Scouting, Volume 51, Number 3, March 1963 Page: 17
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CM: Sam, at a state Legion conven-
tion last week I met a Cubmaster who
says the dads in his pack take their
boys on an overnight camp every
spring and fall. The kids have a great
time. Let's suggest it to our Cubbers.
DSE: Well. Art, I've heard of Cub
Scout camping but I've never seen it in
the three councils I've worked in. I
do know the Boys Scouts of America
has a long-established policy against
it, and the reasons for it are based on
years of experience.
CM: Give me a for instance.
DSE: Basically Scouting is a pro-
gram for any one boy. It is divided into
three phases, each scientifically de-
signed to meet that boy's interests and
needs at a particular stage of his de-
velopment. The fact is that the great
majority of 8-to-10-year-old boys aren't
physically and emotionally ready for
group camping experience—except per-
haps in a private camp with extensive
facilities and many well-trained coun-
selors.
CM: But the dads go with their sons.
Each one looks after his own boy.
DSE: Sure, and that's one of the dis-
advantages. Dad does everything for
sonny—except maybe scorch his hot
dogs for him. Most youngsters at that
age can't master camping skills yet.
Later, as Boy Scouts under leaders
trained in camping, they will learn by
doing. That way they'll retain the
know-how and use it on hunting, fish-
ing. and family camping trips.
CM: But suppose the pack camps
out just every year or two? That Cub-
master told me his kids think camping
is terrific.
DSE: I won't question his success,
but the odds are heavily against it
for the great majority of others.
Take equipment; most packs aren't
equipped for camping like troops are.
Camping gear is relatively expensive if
you use it only once or twice a year. In
a pack activity you want every boy to
participate, and that's a bigger group
than most troops and involves more
combined logistics. The equipment the
dads scrounge will include a lot of
makeshift that can be rather uncom-
fortable.
CM: Oh, but Sam, it's only for one
night.
DSE: Yes just one miserable night in
many cases, and then you've given a
lot of boys and dads a sour intro-
duction to camping. Under trained
leaders it would be a great adventure,
but you've sent them out with probably
the poorest leadership available. I'll bet
we lose more dads as potential Scout-
ers for troops because of the forced
overnights they took with packs, and
we've certainly taken the edge off of
Boy Scout camping for the boys.
CM: Well, I guess there's a lot of
truth in that.
DSE: Sure, Art, it's almost like a
Scoutmaster who would say to his Ten-
derfoot Scouts, "Now I know you
haven't had any hiking experience, but
I'm going to send you on an overnight
camping trip. I won't go with you or
send along my patrol leaders who are
trained campers. Your dads will go
with you, even though most of them
are inexperienced campers, and none
of them know anything about group
camping. You'll have to flub along for
yourselves."
CM: I remember when I was a kid,
my brother and I used to camp ill the
back yard. We stretched an old tarp
over the clothesline and staked it down.
We usually didn't stay out all night.
When the ground got too hard or the
mosquitoes too rough . > .
DSE: ... Or when strange noises
sounded, you could run in and "pro-
tect" your mother.
CM: Yes, but what adventures those
back-yard camps were. Of course, I
know back-yard camping is part of
Cub Scouting in some of the electives.
DSE: Right, and family picnics and
fishing trips with dad or an adult
friend. You see, Art, it's the mass
camping—that so often turns into a
mess—that the B.S.A. policy discour-
ages. We do have a system for transi-
tion from Cub Scout outing to Boy
Scout camping. It's the Webelos day.
CM: What's that? How does it op-
erate ?
DSE: It's a preview of camping for
Webelos-age Cub Scouts and their
dads, regardless of whether the boys
are in Webelos dens. It can be for the
district or the whole council.
CM: Where is it held?
DSE: It can be in a park or wooded
area, but since our council camp is
not too far away, that's the best place.
The camp fits the program for the day,
and the program helps sell the camp to
the boys and dads.
CM: When is it held?
DSE: We follow the book and run
one in late spring and one in early fall.
That way we catch all the Cub Scouts
who are ten and a half years old
during the year. Come to the next
Cub Scout leaders' roundtable and get
the pitch on our next Webelos day in
May.
CM: OK, but what do you do at
a Webelos day?
DSE: Whether its a morning and
afternoon schedule or an afternoon
and evening schedule, the program is
about the same. Boys and dads
organize by dens and take part in
competitive events, demonstrations,
and projects. In competition, for ex-
ample, we might have a knot tying
relay, fire building, and a tug of war.
Demonstrations are given on the rifle
and archery ranges and on the water
front. Projects include work in the
axeyard, ropeyard, and tracking area.
The activities are set up to give both
boys and dads an introduction to
more of Boy Scouting than just camp-
ing. The other main features of the
day are a meal cooked by dad-son
teams and a campfire for the boys
while the dads have a separate meeting
to orient them on what they can do
for the troops their sons will be join-
ing within a half year.
CM: That sounds like a good deal,
Sam.
DSE: Art, Webelos day has more
fun and adventure than an overnight
camp and none of the headaches.
CM: OK, I'll be at the next round-
table to hear all about it.
Webelos Day pamphlet, No. 4342A, 40
cents, 16 pages, on how to plan and run
the program is available from your council
office.
17
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 51, Number 3, March 1963, periodical, March 1963; New Brunswick, New Jersey. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth331739/m1/19/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.