Webelos Scouts and Cooking at Camp

[AdamStang 10]

At Stearns Webelos Scout Camp www.stearnsalumni.com, www.scoutingbsa.org/Camps/Stearns/index.html , the very first Webelos Summer Resident camp, scouts cook there own meals. However National BSA policy says that scouts are to eat at mess halls.

 

I Disagree with National Policy, Webelos (going into 4th and 5th Grade) have plently of time to eat in mess halls (at school). I think they are old enough to cook meals with adult supervision. The meals are fairly easy to cook, we provide all the cooking equipment.

 

Somehow, eating in a mess hall takes away the experience of camp. I am wondering if any one else thinks mess halls are a bad idea too.

[SemperParatus 1]

I don't think there is a BSA National policy that scouts attending summer camp have to eat in the dining hall - many scout camps have heater-stack and troop-cooking options, where the scouts do not eat in dining halls. Maybe Webelos is different, I don't know.

 

Personally, our unit seems to prefer the dining hall option. Because of the varying schedules and abundance of activities available at summer camp, our scouts enjoy the freedom to take a break from cooking their own meals. We do usually prepare one meal in camp and volunteer a day at the dining hall during the week.

[AdamStang 10]

It is an accreditation standard that cub scouts must be served food in some sort of messhall. No such rule for boy scouts...

 

Viking Council is currently working on having the mess hall, but its being forced into this.

 

If someone were to start a webelos scout camp today, they would have to have a mess hall. Or the camp would not be accrediated, if that happens to much the National Council could close a camp down (I havent heard of this happening yet).

[troop251scout 10]

I fully agree... The scouts should cook their meals at camp. At our councils JLT, the different patrols cooked their meals every day. It is more fun that way and shows more responsibility in the scouts. At our Councils Camp, KMSR, on thursday night(i think) your troop cooks their meal in their site! It was alot of fun for our troop!

 

I think if they cannot cook all of the meals themselves they should cook a couple