. Their program is a success! Unless you make them turn their backs on the outdoors to sit down and focus on advancement. There is no such thing as boys having 'too much fun camping"!

 

Perhaps you can have a few activities planned in case they run out things to do, but make sure that those are activities that can only be done in the woods: carved boat races in the creek, trekking through the woods, critter crawl races, capture the flag.

 

 

All you gotta do for Cub Scouts on an overnighter is feed them.

 

 

[qwazse]

Don't get them sat down for anything unless it's to close their eyes for a minute and tell you the sounds they hear. Man, you need your sleep, and the more those little buggers run the less likely they'll pop out of bed to bug you.

 

Suitable activities/requirements:

 

Build a block and tackle.

Bottle rockets.

Nature hikes.

Collect rocks.

Play catch. (Trust me, that was the hardest requirement for Son #2.)

Identify tools.

Aquatic safety.

Foil-pack cooking.

 

You get the idea. Organize with respect to the abilities of adults.

[koolaidman]

Build a shelter out of a tarp. Show them why its important to know their two-half hitches and taut-lines. Making a competition out of things with a reward helps to keep them focus.

Maybe the winners get to lead the Webelos-Only hike.

 

Tree Identification is another thing to work on.

 

For second year Webs, look at the outdoor requirements for Tenderfoot and Second Class that are age appropriate, find fun games that can support that knowledge.

[blw2]

Historically our pack has taken the direction of no direction. Get the boys outside, and let them have fun. No organized anything.

I like that in theory, but what happens is the boys end up running wild and playing with sticks.

Some of that is good and healthy. Let's the natural leaders lead and the followers follow. Lets them figure out "life" and experience stuff they never see at home like trees and dirt.

But I think we could do with maybe 1 or 2 organized games or lessons a day. Not sit down book stuff, but hikes, activities, outdoor craft lessons, etc.... maybe a clean the trail service project here and there..... Maybe stuff to work on an elective or belt loop, or maybe not..... just to get them together.

[dedkad]

Great advice everyone. Thank you!

[King Ding Dong]

Astronomy belt loop or just stargazing is a good one for calming things down at night. Especially if they are from the city and you camp far enough away. $10 10X binoculars are better than "my turn! " with a telescope.

[Basementdweller]

"Unfortunately, they had too much of a wonderful time playing and enjoying the camping and I was unable to really get them focused to just sit down for a little bit to go over some requirements."

 

STOP! You missed it! Your boys had fun camping. Their program is a success! Unless you make them turn their backs on the outdoors to sit down and focus on advancement. There is no such thing as boys having 'too much fun camping"!

 

Perhaps you can have a few activities planned in case they run out things to do, but make sure that those are activities that can only be done in the woods: carved boat races in the creek, trekking through the woods, critter crawl races, capture the flag.

 

 

All you gotta do for Cub Scouts on an overnighter is feed them.

 

We have a winner...all ya gotta do is feed them..... adults forget adventure is at every corner twig and branch with cub age boys.....

 

 

Ya want a camp out they will never forget.....have them catch a mess of bluegl or crappy and cook them up.......they will never forget it.

[Baseballfan]

We always hike, and often play sports. This past weekend we played soccer and badminton, and a made up volleyball/baseball hybrid, went on 2 different hikes, and made pinwheels at the nature center. Campfire games, card games, searching for "fossils" in the sandbox, playground time, climbing up the lighthouse. And they spent hours watching/following a praying mantis- birds- deer- groundhogs. Our "program" was intended to be a full weekend of sports beltloops and pins, but... it didn't turn out that way. More power to your Scouts if they "only" had fun and didn't "accomplish" anything! MY goal for Cub campouts is for the boys to have great memories.... that's more than good enough.

[Basementdweller]

Build a shelter out of a tarp. Show them why its important to know their two-half hitches and taut-lines. Making a competition out of things with a reward helps to keep them focus.

Maybe the winners get to lead the Webelos-Only hike.

 

Tree Identification is another thing to work on.

 

For second year Webs, look at the outdoor requirements for Tenderfoot and Second Class that are age appropriate, find fun games that can support that knowledge.

There will be plenty of time for boy scout advancement.....just let them have fun

[dedkad]

Astronomy belt loop or just stargazing is a good one for calming things down at night. Especially if they are from the city and you camp far enough away. $10 10X binoculars are better than "my turn! " with a telescope.

The astronomy belt loop was one of the ones we did during our spring campout because the local astronomy club happened to be having a stargazing event that evening at the campground. I thought I was pretty clever and had them go find things like rocks and pinecones to make their solar system model, but having them learn the various astronomical terms was when things went south.

[koolaidman]

Build a shelter out of a tarp. Show them why its important to know their two-half hitches and taut-lines. Making a competition out of things with a reward helps to keep them focus.

Maybe the winners get to lead the Webelos-Only hike.

 

Tree Identification is another thing to work on.

 

For second year Webs, look at the outdoor requirements for Tenderfoot and Second Class that are age appropriate, find fun games that can support that knowledge.

What's wrong with doing the items in Boy Scouts that they should have learned as Webs? That's what I meant by "age appropriate". So many cross over not really knowing the skills required by Arrow of Light. I guess what I should have said is "review the reqs in TF and SC that are covered by AOL. Really drive those home.

[5yearscouter]

lets see,

friday night people come straggling in at different times, everyone is on their own for food, and we might have a simple family campfire, no program.

Saturday am is usually a fairly quick breakfast, dens eat together. Then we gather for a flag ceremony, announcements, questions and answers. go over camp rules etc.

 

We usually have a hike planned, or maybe a bit of a hike to a fishing spot. so we might make a mini first aid kit, a simple survival bracelet, or just go over some leave no trace. then we hike for a bit. fish for a bit.

back to camp for some free time games,

lunch with your den.

 

afternoon activities are usually a bit of rotation, so there might be a leatherwork bracelet or some knots (or knots with long licorice sticks), tour of the nature center, some kind of simple team building game, some kind of belt loop thing like marbles in the dirt or kick ball.

Then we usually make a group afternoon snack like smores, or smores taco/burrito things, or homemade ice cream in the coffee cans you roll back and forth.

 

Free time games after that with strategically placed football, kickball, rope, Kuub, bocce ball, croquet, badminton, whatever is appropriate for the area we are camping in. sometimes it's like a big park with a built in playground, sometimes it's a bit more wooded and rougher ground. One year we had a quite involved scavenger hunt with prizes that the kids could work on all weekend if they wanted to. Dens might get together to practice a skit or song for the campfire.

 

take down the flag, we eat dinner pot luck style the pack might pay for hotdogs or hamburgers sat night with a campfire program, skits, sogs. sometimes we retire some flags with the last of the fire which is why we usually do smores earlier in the day, also easier to do with smaller groups around a smaller campfire, rather than everyone at the big campfire.

 

Sunday we meet for flag, quick scout's own service (optional), coffee, we try to do a big breakfast, mtn man breakfast, pancakes, whatever. each den brings some stuff to share, pack pays for a main thing like pancake mix and syrup which is cheap in bulk. we put all the campstoves together and cook until everyone is full. then it's clean up, pack up and head home. sometimes we do a short hike, or play some games, but most parents want to leave early and get out of dodge.

 

 

when we have too much down time, someone always gets hurt. unLuckily the last time it was my own son who got the broken arm. so we do try to keep them busy enough with appropriate activities available, cycling thru things with short times to coordinate with scout's short attention spans, keep them out of trouble but having fun.