Pack Registration
You will need all of the registration forms they say you need on the NCAC day camp website. There are no shortcuts. You’ll need to turn in everything later, even if you feel that you can register the pack without filling everything out. When collecting registration forms and information, ensure you get the t-shirt size for each scout. The camp doesn’t have extras for exchanges in case of an error.
You need 7 pieces of paper for each scout: 1 registration form, 1 permission release form, the front and back of the scout’s medical insurance card (2 pages), and the scout’s BSA medical record (parts A and B, 3 pages). No, it doesn’t need to be 7 actual pages – you can get it done in 5. But you get the idea; it’s 7 things per scout.
You need 6 pieces of paper for each adult: the front and back of the adult’s medical insurance card (2 pages), a BSA medical record for the adult (parts A and B, 3 pages), and a YPT certificate. Military members are usually able to provide their DOD ID number or a letter from the Tricare website in lieu of their military ID card for proof of Tricare enrollment.
You will need to fill out and turn in the pack registration form, which is a different piece of paper listing of all of our scouts who are registered.
It is recommended you carry the following on you at all times: extra registration forms, extra release forms, blank BSA medical forms, and a parent den walker work schedule (with 5 sign-up slots per day).
There will be opportunities to turn in paperwork to the District rep in April, May, and June. We shouldn’t be chasing paperwork down in June. The information for what parents need to provide is on the website and will probably be in every email you send out, but people still nudging getting it all in. Ditto with YPT.
Despite all of that, you must register the pack online and pay online. You can get to the final total from the website, print the screen, request a reimbursement check, and then pay with your bank account when you have the check or just pay and get the reimbursement later. Paying with a credit card is possible but adds extra cost. Also, you can coordinate with the treasurer to get the information for the pack account when you are ready to pay.
You must register the pack and all scouts online before the early bird deadline on the website.
Family Registration
It is highly recommended you do not accept registration without the payment check (payable to Pack 680) or cash.
If the committee votes to subsidize a portion of each family’s day camp cost, then each family should pay only the cost after subsidies. For example, if camp costs $190 and we offer a $75 subsidy, only make the parents pay $115.
Since your reimbursement check comes from Pack 680 for the full amount, the subsidy is built into the reimbursement scheme. Very elegant and no extra checks needed.
We must have a minimum of 2 adults per day. You may want to recruit another parent (whose temperament you trust) to work the entire week, but it’s not absolutely required.
We must also have 1 adult for every five children. Our pack policy is to require every family to work for 1 day per child. At a 5:1 ratio and 5 days of camp, this covers our supervision obligation exactly.
Incoming Tigers must have a dedicated adult partner accompany the scout every day. This adult does not count towards the 5:1 supervision requirement.
Incoming Lions may not attend day camp.
The parental work requirement plus you recruiting an extra adult results in you having one more adult than the minimum. This is good because if an adult has to go home sick or injured, we can still do camp that day.
Yes, parents will have to take work vacation to do this. We are all doing it.
Stay-at-home parents can bring small children with or else find a babysitter. Again, everyone has to do something like that.
If someone has a hardship issue and can’t work (financial hardship due to no paid vacation), you should 1) notify the Cubmaster and 2) put that scout on a waiting list. Do NOT accept registration for scouts without the parent putting his or her name on the den walker schedule. If we have extra adults, we can fit in the scout if there is space available.
If someone has a financial hardship issue and can’t pay for day camp, you should 1) notify the Cubmaster and 2) encourage selling camp cards for the scout to pay his own way to camp. The Cubmaster or Committee Chair may provide further instructions.
Put all of the parents contact numbers and emails into a note on your phone so you can call someone quickly.
Preparation
Parents should send snacks, a bag lunch, a hat, water bottle, sunscreen, and bug spray every day.
Each scout should bring a backpack to carry snacks and crafts.
You should bring ice water in a jug from the pack or a pack parent. Families should all provide sunscreen and bug spray, and then you just use everyone’s spray for anyone.
You should also obtain a wagon to walk between stations.
The camp provides a cheap 16 oz plastic water bottle to each scout. You should bring a sharpie and either masking tape or packing tape to label the bottles. It always rubs off, but you can use the tape to keep it on longer.
Write Pack 680 on their shirts in sharpie.
Camp Week
You go to an orientation session the Sunday prior to Day 1. You get trained on the rules, scout discipline, and safety. You receive the schedule, which is very simple – there are six slots per day, and it tells our pack which station to be at for each timeslot. There’s a map too.
Sunday is also for setting up home base. Home base is a tarp in the shade with our pack canopy. It should have coolers, chairs for adults, and decorations to identify it. We normally just use the Pack 680 banner and flag stands, but I think we’re getting a vinyl banner this year to use. It’s where parents drop off and pick up the scouts, and it’s where we eat lunch.
It is recommended at the end of each day you prepare home base for a thunderstorm. Shorten the canopy, tie down what you can, and protect items from rain the center. If you have stakes, it would be good to stake down the tarp and/or canopy.
It is HIGHLY recommended that you force the scouts to carry their water bottles between stations. They will subconsciously drink as they walk. It totally works. If you let them, they’ll throw the bottles into the wagon, which I do NOT recommend. The wagon is for carrying backpacks only – including crafts so they don’t get damaged as well as snacks and protective sprays/lotions.
You will want to put the water bottles into the wagon while you’re at a station so they don’t get lost.
Learn some cub scout songs to sing while marching. The scouts love it, and it passes the time between stations (especially BB’s). Favorites include little green gopher, bazooka bubblegum, boom chicka-boom, little red wagon, or whatever.
Start a group email or text and send out a summary every evening to the parents with pictures.
On firehose day, do not allow scouts to lose their shoes or socks. You should disrobe their feet all together and stack up their shoes and socks in one place.
Be strict about two-deep leadership, no one-on-one, and the buddy system. You’ll see other units/parents being lax about it, and it’s no problem to challenge an adult if the child is his or hers if they are going back into the campsite or off somewhere else. A culture of compliance is herd defense against predators. Likewise, a lax culture is like a dirty pantry inviting in vermin.
If you set a routine for bathroom breaks, you’ll be able to get back to home base for lunch, pull out lunches, go to the lunchtime program, and be able to clean up without being late for the next thing. Bathroom breaks are hard on the schedule. If you don’t respect the bathroom, you’ll be late for stuff and miss lunchtime programs.
Some packs let their scouts play tag during lunch. What we do is up to you, but getting lunch trash cleaned up and seeing the lunchtime program is usually more worthwhile.
If the boys are acting up, they’re bored. Cub Scouts has techniques for directing their energy and getting their attention without being a jerk. You can also occupy them with duck-duck-goose, Simon says, etc.
After Camp
Shed items need to go back in the shed, but we won’t need them until August.
Scout achievements need to be recorded in Scoutbook. Every scout probably earned a shooting sports patch and multiple pins. They may have also earned belt loop components. The camp should provide a list stating which requirements they completed during the week. Only record the requirements that apply to the scout’s current rank.
Keep the scout medical paperwork for the fall. The membership chair will collect it at the August picnic. (Applies to all camps)
Upload any photos to the annual Google Photo album for the Blue and Gold dinner.
Submit receipts for snacks, if applicable.
Share any lessons learned to be added to the planning guide.