Son about to embark on first cub camp - what advice to give?

apesxx

Yeah as for preparing him ' bye, have a fab time, see you tomorrow' is more than enough when I left my dd last week she was covered in mud before I had actually left. They all decided they were guna roll down the hill. I knew then that she'd have a brill night And she was fast asleep in the car before we had even got to the end of the lane after picking her up lol x

gibson123

Only one piece of advise - have fun, I'll be here when you get home.

Savvy_Sue

mrcow wrote: »

You may get lots of advice, but the real advice is the following:

Pack soap, but don't expect it to be used.
Pack toothpaste if you like, but it will come back unsqeezed.
Pack changes of underwear if you wish, but they will come back unworn.

Pack a flannel, but it will come back stone dry ...

Gees

My son would have been 8 or 9 when he went on his first cub camp, and yes I was one of those anxious parents. Most of what had been packed in his rucksack was still there, neatly folded and clean. Items missing were mainly from his wash bag. The boys travelled by minibus there so it wasn’t until we collected that we saw how muddy the campsite was. Fortunately wellies were recommended by the Leaders.

My son looked filthy, but had a fantastic time, loved coming home to his clean bed, and was looking forward to a family roast meal.

The house had been a lot quieter without him, we certainly missed him.

The only advice I would give, is don’t let him take anything that can’t be easily replaced, and to tell him to have a great time.

One tip if not on the list: Pack a warm hat, it can get cold at night.

Perryl_2

I used to go camping with the Guides when I was younger. As a kid, you really don't worry like your parents seem to. The only advice I would say is, tell him if he gets up to go to the loo at night, make sure to use the torch and check where the guide ropes are; we had a great laugh at someone who didn't once.

If the facilities are anything like we had, don't expect any sort of wash. We all went back honking because it was a bucket of cold water and no one fancied that! Some of the nights could get quite chilly, make sure he has layers, a sweater he can sleep in would be good. We all took jogging bottom, tshirts and sweatshirts instead of pyjamas. It was much comfier and cosier.

Another thing is, don't pack too much. First camp I did, my mum packed this ridiculously large bag for me. It was a nightmare, it was heavy and in the way all the time. It was a pain for when we had to tidy our tents and it was in the way at night trying to organise sleeping bags. Second time I had a really good quality rucksack that was like a TARDIS but really light and unobtrusive.

I second what others have said about the electronics. If he wants to take a camera (a few of us did as it was a first for us) get him a nice disposable one. That way if it gets damaged, no harm done.

I am sure he will have a brilliant time, and be completely exhausted when he gets home again.

pleasedelete

Don't throw deodorant cans in the campfire. Tht was the highlight event of my sons 1st trip (he didn't throw I must add)

Tupperware_Queen

As a cub leader myself I echo what has been said. He will have a great time. Let him know that all the stuff you are sending is old and you're not expecting it back pristine. One camp a patent sent the kid with an expensive maglite torch which was lost during wide games in the woods. The poor child spent the rest of the week petrified his dad was "gonna murder me" for losing it. We headed off this on our return by pointing out the advice on all our letters about old and non-important items. The parent was mad as hell with us for letting him lose it. Goodness knows what was said to the kid when he got home.

snowflake86

Can't really add anything to what's been said, but say thank you to the leaders at the end of the camp! I mainly work with the older sections in scouting so it might be different in the younger sections, but few kids ever thank us and even fewer parents, so a thank you is always appreciated and reminds us what we are doing is valued! :beer:

Spendless

This thread has made me chuckle cos it's so true what you pack and what comes back unused and answers the mystery of why the pyjamas always seemed to look as though they hadn't been worn but I couldn't understand why.

Son's Cubs and Scouts always used to provide a list of what to take. Though each trip there was always the one item to throw you- that you didn't have in, they were doing a fancy dress party on one of the evenings for example or wellies because they were doing pond dipping but it was summer time. I soon learnt to identify the shops in town that sold year round stock.

sooty&sweep

Hi

I know parents who would pack small sweets in between the layers of clothes and in the toiletry bag etc to be able to tell if the child ever got to that bit. The sweets often came back untouched
Just to repeat what others of said send old clothes etc so it doesn't matter if they get filthy.
When I pack I often pack a complete set of clothes into a carrier bag i.e. socks pants trousers top etc so everything is together.
Jen