CUB SCOUT CAMPING SUPPLEMENTAL ADULT LEADER TRAINING

Transcription

1 CUB SCOUT CAMPING SUPPLEMENTAL ADULT LEADER TRAINING

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3 WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE COURSE? Cub Scouts love to go camping. How do you hold a successful campout for the members of your Pack? A Cubmaster once said, One person can t do it alone. They ll need some help. Following the completion of this course, Cub scout leaders and parents will be able to identify various factors involved in conducting a successful Cub Scout Campout. WHAT TRAINING DO LEADERS NEED TO TAKE CUB SCOUTS CAMPING? As with any other Scouting program, any leader with direct contact with Scouts must complete the Youth Protection course conducted by the Boy Scouts of America. As you may know, leaders must receive leader-specific training when they assume their role in the Pack, but this is not the end-all. Leaders taking Tiger, Wolf or Bear Cub Scouts camping must complete Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO). Webelos leaders must complete Outdoor Leader Skills for Webelos Leaders (OWL). There are a number of supplemental training courses that are offered on the BSA website, MyScouting.org. Among the titles are Weather Hazards, Safe Swim Defense, Climb On Safely, and Safety Afloat. WHERE CAN WE GO? Your choices are infinite. We have an awesome resource right here in Chehaw Council. It is the Chase S. Osborn Boy Scout Reservation, or Camp Osborn. Regularly scheduled Cub Scout events include the Akela-Cub Campout and Webeloree Weekend in the Fall; Cub Scout Resident Camp just before Christmas; and Baloo Family Campout in the Spring. Packs may also reserve campsites on weekends that major events are not going on. Other Scout Camps located around the state welcome units from other Councils. A couple of examples include the Lawhorn Scout Base near Molena, Georgia, and the Bert Adams Boy Scout Reservation near Covington. State and National parks and wildlife management areas offer camping at reasonable rates. Zoo Atlanta offers a NightCrawler program that allows groups to spend the night in the zoo and take after-hours tours. The Parks at Chehaw offers a similar

4 program. The USS Yorktown a World War II aircraft carrier in Charleston, South Carolina and the USS Alabama a World War II battleship in Mobile, Alabama offer groups the chance to spend the night aboard ship. Then, of course, there s always private land. WHAT IS A TOUR PLAN & HOW DO WE SUBMIT IT? The Tour Plan has taken the place of the tour permit. It must be submitted to the Council office prior to taking Scouts on any outing, other than a Council- or Districtsponsored event or activity. The Tour Plan should be submitted at least 21 days prior to the event or activity, however, this is not a hard and fast deadline. If you miss the date, send in the form anyway. The BSA wants boys to go camping. We just want to make sure camping is done within our guidelines. The Tour Plan includes such information as the purpose, location, and dates of the trip; itinerary; type of trip; leadership and youth protection training; activities and activity standards; unauthorized and restricted activities; insurance requirements; and transportation guidelines. It also includes a pledge of performance. HOW INVOLVED SHOULD PARENTS BE? As with anything else in Scouting, parental involvement is a must. As we mentioned earlier, one person cannot do everything. There are plenty of opportunities for parents to be involved. Rest assured, the leaders will be glad for the help. Quality trips don t just happen. They take planning. Few people know everything about everything. Getting feedback from parents may be the difference between success and failure. The parents and or the kids may not find a particular trip appealing for any number of reasons. The cost of the event may be out of reach for many families. Some folks may think the distance is too far to travel. Your membership may not find the event interesting. Is there a conflict with other events. Once the event is planned, we ve got to get the kids there. Will the parents be able to get their Cub Scout to the event? If not, will they allow them to travel with someone else? 4

5 Upon arrival at the site, camp needs to be set up. This may not only involve folks setting their own tents. What about setting up the cooking area? Does your Pack carry all of the cooking equipment necessary to feed the whole group or do individuals bring their own utensils? Who sets up the dining area? Are there picnic tables at the site, or does your group bring tables & seats with them? Will there be some type of shelter set up over the dining area? Will there be activities for the weekend? If so, where will these be held? Will the group be cooking? Who will cook? Who will clean up after the meal? As the boys participate in activities throughout the event, someone will need to supervise them. Who will that be? Remember, all activities will require two-deep leadership. When the event ends, camp must be broken down and packed up for the trip home. Sadly, a common occurrence at Scouting events if for some parents to hurriedly pack their own family s stuff and zoom on home, leaving a few individuals to pack up the community equipment. Cooking and dining equipment, which everyone benefits from, doesn t load itself up. Everyone who used the equipment should lend a hand packing it up for the return home. WHAT ARE WE GONNA EAT? This is the hundred, two hundred, or three hundred dollar question. What will be on the menu? Everybody doesn t like everything, but with a little communication, you can come up with a menu that will satisfy most of the participants. Food doesn t just fall from the sky. Someone has to procure it. Who will that be? How will it be paid for? Will the individual participants pay a certain amount or will it come from a unit fund? How will we cook? Will it be over an open fire or will we use grills or camp stoves? Does everyone bring their own plate and utensils or will we use paper and plastic? Who will do the cooking? Does one or more of the adults like to cook? Can the boys do any of their own cooking? Does anyone on the trip have special dietary needs? All of these questions, and possibly many more, need to be answered before the event. 5

6 HOW ARE WE GONNA GET THERE? Parents are ultimately responsible for getting their Cub Scout to an event or activity. They may drive the boys themselves or set them up in a carpool. Some organizations have their own bus/van to transport the boys. One thing that is frowned upon is having vehicles travel in convoy. There have been instances where accidents have occurred because vehicles got separated and drivers took unnecessary chances in order to keep up with other members of the convoy. WHAT CAMPING EQUIPMENT DO WE NEED? If you re camping, you ll more than likely need tents. Some camps may provide tents, lean-tos, or cabins, but most of the time you ll bring your own shelter. Individuals will need something to sleep in, either a sleeping bag or blanket roll. They may also want some type of mattress or pad underneath. We ve already talked a bit about cooking equipment and eating utensils. Many people carry some type of fire ring with them to help corral their fire. Others will dig a hole to serve this purpose. Shovels come in handy for this chore. You may also find axes very useful. There s an old saying in Scouting which is to leave things better than you found them. Before you leave the site, police up your trash. Trash bags are a necessity. WHO S PREPARING THE MEALS? While we briefly mentioned this earlier, it actually comes down to this. Parents or leaders will do all of the cooking for Tiger, Wolf, and Bear Cubs. Webelos Scouts may begin to take on some of this responsibility. They learn to cook Silver Turtles, which is ground beef patties and vegetables, wrapped in tinfoil and laid on a bed of coals. They may pat out the meat. They may even cut up the vegetables, with supervision of course. WHO SLEEPS WHERE? Adults may sleep alone. They may sleep with their own kids. They may even sleep with other adults. What they may not do is sleep with someone else s kids, even if their own kids are in the tent, too. 6

7 Scouts may sleep with their parents or with other Scouts. WHAT ACTIVITIES WILL THE SCOUTS DO? Activities for your Cub Scouts are limited only by your imagination. They may work on some of the things they need for advancement. They can work on belt loops and pins. Games may be set up for the boys. You may take them on a hike, swimming or bicycling. They can perform a service project such as cleaning up a trail. Knowing what facilities are available at or near where you ll be camping will play a part in determining what you can do. LEAVE NO TRACE In the old days, Scouts were taught to leave things better than you found them. Now, we want them to leave no trace. This is a national initiative that has been adopted by the Boy Scouts of America to ensure that we don t impact our world in a negative manner. Cub Scouts are taught Leave No Trace for the Front Country. The six steps are plan ahead, stick to trails, manage your pet, leave what you find, respect other visitors, and trash your trash. 1. Plan ahead a. Watch for hazards. b. Follow all the rules of the park or outdoor facility. c. Remember proper clothing, sunscreen, hats, first aid kits, & plenty of drinking water. d. Use the buddy system. e. Make sure you carry your family s name, phone number, and address. 2. Stick to trails: a. Stay on marked trails whenever possible. b. Short-cutting trails causes soil to wear away or to be packed, eventually killing trees & other vegetation. c. Trampled wildflowers and vegetation take years to recover. d. Stick to trails! 3. Manage your pet: a. Managing you pet will keep people, dogs, livestock, & wildlife from feeling threatened. b. Make sure your pet is on a leash or controlled at all ties. c. Do not let your pet approach or chase wildlife. 7

8 d. When animals are chased or disturbed, they change eating patterns and use more energy that may result in poor health or death. e. Take care of your pet s waste, wherever it s left. f. Place waste in bags in a trash can for disposal. 4. Leave what you find: a. When visiting any outdoor area, try to leave it the same as you find it. b. The less impact we each make, the longer we will enjoy what we have. c. Even picking flowers denies others the opportunity to see them and reduces seeds, which means fewer plants next year. d. Use established restrooms. e. Graffiti and vandalism have no place anywhere, and they spoil the experience for others. f. Leave your mark by doing an approved conservation project. 5. Respect other visitors: a. Expect to meet other visitors. b. Be courteous and make room for others. c. Control your speed when biking or running. d. Pass with care and let others know before you pass. e. Avoid disturbing others by making noise or playing loud music. f. Respect No Trespassing signs. g. If property boundaries are unclear, do not enter the area. 6. Trash your trash: a. Make sure all trash is put in a bag or trash receptacle. b. Trash is unsightly and ruins everyone s outdoor experience. c. Your trash can kill wildlife. d. Even materials such as orange peels, apple cores, and food scraps take years to break down and may attract unwanted pests that could become a problem. CONCLUSION Failure to plan is planning to fail. Get the training you need. Plan your trip in advance. Submit your tour plan. And finally, have fun. Your kids will be gone before you know it. Make every bit of your time together memorable. 8