A question for junior leaders

[Bob White]

How many of you that are Patrol Leaders and senior patrol leaders are responsible for camp set-up, or do the adults tell you or the troop members haow to arrange the sight? by patrols, by troop?

 

(since there aren't too many Jr. leaders on this board you adults can answer and tell us who decides camp layout.)

 

Next question. Do you set up in columns and rows or do you set up according to weather and geography?

 

What you you do differently if you could?

 

Bob White

 

[OldGreyEagle]

I am not a junior leader

 

Our troop generally sets up by patrol in a cluster. Thats a technical term for having a myriad of different tent types close together. They tend to cluster around where the patrol chuck box and fly is, although we do let members of different patrols "tent" together, they cook by patrols.

 

The set up of the camp is determined by the SPL. You can always tell when the troop has new scouts, the phrase "I dont know, ask your Senior Patrol Leader (or Patrol Leader)" is uttered so much that the adults almost get as tired saying it as the kids do hearing it. Eventually it clicks in, until the next camp out.

 

Persnally, as OldGreyEagle and deservingly so as a member of the Wood Badge Bear patrol, I am usually consigned to some far off nook because it is reported I snore (funny I dont hear a thing!) as in "ooh oooh mr GreyEagle, there's a nice flat soft spot over there, over the ridge, beyond the creek, in the next county I think.

 

Personally I would love to have the SPL have all the patrols duty roster in hand before we leave the church parking lot, I would love to mandate that, but as I said I am not a junior leader I can only suggest it, the SPL and PLC have to make that happen themselves.

[hops_scout]

I am a JR Leader (den chief and troop guide for NSP)

 

 

We dont use the patrol system much right now. Hopefully that will change as of Sunday when we head for camp. We usually put our tents around the edges of the campsite in kind of a horseshoe shape.

[mk9750]

OGE,

 

Not a Junior Leader? I would have never guessed from your handle! And, I think I mentioned before, but "I don't know, ask your Patrol Leader" is our Geezer Patrol Cheer.

 

We tend to set up by Patrol, with the geography of the site dictating how seperate Patrols are. The only time anyone really "runs" setting up camp is during our New Scout Campout, where the Troop Guide directs the new Scouts, and their "big brother" for the weekend, how and where tents should be set up (or SPL if for some reason the Guide couldn't be there, like this year, when the PLC did the annual planning calender and neglected to consider when Prom was!) Adults tend to find places very remote from main camp, if possible.

 

 

Mark

[Ryon_Nayr@email.com]

I am SPL and i am fully responsible for camp setup. We usually just set up tents around the edges of camp, or in groups facing eachother by patrol

[Bob White]

So Ryon, How many patrols? How many Scouts? How many Tents?

 

Bob

[Scoutman]

I am a Senior Patrol Leader and I do almost all of the planning for camps as well as arranging the setups and I try to get advice from and delegate duties to the other junior leaders as much as possible. We basically let the scouts set of the tents wherever they want as long as they are not to close to the firepits, etc. We only tell scouts where to put their tents if we are at a very small site with space constraints. The patrol system in our troop isn't to strong (we have a small troop) but I try to get it going as much as possible by encourage the scouts of each patrol to set up their tents in groups.

[CWKitchenStaffer]

I'm the SPL of my troop. Our campsite is located on a hill. Usually, the leaders tell us to go make camp, and then wait at the road for any stragglers. We set up our tents in a sort of half-circle around the center of the site (a fairly flat hilltop). The kitchen is almost always set up in the center, which can be a little awkward because of trees and the way our picnic tables are set up. Our problem is that our half-circle is staggered out over about 50-60 yards. This serves to seperate patrols somewhat, as some wise-guys usually set up as far away as possible. Our other problem is that our firepit is sort of towards the west corner of the site, so tenting is limited there, due to embers, and further back, old army foxholes and defensive lines (Our campsite was a live-fire training area for squad/platoon sized units at Ft. Devens MA from WW2 to the Vietnam era (We only found live shells once)) Besides being spread out some and lacking adequete kitchen space, we set up our own site, and it is pretty good.

[Shell in WA- USA]

I'm not a Junior Leader but have been a "supervising" adult on outings. The Adults that go on our outings are proudest to say that when we were "totally bored and had nothing to do," it was a successful trip for the boys! In other words, the boys managed their own outing.

 

When patrols show up for the outing, usually the patrol will delegate their duties for set up, etc. If their are "lone scouts" that don't have the rest of the patrol with them, the SPL will arrange a group for them to be with.

 

Usually, from an adult's perspective, it "looks" kaotic but eventually, you strat to see a pattern to their madness and tents will start to pop up and kitchens are formed, etc. Usually it depends on how the site is as to where and how the sites are set up. But I've noticed that no one in our troop likes things "all in a row." The only time I've seen them do that is if we are at Camporee or something like that.

 

Sometimes a SPL will have the patrols stay as patrols when cooking and they each have their own stations (If room allows) and sometimes, the speeping arrangments are by patrol and the cooking is staged in one area.

 

Soemtimes, the patrols are responsible for their own food and cooking and sometimes the SPL will have a cooking roster where one patrol might do breakfast for the troop and another might do dinner for the troop, etc.

 

I don't think I'd have them do anything different because even if there are mistakes, they still have learned.

[Eagledad]

I really like the sound of your troop Shell. I wish Oklahoma was closer.

 

BArry

[scoutingagain]

I am not a junior leader either but the following two statments by OGE and Shell pretty much describes how our troop sets up camp.

 

"Our troop generally sets up by patrol in a cluster. Thats a technical term for having a myriad of different tent types close together. They tend to cluster around where the patrol chuck box and fly is, although we do let members of different patrols "tent" together, they cook by patrols."

 

&

 

"Usually, from an adult's perspective, it "looks" kaotic but eventually, you start to see a pattern to their madness and tents will start to pop up and kitchens are formed, etc. Usually it depends on how the site is as to where and how the sites are set up. But I've noticed that no one in our troop likes things "all in a row." The only time I've seen them do that is if we are at Camporee or something like that."

 

All I know is unless we have one specific mom along on a campout there is essentially no adult input on how the scouts set up camp.

 

SA

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Shell in WA- USA]

Well, I wouldn't say that there is "no" adult input. When the boys come to us for advise, we'll help them out. Sometimes it's a questions with a question, sometimes it's alist of possiblilities, and sometimes it's a direct answer. The whole point is that Adults should be a resource of infomation but not the ones to do it. And if you can get the kids to think it out on their own, they definately will retain something!

 

My motto when getting parents along on the trips, especially the new ones, is " Your not going as Mom or Dad but rather a BS Leader." OF course a little training helps!

 

And I won't cut down on Moms, I'm a single Mom myself!

[scoutingagain]

Shell,

 

I appologize, I did not mean to imply anything about all Moms, just this one.

 

Her heart is in the right place and she has been associated with scouting for nearly 15 years, has raised 2 Eagles and will likely have a third by the end of next year. She is usually more involved with committee activities but when working with the scouts just can't seem to let them go.

 

I'll give her alot of credit because she is one the few Moms that will actually come camping.

 

SA

 

 

[acco40]

Just like adults who make to many diecisions for the boys, SPLs and PLs need to let the boys they lead make their decisions too. A 2nd Class Scout has to have picked out his patrol site. A PL and SPL as well as the adult leaders, should provide him the opportunity to do so.