How Common are Cub Scout Resident Camps?

[shortridge 184]

Forgot to mention ...

 

At the camp I described above, Henson Scout Reservation, Camp Nanticoke, near Sharptown, Md., the Cub program operates many of the traditional summer camp activities - archery, swimming, fishing, BB, Scoutcraft, nature, handicrafts, etc. - organized around annual themes. Program areas are decorated up, staff members often wear costumes and activities get a twist (for pirates, a pioneering tower at the Scoutcraft area becomes a sailing ship where they learn nautical knots, for example). There are four themes, and they change every year, so a Cub can go all the way through without running into the same theme twice.

[ScoutNut 147]

I really doubt that there are any DISTRICTS at all that run a Cub resident camp. Costs to much money with not enough available participants to cover.

 

Resident camps are run at the COUNCIL level, and I would bet just about every BSA council has some kind of Cub Scout Resident Summer Camp.

 

My council runs six weekend (2 day/1 night) Cub Summer Camps, one of which is Webelos only. This is held at our "local" (approx 1hr) camp. Council also runs four 4 day/3 night Cub Summer Camps at one of our long range (approx 4hr drive) camps. Both the 2day and 4day camps are considered Resident Camps.

 

 

[fgoodwin 23]

ghermanno, you say Cubs are "supposed" to do family camping.

 

I would agree that Cubs are certainly encouraged to camp as a family on Pack overnighters, organized and led by a BALOO-trained adult. But if you're implying that Cubs are LIMITED to family camping, I'd have to disagree somewhat.

 

Its been a couple of years since I saw one, but I thought the Cub Scout Outdoor Program Guidelines were pretty clear that Wolves, Bears and Webelos may attend Council-organized resident camps.

[Pack212Scouter 10]

Ghermanno,

 

Cub Scout resident camping has been around for years. As for saying that resident camping tires them out on it, I beg to differ. If they like it, then they don't get tired of it. If they don't, they aren't enjoying it to begin with.

 

I quote from the BSA website...

 

"Resident Camps

Cub Scout and Webelos Scout resident camping is a council-organized, theme-oriented overnight camping program. It operates for at least two nights and is conducted under certified leadership at a camp approved by the council.

 

Each year, councils change their overall theme to offer different adventures. Examples of themes include Sea Adventure, Space Adventure, Athletes, Knights, Circus Big Top, American Indian Heritage, Folklore, and the World Around Us.

 

Check with your council and district leaders for resident camp opportunities available in your area."

[nascarboys3 10]

I am in the Inland Northwest Council #611 in WA. We are very fortunate form the sounds of things. We had a family donate over 900 acres of land on a lake to our council to be used for camps. We have built a large camp called Cub Country that isdedicated to all Cub Scouts and is a resident camp. The summer cmaps are 4 days 3 nights and Tigers (with a parent) thru Webelos go together.Last year we built a HUGE tree house structure! There is a tree house on each side with one being fully handicap accessible! There is a climbing net, moving bridges, a rock wall, fireman's pole, and more on this structure! We usee the tree houses as learning centers and the older boys can earn the rights to sleep in the houses! Our council volunteers built the structures! We had alot of fun doing it! The next plan is build a pirate ship structure in the waterfront area! We have 2 lodges, the original and a newer one. This is also where we have our own Order of the Arrow camp, Wood Badge, and Brown Sea camps. Part of the camp is set up as "villages" with platform tesnt and firepits, showers, KYBOs, and the Lodge. The other part of the camp is all backwoods and we hike in to locate the remote "villages" where there is only fire pits and outhouses. We have to pitch our tents and lashed social/food areas. We also have our Trailblazers camp here. This is a one day event for cubs and their parents to exoerience some activites of scouting such as archery, bb guns, bmx bikes, fishing, and our very own human foosball!

We also have 2 Boy Scout camps within our Council. These camps are strictly for Boy Scouts and Cubs are only allowed during Family Camps or Day Camps. We have 6 day camps every summer and this year we opened all the day camps to everyone in the council. In the past they have been limited to the districts. So the boys can attend any or all of the camps and earn patches to can be put together to form a circle for every three camps they attend.

Sorry to go on and on, but I think we are pretty lucky to have such great camp reservations!

[ghermanno 11]

Scoutnut,

 

Some Districts do run summer camps. Not the norm but tough for Council to run a camp in another Country.

 

fgoodwin,

 

No, I never said they are limited to. I aksed, what a Cub looks forward to after attending Resident Camp up to FIVE years (Tiger, Wolf, Bear, W1, W2)?

 

Pack212Scouter,

 

Never said it tired them out. As a matter of fact, i used to tire them out at Day Camp when I was a Day Camp program Manager. Tiring out is a good thing. What I asked was the same thing I said above about up to FIVE years of the camp. I understand the "Theme" changes, I understand the "parent/cub ratio" as well. I also was a Resident Camp Program Manager.

 

 

Just so you understand, it is not that they are not allowed to. Webelos are NOT restricted from camping, but should they go camping/hiking once a month? What would they look forward to in Boy Scouts besides a change of uniform?

 

The topic was "How Common are CS Res. Camps". I answered fairly common. I also added my "Opinion" on CS resident camps vs. Webelos Res. Camps. It is just my opionion.

 

YiS,

 

Rick

 

 

[theysawyoucomin' 10]

Camp Boyhaven is located in Middle Grove, NY on State Route 29 just nine miles west of Saratoga Springs. The camp is owned and operated by Twin Rivers Council, Inc. with offices located at 253 Washington Avenue Extension, Albany, New York 12205.

[Pack212Scouter 10]

Ghermanno,

 

I understand what your saying, but in my humble opinion it should be more than just frequency for them to look forward to. It should be continuing advancement in skills. In other words, they no longer are hiking in the park, they are backpacking in a National Forest...they are no longer swimming in a pool, they are canoeing on a river, etc. You get my point.

 

I unfortunately have seen more boys not last after the troop transition level because they are not used to the activity frequency and level, that from burnout.

[dlearyous 10]

What are the Cubs going to look forward to if they allready have three (3) plus years Resident Camping under thier belt when they become WEBELOS?

 

More camping experience, fun, adventure, friendship, activities, etc! My son has attended Resident Camp as a Cub Scout four times and just left for his first year as a Boy Scout. He is just as excited as ever for this opportunity.

 

Many times those are their only opportunities to go camping. If there is nothing to look forward to I would be looking at the program. Is the same exact program offered every year? That would lead to boredom. Although I don't know a boy that has ever been bored with archery or BB guns. Again, usually their only opportunity to participate in that activity.

 

As to the OP question, TransAtlantic Council offered one 5 day/4 night Resident Camp to all Cub Scout Packs in Europe. You had to get your reservations in early to guarantee a spot though and meet the leader/scout ratio. (A Webelo Overnighter was usually offered at the end of the district's C.S. Day Camp.)

[johnnylaw101 10]

My son and I went to our Council's Cub Scout Resident Camp last week for Wolves and Bears. (Los Padres Council, Calif)

 

We had a great time, will go again next year.

 

I must say I was surprised by the low turnout... just 22 boys (Wolves and Bears). Webelos have their own 4 day Resident Camp.

 

Maybe its because (1) Tough economic times and (2) The camp was from Sunday to Wednesday... making parents take three days off from work.

 

I've heard that our Cub Scout Day Camp next week does not have the numbers that the District would like... for many families money is tight.

[John-in-KC 311]

Rick and all...

 

Many of us here in the lower 48 (or Alaska or Hawaii) tend to forget that the Far East Area Council has to have District level programs, otherwise its 1000s of miles of airline trip to get to another site. Korea and Japan are the closest two geographic nations in the Council.

 

Rick, can you share with us how a FE District pulled the resources together that normally are accounted for by a Council in the US?

[ghermanno 11]

John,

 

The Korea District has a very dedicated Para-Pro. He is more like a DE and runs not only the Scout shop but the whole scout office. He has managed, through various contacts, to acquire the tentage and various items required for Resident/BS Camp. He has managed, most years, to find volunteers to run the camps. So far, he has also managed to find governement property that is not located inside a fence that they will allow camp at.

 

Unfortunately, due to volunteers and distances, the Cub Day Camp is only one day, held in the north (Seoul). The res/BS camp is held in the Pyongteak area both at the same site. The OA sets up/tears down the camp and volunteers transport the material from Seoul to Pyongteak. The camp is set up and Resident Camp starts Wed. Resident camp ends Friday and BS camp starts Monday. The youth working camp get extra time/training by working Resident camp as well. Unfortunately, there were not enough adult volunteers this year and Res. Camp had to be cancelled.

 

Although Korea is part of FE Council, I only saw the DE when he first arrived and then he went to Japan. The Para-Pro ran everything for the two years I was there and apparenty for many years before. Talk about having problems finding your DE, he is in another country. :-)

 

YiS,

 

Rick

[MomToEli 55]

" What are the Cubs going to look forward to if they allready have three (3) plus years Resident Camping under thier belt when they become WEBELOS? (Tiger/Wolf/Bear)"

 

Interesting thought, this. I'd like to take a stab at this, as a parent of a boy who has attended camp at all those ranks and will attend this summer as a first year boy scout, and also as the person responsible for writing the program last year and this, as well as attending all 6-1/2 weeks this coming year as Program Director.

 

First, each rank offers a longer camp experience. Tigers is one night, Cub Scouts is two, Webelos is 3. By virtue of that, they also offer increasing program time - not only in days, but in sessions. Seat time/ attention span and all that stuff. We will not be offering a camp for Tigers this year due to lack of participation. Makes me a bit sad, but we have to use our staffing resources wisely. The sophistication of each program advances as well, according to their ages. The idea is to create a Summer Camp habit, so that they will naturally attend camp as Scouts.

 

We are putting our Cub Scout camp on a 3 year rotation and our Webelos camp on a 2 year rotation so that no boy will duplicate his camp experience, with the exception of Outdoorsman for Webelos - and even that will involve different activities than in year one of the cycle.

 

From a leader POV I want camp each year to offer activities that are not easy for me to accomplish at home in my Den or activities that fit better into the camp/outdoor environment that what we can earn in our back yard. More importantly, though, is I want every activity to reinforce one of the 12 character traits that Scouting builds, and to use the various activities to do that. So, as I design an activity, that is the *first* criteria.

 

As for my son - well, if he has fire, shooting and water he is happy. I have never heard a *child* complain that they are doing something they did last year. Only parents and leaders. I DO hear boys talk about the time they spent with their parent, though. When it occurs to them that dad or mom took time off work or away from their daily chores to just come and hang out with *them* ...

 

We do strive to have activities that boys can ONLY do at Webelos Camp, for instance. We have been holding inter-campsite competitions each year - last year it was building bridges and breaking them - not sure who had the most fun, the scouts or the dads! This year it will be volcanoes. And rockets - real ones, not water bottle ones. So we are intentionally designing the programs to give everyone a desire to come back and see what they get to do next year. Webelos get to go out on the lake - year one on rafts, year two in canoes.

 

Anyway, I would hope that *all* Council camps think that way, but maybe not ...

[gour0 10]

Great question! I called every council within a 5 hour radius of our pack and received a variety of answers. Several had Resident camp for Webelos only. Some had no resident camp at all. A few of the bigger councils had one session for wolves/bears and one had two. I did not get the impression that many people attend at the wolf/bear level. It's hard to get enough leaders who can take off a few days of work and hard to juggle vacations and other activities. Our council scheduled the wolves and bears for resident camp on the same week as twilight camp. That immediately eliminates one or the other, and guess which one gets eliminated?

My son will have to settle for day camp and cub family camping this summer. Hopefully, next year the weeks will be different.

 

[gour0 10]

you should call your district and see if they have it. http://scouting.org/LocalCouncilLocator.aspx

 

I know that I called a district near you and they do. I think it was Greenville.