Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv

[LeCastor]

UPDATE: At the end of our Boy Scout break-out session at Roundtable last night, I read a few passages from this book that pertained to Scouters and how we have the power to keep youth engaged with nature. For the most part everyone agreed we have a duty to keep the outing in Scouting and encourage youth to get involved. There was one fairly strong critique of the book and the argument being weak. (I wondered if it was Packsaddle's proxy .)

 

The next book on my list for discussion at Roundtable is the Roadside Geology of Wisconsin. I'm hoping to get a better grasp of the physical geography of my adopted state. And, heck, I hope to be able to mix it into talks I have with Scouts while out on hikes...

 

Scout on, my friends!

 

LeCastor

[qwazse]

... The next book on my list for discussion at Roundtable is the Roadside Geology of Wisconsin. I'm hoping to get a better grasp of the physical geography of my adopted state. And' date=' heck, I hope to be able to mix it into talks I have with Scouts while out on hikes... [/quote']

 

One big help -- if you have time for it: swing by a branch office of your state's geological survey. Ours had dozens of pamphlets. You could also find out about any youth outreach programs. Sometimes they set up a schedule coordinated with state and national parks. This might be especially helpful to units who are planning their outings for the spring and summer.

[LeCastor]

Excellent idea, Q! Thanks!

[Stosh]

Another good idea to bum out the kids is in later summer when the flowers are all in bloom, drive along the road at 55 mph and identify 10 different plants within a mile. Not that difficult to do but the boys keep scrambling through my forbes books checking to make sure I'm correct. They learn a lot doing it that way. On a longer trip than that, 10 animals is quite easy to do as well.

 

Of course it always helps to have a forester/naturalist for a wife that taught me a lesson on how the games is played in the first place. Won't be much longer and we'll be out scouring the woods for the early woodland flowers that will be appearing soon.

 

Just bought a new house in the country with 9 acres of woods behind the house on a hillside. My summer project is to build her her nature trail. Unfortunately it's #1 on the Honey-Do list. It would seem that the trail has to go all the way to the top of the bluff and there build a campsite. I'm not making this up, she's serious about it. Her kids all worked their way through college doing commercial Alaskan salmon fishing. Her first job was as a forester with the US Forestry Service in Alaska. Since I married her I have only one pair of dress shoes in the closet that get dragged out for the occasional wedding or funeral. I have several pair of hiking boots however.

 

Outdoors is a lifestyle, not a visit. It's a bit like living in the woods vs. going to the zoo. Unfortunately BSA sometimes ends up with the zoo visit mentality and thus we have a number of BSA troops that either have limited outdoor activity or restricted number attending those activities, both of which have been discussed on the forum.

 

I sure hope the last child in the woods isn't there just for a visit.

 

Stosh

[LeCastor]

Just bought a new house in the country with 9 acres of woods behind the house on a hillside. My summer project is to build her her nature trail. Unfortunately it's #1 on the Honey-Do list. It would seem that the trail has to go all the way to the top of the bluff and there build a campsite. I'm not making this up, she's serious about it. Her kids all worked their way through college doing commercial Alaskan salmon fishing. Her first job was as a forester with the US Forestry Service in Alaska. Since I married her I have only one pair of dress shoes in the closet that get dragged out for the occasional wedding or funeral. I have several pair of hiking boots however.

 

Outdoors is a lifestyle, not a visit. It's a bit like living in the woods vs. going to the zoo. Unfortunately BSA sometimes ends up with the zoo visit mentality and thus we have a number of BSA troops that either have limited outdoor activity or restricted number attending those activities, both of which have been discussed on the forum.

 

I sure hope the last child in the woods isn't there just for a visit.

 

Stosh

 

Stosh, when you get the hiking trail and campground set up I'll bring a Patrol over so they can set up an extended resident camp there for the summer. Shouldn't be too far of a drive and while we're checking out the driftless area from the cars we'll be all psyched up for your hospitality!

[Stosh]

I already have a spot picked out for the camp site. The trail's next. Absolutely no way to get to the site except on foot, no logging roads or trails other than animal trails in the area. The trail is going to need a lot of switch-backs, the hillside is steep. "If you build it, they will come!" I have to build it first.

 

I'm already planning for scout visitors.... but it will be one patrol at a time. No room for a whole troop. There is cell phone reception at the site, it's less than 1/4 mile from the house and no adults are allowed out of the farm yard. Scouts only at the site.

 

I have $1,000,000 homeowner umbrella policy.

 

Stosh

[walk in the woods]

LC, not sure what is available beyond the cheddar curtain, but, you might also the Illinois DNR has teaching boxes of stuff scattered around the state for just the kind of thing you are suggesting. Our RTC has used them for flora and fauna identification. If IL has it we probably stole the idea from somewhere else. You're probably already all over it though.