Re: Wood Carving @ Summer Camp
James R. Holman (jrholman@MAGNUS.ACS.OHIO-STATE.EDU)
Thu, 23 Jun 1994 15:52:22 -0400
On Mon, 27 Jun 1994 14:09:46 -0500 (CDT),
Charles Schmidt <schmidt@UNIX1.IS.TCU.EDU> wrote:
>Ed,
>
>As a scouter with an interest in woodcarving and a Scoutmaster who has
>had boys injured almost every year in the course of working on the merit
>badge, I appreciated your comments on the problems encountered. I might
>add that this badge along with basketry and leatherworking are ones
>which first year campers are apt to sign up for, compounding the
>problem.
...stuff deleted...
>Wood carving is one of the most satisfying of the things a boy can do if
>he is given the right kind of encouragment. Let's hope this discussion
>helps.
I've just returned to MAIL, so I missed the first part of this thread, but
having JUST returned from summer camp with a complete troop of first year
campers, I have something to say about it. All of our kids were encouraged
to take the 'easy' handicraft merit badges of basketry, leatherwork and
woodcarving. They all HATED basketry with a passion and everyone quit the
first or second day.... There was absolutely NO instruction for
woodcarving -- just 'go to the trading post and buy a slide block and carve
it'. No instruction on HOW to do the 3-d stuff at all; my asm and I did
all that was done in our camp. And in leathercraft, one of the projects
was a Turk's head neckerchief slide which the instructors could not
explain, even to us adults (it was not in the mb book, the Scout manual, or
the fieldbook), so it turned out that the instructor DID that project for
everyone. The kids learned nothing except that if you can get someone else
to do the work, you'll 'earn' the badge.
So, in the future, I'll leave the handicraft mb's to during the year and
work on other badges at camp. For one thing, I don't think 11 year old
boys have the proper strength in their wrists and hands to do woodcarving
safely.... my boys were under strict orders that they were NOT to do the
'carving on their own' unless one of us adults were around.
Jim H .. just back from camp and not caught up on sleep yet....
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
