Troop/Parents,
This post is for those first year Scout and parents to help out with some common questions you may have.
If you have additional useful information, please pass tit along with either a comment to this post, or email me directly and I will do a subsequent post.
Getting there:
We have had so many parents sign up to drive on Sunday that I am absolutely blown away! Thank you so much for volunteering your time, fuel, and patience to have a bunch of pre-camp Scouts in your car for a couple of hours!
We will meet up at 9am on Sunday, 10 Jun 22, at the barn. Please be there on time (or before) so we can get the Troop trailer loaded with troop and Scout gear, cross load and get a vehicle load plan where each Scout is sitting. I would also like to ensure everyone’s phone number is on a roster so we can make contact as neccessary throughout the week.
We have 26 Scouts and 5 adults headed to camp. The roster will be supplied to each of the adults for informational purposes, but Ray will assume all duties as the point of contact once we leave the barn.
I would like to head out in a convoy no later than 10am. With 26 Scouts loading and cross loading equipment and all that, I think we will be just fine on time (jinxed it!).
Arrival:
We will drop the Scouts and gear in wherever the deisgnated location is, and the Scouts may or may not have to carry their stuff to the campsite (Apache). We will be allowed to drive to our campsite and drop Scouts and gear there. Then all vehicles will have to depart the area (say goodbye’s then). The troop trailer will be parked at the campsite, so will my truck. This is to facilitate the trailer’s use as a bear bin and have a vehicle at the site for emergency evacuation and such.
I will take the lump of paperwork we have collected from you and head over to check us all in. Once that process is started, the other Scoutmasters will take the troop to the campsite and the PLC (SPL/ASPL) will assign tents and all that.
Tents:
Scouts will bunk with their buddy or buddies. max three per tent. Max two years of age differential, or school grade differential. If there is a buddy team already established, the PLC will allow that, however, there will be a “no Scout left behind” concept, where everyone’s desires will be considered for buddy teams. We can also switch it up mid-week, if so desired.
Buddy teams will remain for the week. A Scout will stay with his buddy during non-course hours (after badge classes and those times). Each Scout is responsible for telling his patrol leader where he is going (Scout shop, dining facility, etc.) during the scheduled down time. The Patrol leader will maintain a system of knowing where all of his patrol members are. We also have a white board in the trailer to help with this. The SPL is overall responsible for knowing were all of the Scouts are.
Packing:
We have found that packing all of the Scouts stuff in a tuff box/plastic tote/or similar tub, is very beneficial. 1. They have ready access to their stuff. 2. it is easy to identify and mark with identifications. 3. it is easy to stack in the trailer for transport. 4. they seal to keep out mice, rodents, bugs, etc. There are many more reason they are a good idea. However, please make sure your Scout packs his own stuff. This helps him know where his stuff is. We have had parents pack and the Scout has no idea where something is when he needs it. When asked, he says, “I told my mom to pack it,” or “my dad told me he packed it.”
Bring Swim gear, just in case we can free swim.
SCOUTS SHOULD PACK THEIR OWN BAGS!
Knives:
BSA does not restrict the type of knife a Scout uses (folder or fixed blade). Hoever, there are some common sense rules to abide by. Please do not allow your Scout to bring a machette to camp. It is cool, and a great talking peice, but not a practical choice for this event. Many Scouts will bring that $30-$60 of spending money and blow it on a camp knife they found at the Scout shop. Just so you understand, most camps restrict knife sales until Wednesday, so the boys are super excited to get their “first knife,” then play with it and throw it into their knee, causing other Scouts to break out their first aid kits and do all that. Great times were had by all, and great stories continue to be shared and embellished! Not a bad thing!
Bikes:
I do not think bringing bikes is a good idea this year. Although it is allowed, I am not sure we can successfully transport as many bikes as there are desires to bring them. Many of our Scouts are first time summer campers, so lets rely on the basics of transport around camp. SISR is a small property, unlike Dobbins or Camp A, where it takes 15 minutes to walk from one MB area to another, I think bikes are not necessary. However, adults will be free to make that decision on their own as we have to visit all of the MB areas twice a day, everyday. That is a lot of walking! And they won’t let me bring my motorcycle.
Camp Merit Badge Schedules:
Thank you for being understanding in the last week of merit badge madness.
We will get hard copies of merit badge schedules on Sunday during check-in. I also have a copy of everyone’s schedule which I will have on my phone and ensure all the other adults do as well. Just in case!
Each Scout will have a map of the camp so they can find their way to their classes. With 26 Scouts, I do not think there will by any “lone” Scout headed off to a class, everyone will be in at least a small group.
Your Scout may come home with requirements remaining to finish a badge. He will know what he needs to do to finish that particular badge. With that, he will also receive a printout and an unfinished Blue Card with blanks for the items that remain unfinished.
Any Scoutmaster attending camp can sign off as the merit badge counselor for those remaining requirements. We still have a few Scouts with outstanding requirements from Summer Camps in the past. It is no big deal. He will get those items completed so dont fret about it. As long as he maintains a copy of that Blue Card/printout, he will be alright.
Uniforms:
We are required to travel to and from BSA Activities in Class A uniform (no sash required). Your Scout will wear his Class A to camp, every morning for flags, every evening for flags, and on the way home on Saturday. Sorry, parents! You can use a pressure washer on them when you get home to get the stink off!
Hygiene:
Please ensure when your Scout packs, he packs deoderant. I have no issue calling a kid out who “forgot” to put deoderant on (tactfully, of course). These kids are going to be very active for the week, and really, help us out here!
The Scouts will be required to shower twice during the week. Tuesday evening and Thursday Evening. Then they will put deoderant on right after that. being Clean is one of the points of the Scout law. They will be reminded of this as necessary.
These dudes are old enough that they should have an idea of what hygeine is, so there will be no checks by adults, but we will definitely have this subject matter covered in our daily briefings and pre-bed nightly routine: brush teeth and all that!
Pick-up:
Saturday is out check-out/pick up day. I would like to have everyone who dropped off do the pick-up, but I know that is not always a possibility. However, we will be ready and will need as many seats on Saturda to bring kids home as we did on Sunday to take them there.
If you are driving both ways, it would be benneficial if you took the same Scout home with you for ease of rosters and tracking purposes.
Please try and be up at Camp by 9am on Saturday for pick up. We will be clearing the campsite during that time and all the Scouts should be packed and ready to go. We will ensure all Scouts returning with the group are accounted for and leave no later than 10am to head home to the Barn for dowload and parent pick-up. Our estimated arrival to the barn will be announced by the Scoutmaster so parents can grab their kids and strap them to the roof of the car for the final trip home (it is possible they will smell funny).
Like I said at the beginning, please let me know if there is anything you think to add to this list, or you want to see added. I probably have more knowlege about this than I am relaying because I have done this a few times and don’t remember a lot of stuff I previously asked questions about, so please ask that question and I will make a post on it!
I am sure I forgot something, so (seriously) let me know!
Don’t hesitate to shoot me a text or give me a call!
Dan 228-806-9063
