When "Bedtime" Means Make As Much Noise As Possible for 4 Hours. (Camping)

Member Name: Muffin_the_Mule

Product:	Camping
Date:	09/05/02 (280 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: You get a Weekend off, Crime rates fall, I get to be a hero

Disadvantages: Tiredness, Tiredness , Tiredness

I got in the bath on Monday evening and winced, many many times.
The reason for my unexpected bathing discomfort was the way I'd spent my long-weekend.
I'd been camping.
But not just camping.
I'd been camping Cub-Scout style.
What follows is probably a street-cred-suicide on my part, but I do like a challenge.

Firstly, let me tell you a few things most of you already know.
Cub's Scouts is for boys (and in selected packs, girls) aged between 8 and 10 ½ years old.
Worry not if your children are not in this age range, as there are other sections that cater for children of all ages, starting with the innocently monickered "Beavers" for 5 to 8 year olds, and the most famously famous, Robert Baden Powell crafted Scouts, for those of 10 ½ to 15 life-years passed.
The main objective of most groups is social interaction and fun, carefully, and often obviously, blended with learning new skills and discipline.

I was a Cub when I was a child.
All of my friends were cubs were either in the cubs or guides when they were children.
One of my friends, we'll call him Jack, wanted to be in the guides when he was a child, now we call him Jill.
Most people will have fond memories of being in Cubs, even if like me, it was in the days of funny little hats and short shorts. I still had fun, and was regularly in awe of the leaders and how they could make things like chariots and giant catapults out of a bit of rope and a few poles. It was like Blue Peter at war. Which was cool.

The Leaders of cub packs all take on the names from The Jungle Book, with Akela being the pack leader, what with him being the chief wolf and everything.
I have a Cub-name too. I have so many names outside of my real name that I sometimes forget who I am.
My Cub-name isn't one of the ones made famous by the 1967 film though, oh no. I'm no Bagheera, nor am I a Baloo. I'm not even Kaa.
I
'm only in Rudyard Kipling's original book.
I'm the Eagle. Answers on a postcard please.

Each Mayday Bank holiday, our Group goes camping from Friday to Monday.
Here follows advise to all you parents who come up and ask me as we're leaving if it's OK that your son didn't bring a tent with him.

Along with 'Dyb Dyb Dyb Dyb' and 'You look silly' one of the phrases that are hollered at me when they hear that I'm a Leader is 'Be Prepared', commonly followed by a Jasper Carrott style chuckle, or guffaw.

First up, prepare your child's kit, but allow them to pack their own rucksack. That way, they know what they've got with them, and there are no moments like

'I can't find my towel, *Sob!*'

This usually translates into:

'I haven't looked for it'

and results in

'It was in my Rucksack'

The other benefit of allowing excited child to pack his rucksack is that come Monday, when It's time to go home, he knows it all fits in his bag, and doesn't need to hand-ball the majority of his clothes onto the coach.

Into this rucksack should go a backbone of essential items, to increase the chances that your son will return alive after a near lifetime length 2 days away.

Wash-bag and Towel.
Tip for adults - Put new soap, new toothpaste and a new flannel into this wash-bag, don?t worry about them being ruined as your son will probably only carry them carefully up to the sinks, wash with only water, dry himself on someone else's towel, and carry his bag back carefully once more.

Spare Underwear.
Yes, the more clean ones the better please.

Spare Clothing.
Lots of layers of clothing are warmer than one big jumper. So make sure your son has all the layers needed to force an old lady into spurting the Cliché
'More Layers than an Onion'
G
et this result, and you can move onto the next in the list.

Waterproof clothing.
He'll probably be camping in England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland. None of these are spelt
S-A-H-A-R-A D-E-S-E-R-T. So the chances are, it will rain. Keep him non-grouchy with a cagoule and waterproof Trousers.

Torch with Spare batteries.
During calls of nature, when 'Friendly Bushes' are sought in darkness, Torches are useful.
They are also useful at other times of darkness.
And If you are 8 years old, they must be useful at 2pm just after lunch, as this is the time when most children are clutching their dimly-lit Luminary. Hence the spare Batteries.

Plate. Cup. Knife, Fork, Spoon.
These are the items that your child will be holding when they tell the leader behind the stove that they don't like [Insert any foodstuff].

Boots.
Give better bruises to leaders during football matches by wearing these. Side-effects also include warm feet and protected ankles.

Sleeping bag and Blanket.
Somewhere for at least one of the children on camp to wee in.
Every morning, while the kids are eating breakfast, 2 of or leaders take a tent each, and do the 'Damp check' because bedwetting is very VERY common on camp trips. The children won't tell you what they've done for fear of ridicule from their peers, so they stay quiet. That's why we check. Any damp finds, causes ALL sleeping bags to be pulled out and hung up, with the excuse that 'we're letting air get to them'
There was the incident of '97 when 'Damp Check' became 'Euuuuuurgh' as solids were found by a caring leader's left hand.

All of the above should fit into the rucksack, if it doesn't you need a bigger bag because Jimmy's school bag with carefully tied on Binliners just won't do.

Two things that shouldn't go into the menagerie of organisation, are
Medicines and Pocket money. Pocket money is second only Left-foot shoes in the Things most lost on camp list, and Medicine has to be handed in, so that we can make sure sleepy child gets his calpol.

All you have to do now is make sure your child turns up at the pick-up point on time, with a smile on his face, and a secret midnight snack hidden in his washbag.

Let the Leaders deal with the fun.

Summary: