{"alias":"newsItem","byline":"","standfirst":"Struggling to keep the kids entertained over weekends or during the school holidays? You may not have thought about hosting a camp before, but a series of activities and snacks could be just what you need to get everyone spending time together and learning new skills \u2013\u00A0unusual sleeping arrangements optional.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/7135/screen-shot-2020-06-27-at-113901.png","width":1952,"height":1092,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EAt Scouts, camps often have a theme to tie all of the fun and adventure together. UFOs are a natural choice: as adventurers who can often be found outdoors, it makes sense that Scouts would be tied into the history of UFO-spotting. And Scouts love space \u2013 it comes as no surprise that the majority of those who\u2019ve walked on the Moon have been Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe good news is that we\u2019ve done the planning for you. Buckle in and prepare for take-off as we dive into UFO tales and find out how you can tie together activities and treats to host your very own out of this world camp. Just try not to get abducted by aliens.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAll about UFOs\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOne of the most intriguing UFO sightings on record involved a Scout leader \u2013 D.S. \u2018Sonny\u2019 DesVergers. Picture the scene: it\u2019s a hot, sticky night in Florida, August 1952. D.S. \u2018Sonny\u2019 DesVergers staggers from a dense palmetto grove, burned and barely able to speak or see. When pressed, he says he came across an unidentified flying object and it discharged a fireball at him, causing his injuries. There are no other witnesses, and the case is never solved. Spooky, right?\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018UFO\u2019 is an abbreviation for the US Air Form\u2019s term \u2018unidentified flying object\u2019 and refers to any moving object in the sky that you can\u2019t readily\u0026nbsp;recognise. In the military, it doesn\u2019t usually mean that the object comes from space, and some areas of the Ministry of Defence prefer the term UAP (unidentified aerial phenomena) to avoid any alien connotations.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThere\u2019s good news and bad news if you\u2019re interested in learning more about historical UFO sightings. Official reporting, analysis and recording of sightings began in the early 1950s, but until 1967, the Ministry of Defence destroyed their UFO files every five years, so lots of records have been lost. Since 1970, however, most surviving files have been reviewed for eventual release by The National Archives. There are already a huge number of files that you can access \u2013 you can \u003Ca href=\u0022http://nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/ufo-highlights-guide-2013.pdf\u0022\u003Eview the highlights\u003C/a\u003E online.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EUFO sightings increased after the second world war, and there are a few theories on why this happened. The more \u2019grounded\u2019 theories talk about widespread trauma, a mass fear of invasion, and that our improved attempts at f\u003C/span\u003Elying in the atmosphere of Earth (aeronautics) and surrounding\u0026nbsp;space\u0026nbsp;(astronautics) made people realise other life forms might be capable of the same thing. The first jet plane flew in 1939, after all, and just three years later, so did the first rocket that could touch space. Of course, three years after that, an American B-29 bomber dropped the world\u2019s\u0026nbsp;first\u0026nbsp;deployed\u0026nbsp;atomic bomb\u0026nbsp;over Hiroshima, Japan, killing 80,000 people instantly.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESome people believe that distant solar systems took note that the human race was now capable of mass destruction and that this threat required increased surveillance. Hence, more visits from alien spaceships. We\u2019ll leave it up to you to decide what you believe.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EUFOs today \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s easy to presume that UFOs are more of an American thing, but it\u2019s not the case. We have plenty of sightings in the UK too.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESince the 1600s, Warminster \u2013 a town on the edge of Salisbury Plain, a top military training area in Wiltshire \u2013 has seen a supposed frenzy of UFO activity. The number of sightings is so great that Warminster has its very own designated National Reporting Centre for UFOs. Warminster is close to the mysterious Stonehenge, a World Heritage site consisting of a ring of massive stones dating back to around 3100BC. Sightings here have included a large \u2018flying saucer\u2019 hovering above the stones, and strange patterns appearing in nearby fields. Some people believe that aliens built Stonehenge, and that the area is a landing pad for their spaceships or a location marker for them to find their way back to Earth.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Welsh Triangle, named after the similarly strange Bermuda Triangle, saw a wave of UFO sightings in 1977. In February, 14 schoolchildren in Broad Haven claimed to have all seen a spaceship in a field by their school, accompanied by an alien in a silver suit. Nobody believed them, so they submitted a petition to the local police asking for the incident to be investigated. When their headmaster separated them and asked them to draw what they saw, their pictures were strikingly consistent. Nearby, in April the Coombs family claimed a 7ft spaceman in silver appeared at their window, and a hotel owner in Little Haven wrote to her MP after spotting a UFO and aliens similar to those described by the Broad Haven schoolchildren. The MP escalated the matter and an RAF officer was sent to investigate. He left mystified, and the case was never solved.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFor almost a decade, Dudley has experienced multiple sightings of the \u2018Dudley Dorito\u2019, a dark triangle-shaped aircraft with lights on each corner and sadly, no cheesy coating. First seen by a dog walker in 2007, it\u2019s usually silent, very slow, and is said to be four or five times larger than a plane. There are multiple photos and videos of the object, and some people claim that it\u2019s an experimental military vehicle. The military have yet to confirm (or deny) this.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile you might not be able to hop onto a train to visit the UK\u2019s UFO hotspots right now, you can find plenty of stories (and photos) online to inspire your activities. Why not great creative and re-enact a sighting or craft the scene? No prizes for guessing what you could use to turn Dudley\u2019s UFO into an edible creation.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EActivities\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe obvious star attraction for a UFO camp is UFO spotting \u2013\u0026nbsp;all you need is your binoculars. We\u2019re not saying you won\u2019t spot a UFO, but you might want to use a map or live app to show everything else you could look out for\u0026nbsp;while you wait\u0026nbsp;\u2013 it\u2019s hard to feel disappointed when you\u2019re marvelling at the wonder of planets, stars, and other out of this world objects.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019ve got plenty of space-themed activities up our sleeves, so there\u2019s something for everyone. Create your own \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/fruit-salad-solar-system/\u0022\u003Efruit salad solar system\u003C/a\u003E, then get energised with a \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/cosmic-quest/\u0022\u003Ecosmic quest\u003C/a\u003E and prepare for a \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/mission-to-mars/\u0022\u003Emission to Mars\u003C/a\u003E. Older young people (or anyone who\u2019s feeling technical) could \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/telescopic-creations/\u0022\u003Ecraft telescopic creations\u003C/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/create-a-planetscape/\u0022\u003Ecreate a planetscape\u003C/a\u003E, and ask the big questions such as \u2018\u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/is-there-life-out-there/\u0022\u003EIs there life out there?\u003C/a\u003E\u2019.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThere are also a million ways to turn simple games into space-themed fun: grab a glow in the dark Frisbee for \u2018catch the flying saucer\u2019, or make your own \u2018pin the alien on the spaceship\u2019.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESnacks\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAsk anyone who\u2019s been on a camp with Scouts, and you\u2019ll probably find that some of their fondest memories involve food. Camps are a great chance to get creative, exploring ways to try new things and make snacks fun. The only limit is your imagination.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOne simple snack is to get a platter of crisps (those oval-shaped foil platters are great for this) and place a bowl of guacamole in the centre. Stick two green spoons into the bowl, and add googly eyes to the back of the spoons. Voila, alien invasion.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYou can also turn wraps into rockets by adding triangles of carrot, buttons made of cherry tomatoes, and flames of red and yellow peppers, \u003Cspan\u003Eand rice cakes into moons using slices of banana and Cheerios as craters. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAn easy and impressive space snack is to take yoghurt-covered pretzels and add icing to the two largest holes to make eyes. They\u2019ll bear a striking resemblance to everyone\u2019s favourite extra-terrestrial.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAn expert opinion\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe spoke to Scout Ambassador and astronaut, Tim Peake, to find out what he thinks about spotting intergalactic visitors.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFirst, the most important question: do you believe in aliens? \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYes! When you consider the vast expanse of the universe, the number of potentially habitable planets out there, and the relatively fast emergence of life on Earth some 3.5 billion years ago, I cannot imagine that life hasn\u2019t evolved elsewhere.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHave you ever seen a UFO?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019ve seen a few unidentifiable flying objects over my career as a pilot and astronaut, but none that acted so strangely that I considered they might be from another planet.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EApart from alien spaceships, what other things could we look for in the night sky?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe ISS (International Space Station) is a great starting point if you haven\u2019t already seen it. Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus are also easy to spot and, if you have access to some stabilised binoculars or a telescope, you could try to see how many of Jupiter\u2019s moons you can spot.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you wanted to spot flying objects (unidentified or otherwise) in the night sky, how would you go about it?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFirst, try and get to an area of low light pollution \u2013 you\u2019ll be amazed how much clearer the Milky Way appears. There are also some great apps that show you where to look for stars, planets and satellites (such as the ISS and Hubble telescope).\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFinally, what\u2019d you do if a spaceship landed and an alien got out?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EJump in! I\u2019d love to take an alien spaceship for a spin and see what it could do.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFeeling inspired? We\u2019d love to hear more about the space-themed fun you get up to. Tell us all about it by emailing us at \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022mailto:communications@scouts.org.uk\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Communications email\u0022\u003Ecommunications@scouts.org.uk\u003C/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"27 June 2020","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[],"id":48528,"nodeName":"How to have a UFO camp at home","title":"How to have a UFO camp at home","type":"newsItem","image":{"url":"/media/7135/screen-shot-2020-06-27-at-113901.png?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd0fc1c2f0","caption":"Screen Shot 2020 06 27 At 11.39.01","type":"png","size":4108332,"width":1952,"height":1092,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"How to have a UFO camp at home","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80ODUyOCJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2020/june/how-to-have-a-ufo-camp-at-home/"}