A Canadian Cub Camp
Jim Carter - HCI Project (hci@CS.USASK.CA)
Mon, 30 Oct 1995 15:17:02 -0700
Last weekend my Pack took part in a Cub camp with the two other Packs in
our group. The total involvement was 54 Cubs, 2 Scouts, & 17 adult Leaders.
For many or you not accustomed to Canadian Cubbing, here's a glimpse of
what we did. Please note, while we are not fettered by a cumbersome YPP, we
did take good care of all our Cubs. The most threatening part of the camp
was Saturday's supper which was intended to be spagetti & meat sauce (an
inexperienced cook turned the noodles into one big inedible mass of starch)
and I don't think that's covered by a YPP. After one Pack tried to eat
supper, it had to be renamed and served as chili.
In Canada, Cubs is run in Packs usually of 10 - 30 youth for ages 8-10.
Sixteen out of my Pack's 20 Cubs came including all three girls. Neither of
the adult women leaders could make it, but our Kim (a Scout who acts as a
junior leader in the Pack) is a girl and came to help with the girls in our
Pack. (The other two Packs don't have girls yet, since Canada only fully
allowed co-ed throught all ages of Scouting a couple of years ago.)
Our Pack had a one room cabin about 18' x 36'. Half of it is a maze of
plywood bunks that are designed to hold 18. There were 21 of us (16 Cubs, 1
Scout, 4 to the others which all interconnect. That was just right for the
girls. We put up a large tarp from floor to ceiling to give them privacy in
the corner and that area was no-man's-land. (The only other adjustment made
to accomidate the girls was to designate two of the outhouses for them and
two for the boys/men.) We had two cots which two leaders used. One leader
our Baloo got a bunk to himself and I had to squeeze onto the one double
wide bunk next to my son who had to squeeze over one of the other smaller
Cubs. The cabin had a wood stove for heat which ensured that all our
clothes would come home reaking of smoke but that we stayed nice and warm.
While we only had a jug of cold water in our cabin for anyone who wanted to
wash, there were lots of tubs of warm bleach watter that everyone had to
wash their hands in before each meal.
This was the first time we split our program and we only split those parts
that directly related to badge work. The split was not just based on age
since we have some new cubs who are 10. It was also not based on being
third year since some of last year's new members were well experienced.
Thus the split criteria was: last year of Cubs + at least one previous year
in Cubs. This allowed each Cub to work on parts of a badge that would be
new to them. (Note: The senior Cubs have other requirements to complete
before getting their badge.)
The general program for what happened is:
Friday October 27
5:30 Leave School
6:30 Arrive at Camp, unpack, set-up camp, and free time to explore
8:00 Camp opening and Rules
Cubs were reminded that the Camp is run by the Cub Law"
"The Cub respects the old Wolf, The Cub respects him/herself"
and in our Group The Cub also respects other Cubs. Thus rules are kept
to a minimum.
[going down to the water without a leader or stick swordfighting yeilds
an immediate call for parents to pick you up; inappropriate knife use
yeilds forfiture of your knife till camp is over; other infractions
yeild time outs unless very severe where parents are called]
followed by Mug-up (hot choc & cookies)
8:30 Informal Campfire
9:15 Nuclear Bobcat
10:00 Winter Cubbing - star work
11:00 Lights Out
Saturday October 28
8:00 Breakfast (porrage, brown sugar, & ice cream; toast; hot apple cider)
9:00 Wide Game: BP Travels
9:30 Junior Cubs - Winter Cubbing activities including: knife safety, using
their knives to carve hot dog sticks, and then carving suet bird
feeders
Senior Cubs - Canadian Camper activities including: camp site selection,
fire building and how to teach it to other Cubs, setting up shelters
12:00 Senior Cubs {Canadian Camper} teach fire building and lighting to
Junior
Cubs within Sixes along the gravel road.
12:30 Lunch in Sixes (hot dogs, banana boats, milk/juice)
1:30 Free time
2:00 Activity: Trust Walks
2:30 Cubs make their own customized trail mix
2:45 Nature Hike around camp trails
4:00 the first serious snowfall of the year arrived to justify working on a
Winter Camping badge at a fall camp
5:00 Free time / Senior Cubs continue camp site setup
6:00 Supper (chili, buns, apples & oranges, milk/juice)
7:00 Prepare for Campfire (including Haloween run-ons - thanks Peter Van
Houten's posting)
8:00 Junior Cubs - Snipe Hunt (with one big mob of Cubs & leaders hunting 2
snipe)
Senior Cubs - Nature Scavenger Hunt
9:00 Formal Campfire
10:00 Mug-up (hot choc & cookies)
11:00 Lights Out (7 of the 13 seniors chose to sleep out in tents despite the
newly arrived snow)
Sunday October 28
8:00 Breakfast (French toast & syrup, hot apple cider)
9:00 Scouts Own
9:30 Game: Flags
10:00 Pack-up
11:00 Junior Cubs - Winter Cubbing: first aid
Senior Cubs - Canadian Camper: weather signs
12:00 Lunch (submarine sandwiches, milk/juice)
1:30 Camp Closing, hand out camp badges
2:00 Cubs picked-up by parents
All in all, it was a pretty good camp where lots of good Cubbing took
place. I hope this gives you a little idea of a somewhat typical camp
(although most Canadian Cub camping occurs in individual Packs as opposed
to groups of Packs as was done in this case).
YiS
Jim Carter <hci@cs.usask.ca>
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
