ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Crossroads 50 Bike Ride June 3^rd (starting from Tipton), with camping June 2^nd at Camp K – contact Pat Donnelly ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it )
• 2^nd Annual Cub Scout/Webelos Campout – Camp K – May 6-7, 2006 – contact Paul Kempton ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it , This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ), registration due by April Roundtable
• Wood Badge Training – spring May 1-6, fall August 26-28 plus September 16-18 – contact Ken Steppe ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ) or Joe Ward ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it )
• Scouting for Food Drive – Saturday 3/18 – patches this year must be requested on a form submitted to the Scout Office, then they will provide the patches to the Roundtable Commissioner for delivery to leaders at the April Roundtable meeting
  

TONIGHT’S TOPIC:  Cub Scout Camping

• Are your Early Bird registrations turned in yet?
• What kind of response do you get?  Some 2/3rds or better
• Some Tiger parents don’t want their Tigers (new Wolves, actually) to go to Day Camp (many don’t want them to shoot BB guns)
• Some Bears are not going to Webelos Adventure Camp as 1^st Year Webelos (some say it’s too early, parents don’t want to “cut the cord”)
• Some 2^nd Year Webelos don’t want to go because they’ve already gone to WAC as 1^st Year Webelos or they already have completed the Webelos Activity Badges scheduled to be worked on as 2^nd Year Webelos at WAC
• Webelos Adult Leadership can teach other Activity Badges to their own unit – but suggest you let the camp staff know that’s what you plan to do for your unit
• For more information about Archery and BB Gun Pins (rather than Belt Loops – again), contact Ted Klick, Council Outdoor Program Director ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it )
• Look for the Camp Leaders’ Guide (one each for WAC and Day Camp) on the crossroadsbsa.org website for more information
  
• Camp Leaders' informational meetings are May 8 (Belzer) and May 15 (Camp K)
  
• How do you prepare your parents and Webelos for 3 nights away from home?
• For Scouts that could/might get scared,
• seek out a camp guide to help out the homesick kids, they will even stay in your campsite and talk to the boys
• don’t let them call home,
• don’t let anyone know you have your cell phone with you,
• don’t let the parents call you to check up on their kids
• Packing list – do you use the suggested list?  Or have you created your own list?
• For WAC, travel in Class A and swimsuit, with towel easily accessible at the very top of your gear, since the first thing you have to do at WAC is take the swimming test
• For WAC, use Class B’s during the day, and Class A’s for dinner every night
• For Day Camp, organize your Pack in Class B (T-shirts), with Class A uniform on Friday night
• For WAC, recommend using sealable plastic tubs/boxes and 2-pound Ziploc bags
• For WAC, send lots of extra dry socks and underwear, and extra shoes – they will need them!
• Don’t hike in water shoes or “crocs” – bring good walking shoes, Day Camp average mileage at Camp K is 5+ miles per day!
• At WAC, plan your clothing for the day/afternoon/etc. schedule accordingly – leave time to return to camp to change out of wet clothes and/or shoes (after canoeing, after Fort Miami)
• For fun meeting, have the boys put a complete change of clothes inside their sleeping bags.  Then blindfold the boys, zip them into their sleeping bags, and have them change their clothes inside their sleeping bags!
• Don’t put food in your bags or tents!  Put all food in a common “bear bag” or box
• Water at Camp K is well water, so bring bottled water
• When kids get ready to go swimming, you might have them put all their valuables in a dry bag or something that a non-swimming leader holds on to – avoids potential loss of valuables in the locker room
• Adults are not allowed in the locker rooms at the pool – boys must be able to dress themselves and take care of their own clothes, towels, shoes, etc.
• Don’t let your boys bring electronics to camp
• Financing – Council offers workership opportunities that will fund half of camp for age-appropriate service projects – info on Council website.
• Be prepared with copies of all medical forms and contact information for your Scouts and Leaders
• Bring your Pack checkbook to take care of any discrepancies when you check-in to camp
• Collect your forms at the end of camp save them, since they are good for one year
• Do you recruit early or again in the spring?  It’s one way to get new Scouts interested in Scouting – first activity is Summer Camp
  

TOPIC:  Internet Safety and Scouting (future topic)