Every year the troop hosts…
a camp out for the upcoming Webelos from the pack that is associated with our charter organization. We also invite any Webelo dens from packs in our area.
The troop holds a webeloree to fulfill requirements for Webelo scouts and to introduce them to a troop environment. This is also a way to help with BSA Journey to Excellence award. I will have another post dedicated to Journey to Excellence, by the way we usually always attain the gold award.
Anyway, back to the webeloree, we used to schedule this in February of each year. This was about a month before the Webelos would bridge, our thought was that it was a good time to host an outing because they would be deciding on a troop at that time. We had some feedback that this was not a very good time of year to host a Webeloree. So we decided to move it to October of every year, this has helped with attendance. Also, the webelos need an activity with a troop to help with their Arrow of Light award, so the October activity has been a better choice for the troop.
So here we are, in October…
the date for the webeloree was scheduled when we did our annual calendar planning meeting back in June and July. We soon after made reservations for a campground closest to carter organization. We choose a close location to make it easier for Webelo’s in the area to attend. There are also a lot of scouts who have sports and other obligations on the weekends, making this outing close to home enables a lot of the troop scouts able to attend.
Our troop has 5 patrols at this time, for the skills to be taught at the Webeloree we have the 4 oldest patrols host an event for a round robin activity after breakfast. Each patrol decides on a skill that they can host and teach the Webelos. They usually choose lashings, first aid, fire and knife safety, and fishing. The campground that we go to for this event has a lake, this is one of our few times a year we are near a lake that we can fish at. I try to persuade the older patrol to take the fire and knife safety, just because they are older scouts, and they have more experience with these skills.
Our youngest patrol in the troop are all still working on their skills so we let them participate in the round robin activities along with the Webelo’s.
Getting ready…
The month leading up to the outing, the patrols work on what equipment they will need to bring to teach the skill that they are responsible for. They also go over how they will be teaching the skill.
On Tuesday before the outing the scouts finish their menu’s and cooking assignments. Then on Thursday evening they all meet at a predetermined store and shop for their menu items. The adults are working on logistics, making sure there are enough seat belts and ideally a truck to pull the troop trailer to the camp out. We also make sure all the consent forms are turned in and medical form are all up to date. Now we are ready to go.
If you would like to see our troop agenda, check it out here! (link to spreadsheet) If this agenda helps you create a great weekend please use it and let me know how it goes. Did you have any issues come up? I would love to hear how it went.
The scouts all had a great time during the skills section, the patrols were prepared and taught the younger scouts and webelos the important skills to be a scout. After lunch, 4 the most senior scouts that came, were all prepared to host a team building game or activity. At this camp out they chose the mine field, making survival bracelets, sharks and minnows, and nitro transport. I have found that the older scouts need to have a specific purpose, this has helped them stay active in the troop.
Keeping the scouts on track, when we have a tight schedule, is the one thing that I am always communicating to the senior patrol leader all the time. On this outing we wanted to display that the troop can stay on schedule, when we have so many parents there to check out the troop and how it functions.
When we host the webelos we ask the parents of the webelos to attend also, this gives the troop parents the opportunity to answer any questions that the Webelo parents may have. It also develops friendships and a greater chance that the webelos may bridge to our troop.
We all had a great time and look forward to next year. Let me know if you have ever camped with scouts, I would love to hear how it went!
Yours in Scouting,
Mrs. Scoutmaster, Irene
PS. Check out my story here!