We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Cub Scouts

Upcoming Webinar Series: Summer Camp 2022

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Join the staff of the different NCAC Summer Camps & Programs for information webinars as you prepare for Summer Camp 2022. These webinars are perfect for new leaders looking for an orientation to camp, units bringing their scouts to that camp for the first time, or for returning leaders that want the latest update. There will be representation from Goshen Scout Reservation, Camp Snyder, District Day & Twilight Camps, and Camp Catoctin BSA. Let’s get camping in Summer 2022!

Webinars will begin at 7pm EST.

March 14: High Adventure

Looking for adventure? Get the information for Summer 2022 on Goshen’s Lenhok’sin High Adventure or one of the High Adventure Committee’s trips.

Register in advance: https://ncacbsa-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QiROY7zLRp2nLtowORDp1Q

March 21: Scouts BSA Camps

Get information about programs for both Troops and individuals at Goshen’s Camps Bowman, Marriott, and Olmsted; Goshen’s Provisional Camp program; Snyder’s Specialty Week; and Camp Catoctin BSA.

Register in advance: https://ncacbsa-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_De66k8skTT-OaNnoAmhYSw

March 28: Cub Scout & Webelos Camps

Get all the details on day camps and overnight camps at Camp Snyder, Goshen’s Camp Ross, and District Day & Twilight Camps.

Register in advance: https://ncacbsa-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HXQoSBO5RJ-JHf93A181QA

Pack 1540’s Blue & Gold BanQUEST – An adventure 112 years in the making

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Back in the B.S. era (before-Covid), our normal Blue & Gold Banquet included a meal and live entertainment. Our 2020 event was cancelled due to the growing pandemic. In 2021 we held a virtual banquet, encouraging Scouts to cook a meal with their parents and then tune in to a virtual mad scientists show. We haven’t been able to assemble all in one place indoors since the start of the pandemic, that is until last week.

For our 2022 Blue & Gold Banquet, Pack 1540 celebrated the 112th birthday of Scouting in America, Jurassic-style! Our main entertainment was a reptile show with turtles, snakes, and a few amphibians. We decided to not provide a meal – families were encouraged to eat before arriving, which helped ease some concerns about spacing and masking. We replaced eating time with dinosaur-themed activity stations:

  • Visitor Center: sent the Scouts on a scavenger hunt to find dinosaurs on the loose
  • Tyrannosaurus Rex: puppet operated by a volunteer
  • Fossil Dig Site: individual clay eggs with dinosaur toys inside
  • Veterinary Clinic: pin the tail on the dinosaur
  • Feeding Station: bean bag toss into dinosaur mouths
  • Mr. DNA’s Lab: dinosaur-themed activity pages
  • Petting Zoo: provided by a reptile expert

The event included a Jurassic Pack-style entrance gate, a movie-accurate Jeep provided by the Jurassic Park Motor Pool, friendly velociraptor keeping Scouts out of the elevator, and an opening skit performed by the Den Leaders that re-enacting parts of the opening scene of the movie complete with costumes and props (“You did it you crazy Cubmaster, you did it”). The evening ended with a big suprise – a life-size dilophosaurus!

Scouts and families had a “roaring” fun evening. Many, many thanks to our families and Den Leaders. Scouting finds a way!

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Camp Snyder’s Passport to Adventure: 2022 Cub Camp

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Are you ready for a world class adventure? Get ready to travel the globe this summer with Camp Snyder and get your Passport to Adventure.

It’s difficult to travel the world these days, so join us for a fantastic summer of Cub Camping as we bring the world to you! Explore cultures from around the world as you get your hands on Handicraft, investigate the environment at Nature, take aim at both Archery and BBs, take the heat off at the Pool, and more.

Cub Scout Day Camp and Resident Weekends are for rising Tigers thru rising Webelos/AOLs.

Cub Scout Day Camp

Experience all your summer camp favorites in five days a week!
Session 1: June 27 – July 1, 2022
Session 2: July 11 – July 15, 2022

Cub Scout Resident Weekends

Pack all your fun into a weekend. Join us Friday through Sunday for non-stop fun from morning until night. New in 2022: Optional Thursday evening check-in.
Session 1: June 23 – June 26, 2022
Session 2: June 30 – July 3, 2022
Session 3 (Mid-week): July 5 – 7, 2022
Session 4: July 11 – 15, 2022
Session 5: July 14 – 17, 2022

New in 2022!

We’re excited for the Summer Season and already looking forward to seeing all our campers! We strive to improve every summer and we are making the following changes for Summer 2022:

    • Updated Daily Schedule: In response to feedback, we are adding more flexibility and more rest time. Evenings will be open program and we are adding a daily siesta period from 1pm – 2pm.
    • Increased Pool Time: What’s better than getting in the pool during a hot summer day? Being able to do it more often!
    • Dining Changes: We’re adding an updated menu and switching to Family Style Dining. What else? Look forward to a salad and fruit bar.
    • Early Check-In: Thursday night check-in is now available for Resident Weekends. Come early and get your swim checks out of the way so you can spend more time with all the camp activities!

Got Scouts BSA? Check out the Scouts BSA Specialty Week – Camp Snyder’s Merit Badge week for individual Scouts, ages 11 – 17. Campers can choose from a mix of outdoor badges and Camp Snyder STEM and Woodshop specialty badges. The program has overnight and day camper participation options. New in 2022: New Scout Rank Advancement program!
Session: July 17 – July 23

Got Camp Staff? We’re actively seeking motivated and enthusiastic individuals, ages 15 and up, to be part of our summer camp team. Not yet 15? Apply to be a Counselor-in-Training at age 14! Learn more and apply at www.gotosnyder.org/work

Learn more about all our summer camp programs and save your spot at www.gotosnyder.org/summer

Webelos Summer Camp 2022: Ancient Empires

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Unlock new fun with Ancient Empires

Follow Goshen Scout Reservation’s Camp Ross as we travel through time to Ancient Egypt, Rome and more! Paint Hieroglyphs with Handicraft, build fortresses with Scoutcraft, or Shoot arrows with Roman Archers. Have fun with these programs and much more as we explore this trip to the past!

Let’s Get Camping Webinar Series: Cub Scouts Go To Camp

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March 18, 2021: Cub Scouts Go To Camp Webinar

Missed the webinar? You can view a recording of it below.

You can also download the slides from the webinar here: Cub Scouts Go To Camp slides [PPTX]

Get more information on the various Cub Scout camps at their respective websites:

Keep up to date with the latest information on 2021 summer camp and COVID-19 protocols at www.gotogoshen.org/coronavirus for Goshen Scout Reservation camps and www.gotosnyder.org/coronavirus for Camp Snyder.

You can find the whole series of Let’s Get Camping Webinar recordings on our playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5x999ziTZaU6Kr1lqS6tbNqgYTzjcBRf.

Upcoming webinars in the series include High Adventure at Summer Camp on March 25 and Scouts BSA Camping Options on April 1. All webinars begin at 6pm EST. Register in advance at https://ncacbsa-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_K297JI5zTrOSqIcHr9mpVw.

Cryptology and Codes in STEM@Home

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On February 6, NCAC kicked off the first STEM@Home of 2021! STEM@Home is a online Nova program that enables Cub Scouts to learn Novas from the comforts of their homes! To start off the year we had two cub scout Nova classes:

Nova 1-2-3 Go!

Cub scouts had the tremendous opportunity to learn about secret codes with the NSA National Cryptologic Museum. Ms. Jen Wilcox and cameraman Mr. Craig taught live from the museum, demonstrating the NSA cipher, Navajo Joe, and railroad codes. The NSA National Cryptologic Museum in Annapolis Junction in MD has taught the 1-2-3 Go Nova on-site pre-pandemic.  Thankfully NCAC Nova Counselor Ms. Plano-Faber made the connection to Ms. Wilcox who practiced and tweaked the museum’s program for our STEM@Home virtual format, and together they guided cubs through a fantastic worksheet deciphering codes! (Have you ever heard of a rail fence cipher? ) We can’t wait to visit once the museum reopens!

In another section, the Senior Director of Innovation Research & Development from Intelligent Waves LLC, Mr. John Hammes taught cub scouts about the history of secret codes. Mr. Hammes was a cub scout as a youth and volunteered to give back as a SME (subject matter expert) guiding these cubs through the emergences and industry uses of codes.

NCAC Nova Counselor Dr. Jason Kralj then met with the combined cub scout group to teach the other elements of the 1-2-3 Go Nova Award: statistics! Cub scouts had submit survey questions in advance, which we ran as a poll in ZOOM so everyone could collect data from their peers to meet requirement 2 of the Nova. They then learned how to display the results before moving into the fun coin toss experiment!

 

Cub Scouts Can Code

In another class, cub scouts learned to code with NCAC Nova Counselor Mr. Mark Bruno. This is the second time Mr. Bruno taught this class in STEM@Home and the screenshot is from a step-coding game that he created and facilitated for the whole group! As you might imagine, this Nova Award covers a different type of codes than those in 1-2-3 Go. These cub scouts walked away with a better understanding of binary codes and algorithms; and those who completed the post-requisites even earned their full Nova Award!

Thank you to our guests, Mr. Hammes, Ms. Wilcox and Cameraman Craig as well as our very own NCAC Nova Counselors Dr. Kralj, Ms. Plano-Faber and Mr. Bruno for putting on this excellent event! 


The next STEM@Home will be on April 17, 2021. This event will include Novas for Cub Scouts as well as Scouts BSA — be sure to check it out! https://scoutingevent.com/082-stemnova