Beefing up the Scout skills

[DuctTape]

13 hours ago, wearrepair said:

Goodness, you can have so much fun! Many good ideas above: getting help from many sources. Remember get the training for your scouts since they lead. Perhaps use the field book - chapter by chapter. Get ideas from round table and ask your unit commissioner. enjoy

I have often said a PL could run their patrol just by following the (older)  Fieldbook in order. 

[WisconsinMomma]

On 9/21/2021 at 8:46 AM, CynicalScouter said:

Just a heads up, and I don't want to get into the 437th debate about whether this was a good/bad decision on the part of BSA, but BSA banned dodgeball a few years ago.

BSA now claims that they ALWAYS banned dodgeball, and yet there is a ton of evidence to the contrary from BSA's own documents and a subject debated in this forum since 2003. https://www.scouter.com/search/?q=dodgeball&updated_after=any&sortby=newest

My mistake, they were playing a game of catch. 

[WisconsinMomma]

On 9/22/2021 at 1:52 PM, UKScouterInCA said:

Agree that Scout Skills are best "taught" in the context of doing real Scouting activities on campouts not so much in isolation. Often a little friendly competition helps.

Cooking - have a patrol cooking competition. Define one meal as having to be cooked on the open fire (also teaches firecraft)

Knots & Lashings - have a patrol competition for the best campsite gadget - maybe a pot holder for the cooking competition above? Or who can build the biggest tower that will support a Scout. Or can fire a tennis ball the furthest? (Assuming BSA hasn't banned catapults and trebuchets)

Navigation - have a little orienteering competition.

 

Oh the kids, er, Scouts, have made what we call "tripod with a lever".  They LOVED it. 

[WisconsinMomma]

On 9/22/2021 at 1:52 PM, UKScouterInCA said:

Agree that Scout Skills are best "taught" in the context of doing real Scouting activities on campouts not so much in isolation. Often a little friendly competition helps.

Cooking - have a patrol cooking competition. Define one meal as having to be cooked on the open fire (also teaches firecraft)

Knots & Lashings - have a patrol competition for the best campsite gadget - maybe a pot holder for the cooking competition above? Or who can build the biggest tower that will support a Scout. Or can fire a tennis ball the furthest? (Assuming BSA hasn't banned catapults and trebuchets)

Navigation - have a little orienteering competition.

 

I am loving the open-ended, campsite gadget idea !

[jcousino]

The above ideas are good. But the problems with scout skills is that

1. A large amount of scouter themselves never have  done the skill

2. of those of you have done the skill it may be ok in the deer camp but not at a scout camp.

3.Large amounts of both groups never have read the scout book to see what the currently really is skill is

4. the youth are not encouraged to expand their skills. 

Could go on

John 

 

 

Edited September 26, 2021 by jcousino

[qwazse]

2 hours ago, jcousino said:

The above ideas are good. But the problems with scout skills is that

1. A large amount of scouter themselves never have  done the skill

2. of those of you have done the skill it may be ok in the deer camp but not at a scout camp.

3.Large amounts of both groups never have read the scout book to see what the currently really is skill is

4. the youth are not encouraged to expand their skills. 

These are all non-problems.

1. We don’t need a lot of scouters to have done every scout skill. Only one in every troop. As far as I knew, my SM was the only person in my troop to have mastered them. And I never saw him swim, but there was a WAC vet who made it her mission to make sure every child in the county could keep aquatic death far off. 
2.  Have no idea what you mean. A skill mastered in a troop is valued at deer camp — as some of my scouts realized after receiving multiple invites to work them.

3. Again, I don’t need most scouters to read the book. I need them to find me property to camp on, ranges to shoot at, lakes to fish in, community leaders to visit, people to serve.

4. MBs? Guard certifications? Venturing?

Edited September 26, 2021 by qwazse

[TMSM]

I suggest using Program Features with new scouts troops to provide a framework. The PLC can learn the skills be fore the meeting and they can be the ones to teach the troop. This takes more time but allows for a more scout led troop, SM should learn the skills on his own and be ready to help if needed.

[Oldscout448]

Ok, scout skills. Or to call them by other names Woodcraft/ Survivor skills.  There are many many on line vids on these subjects rigging a tarp, fire in the rain, emergency shelter building, lashing a table and chair, making an survival bow and arrow, or a fishing pole, and on and on.Corporal's corner and Survival Lilly are good starting places.

Grab an old scout field book. The brown or dark green ones.

DONT force feed the scouts! It has to be something they want to learn.  Make it a fun and challenging game.   We once set up two compass courses of equal distance with a gallon of cider and a bag of snacks at the end.  Gave to two PLs their respective list of bearings and distances at 2:45pm and told them to start at 3:00pm sharp.   The next campout it was a fire building contest.  The winning patrol  got a cobbler for dessert, and a large carved match to hang on their patrol flag.  Next time it might be a tiny frying pan for planning and cooking the best dinner.  

This type of incentive works wonders with the younger scouts. As they age however surgery desserts and bling because less important and it becomes more a matter of pride in their abilities. A confidence that they are prepared for " any old thing" as B.P. once said.  It's an adage in backpacking that knowledge weighs nothing. So the more knowledge and abilities you have the less you have to carry.  

 

[jcousino]

My first try after rereading it  was not as clear as i wanted

Deer Camp

that's was in terms many of scouter have outdoors skills that work in a deer camp. hygiene's practices  fire starting, tool use

language that would not be proper in a scout environment. Many skills that were once acceptable are no longer,   A lot of people have not keep up

Again, I don’t need most scouters to read the book

       How to you know what scouting is today with reading the Book or do you just teach and do what you think scouting should be.

 

An area that  i do did agree with some of the other posters is that very direct contact adults (SM,ASM)some understand the basic scout skill up to first class. BSA has enough classes to help them  learn then)

Also not a fan of see one, do one, teach one

not sure the Edge method puts enough on practice with feedback

it should be see it repeated , practice it with fed back ,master it ,then teach it

I have seen to many things taught wrong or weakly then the next person passes on the errors.

 "MBs? Guard certifications? Venturing?"

that sure i would support the above idea maybe in theory not in practice

          most merit badges are summer camp earned - rare to find the skills even taught

         Guard certifications- rarely earned but i will give you that one it a shame its not recognized outside of scouting

         Venturing - not sure what you mean as Venturing is very crew defined