Need some more ideas - Teaching moments

[still learning]

I got to meet an effective lady this winter who is a Scoutmaster and is Scoutmaster of a National Jamboree Troop as well. She had a few ideas about teaching opportunities and Summer Camp. I am not a neat freak myself but our tents during camp often (really often) are the same mess that the guys rooms tend to be at home. She talked about having a low level competition with a small prize for the "best" this or that as she chose, per week, with that Scout earning a prize. I spoke with my SPL and ASPL about that tonight at our precamp meeting. Now I thought I would post here for the first time trolling for some wisdom, experience and suggestions.

[johndaigler]

still learning, WELCOME!

 

Adult leader's desserts make great prizes - keep the competition lighthearted and humorous.

 

If the campsite is neat, safe and organized, why worry about the insides of their tents?

 

jd

[SemperParatus]

Welcome.

 

Neat tents? We try and set the expectation that tents should be kept relatively neat. Each day, our SPL and PLs hold tent inspections prior to leaving camp for breakfast and the day's activities. They are not grueling (20+/- tents are inspected in less than 5 minutes), merely a reminder to keep things looking presentable since tent flaps are rolled back most of the day. Invariably, there are one or two scouts that do not understand the concept of storage and neatness. In such cases, the PL works with the scout and by Wed he usually has it together. We offer no rewards, since it is considered a basic housekeeping chore.

[still learning]

Thanks for the replys. Light and humorous is always the case. We have begun canoe camping because we can, I'm overweight and my knees reflect that choice. We live near a LOT of water and our first saltwater trip reflected our learning curve. We did fine, had a really great time and all of us realized we could, of course, improve our packing (everything in garbage bags, lots of garbage bags). Beginning to look toward improvement is a mind set that leads to a teaching opportunity. If we can get our trip together this Fall, we can float our local lovely river but we need to have our acts together. . We can think about how we camp and how we pack our canoes AND how we keep our campsite. Again this is more about attitude because so many of their skills are already in place. (I'm really proud to be around these young men!) Camp is a place to practice many things, mental and physical. still learning

[evmori]

When we are at summer camp, we are inspected by the camp commissioner staff three times during the week. Our SPL inspects tents daily to make sure they are neat. Remember, a Scout is clean. I don't think there should be rewards for meeting a point of the Scout Law. Maybe there should be consequences for not meeting it.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10