I think I may have hit a critical point in running Scout events. It is the day before a Webelos overnighter and I’ll receive 8 hours of sleep. This marks the first time this has happened in the two years of me running District events. Were I to need something that I forgot, I could still got to a reasonable large store and acquire it. I could place a phone call to someone knowing I hadn’t woken their family. I feel a mixture of relief and deviousness knowing I’ve bucked my own trend.
Tag: program
Program Trade Offs
While campmastering this weekend, I did the cooking while the rest of the crew did campsite inspections, check-in/out and garbage detail. Apparently, this was suboptimal.
Bill (Camp Director): So, why no atlatls this weekend?
Me: Because I was doing the cooking.
Bill: So because your crew wants to eat my program has to suffer?
Fiddler On the Roof:
In one scene, the town beggar goes to Tevya and asks for a handout. Tevya gives him one kopec. The beggar protests, “Only one kopec? Last year, you gave me two kopecs!”
Tevya explains, “I had a bad year this year.”
The beggar responds, “So? You had a bad year so I should suffer?”
Sumo Suits
Joe Naylor brought up the idea of using inflatable sumo suits at camp as an activity. They’re a mere 3G’s for the suits and the safety mat. Gha.
Playwicki camporee program ideas
The planned program for the Playwicki Klondike looked dreadfully dull so I volunteered to come up with a few afternoon activities. Â This is my initial list, comments appreciated.
Competition ideas
I. Blind tent set-up – Scouts set up a standard Y-tent and dome tent blindfolded.
a. Blindfolds
b. Tents
c. Stop watch
d. (?) Extra pole
II. Atlatling – Competitive atlatling
III. Dirt fishing – Unit broken into two groups, one lashes a giant fishing pole where the other draws a map of an area containing the traps. Once done, the groups switch, and one group operates the crane while the other guides it.
a. Rat trap/mouse trap
b. Barrier (tarpaulin over some sort of 6’ upright
c. Staves
d. Break up traps into two types, one gets points the other loses one (size difference, color?)
IV. Slingshot Art – Groups must draw a deer using 100 paintballs (?), TAKE PICTURES, run by lodge
a. Paintballs
b. Sling shots
c. Tarp
d. Squeegee or scraper
V. Gumdrop direction set – one group of Scouts receive a hat made out of gum drops held together by tooth picks. Group must describe the toothpick structure without using charts or diagrams and gives directions to another group who must construct it. Eat the gum drops when they’re done
a. Gum drops
b. Tooth picks
c. Lined paper
d. Clock
VI. Floating fishing weight activity (is there a way to set up
a. Water tub
b. Corks
c. Fishing weights
d. Fishing hooks
VII. Garden hose splicing – unit must straight splice together two ropes made out of pool noodles or garden hoses.
a. Lots and lots of garden hose or pool noodles connected (heat bond polyethylene
b. How about plastic conduit
VIII. Dressing in layers, how many shirts you can wear at once, alternatively Simon says game with layers of clothing. End of day for SPL activity (?)
a. A lot of clothing
IX. Scout bowling
a. Balls
b. Pins
X. Balanced Scouting – Team goes successive rounds of adding square 1-5 lb stones to each side of a balance, goal is to get as many rocks on as possible without scale tipping.
a. Various weighted rocks
b. Stop watch
c. balance
XI. Magnet orienteering – I was rethinking this and thought it might be neat to do a rough orienteering course using water/needle/leaf compasses and quarter/paperclip magnets
a. Small water tubs
b.
XII. Giant clove hitch – giant clove hitch, preferably at least 20 to 30 feet around.
a. Stakes
b. 150+ feet of rope
XIII. Vertical Styrofoam shoot – I wrote this down, but can’t remember for the life of me what it means.
XIV. Spaghetti knots – some activity where participants either lash or tie knots with cold cooked spaghetti. Maybe lash a little spaghetti tepee.
XV. Keep aloft – Scouts are given a soda bottle and various materials to make a water-bottle rocket that stays aloft for the longest time.
a. Parachute materials
b. Soda bottle
c. Soda bottle launcher kit
Zombie Survival Merit Badge
I ran a session today on how to avoid bullets during a firefight based on a wikihow.org article largely to positive response. I’d like to expand this to a merit badge-like program at camp along with other activities like how to barricade a door, kill a zombie and jump off of a building into a garbage truck. Ideas?
Zombie Survival Merit Badge
I ran a session today on how to avoid bullets during a firefight based on a wikihow.org article largely to positive response. I’d like to expand this to a merit badge-like program at camp along with other activities like how to barricade a door, kill a zombie and jump off of a building into a garbage truck. Ideas?