Promoting Cub Scouts in the Outdoors and Camping

[Eagle92 110]

Ok here's the situation. I was asked to help out with promoting Cub Scouts in the Outdoors and Camping at a council event tomorrow, yep tomorrow.

 

What are some ideas you have for promoting camping and the outdoors for Cubs?

 

To be honest I do not know exactly what is involved, limitations for the display, etc and I have emailed for clarification. I do know that if I create my usual Day Camp and Resident Camp promo videos, I have to find a laptop or TV and DVD player to play them. I don't have a laptop, and my portable DVD player is on the fritz again, so I may not do that.

 

Here are some things I am planning to bring, to "Be Prepared"

 

Tent

Cooking gear

Sleeping bag

BALOO Book

Walking Stick

Photos of Cubs from day camp, res camp, and other camping and outdoor venues.

 

Any other ideas, suggestions, etc are appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

[K1986 19]

I have been trying to promote my cub scouts to get outdoors for the last two years, before I took over as camping chair the pack did not camp at all, it was just one meeting a week indoors. Some of the things that the cubs find most interesting and want to work on are,

 

-Tent pitching

-Fire building (establishing the area, going over tinder, kindling and fuel wood, talking about safety as far as high winds, dry areas and other safety issues)

-Whittling, my scouts love to sit outdoors, grab a stick and make something.

-Camp cooking, dutch ovens and box ovens for pizzas are their favorite

-Geocaching, this is a great way to get younger kids interested in maps and compasses, set up some mock caches around the camp and get a couple GPS's

-Hiking, my kids love to just go out, turn over some rocks and logs to find out what is underneath them, collect some leaves and rocks and bring them back and identify them, and make rubbings from them, learn about things like poison ivy and oak, kinds of berries that are safe to eat and ones that arent. Talk about types of trees, what they can be used for and which animals use them and for what.

-Go over the six or ten essentials of going outdoors, talk about leave no trace, go over the buddy system and the outdoor code.

 

That was probably more than you wanted but those are the key areas we go over time and time again and they never get sick of them, hopefully by the time they reach boy scouts they will have an idea of what is going on around them in the outdoors.

 

Good luck and remember to have FUN! For me, as long as my scouts see me having fun, laughing and joking with them, they will have fun no matter what we are doing.

[beardad 12]

I don't have an answer for you, but I wish our council would do a program like this.

 

In my pack even though it seems like the kids and adults get excited about the idea of camping, but when it comes down to the actual event nobody wants to do it anymore.

 

I have been with this current pack for 4 years now, and in that time the pack has never camped. I have parents all excited about going camping. thinks its a great idea, good for the kids yadda yadda, but then can't make it, or don't camp. even if I plan the event myself and they don't have to do anything but show up. It's uber frustrating.

[Tampa Turtle 1011]

I used to help with the annual Pack presentation on Camping. I used to have a backpack with "stuff to bring" (flashlight, bug spray, water bottle) "stuff not to bring" (guns, bombs, fireworks, electronics). I used to ask the kids (and there were about 100+ of them)"bring or not bring". Maybe you can make a gameshow out of it.

 

When talking to the group I realized that there was a LOT of young parents who had never camped or it had been decades. So while their kids find it exciting they would get stressed out. So we would talk them down, told them to keep it simple, and assign experienced adults and webelos/boy scouts at camp to assist them with tent set-up. We would tell them that since some would not go because they do not want to look stupid. We gave them a list but kept it short.

 

I think with getting Cub families camping it is the Mom's that are key. They usually are the blockers and there are so many single parent household with Mom's. One of the big issues with us were the Mom's (including Den Mom's) were pretty picky about the restrooms--that was a reason we did not do many campsites. Also a lot of Mom's dis not mind bringing food but did not like preparing it at site. So we planned for Dad's or Boys to do that part. I think maybe the Mom's were uptight about preparing food in front of other mom's plus it takes a while to get used to cooking outside. Mom's were more concerned about rain and needed chairs in higher proportion than guys and boys. Also hygiene was a much bigger issue.

 

Make sure you have a big campfire if you can (supervised of course). That is a good thing to "hook 'em".

 

Make sure the boys have lots of fun, also and Mom's will approve.

 

We also would set up a tent at the meeting and play roll up the sleeping bag games, etc. Stuff like that.

[Eagle92 110]

Please keep the ideas coming!!!!!!

 

In reference to what is going on, this is the council's annual program extavaganza, which tells the leaders everything that is coming up. So this is more of a camping and outdoor promo to CS leaders, than Cubs and their families.

 

BUT there some in the council who believe Cubs should not go camping. I know it is total hogwash, heck I am the guy who lost a family b/c my pack doesn't camp enough (3 events in 8 weeks is not enough!), but yes there are folks who do not care for CS camping. So part of this is to also show that "YES, CUBS CAN CAMP!" (caps are for titling my display, not shouting at you folks).

 

So what I am trying to do is 2 fold.

 

1) promote camping and the outdoors, with an emphasis on Council activities.

 

2) attract attention and show what cubs have done and that yes they can camp.

 

 

Back on topic, 10 essentials are a good idea. Also going to add fishing rod and reel.

 

PLEASE KEEP THE IDEAS COMING!

 

 

 

[kari_cardi 10]

Oh my goodness, YES! I hear tales of packs that do camp, but order in pizza or McDonalds for all the meals. Other packs don't camp at all! I think the more information you can offer on basic, inexpensive equipment, good camping locations (and I agree, flushing bathrooms will matter to some parents), simple (yet authentic) food options and simple activities will help. I only have a minute to post, but this forum is full of information on all these topics!

[Basementdweller 608]

People people people

 

this is Family camping.

 

You haul all that gear in you will scare them off. MOST packs don't camp, To be honest I am not sure they should.

 

Eagle who is your audience???? other cub leaders? cub aged boys??????

 

If it is Pack leaders, I would offer baloo training schedule and information on the approved council campsites....possible ideas for activites and locations. District and council cub events. Schedule of day and resident camps for next year.

 

IF it is boys, fake campfire, your best known campfire story teller sitting in a camp chair doing his thing, logs for benchs for boys to sit on for his audience around the campfire. a practice area to toss fishing poles and a prize of some sort for getting it in the ring. A big tent and tiny tent.

 

 

[Tampa Turtle 1011]

I do not agree. Most boys liked idea of camping. A lot of parents were concerned about the hassle.

 

We had 2-3 Pack campouts a year. Typically 150 kids including siblings plus adults. More than half showed up in morning left by afternoon. Still they were very popular with the boys.

 

We combined our campouts with Pack meetings and gave out advancement awards at cammpfire. This encouraged folks to stick around. At most one meal (hot dogs/burgers) might be provided by the Pack but usually food was done by Dens.

 

Still it was a lot of work. Leaders typically came out early on Friday night, hung out and relaxed before the big workday of Saturday. Sunday we would have a short Scouts Own service.

 

Like I said some of the moms if they had not camped before were a little intimidated. So we tried to make it easy. Usually brought extra duct-tape, insect repellent, etc for newbie adults.

[Eagle92 110]

Yep the focus is on leaders, not cubs and families.

 

In regards to Cub and camping, THEY CUBS WANT IT AND ARE LEAVING IF THEY DO NOT GET IT! (caps for emphasis, not screaming).

 

I am not joking, I had a family quit because we didn't camp enough for them. I had Cubs complain about the "arts and crafts stuff" that we did in the winter months, and wanted to knwo when we were going back outside. One family stopped coming for a while, and was VERY happy that we were doing compass work at one meeting, and another was box oven cookies (ok should have saived it for their Bear year, but I needed guinea pigs for CSDC ) And I have had folks transfer from other packs to mine because we are active during the summer.

[Jeffrey H 25]

"...MOST packs don't camp, To be honest I am not sure they should."

Some packs do camp. I don't have any statistics, but packs in our area doing "family camps" once or twice a year is notunheard of. In my Pack, families bring their own tents, camping gear and supplies. How you do the meals is up to the Pack. You can make it a simple event or unnecessarily complicated. I prefer simple.

Not everyone in my Pack attends but we have drawn large crowds in the past. We don't worry about obtaining campsite approval from our Council because we always go toState Parks with public restrooms and showers. State Parks and National Parks are approved by default in my council. We have someone who is BALOO trained so we can say we have one, but a BALOO trained leader is not needed in a State Park.

To be honest, I'm not sure why anyone would avoid going camping at the Cub level...unless they just hate camping or just don't have the resources to do it. If resources are a concern, we help families that want to camp but may not have a tent or other supplies.

[Basementdweller 608]

Jeff you are spouting incorrect Info about baloo.....Do research before you become an expert. not going to clutter eagles thread

 

 

Cub leaders are tough.....some have outdoor skills, some think they have skills, and others could careless.

 

I think your basic setup idea is good....I would provide them baloo and IOLS, I believe owl and wow training has been rolled into IOLS, dates and locations, approved camp list, tour plan info and an activity idea sheet.

 

Get the info in their hands.

(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

[Scoutfish 16]

Basement,

In my area, most packs camp a minimum of 3 or 4 times a year...and that's NOT including council camp events like parent/son , resident camp or Webelos Den camping. I'm talking about pack family camping .

 

So it's not about incorrect info, but info that doesn't match what YOUR area tends to do.Kinda like a Cm from Maine saying packs don't camp in Jan. because it's too cold. Might be true in Maine, but not even close to accurate in other states.

 

Back to original post:

 

I was just asked by my DE to speak at our concil's roundup review about cub scouts camping. Since I took over as District Cub Scout Camp Promotions..attendance ( for my district)has gone way up!

 

I'll be honest: I have no idea what it is that caused it.I agreed to take the job again this year. IT's really easy..so maybe I am doing something wrong, or just enjoy it.

 

I can't takle all credit foir numbers rising as there are other factors such as maybe a family who likes to camp happened to join up. Maybe the economy caused the camping to take place over going to Disneyland. Maybe a new DL or New Cm got everybody excited about camping.

 

One thing I did mention was the mentality of campers.

I told the leaders at the RT that even though they may not enjoy the camping, tey needed to promote it at pack meetings because others may really want to go and enjoy it if they were aware.

 

Also, I explained something about young boys:

 

Take my son for example...on his 5th birthday, I bought him a roll of scotch tape, a mini stapler, a pair of (safety) scizzors for cutting paper, and flashlight.

 

Just your ordinary dull stuff..Unless you are 5 years old. He was on top of the world! He loved it. Everything in the house was taped, stapled and there were paper clippings everywhere! And he walked aroud shining the flashlight on everything..even in broad daylight!

 

So, it alldepends on the person.

 

I tell people that even if I am turned off by the idea of camping, alot of my pack members might just be itching to go. Even if the camp activities look dull and boring to me ...I have to remember that I am looking at them through 40 year old eyes, not 7 to 11 year old eyes.

 

If a leader says they are tired of "the same old thing"..I tell that I understand, but to every brand new scout, it's not the same thing,m but brand new. And some seasoned scout enjoy it even if it is the same.

 

Nah, I didn't have any fancy pictures, slide shows or props. But I did have stories to tell.

 

Apparently, it's enough.

 

Good luck!

[Oak Tree 15]

Our pack camps four times a year as a pack. I've also done the Webelos three-day event at the council camp, and our Webelos dens can camp pretty frequently. We also set up a camping group that does low-key camping at the pack level. It makes for a lot of camping. I've heard some people say that we should save some of that camping for Boy Scouts, but that hasn't been a problem. Camping as Cubs seems to help, not hurt, Boy Scout retention.

 

Things that might get people out:

- Pre-designed trips. Where to camp, what a schedule would look like.

- Pictures of fun things you've done as a pack.

- List of basic equipment and what it costs.

- List of places to camp and what benefits go with which sites.

[SSScout 1615]

Unless your area is recovering from a disaster, and camping is "mandatory" (!), is should be fun . Remember the Cub Scout mantra"" KISMIF"" Keep it simple, make it fun...

 

Help your folks to start easy, take'm on hikes, 3 , 5 miles, in interesting places. Make the hike GO somewhere where there is a "reward", like an amusement park, or the Zoo, or a museum, or a Civil War re-enactment, even an urban hike can be a good start.

The idea is to Get'em outdoors. Learn about your areas history, both cultural and natural. We have a new park nearby that is an old quarry that specializes in dinosaur bones and fossils. Hike around that and then see the bones! The overnight under canvas will come, but get them outside, with mom and dad along for the ride.

I once led our Tiger Den down in the park near our house and led them to a Beaver dam and showed them the chewed off trees all around. Sat them down (mom and dad too) and read them some T.W.Burgess Paddy the Beaver stories. We did many more hikes, and tho the Pack never got "under canvas", the Webelos Den did.

 

Camp out in your CO's back yard at first, or even in the social hall (if you have one) or somebody's apartment's party room. Call around and find a "pick your own" farm and ask if they have some back acreage you could use, and then go pick strawberries!

 

 

[83Eagle 11]

Create a "cookout and campfire" program that replicates an afternoon of camping except for the sleeping in a tent thing. I found that's where most families that don't come get stuck because they don't have the gear and neither does the pack.

 

See how that goes and build from there.

 

Or, if there is a lot of interest in the cookout, make a second announcemnt saying that some people expressed an interest in staying overnight, how much interest is there, etc. So you can evolve the event.