Webelos/Troop combined camp out.

[Daped01]

Sounds interesting. I will give that a try.

[SM bob]

My troop hosts a campout with two packs. We invite the Webelos II to drive up with us on Friday night to the group campsite. The Webelos I come up Saturday at lunch time. The Webelos are split up and form patrols for the weekend. They tent with one or two Boy Scouts. The boy scouts are the patrol leaders for the weekend. Due to the number of Webelos the den leaders cook all the meals. We plan a hike in the morning for the Webelos II and then skill stations for everyone in the afternoon. The stations are taught by the scouts or adults. Our stations are knife safety, knife sharpening, cutting and fusing rope, three different knots, fire safety, campfire prep, magnifying glass fire starting, flint and steel, use of compass, pacing, topo map reading, star constellations shapes, scout oath and law, scout trivia. The patrols practice skits for the saturday night campfire. The adults stay in our area and let the Webelos interact with the boy scouts. We only allow registered leaders (cubs and boys scouts) to come on the campout. The joint campout is held in October. This allows the Webelos and den leaders to get a glimpse of Boy Scout camping (minus the cooking). It also give the adults time to interact and get to know each other.

[Twocubdad]

We intentionally avoid "instruction." Just have fun. Each Boy Scout patrol puts on a demonstration of some fun Scout skill with the goal of getting the Webelos excited about Boy Scouts, not trying to complete requirements. (Anathema!) For example, we always have a first aid station, but inevitably the focus moves from demonstrating first aid to how to create the grossest fake wounds. We now have our own official troop recipe for fake blood. Last year the guys built a huge pioneering tower which the Webs could climb and rappel down. (yes, it was supervised by our climbing instructor.) Cooking usually include stuff the boys really like, but which the Webelos haven't though about cooking on a campout -- box oven pizza, doughnuts, funnel cake, etc. The afternoon always includes a "hike" which really turns into a tour of the camp. We intentionally camp at our summer camp just so the Webs have a chance to get a first look at summer camp. The adults take an the time the boys are on the hike for an orientation meeting with the Webelos parents. We also rotate the Webelos through the patrols at meal times so they get to meet all the Scouts.

 

But we leave it all loose with no tight schedules, plenty of time for hanging out, exploring and sitting around the fire.

 

 

[Eagle94-A1]

Here is what became a troop tradition with our Webelos overniters: "Wilderness Survival Weekend"

 

Long story short, we found out the nite before the overniter that the troop tents and tarps, and other gear, were destroyed between the last camp out and the one coming up. We decided to do a "survival" camp out, which became so popular that it became an annual event.

 

We divided the Webelos among the patrols and buddied them up with a Boy Scout. We worked on knots and lashings with them, then moved up to building patrol shelters. Break lunch, and work on shelters some more.

 

Once all the patrols were finished with the shelters, we did chariot races for interpatrol competitions, and had fun.

 

Originally we had our cook gear, but over time we moved utensilless cooking. Always had a backup to that because you don't want the Webelos starving.