Cub Scout Day Camp 2015--Days Two and Three

I dropped off J for day two of the Cub Scout Day Camp (see here for day one) and only have his report for how things went that day. He went to the BB rifle range again and scored eight. He even brought home his target.

Holes on left top and about two inches left of the top 8

I think that's great for the first time he ever fired a rifle. I did much more poorly on my first time.

He went to the Craftsman station, where all the boys crafted boats for an impromptu rain gutter regatta. All we have is the boat, which is a fine cork-bottomed ship.

Craftsman boat (not available at Sears)

The only other report submitted was about a fun game of soccer, during which J scored a goal. He did not bring the ball home with him.

On the third day of camp, I was volunteering again and was able to observe firsthand the variety of activities. After a long-winded opening ceremony (a bunch of local politicians showed up and made little speeches), we headed off to Outdoor Skills, where J learned to tie a square knot.

Next on our agenda was Fitness, where the boys got to play catch, walk on balance beams, and race by frog hopping and crab walking. They had a lot of fun but got a little tired.

Frog hopping

The star of the day was next--Archery. After a safety refresher we headed down to the range where the boys fired off five arrows, collected them from the targets (and nearby ground), and fired a second volley of arrows. J enjoyed it but it is not his best sport. I think we need to show him some live action Robin Hood or other archer-filled videos.

Retrieving from the target

We went back to our den for lunch and a bit of shopping at the Trading Post. The sales were mostly snacks and candy, with a few inexpensive plastic spy/investigator toys like magnifying glasses, handcuffs, notepads, etc. J stuck mostly to snacks.

Dens and Trading Post were in the main building of the fairgrounds

After lunch we went to the Science Station, where we learned about electromagnetism from a PowerPoint slide show (snore!) and then built a simple engine with a coil of wire, a AA battery, and a magnet. When put together properly, the coil will spin around the battery and magnet on its own. We sort of got it to work and plan to try again at home.

Presentation

J and his motor coil

Citizenship was our next station, where we learned how to fold American flags properly (which we had learned earlier in the year). The boys practiced the skill on small flags which they put in baggies along with notes to be sent to servicemen stationed overseas.

Folding small flags

Geocaching was the next activity, at which J is an old hand. We had to walk around outside in the heat of the day, so we only found two of the three caches before retiring to a shady tree for our afternoon snack.

The final station was Showmanship, where the boys made hand puppets. They were to go back the next day to perform with the puppets, an event I missed.

After the closing ceremony, we left for home, satisfied with another fun day at Cub Scout camp.