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Has your troop done a Theme Park campout? Campout somewhere close and let the boys have one day at the Theme Park. Scouting - nothing much will be learned. Our boys are suggesting and I see nothing wrong with it. I have seen scouts at Disney, Six Flags, Sea World, etc. One or two of our die-hard scouters do not see it as a good thing.

 

I can't find anything in G2SS that objects to it. The closest that I can come up with is 2-deep leadership. Our local schools do this every year! As long as, the boys check-in regularly? Have not done it, I'm not sure what, how to coach the boys to think about this.(This message has been edited by OneHour)

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We have done theme parks, usually on the way home from a High Adventure trip. Kind of like a winding down and return to the real world kind of thing. We've been to Kings Island near Cincinnati, Six Flags Atlantis in Ft. Lauderdale, the Schlitterbahn on South Padre Island, and Noah's Ark in the Wisconsin Dells. We have the kids check in at a designated area every two hours or so, and have had no problems whatsoever. Not much Scouting, but sometimes it's good just to have some FUN!

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Nothing wrong with it, certainly, though the PLC will probably want to set some firm ground rules about check-ins and reminders about behavior. Suggest that they wear Class B's/troop T-shirts and see how they respond.

 

Theme park costs can go up really quick, especially if you eat the incredibly expensive food on-premises. They may want to consider getting some sort of wristband/all-day pass deal and leaving for lunch (a quick tailgating cookout in the parking lot, perhaps?).

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* Buddy system...

* Wristwatch/timepiece... Rondezvous times...

* Maps of the park... meeting place(s)...

* Matching T-shirts/sweats...

* ID on person...

* Cellphones...number exchange...

* Money talk, understanding who pays for what, how much...

no surprises...

* Some parks will not allow pocket knives, glass containers...

find out ahead of time...

 

Have Fun!

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In the past, we have camped several times either at a theme park or close by. Living in VA, we have used Kings Dominion above Richmond and Carowinds in NC.

 

We camped near Kings Dominion and visited the Jamboree for a couple of days. Then went to the park. At the time, they had set up a special thing for the Scouts, so Scouts were able to go behind the scenes of activities and the Animal Park. Learned a lot.

 

Also, was able to bond with one of the younger Scouts when I rode all of the coasters with him when the older Scouts would not even go on them.

 

Great way for everyone to have a little fun. We were able to take in a picnic and eat in the picnic area at both parks.

 

Also did the same for a Emeralde Pointe Water Park.

 

 

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One year our troop did the annual family campout at Ft. Wilderness at Walt Disney World in the group camping area. Since it was a family event, parents were responsible for their kids, including scouts.

 

When I went to the 1989 Jamboree, as part of the pre-Jamboree travel, we spent a day in Washington, DC and a half-day each in Old Williamsburg and at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. If I remember correctly, patrols were on their own from drop-off until pick-up time. We had our buddies if we split up any further, and each patrol leader set their own check-in times/places for the patrol throughout the day.

 

Buddy system and check-in times are the key. To "encourage" on-time check-ins, let it be known that the group stays together at the check-in spot until everyone arrives.

 

I think I was 8 or 9 the first time I went to a major theme park as a group activity without constant adult supervision. I was around 12 or 13 for the 2 examples at the start of the post. I think boy scouts can handle it.

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Thanks!

 

JoeBob, I'm not too much worried about our guys. There are 82 of them, ranging from 11 years old to 17.4! I just want to make sure that these guys dot their "i's" and cross their "t's" when it comes to G2SS. I would embarrasse them if I hang with them or is it embarrasse myself? Hmmmm...

 

 

 

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Thanks for the perspective.

 

Our outgoing PLC was planning a campout in which we were considering going to Sea World in Orlando. We were going to be camping at Crystal River to swim with the Manatees2 hours awayduring a 4-day weekend in January. Sea World offers a scout group discount, optional conservation programs (behind the scenes) and a night in the shark aquarium for varying prices. The troop has never done this in active or recorded memory, but I do believe it should be something the PLC can consider and I would support it.

 

I have no idea how the new PLC will react to this, due to unexpected changes in the troop leadership (see http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=251409)

 

Due to the nature of the trip, the committee has suggested that the scouts raise at least half the cost via fundraising (something which has been lacking in the troop in recent years). I think it is a good suggestion, as the manatee cost alone is at or over $80/head; adding a theme park on that can add up quickly. Our new Outdoor activity chair is working on that estimate now to give to the PLC.

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