Cub Scout Day Camp 2015--Day One

J went to his first Cub Scout Day Camp, a week-long, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. extravaganza of activities, learning, and fun. I volunteered to help out three days--Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Happily, Granny and Grandpa were visiting and took care of N and L while J and I were at camp. On Tuesday and Thursday I dropped J off and got back home to play with the younger ones. But back to the camp!

We started the first day by signing into the den and getting our gear--hats and ID badges. This year's theme is CSI--Cub Scout Investigators. A lot of science and spy-like stuff could be found all over the fairgrounds.

J geared up for camp

Daddy and J together

The first two stations were the two most awesome stations--BB Rifles and Archery. On the first day, the station managers gave us the safety instructions that we'd use later in the week. The rifle range also had the boys try out lying down and aiming the rifles. They loved it.

The third station was Geology, where the scouts learned how rocks have been forming and reforming over the years. They were given buckets of sand to sift through and find different types of rocks, including the highly-coveted obsidian. J found four or five pieces of the precious stone in his bucket.

Learning about rocks

Searching for rocks

We had lunch next, followed by a station devoted to diversity awareness. They had some interesting activities, including trying out crutches and wheel chairs, as well as designing a type face to help dyslexics read more easily. Later, J said it was kinda boring.

Another popular station was Water Games, featuring a massive slip and slide that was the hit of the day. It was fun. It was cool. It was wet. The boys got to take off their shoes! What more could one ask for?

J on the water slide

After the water, things heated up with Ga Ga Ball, a popular Scouting game where the boys have to hit a ball with their hands to hit the other boys in the leg. At first, with twenty kids in the pit, chaos ruled. Once the group was whittled down to a manageable number, the game became more skills based. The kids loved it immensely. And the ball pit was the most polished and professional-looking one I've ever seen!

Ga Ga Ball arena

Our last station was Whittling. The boys sharpened their own wooden knives with a sanding block and then practiced good whittling techniques. They started carving a bar of soap by removing the brand-name logo. The knives, soap bars, and cleaning sticks were put in zip-lock bags for the next Whittling session later in the week, where they'd learn more techniques and make something even fancier.

We went outside for the closing ceremony and then headed home after a great day.

More to come in the next post!