Activities for Webelos camping with Boy Scouts

[gwd-scouter 11]

Next month, our Troop will be bringing a few Webelos along for our campout. Our PLC is meeting this Monday to make plans for the campout and I was hoping to get some information here on what they could plan specifically for the Webelos.

 

Last minute, I know. I was only just contacted last week about the Webelos wanting to camp with us before they crossover in February. Our December campout would be a perfect venue for such an activity, since we are using our council camp. Just notified our SPL about this so he is prepared to keep some time open for Webelos specific activity at the campout.

 

I was a Webelos den leader and also CM for many years so I am still familiar with their advancement requirements and outdoor activity guidelines. I will also speak to the den leaders involved and find out if they have anything specific in mind for their Scouts.

 

I was hoping some of you here have some suggestions or plans that worked out well for you in the past. I am especially interested in those activities that were planned and conducted by the Boy Scouts themselves as both fun and instructional for the Webelos. Our Scouts have come a long way in planning and carrying out their outings, so I would like the Webelos/parents to see this in action, rather than have an adult take the little guys on a nature hike, etc.

 

The Webelos that are visiting are from the pack for which I was CM several years ago. They always crossed over to the Troop with same CO, so this is a big deal that they are coming to take a look at us.

 

[Lisabob 13]

Hands on stuff is "cool." Make as much of it "do" as opposed to "watch" and you'll have happy boys.

 

Fire building is a biggie (outdoorsman #7). Cooking something simple (dump cake? dutch oven cobbler?) that they can eat later in the day is a plus (outdoorsman #8, depending on how you structure it). Whipping and fusing a rope is fun (outdoorsman #10). Depending on the kind of dining fly you have available then maybe set-up w/ knots (outdoorsman #11).

 

Do you have a good first aid instructor? Look at some of the readyman requirements 5, 6,, 7, 12, 15 here. (though I'm not suggesting you even try to complete all of them!)

 

Our troop has done this using stations set up by each patrol and the visiting webelos are broken into groups who then rotate through the stations. Seems to work ok, although ours is a large troop (5 patrols at present) so that might be a little tougher with a small troop.

 

Good luck! Remember, KISMIF.

[Oak Tree 15]

All of Lisabob's suggestions are good. Those are the basics that we do with our Webelos as well.

 

Sometimes you can make things a bit more exciting by making it a competition - which group can build a fire that burns through a string first? (or fewest matches, or whatever). You might be able to build some impressive catapults for the Engineer requirement - who can throw the farthest, or the most accurate? Split the Webelos up with different Boy Scout partners and let them compete together as teams. Which team can teach knots the best to their Webelos?

 

I think you do want the Webelos to see some of the fun that the troop has. Don't just focus on getting requirements done.

 

Oak Tree

[EagleInKY 14]

The main thing is that it's fun. The primary campout where we have Webelos visit was this past weekend. It's a simple overnighter, we go out mid-day on Saturday and wrap up Sunday morning. It's local, so those with conflicts can at least spend some time with us.

 

This year we had seven Webelos spend the night and one spend the day. The guys had organized an orienteering course with some scout skills stations (kind of like a Klondike without the sleds). This is something we do every year to practice for Klondike. After which they played a variety of games (football, capture the flag, etc.). We put the Webelos in with our first year scouts for cooking purposes. This helps them make a connection with the boys that are about the same age. The parents eat with the troop's adults. After dinner, the boys played some nighttime games until they turned in. Fun, easy, and a lot of interaction between Webelos (boys and dads) and the Troop.

[Lisabob 13]

I agree that you don't want it to be all advancement all the time. Fun is key and also I think the camp out should be a reasonable reflection of what your troop is really like. I went on a camp out with a troop when my son was a webelos scout and there was no resemblance to how the troop really worked. I'm not fond of misrepresentations of that sort.

[resqman 108]

My son and I just came back from a Webelos overnighter with a troop. The troop invited Webelos from 3 different packs to attend their campout. In total there were 10 webelos and their parents. To no one's suprise, all the parents were den leaders.

 

The campout was held at the council BSA camp. The planned event for the weekend was to take advantage of the newly constructed climbing tower and COPE Course. Friday nite, we met at the troop church, loaded cars and drove 1.5 hours to camp. We arrived and the boys had to set up their own troop supplied tents in the dark. Friday nite only 4 webelos attended so they all shared a single tent. Once tents were erected, the patrols cooked a meal. Following cleanup, most were tired and people went to bed.

 

Sat morning people arose and the boys had a cold breakfast to allow them to finish on time to start the days activities. The Webelos were told to eat with the patrols. The visiting parents were fed by the troop adult leadership. The adults had coffee. Bisquits were baked in dutch ovens, canned ham was seared on a griddle on a stove, and gravy was poured over the combo for the adults.

 

All headed to the climbing tower. The boys were split into two groups, half were allowed into the climbing tower while the other half climbed on the bouldering wall. After a while they switched places. All returned to the campsite for lunch. Boys had cold sandwiches, chips, and powdered drink. The adults had hot chicken wings, honey glazed chicken wings, chicken salad on pita bread, and celery sticks with dressing.

 

After lunch, the older boys went to the COPE course while the scoutmaster took the remainder on a tour of the camp showing them the waterfront, rife range, etc. Another troop was using the shotgun range for merit badge work and the webelos were allowed to collect clay pigeons. Six more Webelos had arrived during the day and they were given direction on erecting their tents from the previous nights webelos.

 

During the afternoon, the adults prepared a meal for the entire troop. 3 whole turkeys were smoked and a fourth was injected with marinade and cooked in a dutch oven. On the stoves mashed potatoes, stuffing, peas&carrots, canned corn, and gravey were cooked. When all returned, the adults served the boys first. Included was pumpkin bread, cranberries and canned cranberry jelly. For deseert two cobblers were prepared and one store bought apple pie. Brownies with cocanut, cherries, and chocolate chunks were reserved for the adults.

 

Following the meal, the campfire had skits by the newly named webelos only patrol, The Twinkies, as well as the adult patrol, The Zulus, and the other patrols. A story was read by the scoutmaster, a scout's own service was held, and the troop presented new flashlights to each of the visiting webelos. A rose and thorn session was conducted, a reminder to put on dry clothes to combat the 34 degreee weather that evening, and then all headed off to bed.

 

During the Rose and Thorn session, everyone liked the climbing and COPE, most people were unhappy with the cold. 55-60 during the day and 34 overnight.

 

Sunday morning, breakfast was cooked by the patrols of mostly burnt and spilled eggs, lumpy oatmeal, and more powdered lemonade. The adults had coffee and dutch oven bisquits.

 

Following the meal and cleanup, camp was struck and the trailer loaded. All were on the road by 10:30am.

 

My boy enjoyed making new friends, the climbing tower, and camping. He learned a few lessons from the troop regarding planning. One patrol only had 2 attend. They had packed their patrol box in the troop trailer during the troop meeting earlier in the week but the grub master did attend the campout so they had no food!?! A different patrol also only had 2 attend and brought food but no patrol box!?! The two patrols were merged and shared resoures for the weekend.

 

The troop used dutch ovens to cook many things over the weekend. They used disposable aluminum pans inside the dutch ovens to eliminate cleanup. This allowed them to use the same dutch oven immediately as soon as one item finished cooking, the liner pan was removed and another inserted to start cooking something else. Generated a lot of dirty disposable pans in the trash but allowed them to cook more food with fewer dutch ovens.

[OneHour 11]

We just hosted webelos from 2 packs. We kept it simple and fun. In the morning our scouts went over compass and one or two first class requirement with the Web there as well ... while some of our oldest scouts setup an orienteering course. After lunch they all compete in the orienteering course (that took 2 hours). The remainder of the day were free time. At one point, the scouts challenged the adults in a football game. It was great. They had a great time, especially seeing the adults walked away hurting!

 

1Hour