Cub Scout Camp 2010

This year, I went to Cub Scout camp as a session leader instead of a den walker.  That way, I would only see each boy for 45 minutes, instead of having to walk around with the same group of boys all week.  I was lucky to have a session in the shade under a pavilion, and I taught Readyman to the Webelos I boys (Zach's age, going into fourth grade) for the first four days of camp.  Readyman is pretty much advanced First Aid, and the boys seemed to enjoy it.  On the last day of camp, I taught duct tape wallet-making to the Webelos II boys; the oldest group in Cub Scouts, going into fifth grade.  That was a lot of fun, and I was so glad that I had practiced making wallets the night before.

Of course, it was hot, as south Texas is during the summer, but it was a lot of fun.  Ice pops are a valuable commodity out at Camp Strake, and the boys kept Mrs. Mary in the canteen busy all week, purchasing them.  Zach earned a bunch of requirements toward his Webelos badge, and it got us out of the house for a week.  I tend to not leave the comfort of my house during the summer unless I have to, and this was something good for Zach and I to get to do together.  Things have been so crazy for us the past two years with me being in school, and it was nice to have the free time to devote totally to him. We had four other boys from Zach's den who participated with him, and the parents took turns walking around with the boys all week.  The one thing that I noticed was that compared to three years ago when we first went to camp, there were less boys there, and also less ceremony put into it.  That's a shame, and I think will lead to attendance dwindling each year.

This year's theme was "Ride into the Future: 100 Years of Scouting".  Our camp had a Star Wars theme, and each den was some geographical point with "Jedi" as the last name.  Zach's den was the "Sahara Desert Jedi", and they did a nice job decorating their campsite in that theme.

The boys attended four sessions each day Monday-Thursday, and Friday was a day of organized fun.  My favorite part is when the fire truck shows up right before lunch, and showers everyone at camp with their water.  The boys love it, and there were a few adults standing where they could get drenched, too.  Of course, I was right in the middle of it.

Below is a slideshow of our pictures from camp.  You may have to go to Flickr to view the captions.  Enjoy!