Summer Camp Merit Badges

[Twocubdad]

Spent three hours every morning this year working with first year campers teaching Tenderfoot skills, and at least part of every afternoon helping kids with wood carving. I didn't really feel hostile to advancement.

 

Everything in proportion. Grinding our merit badge classes from 8:00am to 4:00pm is not proportional.

[Venividi]

twocubdad,

 

I like your approach and keeping things in balance.

 

Two of my most disheartening experiences were:

 

1) a conversation with a SM where I asked how summer camp went, and the response was something like "Great! The boys earned XXX(quantity) MB's during the week!" Sure, there were other good things, but his first thought was the number of MB's the kids earned. I was surprised that a SM would even know the total quantity earned, let alone be interested in it, and have it be the first response to said question.

 

2) Attending a Court of Honor where the scouts that earned the most merit badges were recognized and praised.

 

People may talk that there are 8 methods, but one of them frequently is the trump card. Adults like quantitative measurements, and number of MB's is as quantitative as one can get.

[SeattlePioneer]

 

 

 

That's my theory of Eagle Mills --- they are designed by adults to be the most efficient way to carry a boy into the Eagle's nest.

 

Could be other explanations too, but I think that's a primary motivation.

 

 

[trainerlady]

The summer camp our troop attends is so wrapped up in MB classes that is brags about offering 51 badges, according to the CD the most of any camp in the region. A troop can't make honor troop unless 75% of youth attendees are taking at LEAST 4 or more MBs. Troops have to have at least 25% of adults in camp volunteer to teach MB classes while in camp to make honor troop as well.

 

This was my first year at this camp (just moved up from Cubs), I was not impressed with the MB mill atmosphere. On day one of classes, an instructor told a group of kids beside the class I was sitting in on that he didn't care if they had their pre-reqs done or not, he wasn't going to check them. He then proceeded to tell them that the camp didn't have the budget or equipment to actually do the badge properly so they'd have to pretend. They'd use sticks and tape to make the needed models for model design MB.

 

Through out the week we were there classes were fast tracked, requirements left out, and everyone got all the badges they were signed up for. Every Eagle required badge was offered that week. I know 2 kids from another troop got signed off for personal fitness. Heard them talking at the showerhouse while waiting that 15 minutes of creative spreadsheet making got them a 90 day badge. What a shame!

 

I can see why none of our older scouts go to this camp and want no part of it after 2-3 years.

 

IMHO, get rid of Eagle badges at camp, limit the number offered each year and roatate the offerings each year. Have a 3-4 year rotation of badges in each area. Keep them coming back each year because there'll be "new" badges next year. Schedule everyone a sesion at shooting sports, at the waterfront, a fun craft session (us Moms really like a 'I thought of you present'), add in a hike and general goof off time.Just my thoughts.

[Oak Tree]

The reason I try to steer people towards the more outdoorsy badges is that they generally have more fun. There are only so many times most boys have the opportunity to do archery, or small-boat sailing, or orienteering. Aquatics and shooting sports are especially popular, and Scouts may get carried away with trying to line up Eagle classes but not actually enjoy camp.

 

Nevertheless, after a few years of camp, they pretty much know what they are getting into, so I'll let them sit in class if they want to.

 

So I wouldn't say I'm hostile to the Eagle classes, just that I think there are better options to be done while at camp.

[CalicoPenn]

Yep - advancement is a method. But from the sounds of it, some summer camps are so geared towards advancement and merit badges that other methods get short shrift. What about Leadership Development? What about Personal Growth? What about Outdoor Programs?

 

As a lad, my troop went to a camp that offered both one and two week sessions. Half the troops in the camp were there for 2 weeks. We were there for 2 weeks. The typical number of merit badges that we earned during those two weeks was 4. Yep - 4. That's 2 per week - though most of us started all 4 at the same time - and just took our time getting them. Camp was taken up with so many other things that sometimes we just didn't have time to go to "merit badge classes" - but that was ok to, because there weren't "merit badge classes". There was one opening meeting at the beginning, and then you worked at your own pace with your counselor. There would be opportunities that came up - like bog hikes - that you might do with a counselor for a badge, but most of the time, you did the requirements at your own pace and met with your counselor when you needed to. It wasn't unheard of for a counselor to speak to one Scout about a soil project and another Scout about an insect collection 15 minutes later. Program areas were open in the morning for merit badge work only, and not scheduled by merit badge classes. In the afternoon, the nature center was closed (because the counselors were leading bog hikes or troops on hikes through the property), the waterfront was either open swim, or scheduled troop swims, the archery, rifle and shotgun ranges were open periods (and reservable for troop shoots in the evening).

 

On any given day, troops were leaving right after breakfast for a raft trip down the Wolf River, or were coming back from an overnight across the road at the camps horse ranch. The only program area that had anything resembling a scheduled class was the waterfront - where rowboating was offered from 9-10, canoeing from 10-11, motor boating from 2-3 and sailing from 3-4 - but you didn't have to go to all the classes, and they were pretty free flowing - the instructor ready to help Scout A with a J-stroke and Scout B with swamping.

 

It might be announced that the scouts taking pioneering had an opportunity to build a tower in the afternoon, and that anyone should feel free to come even if they aren't taking the merit badge - more people who hadn't intended taking pioneering ended up getting pioneering because the opportunity was open to all and once that was done, well, heck, may as well do the rest.

 

If you just wanted to hang in camp all afternoon and read - that was just fine too - but most of the time, we found things to do. Bobby might come back to camp and say he's going fishing, anyone want to come along? There was always something to do without having camp so structured that all you did was merit badge work.

 

I went on the bog hike one afternoon for a merit badge. I can't remember which merit badge I took the hike for - but I remember the bog hike. I took the bog hike 3 years in a row and didn't need to the 2nd and 3rd year. I took it because it was fun, and I learned a lot about pitcher plants and sundews and bogs.

 

When we came home and our parents asked us what we did, it was those things that stood out - bog hikes, watching the stars, sailing the big boat, building a tower, fishing before breakfast, doing 14 mile swims in one camp session, horse ranch overnights, raft trips. If your lads are coming home and only remembering the merit badges they earned, and the classes they had to sit in on, then, in my opinion, the camp is doing it wrong.

[shortridge]

Calico, I am going to print up your post and frame it. Thanks.

[acco40]

My oldest son attended summer camp seven times! The only Eagle MB offered were swimming, camping and enviromental science. Environmental Science required quite a bit of precamp work by the Scout. The counselors were adequate to mediocre.

 

My youngest son attended a Trail to Eagle camp (as well as five summer camps) which offered ALL of the Eagle required MBs. It was staffed by adults who were superb. The purpose of the camp was to motivate boys along the path to Eagle. It was longer than summer camp too by a day or two.

[Basementdweller]

2cubs said "and EPrep is on my hit list to bring in-house. Otherwise required MBs take individual effort, one-on-one with a troop counselor. "

 

IMO this is just as bad as doing it at summer camp. Sounds like a Eagle mill kinda attitude.

[Venividi]

Interesting comment, basementdweller, as the MB program was intended to be a mentorship between an adult knowledgeable in the subject and a scout. Imagine if you will an EMT as a counsellor that can bring enthusiasm to a one on one relationship, hold counselling sessions at an emergency facility, etc. vs. a summer camp setting with 12 - 20 students.

[shortridge]

I believe Basement may have been referring to the "troop counselor" part. The trend of MBCs saying "I only want to be a counselor for Troop X" has been growing. It allows boys to not have any contact with adults from other parts of the district or council, which I think ultimately hurts their experience.

 

It also allows the troop to completely control the entire advancement process - which I think is the goal for many misguided SMs out there.

[moosetracker]

Yeah, I have always been an MBC for anyone, but I really only had scouts from my troop approach me. Since I left the troop, now going on 3 years, those from the troop who come to me have been slowly fading as new scouts now don't know me anymore.

 

Now, my husband and son & Daughter-in-law do get outside troop requests for the swimming / lifesavings MB's as there are few in counsel who can teach them as you need to be Swimming Instructor certified to be an MBC for those. I would imagine the shooting sports are similar, although maybe less so as they are an elective.

 

But the scouts tend to go to people they know, and troops don't encorage them to expand their horizions..

[jtswestark]

What a great luxury to have Moose! My experiences is there aren't enough MB counselors on the roster to support many boys to be picky only using someone you know, much less the quality of EXPERT that some here demand.

[moosetracker]

Well, I don't think most troops do push that level of EXPERT.. Ours did not..

 

True are citizenships are usually done by lawyers (we have two)..

We have a fireman & nurse in our troop (and I hear the head of ER to our hospital whose son just crossed over).. so first aid & Emergancy prep and some other items are covered.

Rest of my family took anything water related as they all got Red Cross Life Saving & Swim Instuctor..

We had a high rank officer in the National Guard doing the physical fitness & emergancy prep until he left the troop.

 

Me, I am more low key.. I took Computers, being a programmer, Family Life due to my Psychology & Sociology Major, plus personal interest still in the subject.. And Art due to personal interest..

 

Most MBC's in our troop are more low key also in our troop, with just an interest in a subject matter, or due to normal average common place type of knowledge due to their normal average everyday type of job..

 

And I think that is average for most troops. Can you know ALL the merit badge subject?? No.. Do you have personal interest or your job brings you in general knowledge of 5 or so MB.. Yes, I think most people can find at least 5 MB that they could be a counselor for.

[Basementdweller]

I am driving a group of scouts who are working on rifle shooting to the mbc who is an hour and a half drive from us. The only one list in the council mbc list that would council them all the others would only council their troop members.

 

Selfish selfish selfish is all a gotta say.