The idea is simple: to get Cub Scouts ready for being Boy Scouts, they spend a weekend as a small patrol as for-the-weekend Boy Scouts with an actual scout leading them through the weekend’s activities.

“Parents, you will only see your children in the morning at breakfast, in the afternoon at lunch, in the evening at dinner, and when it’s time to go to bed. We want to begin building a sense of independence in these kids,” the camp leader explained Friday night.

So as to what the Boy actually did, I’m a little clueless. Which is not to say I don’t know what activities he did. He shot a pellet gun, learned how to make a fire, cooked cobbler over a campfire, went on a hike, and a few other things. But as to what that actually looked like, I really don’t know. I saw him here and there throughout the day, but mostly, I left him alone with his patrol and its Boy Scout leader.

And this is why I have no pictures of him doing these things: I was out hiking or reading or grading papers.

In the evening, as with all scout camps, there was a variety show of sorts. The kids put on various skits, including the scout classic “Important Papers.”

“Do you have my important papers?” Scout hands the boy papers. “No! Not these!” The next scout comes up and the main actor asks again, “Do you have my important papers?” Scout hands the boy papers. “No! Not these!” Repeat for as many times as necessary until there’s one scout who comes with a roll of toilet paper. “Yes! These are my important papers!” We’ve seen it done every camp, which is probably one of the reasons why the leaders have to approve each skit — to prevent every patrol from doing the “Important Papers” favorite.

The upshot — we got little sleep but E had a fantastic time and was eager to go again.