Exploration of ways to deliver a boy scout summer camp experience for troops while staying safe this summer.
Show Notes:
Transcript:
With so many councils canceling their summer camp program in the summer of 2020 I though it would make a good discussion topic to talk about a summer camp staycation. We had done this a few years back in out troop, where we would go to a traditional summer camp in August, but in June we would do a Troop centric summer camp experience.
For those out there conspiring on how to bring a summer camp experience to your scouts this summer, this might help it along.
The keys to a staycation summer camp is activity and participation. It’s very easy to think that because scouts will complete merit badges at a summer camp that you can just load up a day’s schedule with merit badges like in a classroom. While this may work for a day, doing this for 3 or 4 days is not going to work out so well for you.
Kids get bored; they need constant interaction to keep things flowing.
When we planned this we sat down and mapped out the scheduled first. Polling the leaders we planned for there to be at least two leaders on site, and the others were able to cycle out. Doing this we planned for seven days.
Which included one two-night camping trip and activity sessions each day. For the activity days we priced them individually so scouts could choose to attend or not based on other things going on, and have them sign up in advance so we could plan and schedule.
As part of the entire week we set up four merit badge sessions to be held on the weekend. Two were for everyone and two the scouts could choose one or the other.
We had Cit in the community and Scholarship set up as main sessions and Game Design and ePrep as the other two , one of which the scouts would choose.
During the week we started on a Wednesday, with a GeoCaching followed by lunch and a movie. Thursday we planned rock climbing, lunch and a local farm tour. Friday to Sunday was our camping days with the merit badges planned plus a hike.
On Monday, we had planned Orienteering, swimming at one of our Committee Members personal pool and a lunch BBQ.
For the last day, Tuesday, we started early with Breakfast out, attended a town board meeting, and met with out local town representative followed by lunch and Archery.
Now, of course, this was a while back and some of these activities might be closed, or not available, but the general theme was something active, and something passive, so it made the day go smoothly.
In anticipation of these activities we signed up or were merit badge councilors for appropriate activities.
Other options given the current climate might be to set up a movie screen in someone’s backyard, cooking competitions, more elaborate hiking, or even a socially distanced service project.
The key to it is in the planning. You could spend the whole week working on a merit badge such as Cycling or Hiking where there are multiple multi-part hikes or rides. Focus on Astronomy, or something more expansive you might not be able to do at a summer camp regardless of the climate.
One of the things that this whole socially distanced experience has shown is that there is a world of resources, with plenty of knowledgeable people out there willing to help via video conference.
So, while you might not be able to visit with your local representative in person, having them attend a 15-minute videoconference may be possible. It’s not out of the realm of possibility to get an astronaut on video, or scientist, or personal trainer, or historian or others that fit into the theme of what you are doing, but first you need a plan and then reach out. You never know, you might be pleasantly surprised.
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 was staycation summer camp.
