Keeping the Skills Fresh

[OldGreyEagle]

OK, we know we can't retest skills, but then how do we keep them fresh? How do you assure yourself the scout skills of Tenderfoot to First Class are kept and honed?

[scoutldr]

I've found that the best way to keep a skill fresh is to have to teach it...over and over. Once a Scout reaches First Class, they should be regularly passing on their knowledge and skills to the younger scouts. Also, skill-centered games, demonstration campouts/camporees, etc.

[Eagle92]

Sctldr stole my thunder Must concur having older scouts teach the younger scouts is the best way to make sure they still maintain those skills.

 

Must also concur with skills games at meetings and events at camporees. Just don't make it so realistic looking that people pass out and/or puke all over the place. Good friend of mine used his resources to get some Navy corpman to run the first aid competition at council camporee, and it was quite realistic.

[CalicoPenn]

Best way to keep the skills fresh? Use them - and practice them when they're skills you hope you never have to use (like First Aid skills). On campouts, build things needing knot skills and lashing skills. Cook over open fires when you're able. Make games out of them - who says District Camporees are the only places to have scouting contests? Why can't units hold contests of their own on camping trips? You don't have to plan a full days worth - just one or two a trip is all you need.

 

You can teach all you want - but until the Scouts start using the skills, it won't mean a thing. They'll remain concepts until they find a use in real life for them. It's like learning algebra, geometry or trigonometry - we wonder about the relevance in our lives until we have to actually use it, then it makes sense.

[Knot Head]

Set up an NCAA tournament type bracket on a campout for knots, lashings, plant recognition, first aid, deserts, whatever.

 

Seed the teams and let the competition be your friend.

 

Compete as patrols, have differnet events for each age, each rank, whatever works best for you. Mix things up. Make scouts over star tie knots blindfolded. Let TF's use a book for 2 minutes to identify plants & older guys get 30 seconds with the book or none at all.

 

 

EDIT: Almost forgot. Remember Family Fued? That type back & forth team event where each member contributes works well.(This message has been edited by knot head)

[bpaul]

Thank you for the ideas about activities for keeping the skills fresh.

 

Now to add to the question, how do you do some of these activities when you only have 6-8 boys involved in the troop?

 

Most are 2C or lower, with one Life and two (new) 1C scouts? Our SM is new and the SPL is young. How can we have an exciting meeting, where the boys are learning/honing their skills? What kinds of activities can we do on a camping trip where the boys could use their knots and lashes, or what can we do other than to go on a hike and identify things (animals or plants)?

 

I admit, I don't have the imagination for the fun activities I see suggested or how to incorporate them, especially for a small troop. But any thoughts or suggestions would be great - so that it can be passed to the PLC for their consideration. (Yes, even though we are small and inexperienced, we try to ensure the troop is a boy-led troop).

 

Thank you everyone for any input you can provide!

[Beavah]

How can we have an exciting meeting, where the boys are learning/honing their skills?

 

Go outdoors! Scoutin' ain't meant to be done inside.

 

What kinds of activities can we do on a camping trip where the boys could use their knots and lashes

 

Yah, this one is hard, eh? Generally speakin', yeh don't want your boys goin' around and cutting things down and lashing stuff at most campsites these days. And da T-2-1 knots aren't really all that practical with modern gear. If yeh do set up an old fashioned dining fly, make 'em take it apart each time. That way every time they set it up they have to bowline or hitch the lines up, and then taut-line 'em tight.

 

what can we do other than to go on a hike and identify things (animals or plants)?

 

Yeh have to decide what your kids need, eh?

 

Go swimming and practice swim skills and lifesaving.

Build in a random first aid scenario every trip.

Go canoeing and practice safety afloat.

Go out in da rain and practice fire starting.

Go backpacking and practice navigation and packing.

Join the VFW for Memorial Day and practice flag ceremonies and flag folding.

Set up an orienteering course and run it as a race.

Fake a heart attack and see what they do.

Leave later on Friday and make 'em select a site and set up tents in the dark.

Then try it with no lights on a moonlit night.

Go rock climbing or fishin' and learn all kinds of new knots.

Do all kinds of cooking -

over fire

over propane

over backpack stoves

deep frying

baking

poaching

broiling

braising

boiling

Have a banquet where everyone cooks a different thing to share.

Sneak a bear suit into your kit, and visit their tents at night if they haven't been clean or have any food in with 'em.

Camp without tents.

 

Yah, pretty much yeh take every requirement and say "how can we play this as a game?"

 

I reckon that's better than the old saw about retaining it by teachin' it. That comes from "how can we make this like school?"

 

Beavah

 

[shortridge]

On the knots & lashings question --- Build a pioneering kit, much like the Pioneering MB book recommends, and you don't have to cut things down at each campout, or spend half your time looking for downed spars that aren't rotten.

 

Scouts like to build big things. Doing a gateway every time gets boring. So try a big project like a tower or bridge - just build it on a smaller scale, a practice version with regular-sized staves and sticks instead of large logs. Once they've gotten the hang of it a few times, obtain the larger materials and have them go at it.

[eghiglie]

Every campout the boys have to build a tripod flagpole using a variety of lashings, its required to eat breakfast.

 

The rest we do as a review by making it a game.

 

 

[Knot Head]

Lashing a catapult is a good way to teach a little design & engineering, practice knots & lashings and have some fun too. Google and you'll find some plans.

 

We also lash a flagpole each campout. It goes up fast and reinforces one type of lashing type and a couple of knots. Also we like to have a morning flag ceremony. It's a big deal in our troop.(This message has been edited by knot head)

[John-in-KC]

Depends on the skill in question, and depends on the learner/learner group in question.

 

I can't remember the rule, but there's some research on the number times a concept needs to be practiced or repeated before it truly sinks in. I think it's around 10 times.

 

That's my current objection to the advancement plan of T-2-1. It's not robust. I know I had 3 5 mile hikes to 2C as a kid, and more nights of camping. Further, advancement in the day was sequential, not parallel. That helped with repitition and reinforcement.

 

Some people say the program doesn't support repetition anymore. I disagree. Beavah offers a list, but the point is just beyond the list: Look around you. There are people, places, and activities just waiting to be leveraged for Scouting advancement. Taking advantage of them helps our youth, by extending chances to use and keep using newly acquired skills.

[Mr Irish]

I agree with John that the advancement is not robust since to get to first class the Scout only has to tie a tautline once. I get blank stares from some Scouts when I ask them to demonstrate a skill they should know. But I usually give them a little refresher before they run the class for younger Scouts. Repetition is the key. That requires patience.