Outdoor Program

While the twelve points of the Scout law at summer camp isn’t different than the Scout law anywhere else the week we spend together in the company of other Scouts is a great opportunity to discover how the Scout law applies to everything we do. Available as a PDF document. (see the download link below) Get dozens of Scouting resources like this one (infographics and other helpful documents in PDF format) Get the PDF package and support the creation of these resources for $5....

This video from the author of Paracord Fusion Ties demonstrates tying a fleur-de-lis knot – I have the Kindle edition of Volume one of Paracord Fusion Ties (there are three volumes). It has very easy to follow illustrations and I recommend highly, the number of things you can make with paracord is nearly endless, and it’s great fun. Before you know it you’ll be making paracord bracelets, neckerchief slides, key fobs, and lanyards....

John Wiebke Scoutmaster of Troop 358 in Zionsville, Indiana, shares his summer plans (and what great plans they are!) Nothing makes the winter pass quicker than looking forward to a great summer adventure! Every other year our troop travels to Ontario, Canada, for summer camp at Haliburton Scout Reservation (three hours north of Toronto on Lake Kennabi) and a simultaneous high adventure trip just a little north of Haliburton at Algonquin Provincial Park....

Scouts can join scientific collaborations in nearly any field of study through an amazing number of citizen science opportunities. Citizen science projects can make for engaging patrol or troop activities, and may even tie into merit badges Scouts are working on individually (they should make their counsellor aware of these opportunities). SciStarter.com is a great place to begin: SciStarter will bring together the millions of citizen scientists in the world; the thousands of potential projects offered by researchers, organizations, and companies; and the resources, products, and services that enable citizens to pursue and enjoy these activities....

Michael Smith shared this coywolf infographic with me on Google plus. The coywolf is a remarkable new hybrid mix of western coyote and eastern wolf. The coywolf’s range is growing and they are thriving in urban and suburban areas. It’s thought this new hybrid species first appeared early in the last century in Ontario, Canada’s Algonquin Provincial Park. We may have a coywolf (almost certainly a coyote) living quite nearby in our little town here in Southeastern Pennsylvania, there’s an ideal patch of habitat and I know people have seen a creature there that meets the description....

Two troops, same Scout summer camp, same week; one troop has a wonderful time and goes home smiling, one has a difficult time and leaves unhappy. I observed hundreds of troops and thousands of Scouts As a staff member and camp director for a dozen summers. I can tell you one thing that makes or breaks a week at camp. It is not facilities, location, staff, or program. Those things will have less to do with the experience you’ll have once you are there than you expect....

Blogger Sheryl Canter offers this Recipe for SeasoningCast Iron based on what looks like a very well-thought out scientific analysis. After researching the subject she concluded: The seasoning on cast iron is formed by fat polymerization, fat polymerization is maximized with a drying oil, and flaxseed oil is the only drying oil that’s edible. From that I deduced that flaxseed oil would be the ideal oil for seasoning cast iron....

Scouts measure height for First Class rank: First Class Requirement 2 Using a map and compass, complete an orienteering course that covers at least one mile and requires measuring the height and/or width of designated items (tree, tower, canyon, ditch, etc.). Peter Le Roux at the Ropes and Poles Blog provides the helpful illustration above and the directions: This technique for measuring the height of an object is an old one- there is a very similar drawing in Scouting For Boys....

Set aside your paperwork, take a moment, and join me on this six minute retreat into the lakes and forests of New Brunswick, Canada with painter Réjean Roy. Le Peintre, le canot et la forêt (Painter, canoeing and forest) records Roy’s traditional canoeing kit (note the wanigan, canvas portage pack, trapper tent, canvas covered canoe, and tin stove). I’m more nervous releasing this video than any paintings I’ve done. It may be because this little video hasn’t been produced in a professional manner – I am not a videographer, but a painter....

Fire by friction history was made by ‘World Champion Fire Starter’ Eagle Scout Dudley Winn Smith from Independence, Missouri who held the record for starting a fire using a bow and drill. The 1937 book Games and Recreational Methods for Clubs, Camps and Scouts, C.F. Smith, records his winning method. I have tried this out and it works! “When the starter said ‘Go’ I drew my bow back and forth with long complete strokes....

South African Scouter Peter Le Roux maintains the excellent Ropes and Poles blog. Here’s a recent post on expanding the use of pioneering projects: Pioneering projects are great fun to build, and there is a good sense of accomplishment that can be achieved, but I’m always looking for a pioneering project to be a bit more useful in the long term. When I was a Troop Scouter, if a Scout proposed a project, I always looked for another angle beyond just building something ‘because we can’ ....

Scoutmaster Joe Jacaruso shares his backpacking knowledge. Joe Jacaruso, Scoutmaster and an avid backpacker, will join us at ScoutCircle.org Sunday October 13 9-10 PM EDT to talk about Scouts and backpacking. ScoutCircle is a monthly live presentation with questions from viewers, you can see our past ScoutCircles presentations here. Joe Jacaruso says: “All I need is just one more excuse to go backpacking.” If you asked any of the people I went to school about what I would be doing now, backpacking would not be at the top of the list....

Pioneering tower challenge; build this tower using this sketch. Send me a picture of the result! It won’t be easy, certainly, but is it possible? You may want to refer to this book for a little help.

I was introduced to huevos rancheros or “rancher’s eggs’ by one of my Scouts (Jesus Torralba) nearly twenty years ago when Jesus was our grubmaster for a cabin camping trip. Since then it’s been one of my preferred camping breakfasts. A lot of recipes call for toasting whole tortillas and serving whole fried eggs on top of them, but I like this version (where the tortilla is torn up and sauteed with onions) much better....

photographs by Liesl de Weerd click to see full-sized image This pioneering sculpture was created by a Scout named Ruan from 1st Horison, a Scout group on the West Rand near Johannesburg in South Africa (map below). Ruan is working towards Springbok Scout – the highest rank in Scouts South Africa, like our Eagle Scout. One of the requirements for Springbok is a construction project (there’s also a service project)....

The bottle sling knot has been around for centuries. This ancient method of forming a sling for the neck of a jug or bottle this knot was described in detail by the Greek physician Heraklas in his first century book on surgical knots and slings. The bottle sling can be used to create a handle for a container with a slight flare or collar. In a doubled form known as a hackamore it can also form an improvised emergency bridle for a horse; the central parts acting as a bit, the knot’s outer loop on the muzzle, and the other passing under the jaw....

This tip comes from Field & Stream Magazine via Pinterest: Use straws to store salt, pepper, and spices for camping trips. Heat one end of a clear plastic straw with a lighter, then crimp it with your fingers or a multitool. Fill the straw with the desired seasoning, and repeat the process on the other end. Just snip off one of the ends when you’re cooking, and reseal it when you’re done....

Here’s a series of five videos featuring camping guru Cliff Jacobson talking about the nuts and bolts of canoe camping courtesy of the folks at Morral River FIlms A respected outdoors writer and wilderness guide Cliff is the most published canoeing/camping writer of this century.Cliff is the author of Expedition Canoeing, Camping’s Top Secrets and a frequent contributor to Boys Life and Scouting magazine.. I interviewed Cliff for Scoutmaster Podcast 54....

The view from our campsite on Lake Hogan It’s time for show and tell! What high adventure trip did your Scouts participate in this summer? ( I am sure the Jamboree was great, but I am looking for reports on wilderness treks) Where did you go? How was the trip? Have any pictures? Answer in the comments below (you can include links to pictures) and share what you did this summer....

One of my goals for summer camp was sharpening my skills at identifying and understanding rocks and minerals. I started by reading ‘Rocks and Minerals’, one of a series of handbooks published by the Smithsonian Institution. Author Chris Pellant explains the basics and offers a guide for identifying rocks and minerals with excellent photographs and explanations that, after a bit of practice, I learned to use to identify the samples I found....