Summer Camps with Troop Style activities

[MattR]

Have you tried, because we have been doing this for 20 years. You might not get the activity you asked for, but the camp usually tries to be accommodating. 

 

Barry

Unfortunately, I have. I've asked for time for patrols and my troop at several camps. We've brought our own climbing gear only to be told we can't use it on camp property. Last year we went to a camp with what I thought was the best staff I've ever seen. The camp director didn't understand why I wanted to find time for patrols but when I talked to the camp counselors they thought it was great. They are told they must complete MBs but they'd much rather make MBs a by product of having fun.

 

This camp does, however, have a separate camp that is patrol based and everything, including MBs is done by patrol. I'd like to go there in 2018.

[Stosh]

I too have found the camps around here do very little to support the patrol method.

 

Had one camp that told the boys they couldn't sign up as a patrol for a MB even when they got in early enough that there were enough slots of "first-come, first-served".  They said it was unfair to other troops if only boys from one troop were to get a chance at the MB.  The boys didn't do the MB and just did their own thing during that time which was fine with me.

[mashmaster]

Well, tonight the boys decided on BTSR summer camp.  The main attraction for them was the rock range where they get to throw rocks at a broken down car.....  It made me laugh but it was their decision.  I have heard great things about the camp.

[blw2]

not really the kind of thing this thread is about, but your mention of "fun day experience" reminded me of what will probably stand out as a highlight memory to our scouts.... even though it's not really a "scout" activity

 

During summer camp, we had a couple storm fronts roll through.  The fist one caught several of us in camp, where we hunkered down under the dining canopy watching a gully washer run through our camp blowing tents wide open and generally soaking out the place.  When the next storm was coming (we were watching radar) it was the night the camp had set up as troop's cook in their sites with food provided by camp....and it was just as were were about to start KP.... so the SM says, we can hunker down hear and try to cook in the rain, or we can go to town and hunker down in a restaurant, so we took the scouts to Pizza Hut!  There was another troop there with the same idea and the scouts really had a blast.

 

The reason I bring this up.... the troop activity wouldn't necessarily have to be at the scout reservation.  Is there a whitewater rafting tour company nearby?  Maybe a horseback riding place?

I forgot to mention the best part....

as we started out of camp towards the parking lot, the first of the squall blew in...... as we dashed through the woods to the lot, the trees were leaning and the rain just started to fall as we reached the cars.....  It was truly an adventure.

 

We often underestimate how much youth value tradition ... be it a tradition of "visit a different camp every year" or "visit the same camp every year."

 

The annual pencil-whipping you describe is part of that tradition.

yes it is suprising.  even sometimes it's the tradition of doing they even that they don't like..... but they want to do it anyway.  

human nature

sometimes I think it's because it's really the only way we have seen it done before, and so even if we are told about a different way, it's somehow easier or more comfortable to stick with what we know.  I see that a lot in scouts.  Change can be hard.

[Stosh]

In our culture of "fear of failure", it's not so much fear of change, but the fear of making wrong decisions.  Tradition gets entrenched by not making decisions.  We did it last year, it worked, so we're going to keep with it.  That may sound like making a decision, but no decision is a decision.  This isn't limited to just summer camps, it's a plague on the whole calendar of the troop.  A troop that comes up with their annual planning calendar generally hasn't done anything except change the year at the top of the page and everyone goes home happy that they had a successful year last year and will be guaranteed a successful year this year.  Of course, it leaves little if no room for adventure and eventually the failure will occur with the loss of the older scouts due to boredom.

[NJCubScouter]

In our culture of "fear of failure", it's not so much fear of change, but the fear of making wrong decisions.  Tradition gets entrenched by not making decisions.  We did it last year, it worked, so we're going to keep with it.  That may sound like making a decision, but no decision is a decision.  This isn't limited to just summer camps, it's a plague on the whole calendar of the troop.  A troop that comes up with their annual planning calendar generally hasn't done anything except change the year at the top of the page and everyone goes home happy that they had a successful year last year and will be guaranteed a successful year this year.  Of course, it leaves little if no room for adventure and eventually the failure will occur with the loss of the older scouts due to boredom.

Our kids actually want to do different things for monthly outings from year to year, but not for summer camp. It's kind of strange. Maybe they have come to regard this particular summer camp as part of "home" (even though it's in a different state, but not by much; it's about 45 minutes from the church parking lot) and it's ok to leave "home" for two days once a month, but not to move to a different home. I'm just speculating there, but it's one possible explanation.

Edited January 5, 2017 by NJCubScouter

[Stosh]

Sometimes no pattern is the tradition.  There is just as much draw to do the same thing all the time as there is for others to NOT do the same thing all the time.  Some boys get bored if they go to the same camp every year and for others, twice in a row at the same camp is too much. 

 

Some people grow up to be homebodies, others are travel junkies.  Each has a pattern and the pattern can't be interrupted.  It is just as disruptive to have a homebody go on an extended trip and the travel junkie have to stay home for 2 months. 

 

The course of action necessary???  Do not deviate from the pattern!