looking for ideas

I am looking for a few good ideas. I will be once again serving on camp staff this summer, and the camp leadership is attempting to finalise some of our plans. While there are many good ideas on hand already, I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask for some feed back from this esteemed group of Scouters. I am open to any ideas you may have. I have provided some items to think on in case you need something to jump start your grey matter.

To learn more about our current program elements, please see our leaders guide.

http://www.shawneetrails.org/PDF/Summer%20Camp/RCM%202005%20No%20Pictures%20PDF.pdf

Camp Fire Program

We have a Sunday night opening campfire, a Thursday night Parents Night campfire with OA call-out ceremony, and a Friday night awards/closing campfire. Suggestion of any form are appreciated.

Chaplain program/chappel service

On Wednesday night we have a chappel service. In some past years we have had a full time chaplain, but recently we have only had a volunteer chaplain for the chappel service. I am looking for ways to improve this aspect of our camp program and services. I would like to find some way of involving the Chaplain's Aides throughout the week.

Commisioner Services

Ideas?

Scoutmaster/adult activities

We always offer some adult leader training during camp. However we need ways to keep the adults interested and involved during the week. We would like to provide some special opportunities for the Scoutmasters. Many camps offer an SM meritbadge. Any ideas of this sort would be appreciated.

Troop activities

We currently offer some relatively unstructured opportunities for troops in the evening such as use of the aquatics facilities, sand volley ball court, and service projects. Ideas for how to promote units to make use of the opportunities are welcome. Ideas on other unit level activities or competitions are welcome as well.

Patrol competitions/activities

Our Wednesday schedule is devoted to troop, patrol, and individual competition and recreation. Ideas for how to make this an outstanding program are welcome.

Dining hall program

We want the dining hall to be more than just a place for eating. Some sort of meal time program would be welcome. We don't want anything too fancy or involved, but we do want something good.

Food Services

What do you like best and what works best at other camps. We have talked about "family style" serving, but we have traditionally used a cafeteria style model where everyone goes through a central serving line. We are looking for any and all ways to improve the dining experience. We know if we provide good food in good quantity that goes a long way to keeping everyone happy. Suggestions on what foods Scout really want, or really don't want are welcome. We have a menu drafted, but we still have a chance to change if anyone has any good ideas.

While we have a great deal of planning either completed or in progress, we are always open to a good suggestion. If there is anything you know of that works well at camps you have been to, or doesn't work well, please let me know.

We want to offer the best program possible for the Scouts, Scouters, and staffers. Any helpful suggestions or ideas you can offer to make this a reality are welcome.

Special note for those attending our camp this year, you will see many of the same great features of camp program you have come to know and love. You will also find some new ideas being implemented to make camp even better. We (the staff and leadership) will be working hard to plan for and deliver the best camping experience possible.

Camp Fire Program

Where I work we also have a Sunday night opening, and a Friday night closing, with a mid-week "troop night" where each troop has the opportunity to invite other troops to a "friendship fire" where each troop puts on skits/songs and typically troops make cobbler, etc. for afterwords.

Commisioner Services

Each week we have a few voluteer "visiting commissioners" these are typically former staff members, or parents of staff, etc. who come out for a week. We also have a paid Head Commissioner on staff who oversees the visiting commissioners and handles the coordination of camp site assignments, inspections etc.

Scoutmaster/adult activities

Each program area generally offers some sort of scoutmaster activity for each day of the week. Scoutmaster Rifle Shoot, Scoutmaster Climb at the tower, Scoutmaster Cook-off etc. We also offer training for adults during the week; Youth protection (commissioner), safety afloat (Beach dir.), and climb on safely (tower dir.). Then friday is scoutmaster golf, where each scoutmaster has to make his own golf club.

Troop activities

Each program area develops there own list of troop time activities. Some are your standard and some are crazy off the wall ideas. Only requirement is that it's fun. Be creative. Use the resources you have and make something up. Here are some examples:

Beach: Canoe Swamp (tip over the other teams canoe), Swimming, sailing, snorkeling, etc.

Scoutcraft: Cooking, lashing (A-frame races), field games (frisbee, capture the flag)

Craftlodge: Merit Badges (fingerprinting, art, etc), patrol flag making, etc.

Ecology: Wheel-o-nature game, Plant ID games, nature hike, service project

Patrol competitions/activities

We have a friday patrol competition in scouting skills, followed by a relay race between troops (4 running legs, walker leg, canoeing leg, swimmer leg) and then a canoe race.

Dining hall program

Many camps offer some sort of run-on theme that is basically a skit where each meal there is a little more added to the story, then by the last night you conclude the skit (i.e. the camp staff defeats the crazy guy trying to take over camp). We offer two songs at each lunch & dinner.

Food Services

Family Style is where it's at. Plain and simple people prefer eating at a table with their boys rather that standing in line for an hour to eat cold food. We have each troop send 2 "waiters" to set the troops tables, and bring the food from the kitchen, etc. very efficient system.

Hope this helps, let me know if you want any more info.

What foods Scouts really want:

Hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, pizza, pop tarts, bug juice, peanut butter, chocolate coated sugar cereal.

What foods SCouts really DON'T want:

Vegetables (except ketchup) and any other food not listed above.

Seriously, though, after trying every other method, we have settled on family style with a self-serve salad bar and PBJ table. Some kids eat nothing but PBJ, cookies, and sugar cereal all week. Plus they can buy all the junk and soda they want at the Trading Post ($$$PROFIT!!!). But the goal is to keep them alive, not transform their nutritional habits in 6 days. I understand that there are menu requirements (balanced meals, daily calorie intake, etc) for an accredited camp, but forcing kids to eat what's on the menu is another thing. Not to generalize...some eat very well, some do not. In our area of the country, July is typically 95+degrees and 70%+ humidity. Anything that lessens the time we have to spend sitting in the unairconditioned sauna we call a dining hall is greatly appreciated, especially when uniforms are required at the evening meal.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

Thank you all for the feed-back.

Some of that is in line with what I was thinking, some of it is in areas I had not thought of.

Oh, and yes there are a great many requirements about what has to be served.

Now as for the rest of you that haven't responded, surely someone has some more opinions.

This is an entire forum full of opinionated Scouters and only two have opinions about ways to make summer camp a great experience?

For activities, make sure there is always something to do, besides working on Merit Badges. Also, make as few activites as possible be required. Let them be optional.

For food, make sure that whatever you have, there is enough of it for everone.

Eric

ASPL