My oldest will be five years old next month, and as we start to enter this exciting season of life when he has the chance to explore so many different activities and opportunities, I feel a little clueless. It’s that same feeling I had when I started high school and I was the awkward kid carrying her lunch tray nervously across the cafeteria as I passed tables of upperclassmen. It’s uncharted territory, and a little overwhelming feeling like you have the learn a new set of ropes as your kids grow up!
Let me start by saying I knew NOTHING about the Boy Scouts before a few weeks ago. There were a few kids I knew in grade school who did it and I had a cousin who was an Eagle Scout, but my exposure was very limited.
They invited me to check out their booth at the Minnesota State Fair, which you can check out here.
Live from the Minnesota State Fair with Boy Scouts of America! #heroesstarthere
Posted by Mommy’s Me Time on Saturday, August 27, 2016
After seeing what they were all about, I wanted to learn more, and here’s why. Lately I’ve been a little overwhelmed by how much technology my kids are exposed to. I’ve felt like my kids have had too much screen time, and I feel a little guilty about it. I try my best to take them outside and keep them busy in other ways, but the fact remains that my kids will spend so much more time staring at a screen than I ever did. I’m not saying it’s all bad, because heck, I RUN an online business and I love technology for so many reasons, but I’m just saying I want to be intentional to expose my kids to IN PERSON activities that focus on building relationships and skills that extend beyond virtual reality.
I also want to encourage my kids to learn how to develop leadership skills and be people with integrity and strong character, which is the mission of Boy Scouts.
In fact, some of the key values, missions and goals are these:
-Scouting builds character, leadership, and life skills through experience and service
-Scouting creates community for youth of all backgrounds and abilities
-Scouting is fun and rewarding
-Key areas of focus: adventure, leadership, learning, service
In my pursuit to learn more about the Boy Scouts of America, I was invited to tour something called Base Camp, which is a camp IN THE CITY of St. Paul. It’s located on the campus of Ft. Snelling, and I was truly blown away by my experience there.
A while back, the Northern Star Council, BSA wanted a way to reach not only people in Boy Scouts, but the ENTIRE community. They purchased an old calvary drill hall and brought it back to life. Base Camp is now open to the public to serve all youth through field trips, lock-ins, retreats, summer camps, private parties, and community group activities. The activities range from a space simulator to a high ropes course, to archery, to team building activities, to a rock climbing wall and more!
Many K – 12 schools will go there for field trips, and it’s extremely affordable. There are even scholarship programs available so they are able to serve anyone in the community.
I was particularly interested in the adult programs they offer as well. Corporations will go there for a high ropes course and team building retreats. I had a chance to climb the rock wall a couple of times and it was a BLAST! I’m already planning to take my team there for a team building exercise next month!
The theme for this year is Heroes Start Here, and THIS WEEK is registration! This coming Thursday, September 22nd, you can show up to ANY elementary school in Minnesota between 6 – 7pm and register! Find information here: http://www.heroscouts.org
A little more about Cub Scouts:
As a Cub Scout, you’ll be part of your own pack.
The pack is divided into smaller groups called dens. Each den has about six to eight boys. All of the Cub Scouts in your den are in the same grade and may even go to the same school.
The Cub Scout pack belongs to a church, a school, or some other group of people in your community or neighborhood. This group makes sure your pack has good adult leaders, a place to meet, and exciting things to do. The group gets help from the Boy Scouts of America.
Have you been to the local police station and talked to the policemen on duty? Or visited the fire station and sat in the driver’s seat of the pumper truck? Or visited the local TV station and sat in the news anchor’s chair? These are some of the places you might go with your den or pack.
You might also build a pinewood derby car and race it on the track, build a sailboat or trimaran and race it in the raingutter regatta, or build a spaceship and race it to the stars in the pack space derby.
Each time you complete an accomplishment or learn a new skill, your child will be rewarded. Sometimes the reward is a loop for your belt, a pin, or a patch.
Baylen starts kindergarten next year, and I’m SO excited to sign him up for this. In the meantime, we’ll be going to the Pre-K days at Base Camp!
To celebrate their kick-off, the Northern Star Council is giving away an awesome adventure pack! Be sure to enter below. You must have a U.S. shipping address.
Amber
P.S. For more reflections on parenthood and life, follow us on Facebook (Hun Let’s Run) and on Instagram: @ambermariekuiper and @jakekuiper! We’d also love for you to subscribe to our Hun, Let’s Run Podcast! For more info about joining our fitness community as a customer or coach, please email us at amber@mommysmetime.com!
This is a sponsored post by the Northern Star Council through the Amplify Influencer Network. I was compensated for my work. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
