Day Camp Ideas

[OndLB]

I am currently the Day Camp Program Director of a two day Cub Scout Day Camp. This is my second year. What I need most is ideas. We have not had a separate Webelos program in the past. The Theme this year is "75 Years of Scout Spirit". I have been kicking around the idea of a Jungle book emphasis (not sure about that). I would be interested in any activities/ideas that have been done in other day camps that have been successful.

[Twocubdad]

I'm a day camp director too. I believe that the programs we run are almost independent of the camp theme. We essentially do the same activities every year, with a few exceptions, but try to massage them into the theme. One responsibility of the program area directors is to develop their activity to include the camp theme and to teach the values of Cub Scouting. For example, every year the obstacle course is one of the stations. This past year our theme was Lewis & Clark so we got an old PVC kayak and had the boys protage the kayak through the obstacle. They also go a history lesson about how L&C had to portage around the Great Falls of the Missouri. The relation to the them is obvious, but it also relates to the Cub Scout value of teamwork. T-shirts, patches, decorations, opening and closing ceremonies also relate to the theme.

 

Theme aside, here are the stations we had this past summer and somewhat how we related them to the theme:

 

Crafts (the boys made a leather cover journal which they used throughout camp -- all L&C's men kept journals on the trip)

Gold panning (we actually brought gold-bearing dirt in from a gold mine -- there's no evidence that L&C panned for gold, but this sounded like fun)

Obstacle course (see above)

Sports/Games (taught Native American games)

Water play (squirt guns at 20 paces, pretended this was the Great Falls of the Missouri)

Secret codes (L&C used secret codes to relay info back to Thomas Jefferson)

Canoeing (obviously)

Fishing (same)

Nature (used the journals to ID plants and animals and made sketches of each, as L&C did)

Trail Life (actually pioneer life, but adapted to L&C)

Orienteering (also obvious)

BBs and Archery (no one cares how this related to L&C, but we can't do day camp without them.)

Webelos also had a chance to work on Naturalist, Outdoorsman and Engineer WAPs.

 

[John-in-KC]

I've been an activity leader for five years... wood and cooking.

 

Key points:

 

1) 100% turnover every 4 years (tops). Once you have a catalog of activity ideas, you can rotate them on a cycle. As an example, when I had woodcraft we did:

 

- A windvane for the back porch

- A birdhouse

- A toolbox

- A stepstool

 

In Cub Grub, we've done or will do:

- Hot dogs on the grill

- Biscuit on a stick

- Dutch oven cobblers (a perennial favorite)

- Foil dinners

 

2) Good planning and coordination between the staffer, the Director, the PD, and the activity leaders.

 

3) Adequate staffing to support the area. NEVER allow one staffer to do it "by him/herself." I promise burnout (particularly on full week camps).

 

4) Make sure unit leaders (CC and CMs) understand that the walking leaders are part of the team!! If they are hanging back and not supporting the activity leaders and helping the Cubs, or are concentrating on their own "Johnny or Jimmy" when there are kids whose parents can't/won't/don't help out, then some activities will not get from here to there!

 

 

[dprat2]

We are also getting stuck on ideas. We hold 2 camps in our district and we have to agree on a theme the other camp wants to use 75th Aniversary as the theme but my self and y program director are not exited about it. Having trouble with craft ideas, actvity ideas. Can any one help.

[Lynda J]

I directed our districts day camp the past 4 years.

S&S Recreation was a life saver. (www.ssww.com)

Great complete kits.

 

Also if you want to do hiking sticks. Check with a janitoral supply in your area for wooden broom sticks. Last year we gota quoat for 5' wooden broom handles for $2.25 each. I went over to pick them up and the owner ask me why I needed 250 wooden broom handles and I told him that when the left his store they became 250 cub scout hiking sticks. He let me have them for $2.15.

Then we had one guy that woodburned the boys names into them. Each activity station had goodies that they handed out to hang from the sticks. The boys loved them.

Also if you want to do doodles. The small chip packages will bake in the over and shrink. You can string them or put a pin in them to hand from their hats.

 

One thing we did 2 years ago was break out Webelos out into a separate camp with a Web director. It worked great. Last summer our Webs left camp with 4 activity pens completed.

[Lynda J]

I forgot. Our Web's spent the night one night. We had each unit do a family camp plan. They had a ball. The first year we did this we had 16 Webs. The second we had 44 this past summer we had 81.

Tell Webs they get to sleep out and they will come.

Plus the younger boys find out that Webs get this speical treat. Our precentage of Wolves and Bears coming back to camp the next was at about 95%.

 

[charpenn]

Our Day Camp theme this year (2006) is Operation: Spy Camp

 

I am at a loss for ideas. Can anyone help me?

 

Please, Penny

[MaScout]

What about doing some things with map & compass? They could make "spyglasses"...either telescopes or those dealy-ma-boppers that let them see around corners. Set up a "crime scene" and have them look for clues...like a chair with footprints, a piece of hair, finger prints, etc. This is just a start...you could have a blast with this. I believe the Program Helps several years ago had some ideas on this, too...maybe check with some of your expereinced leaders and see if they have a copy of that.

[shanve]

Our theme this year is Cubstruction. We have tossed around the ideas of a recycled sculpure and a tool box but from there the ideas just get thin. We have two, 2 day camps. The first being Tiger, Wolf and Bear and the second being Webelos. Any ideas would be great. I should also tell you we get $3.00 per day, per boy to spend on program.

[dprat2]

First off I would try to raise more money per boy some how It is almost impossible to put a good program for the boys with 3.00. You can look in the rank books and find Achievements that go with the theme and have the boys do them. Also you dont have to stick with them theme totally, I would still have some sports some sort of obsticle course. Maybe have the boys help construct it.

 

This year Our theme is Cub Olympics we are hoping for 300 boys and 80 adults for a 6 day 1 night camp. Over nighter only for webelos and Parent.

[John-in-KC]

From experience:

 

Buying a kit in a bag COSTS MONEY!!!

 

Buy your own hides for leather projects. Amazing things can be done with a template and a sharp knife.

 

Buy 4x8 plywood (or whatever dimension lumber is needed) for your wood projects. Cut the parts yourself. In our district, the local hospital loaned us access to their facility operations shop!

 

See if a local restaurant will order food on their account for you. Cost of food from the restaurant supply companies is even less than Sam's Club.

 

The more donations you can get, the better. We made First Aid kits for the youth one year: We got plastic 35mm film canisters from the drugstores (instead of them throwing those away as film gets processed), another drugstore donated boxes of bandaids and towelettes, and one of the staff with a xerox machine made the "how to bandage a cut finger instructions that went in the canister.

 

It takes work to stay in budget for Day Camp.