DS's Cub Scout pack campout and advancement/crossover ceremony is this weekend. Got oodles of game and skit ideas, as well as activities related to what we've done over the past scouting year. Hoping for a hike on some of the trails in the area, but the heat and humidity may be an issue for that. Fishing is of course a possibility as well. Got a telescope to bring for the night time (for those who will be camping with us). Any other ideas or suggestions for this weekend? I am sure I have either missed something obvious or omitted it. Keep in mind our "official" start time is not until 2 pm on saturday. Thanks in advance.

How about a down-time craft? Bows and arrows, sling shots or something sewn, or something for a quieter "We're pooped after that hike!" activity?

We played a crazy leader game at Cubaree last weekend and kids got to sit and watch. There was chocolate pudding eating and egg splattering contest included. They had a lot of fun with it! (And yours truly ended up covered in pudding and eggs.)

Good idea jac. Let's see, got some rope ... and some scouts ... now what?

If they all bring their kits and walking sticks, we can use some better rope to "beef up" the leather-strap-so-thin-it-broke-just-tying-an-overhand-knot handles on their walking sticks, and maybe practice using their signal mirrors. might need a better craft though. Any ideas for a last minute, easy-to-put-together-that-they-haven't-seen-before craft?

Of course they could always use the tired down time to practice their campfire skits.

Good ideas Mark! I think we might do walking sticks next weekend!

Last weekend we made snakes out of men's ties. Sew up the little end, then stuff with stuffing (old pillows work great!) and then put a straighten out coat hanger down the throat of the snake and sew up the mouth. Add some googly eyes and maybe a tounge and you've got a snake. (Our camp theme was "Jungle" so it fit perfectly and KAA really liked.)

We've done a bunch of leather craft this year too - key fobs, woggles, luggage tags and bracelets. The kids really love those!

Father's Day is next weekend. Maybe make something for the Dads (Grandpas, Uncles, Number one guy in a Cub's life?)

Cub Kars are always fun. If there's water nearby, how about Cub boats?

Knot tying?

How was camp Mark?

Late, I know but how about whipping the handgrip of their hiking sticks? Mason twine works ok if you can't get whipping thread of an appropiate color and size from a ship chandelry or boat shop.

The best,

Jerry

Thanks for all the great ideas. The campout was grrrrr-eat, except our webelo who was getting his Arrow of Light was a no-show. Found out he and his family had went to Kings Island for two days, Dad was beat up and sore from all the rides and didn't want to camp, and his son (the webelo) didn't want to come if he didn't get to camp. Disappointing to say the least.

As it turned out, we brought enough games, the kids brought more stuff of their own, and the kids had plenty to do. We started with a game called Atomic Particle Collecting. If you use this game, I'd advise NOT using M & Ms as the particles. They do have that candy shell, but eventually it breaks and the melted chocolate gets out and makes a mess. Lesson learned. Next, the boys wanted to play monkey in the middle so we played that for quite a while. After some breaks and plenty of hydration, we played SPUD. We started with a soft nerf football, then moved to using a bucket of water with a splatball shaped like a football. The boys (and girls I might add, siblings and relatives of some of the scouts) had fun getting cooled off.

By then it was time to eat, so everyone went for some hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans, etc. A nice long break and more needed hydration ended when one of the boys asked about some laundry baskets I had brought. We took advantage of the blacktopped camp access road and played Bucket Ball. That lasted for quite a while, and the kids even had fun calling out "cars" and removing the baskets from the road when a car came down the road. From there it went to dodge ball, which took us almost up to the awards ceremony. Of course not everyone was playing certain games at certain times. Sometimes, the younger boys were distracted by a blanket with lots of toy wrestlers on it. Other times some of them threw footballs back and forth. I think everyone had a good time, and only a few boo boos and minor injuries to speak of. Of course it wouldn't have been a cub scout campout without some rain. Luckily it was short lived, and only rained while we were eating.

The advancement ceremony was small and intimate, as it usually is for us. We waited til close to dark, had a nice campfire burning in the background, and the Cubmaster recognized all the boys for their accomplishments throughout the year. Afterwards we sat around the campfire til, one by one, everyone went to their tents for the night. next morning we packed up and left, tired but with happy memories of a fun campout.

Sounds like great fun Mark, except the Weebalo part. That's a shame. Kudos on a great job!

BTW - what's the difference bwteen a Weebalo, Tiger, Bear, etc.? (We don't have those!)

That does sound like a great campout! We didn't do that much camping as Cubs; I think the only time we had an overnight was when we tagged along with the BSA troop to get our Arrow of Light requirement.


Not to answer for Mark, but the breakdown is:

Tiger: 1st Grade
Wolf: 2nd Grade
Bear: 3rd Grade
Webelos: 4th and 5th grades

Cub Scouts have regular meetings with their Den (Tiger, Wolf, etc) but also have meetings and activities as a whole Pack (all Dens).

Thanks Airballrad! I've always wondered and I'm glad I finally asked!

In Canada, we have Beaver Scouts, which are:

Brown Tails: Kindergarden (5 yrs old)
Blue Tails: Grade One (6 years old)
White Tails: Grade Two (7 years old)
White Tail with Silver Stripes (Magic Light): 8 and almost 8 year olds who are ready to "Swim up" to Cubs, usually at the end of their White Tail year.

Our Cub Scouts are Grades 3 to 5, (or 8, 9 and 10 year olds). Somewhere between ages 10 and 11, they move up to Scouts .

Ooops sorry I missed your question jac. Thanks for the save airballrad. Work has been crazy here last couple days and haven't been able to get back to the forums unitl today.

We usually get several opportunities to camp throughout the year. Council campouts twice a year (I think), District campouts twice a year, and pack campouts as well. Admittedly this was our first pack campout of the year. At previous campouts it seemed like we always ran out of activities for the boys. They would sit around complaining of being bored and none of the other parents ever had anything else planned. I did NOT want that to happen at this campout. I had activities, games and skits ready and waiting. Some crafts were the only thing I did not have. By fall I will have plans and materials for those as well. I feel like it is SOOOOOO important to keep the boys entertained, active, and learning if possible. I tried my best to do this with our pack/den activities as well. If the boys have fun they'll WANT to come back. If they learn something in the process the parents will WANT to keep bringing them back. My only fault over the past year was not getting the parents more involved, but I plan to change that this fall. Scouting has to compete with so many other extra-curricular activities that we need to do everything we can to get the kids (and the parents) to want to come back.

[steps off soapbox]

And now back to your regularly scheduled thread already in progress.

Stay on the soapbox! I'm loving every minute of it.

I've been itching to get back into Scouting. My 5-year-old will be able to go into Tiger Cubs next fall, and meanwhile the guy next door is the Cubmaster of our local Pack. He is looking for a Pack Committee Chairman and keeps eyeing me up. I just need to talk my wife into letting me out of the house.

Let DS tug on her heartstrings ... works every time here. YMMV.

Mark, the challenge with trying to do it all yourself is that there are a lot of people who will let you and it'll burn you out. The problem with not stepping up, though, is that the program can easily fall apart with someone to take the lead. It sounds to me like you've got the perfect attitude and just need more support.

Getting the other parents more involved is a great idea, though often a daunting challenge. I've seen that it works best to start them off with small, one-off tasks and the gradually build on that. We have the same challenge in our group. The few of us that have taken on leadership often get saddled with running the show, often with with all the sections, and particularly when we're all together. Some aren't really passionate about the group as a whole and just wear the shirt to be with their kids and help us make up the ratios. Sometimes it's like pulling teeth to get them out of their camp chairs so we just keep giving them little jobs to get them involved. I'd suggest finding out what interests each of your prospective leaders and try to work with that. If you can find something that they're passionate about and willing to share with the youth, they'll be more likely to sink their teeth into it.

You're so right about us having huge competition outside of Scouts. Once we've got them, we need to hold their attention. Another idea is to get the youth involved in planning. Find out what they're interested in and build your programs around those things. Providing them with lots of well-rounded opportunities will go a long way towards achieving your goal of making them want to come back. Over-planning, by having lots of alternative activities, will help you avoid the cursed "now what?" moments.

You're right, that we don't want to them ever be bored. Downtime at camp is fine as long as they're doing something and enjoying themselves without getting into trouble. Kids need unstructured time to over the course of a weekend but in controlled doses.

They need to go home with great memories, a hunger for more, and asking mom and dad to let them have it! Not a small order these days!

It sounds to me like you're on the right track. Don't get discouraged. There's lots of people out there like airballrad and one of them is bound to make an appearance. Heck, they may already be there and just be waiting to be asked!

Oh, and airballrad.... Go for it! You'll never regret it the memories you'll make with your son!

bacpacjac: Definitely! My 10 years in Scouts as a boy was a huge positive influence on my life, and the years that my dad was a Scout leader were some of the better times we've had together. My wife is quite resigned to my participation; she just wants me to wait until the boy is old enough to join before I dive in. She is quite correct in stating that the parents of current Scouts should step up before I do.

But I'm already taking online Leader training and eyeing up uniforms.

I can't fit into the one I wore 15 years ago for some reason. I guess it shrank.

Good for you Airballrad! I can understand your wife's point of view. She'll be a Scouting widow soon enough unless she's going to jump in too.

The online training is good, at least here in Canada, but I'd highly recommend attending training in person when you get the chance. You'll learn so much more and make some great new friends.

I sure hope my son has the same warm fuzzy feelings as you do when he looks back on these years. It'll make all the sweat and long hours so much more worth it!

Thought you fellow Scouters would appreciate this video. It's a documentary about the future of Scouts Canada, the importance of volunteers and the cherished memories we make:

http://vimeo.com/25118658