Camping & Outings with Cubs

Transcription

1 Camping & Outings with Cubs By Steve Bauer Prior Cub Master & Current Assistant Scoutmaster

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3 Why do boys join Cub Scouts? A. Going to meetings? B. Doing arts and crafts? C. Having fun in the outdoors? D. Selling cookies?

4 What Keeps Boys in Cub Scouts? A. Paying annual dues? B. Attending Pack Meetings? C. Wearing scout socks? D. Going on outings?

5 What Helps Cub Scouts Advance? A. Playing on Electronics? B. Buying their own patches? C. Going on outings and overnights? D. Eating S'mores?

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7 It all starts here Why do you thing this is so important?

8 Do you know this guy? } Basic } Adult } Leader } Outdoor } Orientation } B.A.L.O.O.

9 Why is this training important to me? } Every Scout Deserves a Trained Leader } You will learn a ton of helpful information } You cannot get a Tour Plan without one } It only takes 1 day } Don t have to cancel an outing because your 1 and only BALOO trained leader got sick or cannot make it at the last minute.

10 Now do you know this guy? } Outdoor } Webelos } Leader } Skills } O.W.L.S. aka Outdoor Leader Skills for Webelos Leaders

11 Why get this too? } Better program for your Webelos } You will be able to have den outings } Get ideas for doing Adventure Pins on outings

12 B.A.LO.O. and O.W.L.S. } BALOO is a one day course } OWLS requires you have taken BALOO and is an overnight class } You can take both courses in the same weekend } Courses are offered twice a year in the fall and spring normally at Camp Herms in El Cerrito

13 Other Training/Learning Options: } Wood Badge } Fast Start Orientation Training (online) } This is Scouting (online) } STEM Orientation } Den Leader Position-Specific Training } Cub Master Position-Specific Training } Of course L.E.A.D. } Cubcast (audio podcast) } Roundtable

14 Camping vs. Turn Key Overnights } Similarities Both require Tour Plans Both require a BALOO adult You spend the night at both We have multiple options of both in our area Both are very fun for the boys and adults

15 Camping vs. Turn Key Overnights Differences Camping Tents Group cooks Lower costs You organize events Works as dens Campfire program Turn Key Indoor place to sleep Meals often provided Higher costs They organize events Normally work as a group No campfire program

16 Now that you are fully trained and know what you want to do Let s go have some fun!

17 Planning is the Confirm your outing date EARLY MAJOR sporting events All religious holidays, not just your own Leadership availability Check site availability, they fill up fast Plan for a time with good weather (do your best) Check school calendars for conflicts

18 Sell the event to your pack } Tell your pack about it months in advance } Have a camping demo at a pack meeting } Use a pack newsletter to share the date } Make the boys want to go and they will bring their parents } Talk about what you will do at the outing beyond just sleeping in a tent

19 Where to go on your outing? Close to home Less conflicts - Sports We have great options close by Less planning required Out of the area More location options More adventure Yosemite? More planning needed

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21 Tons of Options } California Academy of Sciences } The Marine Mammal Center, Sausalito } Slide Ranch, Muir Beach } San Francisco Zoo } Oakland Zoo } USS Hornet Museum, Alameda } Children s Fairyland, Oakland } Chabot Space & Science Center, Oakland } Monterey Bay Aquarium

22 Tons & Tons of Options } Alcatraz Island (lottery) } Balclutha -Tall Ship } USS Pampanito WW II Submarine } SS Red Oak Victory WW II Ship } Aquarium of the Bay } Lawrence Hall of Science

23 Camping Outings:

24 Local Ideas & resources } East Bay Regional Parks Anthony Chabot Regional Park Black Diamond Regional Park Briones Regional Park Coyote Hills Regional Park Del Valle Regional Park Garin Regional Park Las Trampas Regional Park Point Pinole Regional Park Redwood Regional Park Round Valley Regional Preserve Sunol Regional Wilderness Tilden Regional Park

25 Local Ideas & resources } Reserve America Mt Diablo Angel Island Turtle Beach Bothe-Napa Valley Pt. Reyes Butano China Camp Brannan Island Kirby Cove Mt Tamalpais Samuel P Taylor And MANY other locations

26 Local Ideas & resources Often forgotten locations Camp Roman Oak 1977 Reliez Valley Rd Lafayette owned by the Diocese of Oakland contact is Tim O Herra Camp Herms and Camp Wolfeboro and Camp Wente

27 Local Ideas & resources More forgotten locations Borges Ranch 1035 Castle Rock Road Walnut Creek owned by the City of Walnut Creek Call ext Contact the local Ranger Sugar Loaf 2161 Youngs Valley Road Walnut Creek owned by the City of Walnut Creek Call ext Contact the local Ranger

28 Everyone Loves a Patch } Trail Trekkers } Rim Rovers } Highlander } BSA Presidio Historic Trail Program Go Hiking

29 Participation and Groups } Get people to sign up at least a week or more in advance } If your pack does not have its own camping & cooking gear identify families in your pack that do (most packs don t have gear) } Make your meal plan fun and creative Will talk about this more later } Perfect situation everyone from every den attends.almost never happens } Create Camping Dens

30 What is a Camping Den? & What does it look like? } Camping Dens are simply breaking apart the scouts & their families into groups just for that outing. } Look at the skill level and parents associated with the scout(s) going and break your campers into 4 or more smaller groups } Give each den a name (you can do it or have them do it) If you have 4 camping dens you can go with the 4 elements: Water, Earth, Fire & Air. Keep it simple.

31 What is the benefit of having Camping Dens? } Distribution of work around the camp site Don t leave all the cooking & cleaning to just a few adult leaders. Post a list of what camping den is doing what who cooks, who cleans up and for what meal. } Dens to become part of the campfire will talk more about doing a campfire later

32 You know when, where & who so now what? Over plan activities o Tug of war o Capture the flag o Whittling Chip o Where? Who? (bring cards and have a parent work with boys) o Hiking o Look at activities related to advancement o Remember most state parks let you start setting up at 2 pm use that as a start time

33 Let s talk food } Make the food interactive Many kids can be picky eaters so let them build their own meal Building their own meals is an activity and fun Less individual prep work Examples: Foil wrap cooking Pita pocket pizza } Good meals make for a good time Plan fun and filling meals Hot meals cooked on stove/coals Big hot breakfasts eggs, bacon, sausage & pancakes Don t forget to have lots of coffee or you will have grumpy parents

34 Campfire Program } This is the main event of the day that will pull everything together } Assign each of your camping dens 2+ songs and 2+ skits to do at the campfire program

35 How to run a Campfire Program } The fire sets the pace the mood should be fun, often loud with lots of energy as the fire roars brightly } As the fire dies down it should start to quiet down. } Basic rules: 1 person is fire master, only they put wood on fire and they know to let the fire die down as the evening goes on. You don t want a raging fire when it s lights out. Any stick that enters the fire stays in the fire, no in and out sticks. This will reduce injury and unwanted fires.

36 How to run a Campfire Program Continued } Have an MC for the program. They mix up the songs & skits and dens that are doing them They call up who is going on next and let the next act know they are on deck They end skits or songs that seem to never end They make boys look good when they are having a tough time

37 How to run a Campfire Program Continued } After all of the skits & songs are done have a group closing program Flag retirement done by the parents or a den chief Sing Scout Vespers at the very end or while leaving

38 How to run a Campfire Program Wrap Up } Use a Campfire Planner } Flag retirement questions? } Attend an overnight training course to learn more about doing a campfire.

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40 Scouts Own } What is it? } Why do one?

41 Scouts Own Continued } How do you run one Very similar to the wonderful job you did at the campfire the night before. Assign 1 or 2 readings from each den Have a pack binder or pack book of inspirational readings, quotes or stories for the dens to pick from. Remember you potentially have boys from any/all religions keep it generic. Great place for a Cub Master Minute Should be done after breakfast but not too late

42 Camp Sweep } After all the tents & other gear are packed up make sure to have ALL the boys do a Camp Sweep. } They should be in a straight line shoulder to shoulder at one end of camp and walk across the whole camp picking up any trash they find even if it is from another camping group. } You want to be welcomed back to that campsite and you want other scouting groups to be welcomed back leave it better than you found it! } A great motivation to help with this is a small prize for the most trash picked up can be awarded to an individual or a camping den.

43 Closing } Start a pack camping tradition by gathering some ashes from the campfire in the morning in a jar. Then at the start of the next campout put some of these old ashes into the new campfire and then add to the jar the next morning making a never ending campfire cycle. } A Fall & Spring camp out tradition is great } Don t forget about those turn key outings for bad weather months Have fun!!

44 Don t let this be you Know when it s time to cancel an event Check the weather report regularly before an outing. If it looks like it s going to rain cancel and reschedule the outing. Wait for Boy Scouts to start camping in bad weather.

45 It s all about bring families together

46 Questions? Steve Bauer