For a hike or outing the Cub Scouts bring their 6 essentials. If you talk to a lot of people about hiking you’ll get some different ideas about what’s necessary to carry. The Boy Scouts of America say you need 10 particular items. But not all of those items work for elementary school age kids. The youngest boys don’t need pocket knives. They can’t read compasses (we’d love to get them using compasses and maps though). We don’t allow young cub scouts to start fires. And most of them have only seen a map on their parent’s GPS in the car. Other groups have similar lists. For the cub scouts we use a good list of the basics needed and we use it to get them thinking ahead about their day and needs.
The Cub Scout 6 essentials for a hike are:
- First Aid
- A flashlight or light source
- Water (all the kids now seem to have hydroflasks)
- Food (we’re taking snacks, not coolers)
- Sun Protection (hat or sunblock, etc)
- A whistle (for calling for help)
Choosing the 6 essentials
Most of this is pretty common sense. Adults might talk about these items in terms of emergencies, so you bring a flashlight incase you are stuck out at night. For us in cub scouts we’re concerned about safety and we’re also thinking about the kids. Learning to be prepared on their own for their day to day activities is important. We talk about the 6 essentials for a hike and we’re also hoping that this reminds them to have their school bag packed or not forget their water bottle when they go off to school each day. That they can do this on their own so that when parents ask about those things the kids can confirm they are ready.
We don’t look at this list as a checklist that they have to strictly obey. Sunblock lotion is on the graphic above and on some versions of the list. But you might not need sunblock and use a floppy hat instead. It’s still sun protection. The list says “Food” so the cubs should bring a snack with them, just in case they get hungry. They’re not bringing hiking meals that need to be cooked or food for an entire day. When we go on an outing our adult leaders bring a first aid kit. Kids with special medical needs will want to bring any inhalers or medicine that’s particular to them. Their parents might carry that sort of thing.
But the cubs should also take on some responsibility even if it’s just carrying Band-Aids or hand sanitizer with them. This again gets them thinking about what they need before they run out the door. It prevents them from relying on parents or relying hoping that they have what they need when they need it.
The list doesn’t include changes of clothes or extra clothing for rain and the like. You’ll find that sort of thing on adult checklists for hiking and camping and of course you need it. But for children of cub scouting age, they don’t need an exhaustive list. And we don’t want to encourage them thoughtlessly checking items off a list. So instead ask them about the weather. Look up the day’s weather with them. Ask them what they think they might need. That turns getting ready into a (really small) activity between each other, which is great.
Carrying the 6 essentials
All these items could perhaps fit in your pockets. For a short outing you might need less and for a longer outing you might need more. Our cub scouts don’t need hiking backpacks or anything like that. Even their school bookbags are heavier, bigger, and more clunky than is needed, but that’s up to you. The cubs generally are happy to pack a bag, it’s fun for them.
What’s the point?
Knowing what the 6 essentials are and coming to an outing prepared with them are part of the advancement requirements within the various cub scout ranks. Knowing that they should pick a hiking ‘buddy’, who they stay next to and who stays next to them, ensures that the cubs won’t be on their own and is also one of their advancement requirements. We hope that learning this now results in them reflexively look out for each other beyond cub scouting.
Bringing the 6 essentials to our hikes and outings should help the cubs get ready for longer family trips and school outings. It’s a great resource and tool to help the kids develop their own personal responsibility.
