Summer camp, or merit badge factory?

Summer camp is one of Scouting’s great traditions. For youth and adult alike, it’s great to get away for a week or more, camp under the canopy of trees, enjoy the fine summer weather (yes, even the liquid sunshine!), and get back in touch with the great outdoors and what’s really important.

However, most camps are set up just like school. Scouts are up and off to breakfast, then fill their days with a schedule of classes. There’s a short break for lunch. Dinnertime comes around, and there are more merit badge opportunities in the evening. If a Scout wants to work really hard, he can earn seven or eight merit badges.

Is that the point of going to camp? Continue reading “Summer camp, or merit badge factory?”

Summer camp survival kit

Even though summer camp rolls around each year at this time, we’re never quite prepared for it. We generally do a pretty good job, but there are details we tend to forget from one year to the next. Add to this the changing nature of our troops and a refresher becomes a good idea.

So, whether you’re heading to camp next week or next month, here are some summer camp-related articles that I and others have written on the subject recently. Continue reading “Summer camp survival kit”

Cellphones at summer camp

phone-1031070_250Earlier this week I posted an article giving adults some guidance, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, about what they should pack for spending a week at summer camp with their troop. In it, I included a link to a packing list for Scouts that my troop has used for a few years now, and on that list was a mention that cellphones shouldn’t be brought to, or used at, camp.

Here’s the paragraph:

Scouts should not bring…Cell phones – these should not be carried or used in camp because they are a distraction. Boys may bring them in the car to and from camp, but they must be left in the car. Adults are requested to leave their phones in their cars or tents.

The list was written several years ago back when cellphones were basically telephones and not much else. Continue reading “Cellphones at summer camp”

Summer camp packing list for adults

checklist_200June is here, which means troops will be heading off to summer camp starting this month. The annual pilgrimage always involves making sure everyone has what they need in order to have a successful week at camp.

There are many lists of what Scouts should bring to summer camp – clothing and personal gear, forms, handbooks, camping essentials and outdoor equipment, to name a few. As an example, here is a list (PDF) from my troop. I put it together a few years ago, with input from our experienced youth campers, and offered it to Scouts and their parents, with the advice that the Scout should pack his own gear.

That list covers what Scouts will likely need at camp, but what about adults? Continue reading “Summer camp packing list for adults”