A Parent's Guide to Summer Camp

[slontwovvy]

I would always recommend First Aid, then maybe Mammal Study, and then a handicraft type badge. I would have no qualms with putting your son in Rifle. I've found that the guidelines usually are for the normal Scout, one who does not have any experience in the field. If your son has gone hunting before, or if he has Hunter Safety, he is going to be at a large advantage. Sign him up!

 

As for the First Year Program (at my camp it's Eagle Challenge, or EC), I've really never seen the use for it. If the troop does a good job teaching Scout skills it should never be necessary.

 

Also, if there is an instructional swim period (there is at most camps, from my experience) you could use that to make your son feel more comfortable in the water.

[ScouterPaul]

Advice please. We will be leaving for camp on June 16. We are a new troop consisting of only 11 year old Scouts, all of which will be attending summer camp. We have signed them up for the new Scout program which runs 3 hours per day, with two sessions per day. We have also signed them up for three merit badge sessions. The chose the badges that they wanted to take. Are we filling their day with to much school like activity? I want their experience to be good.

 

Thanks

 

Paul

[jmcquillan]

ScouterPaul,

 

That really depends on what the camp offers for program. I'd say that what your Scouts are signed up for is about as much as they should be, no more, perhaps one badge less. But...check the daily camp program and see what other activities the Scouts might be able to involve themselves in as a "troop". The work part of camp is important, to be sure. But it should not take away from the opportunity to have fun. My experience is that it's always easier to drop a MB session than to add one, so you might leave things as they are for now, and check out the program at the first SMs meeting at camp, day one. Then you can sit with the Scouts and talk about other things they might be able to do. Let them be part of the decision making process.

 

[slontwovvy]

I'd always say to give them a free period, maybe one hour (usually in the afternoon) when they can go swimming or boating or shooting and just do things with others. Summer camp is more about having fun than earning merit badges, every camp counselor is told. The former leads to the latter.

[ScouterPaul]

Thanks for the advice.

All 6 Scouts have been scheduled with the same open period - 4:30. They can participate in open swimming, archery or rifle. They have free time from 4:30 until Dinner at 6:30.

 

Paul

[dancinfox]

I allways have my new scouts do one merit badge and the FYC program. I review with them and my assistants the requirements they have remaining for their ranks thru First Class and we work on them in our campsite during the week, ie: Flag Raising, lashing, etc. I feel that the leaders can teach these requirements better one on one that in a setting of 30 or 40 boys.

[denver4und@aol.com]

Hello. In my troop we require all new scouts (never before at summercamp and not 1st class rank) to go to the new scout program (always called something different at every camp).

 

In addition, every new scout is required to take First Aid and Swimming MB's.

 

If they have time to schedule something more, they can, but usually do not. I encourage free time!

 

This year we had 34 boys at camp, 16 new scouts. They all completed the new scout program, and all earned first aid and swimming mb's. In addition 5 earned additional MB's.

 

Those who chose to do more we encouraged to "fun" items, like leatherwork, art, painting, astronomy, rifle shooting, archery. They finished most of them.

 

As for reserving rifle shooting for 3d year campers, I would disagree. Most boys can't wait to shoot. The program works for all ages, and unlike shotgun, the 22's have virtually no kick and most camps now shoot from seated benches. They may not get the MB (sometimes a kid just doesn't shoot well enough to get the points), but they all have fun.

 

Why do we require the new scout program, 1st Aid and Swimming? In my experience I want to get new scouts into the troop program asap. I lose fewer scouts, and the scouts have more fun if they can do what the troop is doing. So, if they've have the new scout program, they can cook, they can tie knots, they can use an ax and saw, they can use their pocketknife. In short, they have the basics to go camping.

 

With 1st Aid and Swimming they are also safe on our outings. We may not be boating, but were there's a boy there's almost always water they can get into, even if not planned. So I want to know they are at least swimmers. No matter where we go, we're scouting. Accidents can happen. Having everyone with 1st aid means that between them, they should be able to get help and do the right thing at the outset.

 

Our troop camps every month, year around. I never end up telling a scout that he's "too young" to do the activity, regardless of the activity.

 

Finally, a word about accomplishment. I tell parents that their son will have a great summer camp and do all he needs to do even if he never earns a single merit badge. Scouting shouldn't be about "up or out" like the Army. Its about fun. A boy having fun will naturally gravitate to stuff he likes and enjoys and will advance. A boy worried about pleasing mom or dad by checking off a list of mb's isn't evening seeing the camp around him -- he may as well be at work. As a result, our troop routinely averages 4 mb's per scout at camp, and always have one or two who "just had fun" and didn't get any mb's.

 

thanks, jim

[Idaho-SM]

We just returned from summer camp at Camp Meriwether, on the Oregon coast. We took two boys who had never seen the ocean. Most of our boys went with the usual goal of trying to earn 5-6 merit badges.

At the end of the week, our scouts averaged only 2 merit badges per scout. There were too many things going on. And that was a good thing. All of our boys spent a lot of time on the beach, building sand castles, burying each other, etc. They also visited the other program areas, such as Black Powder, Frontiersman, and the Campcraft area. These boys had much more fun this year, than they did last year, when they averaged almost 5 merit badges per Scout.

The point to remember is that if the Scouts earn a lot of badges, but did not take time to enjoy the experience, they will not be coming back many more times. Those boys who enjoy the experiences will remember those days fondly, and will make every effort to return, year after year.

[eagle90]

Idaho - Sounds like you had the perfect summer camp. The most important thing is that the kids had FUN. Too many times that is lost in the hub-bub of merit badges, first year programs, etc. You can bet these boys will be back and will be the best advertising you will have for next year!