SpEdScouter

It's been a few years since my daughter was a Girl Scout, but I don't recall a periodical similar to Boy's Life. Or a periodical of any kind. The only message I remember from HQ GSA was "SELL MORE COOKIES!" This sentence says it all. Notice how in Boy's Life all the fundraising companies advertise to sell their products? Girl Scouts dont want anything to cut into cookie sales.

But isnt this partly fault of the Girl Scouts for NOT having an equivalent to "Boy's Life"? Just what publication does the GSUSA put out anyways?

Is it really the end of the world to not have your own camp? I mean what really is the purpose to have a separate facility to go back to year after year? I guess the obvious is so they can earn merit badges but those can be earned at any time or place. Our scouts earn 3-5 every summer which is about the same amount they earn in a weekend event. Yes it is nice to have a facility already set up for say rifle range or waterfront so Scouts can work on those merit badges but they can do those at other facilities like the one I mentioned above. Is it a kind of ego thing to have "OUR" camp? Looki

I wonder if camp closures have anything to do with the value of the property? Is there a urban encroachment? Is it in a popular vacation area? If any of those 2 are yes then I think many times scout leaders see dollar signs dangled in front of them. I know they did this with girl scouts because they had several camps close, partly because real estate developers wanted the land. Also didnt they have a camp on a popular east coast island that was closed? There is a spot a few miles away that I know used to be a Nazarene Youth camp and another that was by Campfire. Really "camps" in

I just wonder what if Mr. "Yahoo" is reading this right now?

What I am thinking of is a scout camp that offers a high adventure package trip similar to the one mentioned above at Rocky Mountain High adventure base. Maybe after the boys go on a few they might feel comfortable planning a trip on their own. NJScouter - Yeah the Appalachian trial sounds great but the distance is an issue.

Their is a growing trend towards year-around schooling which basically means no long summer breaks. Just 2 week long breaks between sessions. Does anyone do this in their areas? How would such a system affect scouting and summer activities like camps?

I'd like to ask, these camps that are closing, are they near developed areas or other such areas where development and urban encroachment are partly to blame? Were developers tossing around offers of millions of dollars? I know here around Kansas City several Girl Scout camps plus camps run by churches and other groups, have closed and I think its partly that they were smaller (maybe 40-160 acres) and were built not far from the cities and since then the cities have moved out to them and encompassed them so they quit being "in the country" and ended up selling and now their are houses on t

Our troop is looking to do a yearly "high adventure" outing each summer. Now what I mean is a trip not like the big ones like say Philmont or Seabase, but smaller ones where the costs are about what one would pay for summer camp. We think this would be a good way to keep the older scouts involved and maybe attract new scouts who have done most of the merit badges common at summer camps and are ready to try some advanced activities and yet not spend the big money required for places like Northern Tier. A good example is like the one through Rocky Mountain High Adventure base. Any sugges

I think for me is if the boys have everything packed for a campout, I dont want them opening up their backpacks before we get to the place. Let me explain. I have taught the scouts to carefully pack for a trip by making a list, laying everything out, carefully pack their backpacks, and then seal that sucker up and dont touch it. This way they know exactly whats in it and where it is. If they have to do a campout halfway then they might mix things up, damage something, or lose something. Now sleeping on the floor of say a gym would be a good compromise.

Thanks for the great information.

Our troop is attempting to help an inner city troop get going. We can of course provide some basic equipment like tents and all but I know first hand scouting isnt cheap. I'm thinking of all the expenses including: Scout fees Campout fees Equipment fees Going to camp Costs for earning merit badges Back in my youth most of the reason I had to quit scouting is because we didnt have the money. Even say $5 for a campout. And I definitely had no equipment like a backpack or hiking boots. My question is, how much do you think a scout typically spends a year on being a scout?

That is another issue because it takes just the right "boss" to work with both groups. One cannot treat a retiree as they would a teenager and vise versa. Often the retiree has more experience than the "boss" also.

Well that is an issue with "volunteers" anytime. Volunteers are still employees and should still follow orders of supervisors and if not, they can be "fired" (asked to leave). Volunteers do not mean "free" workers as mentioned above they still get housing, food, insurance, etc...

T2 Good response. I guess I'm a person who is trying to always fix things. I will though bring it up to the boys and see if they want to try using one.

I have noticed when our patrol leaders organize a campout they write all the information out on a piece of paper. Information being like location, dates, names of patrol members attending, menu for each meal, chore lists, etc... But each scout seems to do it in his own way. I am wondering, is there a "form" or "worksheet" out there which would be a kind of "fill in the blanks" tool to help the scouts organize their trip? This way they can be sure that nothing get missed. Also such a form could be checked off by the SPL or possibly the scoutmaster. After the trip or outing then such a form,

I never thought about non-hotel places to stay. I guess I thought it would just be easier.

Are there any rules on Scouts staying at hotels on long trips?

Some camps have opportunities for retirees to come in with their RV's and work at various jobs around the camps. Some stay in the camp housing. Do any scout camps do this? Also at scout camps it seems most classes are taught by teens. Do any of them allow older persons to come in and work? I know some people who would love to say, spend their summer at a scout camp and teach woodcarving or astronomy all day. Do they do this anywhere?

You might also ask about their fundraising programs. Some make a ton of money off say Christmas tree sales and others dont do any at all.

Our troop does a kind of "Great spirit" , native american type thing. Praying to our "great scoutmaster in heaven".

Curious, Do you all meet on the same nights? sometimes that is an issue when parents are trying to schedule things.

I'd like to add that for some parents it might come down to what night works best for them because say their open night is on thursdays and your troop meets on mondays so they might need to find a troop that works out better just for the meeting times. I think alot of parents just go on their district website and start looking for troops that are close by. I was surprised to find 2 by my house I didnt even know those churches had troops.

Does anyone know of any events which are listed as just "Scouting" where all scouts - Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Venturing, and other groups such as Civil Air patrol, Campfire, or others might get together for some event? I've seen some amusement parks have them.

One time it was given to me the job of pulling the troop trailer. My truck could barely handle the load and I had not pulled a trailer that size in years. I made it but was nervous.