Summertime and ...

[Eamonn]

I love the summer.

No matter how hot it gets or how many storms it brings. I still love it.

Summertime is the best time to be a boy.

Along with the great benefit of there not being school, summertime is a great time to hang out with your pals, try new things and have boyhood adventures.

The long days offer lots of time to do the things that boys enjoy doing and for having fun.

In my book each and every Lad somewhere between the ages of 12 and 16 should have a summer that will be a time he will fondly remember for the rest of his life, spent with friends who may not always be around, but who's names will never be forgotten.

As an organization and as Scout Leaders we can play a big part in making this happen.

It's a shame that the term "Boys will be boys" Has become associated with boys being involved doing things that they shouldn't be doing. (Even if doing things that you ought not to be doing is a part of growing up!)

Boys need to be boys and need time to do the things that boys like to do.

Not every boy is the same and allowing him the time to do the things that he dreams of doing and not trying to over organize, over schedule or over anything else is very important.

As adults we sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that to provide that special summer we have to travel far away from where we live or do some complex and exciting activity. While there is nothing wrong with doing this stuff. I have talked with adults who were once Scouts in the Troop that I was Scout Leader of and these guys talk about hiking through forests early in the morning, sitting on a big rock or watching the fading embers of a camp fire. - Not a mention of the places that I worked my tail off trying to get them there.

Sometimes it's hard being an adult in a organization that's all about boys.

It's hard to remember what it was like to be a boy and try and see the world as they do.

But it's something we all need to try and do.

Summertime is a great time to allow boys to catch their dream.

Eamonn

[acco40]

Now, if we could just get those boys away from the TV, computer, PS3, Xbox, etc. . . .

 

I work on average 50-60 hours a week. My wife is not employed. Her idea of a vacation is to go somewhere and have highly schedules activities. My idea of a vacation to stay at home and do nothing.

 

Yes, parents need to realize that children need completely unstructured time to just do what their imagination drives them to do. Each youth is different and some really get into the travel squads, bible schools, robotic camps, scouting, etc. but many just like to "chillax." On our troop outings, I would work with the SPL and PL and sometimes, especially for extended weekend outings, having "downtime" wasn't such a bad thing. Some of their best memories were made during this time.

[AZMike]

Agreed. I think the two best parts of summer camp are 1) being completely unplugged for 2 weeks from videogames, computers, cell phones, text messaging, iPads, iPods, etc., and 2) The free time where kids just do what they enjoy without being scheduled.

 

With all the emphasis on patrol activities, advancement, merit badges, etc., sometimes I think we need more time just for unstructured "fun," which boys seem quite capable of doing on their own.

[Cambridgeskip]

Agreed. Some of the things our scouts talk about most when they come back from camps are things that were not part of the formal programme. It's more about the rope swing someone built in a tree, or the off the cuff wide game or the pink farie outfits 4 (all male!) PLs borrowed off some girls in another troop and insisted on wearing for 24 hours. (Had to be seen to be believed)

 

Put kids out in the woods with not much to do and they can be more creative than most adults!

[howarthe]

I took my son to cub scout resident camp this summer, and his favorite parts were the songs and the open program. He could have earned his whittling chip card or shot the bb-guns or arrows some more, but he spend the whole two hours throwing himself down the make-shift waterside. He was not alone. It was a very popular activity.