A ScoutmasterDave discussion on what to do when everything goes wrong and how to recover, and get back on track.
Show Notes:
- Easy Pop-Up Canopy Party Tent (Amazon)
Cover photo by Brian Patrick Tagalog on Unsplash
Transcript:
Sometimes things don’t go your way.
There are times when it’s going to be too hot, too cold, too rainy, your flashlight breaks, your food gets eaten by bears and half your troop gets sucked up into the mothership to take them back to their home planet.
The trick becomes how you deal with these incidents to make it transparent to the boys, resolvable by the troop or solvable by the scout.
To do this you need to prepare in advance. As ScoutMaster or assistant scoutmaster it’s important to get an idea of what can go wrong.
The first thing is always the weather.
Weather can be tricky, changing at the last minute. If you are planning on camping in the outdoors, you should have a general idea of what to do if it does rain or it’s excessively sunny. The best thing you can do is to bring some kind of sun shade/rain cover.
The type of cover is going to depend on your surroundings. If there are trees around, bringing rope and a tarp can be and easy and economical way to have an area that is protected. A central dining fly lets you cook and run program without being in the elements.
If you are in an area with no or few trees, you can get some dining fly poles, that can take the place of trees, you can also invest in a pop-up or two. These definitely take up more space than the tarp and rope, but it can save your program. Regardless of the troop gear you bring for the weather, scouts and adults should all have rain gear like ponchos. I personally have a nice rain suit to make it easier to move around, but I always keep a dollar store poncho in my pack. Plus we always have large garbage bags. Just poke some holes in it for a scout’s head and arms, and you’re good to go.
Sunburn is always a concern, and I have only met a few scouts thoughtful enough to bring some. Having a big bottle of it for the troop is also good practice. A small container of screen is another thing I keep in my pack.
Weather also has a cold weather extreme. For great tips on cold weather camping see video #25. As a general rule however I keep an extra tarp in my car, and during the season, travel with extra socks, fleece blanket and jackets.
In our troop each patrol is responsible for their own food. That being said, sometimes things don’t work out as expected. In the adult food I always keep an extra box of spaghetti and some soup base. In a pinch you can combine these ingredients with whatever is on hand and make a pretty tasty meal. And of course, I always plan for a little extra food.
I keep a lot of contingencies in my car, and in my pack for when things go wring, but this is another videocast all together.
Where you can have the scouts self correct, and help themselves. It’s always better, but it’s a leader’s responsibility to be prepared. But this is what works for us.
Take what you like and leave the rest, and as we say in Woodbadge, feedback is a gift, leave yours below in the comments, with the hope we can all learn together.
I’m Scoutmaster Dave, and this how to prepare for when everything goes to heck.
