STUTTGART, Germany -- Chimps and dogs have been a part of the space program for years, but tigers, wolves and bears'
No, it's not a top secret Space Shuttle Discovery mission, but the Stuttgart Cub Scout Twilight Camp.
Six dens of Tigers, Wolves, Bears and Webelos Cub Scouts attended the "space camp" at the Panzer Local Training Area Aug. 19-20 from 4-8 p.m.
"Our theme is 'Scouts in Space,'" said Gloria von Fahnestock, the camp program director. "We tried to put a celestial spin to everything."
"Everything" included crafts, Scout skills, games, fitness activities, archery and a BB gun range.
Sixty-four Scouts in first through fifth grade rotated between four "planets," or stations, to partake in the activities.
While making Alka Seltzer rockets, star spinning tops and constellation maps from soda cans, the Scouts, unbeknownst to them, were learning lessons about Cub Scouting's core values.
"Cooperation is one of the 12 Scout values," said von Fahnestock. The campers learned to work together toward a common goal, whether it was gathering wood for a camp fire, building a shelter or "blasting off" to another "planet.'
"Everything they do at camp is team-oriented," she said.
The boys also got a healthy dose of social development. Scouts from Packs 44 and 324 (the local Stuttgart packs) were integrated at the camp, allowing the boys to meet new people. "It broadens their horizons. A Scout should be able to work with anyone," said von Fahnestock. It also helped parents to get to know one another, she added.
But the camp wasn't all about character building. Scouts learned to shoot BB guns and sharpen their archery skills.
These activities are restricted to day camps and become the highlight of the camp, said Range Master Michael Merchant.
"Every year when we start the camp, we always hear 'we want to shoot bows and arrows, and BB guns,'" he said. "They're boys. If they can make it, shoot, toss or fling it - they want to make it fly."
Safety comes first, however, and it's one of Camp Director Cindy Merchant's main concerns. "The goal of the camp is to provide a quality, fun, educational and most importantly, safe environment," said Merchant, a Girl Scout herself for 27 years.
She is responsible for ensuring that the camp meets 63 standards that dealing with administration, sanitation, staff training and programming. If the camp fails the standards, it gets closed down.
When asked whether the hardest job was meeting 63 standards or supervising 64 youngsters, Merchant replied, "Corralling the kids is the easy part."
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