Foo - American themed camp

I'm a cub scout leader in England, and the next camp we go on happens to be on 4th July, so we thought we'd do it American themed.

Just wondering if you guys had any ideas of stuff we could do? We're planning on having a kinda cowboy and indian theme because it's the one kids will have fun with the most, but we want proper American food of the time to go with it.

We're going to try making some proper burgers and some jerky over a fire, and pankakes for breakfast. That's obviously only one proper meal and snacks though.

Also what could we do to make our campsite American like? It's in quite a wooded area in a set or plataus. One of the other leaders works as a tree surgeon and is making us a totem pole. Beyond that though I'm kinda stuck for ideas.

Game wise we're just going to do standard team games like capture the flag, but have a cowboy team and an indian team.

We'll also be doing fire lighting and a bit of absailing and stuff, but there isn't really anyway that can be thememed.

So basically any ideas to make our camp as American feeling as possible would be good. All the stuff has got to be suitable for 8-10 year old kids though.

Thanks in advance.

would cowboys n injuns go down well in america?

would cowboys n injuns go down well in america?

I have no idea. It happened though and it's in the past now.

spam. marshmallows. bug juice.

approve of everything except spam.

4th of july? HOT DOGS! (or Brats if you wanna do it midwest style) Apple pie and baseball. Cook them dogs up on a pointed stick.

Go Spam if you're going for the Hawaiian side of America.

roasted buffalo?

I've a couple pounds of buffalo in the fridge. It shall be grilled, however.

All I can remember from Boy Scouting in the USA back in the day is orienteering, marching, making sassafras tea, snipe hunts and left-handed smoke shifters.

What on earth is absailing? Hopefully not the urban dictionary's definition...

A-ha, abseiling. got it.

Ooh, apply pie. Didn't think of that. Not sure how easy it is to cook pastry in a camp oven but we can give it a go.

I was wondering about getting proper buffalo meat but one of the other leaders is reckoning to just get normal beef but tell the kids it's buffalo.


All I can remember from Boy Scouting in the USA back in the day is orienteering, marching, making sassafras tea, snipe hunts and left-handed smoke shifters.

What on earth is absailing?

I think American Boy Scouts is quite different, although we do a bit of orienteering occasionally. Sorry, was meant to be abseiling. It's lowering yourself down something like a cliff using a rope.

Camp cooked apple pie would be tough indeed. We'd had apple fritters in camp on occasion, however.

approve of everything except spam.

then it's not an american themed scouting trip.

I suppose we could make them before hand and have them cold but that's more of a french thing.

http://usscouts.org/games/game_cf.asp

Build a Tee Pee.

Build a bow and arrow set.

How quickly can you learn to play guitar and memorize:

"Back In the Saddle Again"
"Cattle Call"
"Tumbling Tumbleweeds"?

Kids love spam, in my experience.

A snack that keeps them busy is good. Like s'more (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%27more)s.

Camp cooked apple pie would be tough indeed. We'd had apple fritters in camp on occasion, however.

http://www.outblush.com/women/images/2007/12/perfect-apple-pie-filling.jpg

plus

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Toast-3.jpg/220px-Toast-3.jpg

plus


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Rr2O8lSYL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Kids love this stuff.

When I was a kid, we camped extensively (every weekend in the summer + a full week here and there). So, being in America's Heartland, what did we do? Hmmm...

First, "Cowboys and Indians" is quite simply a stereotype of the midwest and plains, not to mention completely politically incorrect and archaic, but I digress...

Anyway, we used to make pies over the fire, sure. There are pie-making iron things that you can buy and put your own filling in. Very, very easy for that age group. (Yes, I see the post above me illustrates it exactly.)

Hiking and climbing, of course.

Being born and living in the USA for 32+ years, I have never seen a teepee or totum pole other than as decorations or in pictures.

Canoeing, hot dogs, brats, burgers not so much, playing music around a campfire for sure (on instruments, not a radio). Playing any type of game without the need for equipment, sneaking girls into the tent, shooting BB guns at anything that isn't alive, skinny dipping with cousins, arguing with siblings and friends, sitting in an a/c-equiped camping trailer, and that about covers it.

Have fun!

I've cooked pies with a fire before. Put it next to the fire on a rock, and turn it as it browns.

You could try a pot of chili, or baked beans. Hot dogs, Hamburgers, baked potatoes (just wrap in tinfoil and throw into the fire)...

Maybe you could target a neighboring campsite and attack it before they attack you? Then take their Goober jelly/peanut butter supply.

jim

Don't do the cowboy and indian theme. While authentic to the American child's experience, the white civilized people vs. red injun savage thing is a bit unenlightened.

For the cowboys chilli....made in a big iron pot over an open fire.
For the indians? the cowboys.
This is supposed to be cowboys and indians after all.

Make it easy camp out in a MacDonald's. That's America.

Just wondering what the problem with the cowboy and indian theme is? It's probably the funnest part of american history for a 8-10 year old kid to play with.

Just wondering what the problem with the cowboy and indian theme is? .

Look at this from the lens of history, not 50's era western genre movies.

So alot of white guys tried various ways to get rid of the indians and often lost people doing it?

There was a WWII themed camp on the same site as us last september with their own personal hitler and ss officer. No-one had any problem with it.

you are joking. you must be.

I'm a cub scout leader here in the US. (2010 is my final year since my son is finished this year)

I would recommend providing Native American lore and doing some native American crafts.

You can probably order project guides, supplies and kits from the Boy Scouts of America web site. http://www.scouting.org/

For an American summer game activity, you might want to teach the boys the basics of baseball, and have them play a game using a softball (or any suitable non-hardball baseball). Once they get a few hits, and make a few catches in the outfield, they'll wanting to keep playing all day.

Ghost stories around a campfire is a great way to end the day.

Look at this from the lens of history, not 50's era western genre movies.

+1
How about hauling an assload of supplies with archaic gear over thousands of miles (http://www.americanwest.com/trails/pages/oretrail.htm) of the roughest terrain with no bug repellent, modern medicine, and try to simply survive...without cell phones?


or right, just a weekend thing...then hot dogs it is.

I thought the UK already was an American-themed camp.


(ba-dum-tsh)

I'm a cub scout leader here in the US. (2010 is my final year since my son is finished this year)

I would recommend providing Native American lore and doing some native American crafts.

You can probably order project guides, supplies and kits from the Boy Scouts of America web site. http://www.scouting.org/

For an American summer game activity, you might want to teach the boys the basics of baseball, and have them play a game using a softball (or any suitable non-hardball baseball). Once they get a few hits, and make a few catches in the outfield, they'll wanting to keep playing all day.

Ghost stories around a campfire is a great way to end the day.

Wow Spike, great ideas in here. Might also look into dutch oven cooking if you want some authentic food. Many of the chuck wagon cooks of the cattle drive days relied on their dutch ovens.

There's nothing that Dutch cowboys couldn't handle.

Maybe you could target a neighboring campsite and attack it before they attack you? Then take their Goober jelly/peanut butter supply.

jim

There's the answer I was looking for :lol:

you are joking. you must be.

About the germans? Hell no. Hitler came into out main tent whilst we were having breakfast and started shouting at our cubs in fake german. They all got up and chased him down the field :)

Baseball might be a good idea. I'm not sure how to stop them getting confused about rounders having a different name though. Native american crafts would be fun, especially if I can find something they can then use in a later activity.

I've been thinking about having a game based around taking ribbons of peoples belts but keep it non contact. Try and relate it to the whole native american coup (sp?) things.

Also England isn't an American themed camp. America is English bible camp :p

Is there anything more main meal wise that is particulary american? Hot dogs and stuff will be fine for lunch, but we need something more for diner.

For food it seems there should be some way to add Jambalaya, and it's easy to cook over a fire. Mac/cheese is a good one too. If you're going to cover Indians/Native Americans, show some of their culture, not just as targets for the 6-shooter wielding cowboys.

omg..i'm in stitches. i can just see it. little hitlers goosestepping around the camp. imagine what the newspapers would have done with this story.

like that musical..springtime for hitler

You can do cowboys and rustlers. Very politically correct and still has the same sort of theme. For food think about, chili, hot dogs, baked beans, fried chicken, beef stew, meatloaf, strawberry shortcake, barbecue beef or pork ribs, macaroni and cheese, corn (maize) on the cob, mashed potatoes, potato salad, cole slaw, apple pie, root beer floats, chocolate sundaes, brownies or chocolate cake.

Is there anything more main meal wise that is particulary american? Hot dogs and stuff will be fine for lunch, but we need something more for diner.

Like Millcreek suggests --> meatloaf :thumb:

Tator tot hot dish. Maybe not a camping-type food, though. Heh.

Beanie-weenie or chili mac.

You really need to have a baseball game. Tell them it's just like cricket except you can bend your arm when you "bowl", you only have 90 degrees of fair ground rather than 360, there are 4 bases and if you hit the ball you have to run -- not just if you think you can make it, and games are supposed to end sooner than 5 days.

Tator tot hot dish. Maybe not a camping-type food, though. Heh.

He said boy scout camp, not Lutheran church supper.

♫ Baseball, Hotdogs, apple pie and a Chevrolet♫. ;) (From an old car ad here in Indiana)

Bring a generator, a big flat-panel TV, and a blu-ray player. Watch crappy TV and movies all night. It seems to be The American Way for most.

Seriously, sit around and eat meat most of the evening. That's what we do when we're camping. Meat, maybe with vegetables, followed by smores and hot chocolate.

Have everyone show up in one of these

http://www.rv-car.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/luxury-motor-coach_5.jpg

or one of these

http://www.grantsauto.net/friendship_070909162009_004.JPG

would cowboys n injuns go down well in america?

I was thinking the same thing!!!! No no really - very un PC.

The 4th of course, is a celebration of our victory over the british... so just a suggestion, stay away from those type of topics and just do what we do - a red, white and blue theme. Everyone where those colors and since they are also british colors, should be easy to do.

As to food: Lunch/dinner is typical - hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, baked beans, veggies and for desert ice cream or cake. Keep it simple. We do. Breakfast - well there really is no American breakfast unless you want to try grits and eggs (ugh!). eggs and bacon would probably be closest.

American campsites vary from the desert to dense woods - this is quite the large and diverse country don't ya know. And we do fire works for the 4th, maybe something you can't do. Our thing is just picnic and watch fire works. You can try camp games just as sack races, three legged races, pie eating contest etc.

Have fun!

I'm a cub scout leader here in the US. (2010 is my final year since my son is finished this year)

I would recommend providing Native American lore and doing some native American crafts.

You can probably order project guides, supplies and kits from the Boy Scouts of America web site. http://www.scouting.org/

For an American summer game activity, you might want to teach the boys the basics of baseball, and have them play a game using a softball (or any suitable non-hardball baseball). Once they get a few hits, and make a few catches in the outfield, they'll wanting to keep playing all day.

Ghost stories around a campfire is a great way to end the day.

This is perfect... and don't forget the "S'mores!"

The 4th of course, is a celebration of our victory over the british... so just a suggestion, stay away from those type of topics and just do what we do - a red, white and blue theme. Everyone where those colors and since they are also british colors, should be easy to do.


They call it "The American War of Independence", we call it "The Revolutionary War". I have a lovely pic from Leeds Castle of the first place I saw it mentioned.

It's interesting to see what we Americans think of ourselves. Although to be fair my first idea was to divide the kids in to two groups and have them play Congress, they could learn about the American brand of democracy and be convinced never to immigrate at the same time.

Best food idea:


For food think about, chili, hot dogs, baked beans, fried chicken, beef stew, meatloaf, strawberry shortcake, barbecue beef or pork ribs, macaroni and cheese, corn (maize) on the cob, mashed potatoes, potato salad, cole slaw, apple pie, root beer floats, chocolate sundaes, brownies or chocolate cake.

Best activity idea:


You really need to have a baseball game.

But I like the Cowboys and Rustlers game too, maybe bicycles could be the cows. Another source for ideas would be to telephone the U.S. Embassy and ask to speak to someone from the Cultural Attache's office. American diplomats might appreciate the refreshing challenge of entertaining and educating Cub Scouts, at a minimum they might be able to provide bats, balls, and gloves for a baseball game. If you really want to get their goat, tell them your Cub Scout troop issues a baseball game challenge to the Embassy personnel and the U.S. Marine Corps guards. Your kids won't win, but they'll have a lot of fun.

A lot of roadside campsites in the US advertise that they have cable TV hookups for RV's. It's a bit ridiculous.

Mushball is a low-equipment-requirement variation of baseball that could be done up easily with a bat and a somewhat deflated football (non-Ozzie, non-American variety, of course).
Even slow-pitch softball ain't too bad sans-gloves.
Whiffle ball is another fun possibility.