Webelos Let’s Camp Adventure

Adventure Type: Elective
Number of Requirements: 9
Typical Time to Complete: 1 meeting plus a campout
Parent Involvement: High, especially for the campout
Preparation Needed: Moderate to high
Activity Level: Moderate, active outdoor skills
Indoor or Outdoor: Mostly outdoor
Special Requirements: Campout, tent setup without adult help, fire activities if permitted, memorization
Supplies Snapshot: Tent, camping gear, rope, firewood, fire-starting supplies, water, Webelos handbook

The Webelos Let’s Camp adventure gets Scouts outdoors to practice basic camping skills. Webelos plan and take part in a campout with their den, pack, or family while learning how to be prepared and make good choices at camp.

During the adventure, Webelos choose a tent site, set up a tent, prepare for weather hazards, tie a bowline, and practice campfire safety. They also learn how to build, light when permitted, and safely extinguish a campfire.

Webelos also practice caring for the outdoors by learning the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace Principles for Kids. By the end of the adventure, they have used these skills on a real campout and reflected on how their actions helped protect the places they visited.

Webelos Let’s Camp Adventure Requirements

1. With you den, pack or family, plan and participate in a campout.
2. Upon arrival at the campground, determine where to set up your tent.  
3. Set up your tent without help from an adult.
4. Identify a potential weather hazards that could occur in your area.  Determine the action you will take if you experience the weather hazard during the campout.
5. Show how to tie a bowline.  Explain when this knot should be used and why.
6. Know the fire safety rules.  Using those rules, locate a safe area to build a campfire.
7. Using tender, kindling, and fuel wood, properly build a teepee fire lay.  If circumstances permit, and there is no local restriction on fires, show how to safely light the fire while under adult supervision. After allowing the fire to burn safely, extinguish the flames with minimal impact to the fire site.
8. Recite the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace Principles for Kids from Memory.  
9. After your campout, share the things you did to follow the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace Principles for Kids with your den or family.

Printable requirements for the Webelos Let's Camp Adventure

Check off sheet to keep track of your den's progress on the Webelos Let's Camp Adventure

Webelos Adventures Check Off Sheet

Requirement 1: Go Camping

With your den, pack, or family, plan and participate in a campout.

Webelos need to help plan and take part in a campout with their den, pack, or family. Give Scouts a real job in the planning, such as choosing a meal, making a packing list, or helping decide what gear to bring.

Easy Option: Use a pack campout that is already on the calendar. Have the Webelos help with one part of the planning before the trip. See Let’s Camp Webelos.

More resources:

• See here for a suggested packing list.
• See some easy camping recipes here.
• Don’t forget the Cub Scout Six Essentials!

Requirement 2: Choose a Tent Site

Upon arrival at the campground, determine where to set up a tent.

At the campground, Webelos choose a safe and practical place for their tent. Encourage them to look for level ground, avoid low spots where water may collect, and check for hazards such as dead branches overhead.

Easy Option: Show Scouts two or three possible tent sites and ask them to choose the best one and explain why. See Home Tent Home.

Requirement 3: Set Up a Tent

Set up your tent without help from an adult.

Webelos set up their tent without help from an adult. Leaders can teach and practice the process ahead of time, but during the requirement, let the Scout work through the setup independently.

Easy Option: Practice setting up the same tent at a den meeting before the campout. Familiar gear makes the campground setup much easier. See Indoor Tent Setup Practice.

Setting up a tent alone involves several steps:

1. Choose the Right Spot: Using what they learned from the previous requirement, the Webelos must find a good place to set up their tent.
2. Prepare the Area: Clear the space of rocks, sticks, and other sharp objects that could damage the tent or make sleeping uncomfortable.
3. Unpack and Assemble: Take out the tent parts, like poles, stakes, and the tent itself, and put them together following the instructions.
4. Secure the Tent: Make sure the tent is properly staked to the ground to handle wind and weather.

You can practice these skills before the campout with a tent pitching competition.

Practicing these steps helps Webelos become more skilled in camping and prepares them for future outdoor adventures. Completing this task is a proud moment in the Webelos Let’s Camp adventure.

More ideas:

• We Got This! Cub Scouts compete in a relay race to set up a tent with no adult assistance.
• Tent Pitching Competition: Cub Scouts race to see which team is the fastest to set up their tent correctly.

Requirement 4: Prepare for Weather

Identify a potential weather hazard that could occur in your area.  Determine the action you will take if you experience the weather hazard during the campout.

Webelos identify a weather hazard that could happen during the campout and explain what they would do. Keep the discussion focused on conditions that are realistic for your location, such as thunderstorms, high winds, extreme heat, or cold.

Easy Option: Check the forecast before the campout and discuss the most likely weather concern. Ask each Scout what action they would take if that weather became dangerous.

More options:

• Weather Emergency Preparedness Drill Game: Cub Scouts play a game to learn what to do during a weather hazard.

Requirement 5: Tie a Bowline

Show how to tie a bowline.  Explain when this knot should be used and why.

Webelos learn to tie a bowline and explain when it is useful. Give them time to practice several times instead of turning knot tying into a one-time test.

Easy Option: Give each Scout a short piece of rope and practice the bowline together during a den meeting. Then have Scouts demonstrate it again at camp. See how to tie a bowline knot here.

More options:

• Bowline Just In Time: Cub Scouts learn about the bowline knot and compete to tie one the fastest
• Bowline Knot: Cub Scouts learn how to tie a bowline knot and when it should be used.

Requirement 6: Choose a Safe Campfire Area

Know the fire safety rules.  Using those rules, locate a safe area to build a campfire.

Webelos use fire safety rules to identify a safe place for a campfire. Have them look around the campsite for nearby tents, trees, dry leaves, grass, wind, and other things that could make a fire unsafe.

Easy Option: If the campsite has an established fire ring, ask the Webelos to inspect it and explain why it is or is not a safe place for the fire. See fire safety with Cub Scouts.

More resources:

• Fire Safety Rule Review: Cub Scouts learn about campfire safety

Requirement 7: Build and Extinguish a Fire

Using tinder, kindling, and fuel wood, properly build a teepee fire lay.  If circumstances permit, and there is no local restriction on fires, show how to safely light the fire while under adult supervision. After allowing the fire to burn safely, extinguish the flames with minimal impact to the fire site.

Webelos build a teepee fire lay using tinder, kindling, and fuel wood. If fires are permitted, they may light it under adult supervision and then practice putting it out completely with as little impact to the site as possible.

Easy Option: Use an established fire ring and prepare the needed wood ahead of time. Let each Scout build a small teepee fire lay before lighting one under supervision.

More resources:

• The Science of Fire: Cub Scouts learn what is needed to make a fire burn.
• How to Build a Fire Skit: A humorous way to learn about fire building.
• Build A Fire: Cub Scouts learn how to build a teepee fire and properly extinguish it.

Outdoor Code and LNT

Recite the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace Principles for Kids from Memory.

Webelos memorize and recite the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace Principles for Kids. Short review activities at several meetings usually work better than trying to memorize everything at once.

Easy Option: Spend five minutes at each den meeting reviewing one part. Use a simple matching, sequencing, or call-and-response game to help Scouts remember the words. See the Outdoor Code and the Leave No Trace Principles for Kids.

The Outdoor Code

“As an American, I will do my best to –
Be clean in my outdoor manners,
Be careful with fire,
Be considerate in the outdoors,
and be conservation minded.”

Leave No Trace Principles for Kids

• Know Before You Go – Learn about where you are going and prepare for your visit.
• Choose the Right Path – Stay on trails to protect nature.
• Trash Your Trash – Pack it in, pack it out. Keep the outdoors clean.
• Leave What You Find – Keep natural objects and sites as you find them.
• Be Careful with Fire – Use fire responsibly or not at all.
• Respect Wildlife – Observe animals from a distance and never feed them.
• Be Kind to Other Visitors – Respect others’ outdoor experiences.

More resources:

• Cut and Paste: Cub Scouts unscramble phases and place in order to learn the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace Principles for Kids.
• Telephone: Cub Scouts play telephone while learning the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace Principles for Kids.

Requirement 9: Reflect on the Campout

After your campout, share the things you did to follow the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace Principles for Kids with your den or family.

After the campout, Webelos share ways they followed the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace Principles for Kids. Encourage specific examples, such as packing out trash, respecting wildlife, being careful with fire, or leaving the campsite clean.

Easy Option: Hold a five-minute discussion at the next den meeting. Go around the group and ask each Scout to name one thing they did to take care of the outdoors.

• Following the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace Principles For Kids: Cub Scouts review their ability to follow the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace Principles For Kids.

What do I need to bring on a Webelos campout?

Bring camping essentials like a tent, sleeping bag, water bottle, clothes for any weather, and your personal items. Your leader will give you a full list. See here for a suggested packing list.

Can parents join the Webelos campout?

Yes, according to BSA guidelines for Cub Scout camping, parents are encouraged to camp with Webelos.

What if I’ve never camped before?

That’s okay! Webelos Let’s Camp is designed to teach you how to camp. Your leaders and other Scouts will help you learn what to do.

How do I prepare for bad weather during a campout?

Always check the weather forecast before you go. Bring the right clothes and gear to stay dry and warm. Your den leader will teach you how to handle different weather situations.

Why do I need to learn how to build a fire?

Learning to build a fire is important for cooking and keeping warm safely. It’s also a key skill for emergencies.

What are the ethical guidelines for camping?

Always follow the Outdoor Code and the Leave No Trace principles. This keeps you and nature safe.

How do I pick a good spot to set up my tent?

Look for flat, dry ground away from trees and water. Make sure it’s safe from wind and not in a low area that could flood.

Before any activity, check the SAFE Checklist to make sure everyone is safe. Everyone involved in Scouting America activities should know the Guide to Safe Scouting and other relevant guides or books. Also follow any state or local rules that are more strict than Scouting America rules and guidelines.

Review Age Appropriate Guidelines for Scouting Activities before camping.

When camping:

• BALOO training is required for a pack overnighter. At least one registered adult leader attending must complete BALOO training, which includes an online prerequisite and an overnight hands-on session. This training covers Cub Scout camping policies and necessary tools for a successful camp. Check with your local council for upcoming BALOO training dates.
• Complete the online “Hazardous Weather” training module on my.scouting. If you have already finished den leader, Cubmaster, or pack committee chair training online, you have completed this module.
• Watch the Weather Related Safety Moment video.
• Review the Guide to Safe Scouting for camping.
• If building a campfire, review Behavior Around Campfires.

Before starting this Adventure:

• Review the Food Allergies safety moment.
• Check each Cub Scout’s BSA Annual Health and Medical Record for any food allergies or restrictions.
• Ask if any den members, youth or adults, have religious or cultural dietary concerns.
• If someone carries an EpiPen for severe allergies, ensure at least one other adult knows how to use it. Review the Safety Moment on anaphylaxis to learn more.
• Review the Keep Your Food Safe guide to properly store and prepare food.

More information

The Webelos Let’s Camp adventure is a fun and educational experience for Webelos Scouts. It’s part of the Cub Scouts program and focuses on outdoor skills and environmental stewardship. This adventure prepares Scouts for more advanced outdoor activities they will encounter in Scouts BSA.

During the adventure, Webelos take part in a campout with their den, pack, or family. They learn how to plan a camping trip, choose a campsite, and set up a tent without adult help. This builds independence and teamwork skills. They also practice identifying weather hazards and creating a safe plan to handle them, which teaches them about safety and preparedness.

Another key part of the adventure is learning to build a fire safely. Webelos use tinder, kindling, and fuel wood to build a teepee fire lay. They learn the importance of fire safety rules and how to extinguish a fire with minimal impact on the environment. Tying knots is also covered, with a focus on the bowline knot, known for its reliability and ease of untying.

The adventure emphasizes respect for nature through the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace Principles for Kids. Webelos recite these principles from memory, ensuring they understand their importance. After the campout, they share how they followed these guidelines, reinforcing their commitment to protecting the outdoors.

The Webelos Let’s Camp adventure is an opportunity for young Scouts to gain valuable skills, learn about environmental responsibility, and have a great time exploring the great outdoors.