We prepare our Scouts, but how about their parents? How can we help parents make it though the first week of summer camp? Entrusting the full-time care of your child to someone for such a long time, for the first time, can be challenging for parents. In this podcast I offer some ideas you can share with parents tp make their child’s stay at summer camp easier on the folks at home....
What do you think? In this week’s podcast I’ll answer email questions about [anxious Scouts,](https://scoutmastercg.com/tag/behavior-problems/) liability insurance, cell phones and whether we should be using merit badge books or unofficial work sheets and workbooks. The Big Three Resources every Scouter should read BSA statement on liability insurance Article on merit badge workbooks and worksheets. Sponsored By ScoutmasterCG.com Backers Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS...
Once you become a Scouter, what’s next? What five things can you do to make the best of your opportunity as a Scouter? Whether you are just starting out, or have been around for awhile, let’s get the new year off on the right foot by thinking about making the best of our opportunities! This podcast also features answers to email questions about the difference between Venturing and other age divisions, addressing parent’s concerns about supervision on camping trips, and youth leader development....
Keeping Scouts safe is a key responsibility of any Scouter, and Safe scouting requires we understand and mange the risks involved in our activities. Scouter Walter Underwood has posted an excellent overview of recent changes to the Guide to Safe Scouting that include a Campout Safety Checklist (PDF), Event Safety Checklist (PDF), Incident Information Report (fillable PDF), and Near Miss Incident Information Report (fillable PDF). I think these new tools provide an excellent framework to maintain our awareness of our responsibilities and obligations to maintaining safe Scouting....
Scouts and their guide paddle during the beginning of a storm that threatened the lives of a group of Scouts. (photo from Cincinnati .com) On Thursday June 12th a group of Scouts on a trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness with the Northern Tier High Adventure Program were rescued by helicopter after their canoes capsized in a storm. Everyone survived, there were no major injuries. I study incidents like this carefully because our troop has been doing canoe treks in Algonquin Provincial Park for nearly a decade....
Wilderness emergencies caused by sudden, unpredictable changes in conditions may be unavoidable BUT: Ignorance, inattentiveness, bravado, and lack of preparedness cause more wilderness emergencies than sudden changes in conditions. IGNORANCE of terrain, climate, skill level or physical health of groups and individuals. IGNORANCE of skills required to conduct the activity safely. IGNORANCE of risks inherent in the activity. KNOW where you are going, who is going, and what you need to stay safe....
Podcast Episode (00:29:46): Download MP3 Listen to Scoutmaster Podcast 218 | Sponsored By ScoutmasterCG.com Backers In this podcast I answer email questions about medical issues and we return to the eternal question of “forming” youth leadership (“forming” – listen to find out how funny that is!) Lend a hand to answering the favorite camping and hiking spots, your one sentence Scouting definition, and help Greg with his Wood Badge Ticket....
I was reminded (thank’s Jeff!) to remind you that Lyme disease season is upon us. The map above shows where Lyme is an issue when camping and hiking in the outdoors. Consult this CDC website for a comprehensive set of resources to better understand Lyme and how to prevent it. This PDF document offers succinct advice for campers and hikers. This FAQ is helpful for getting answers and clarification of common (mis)information....
Every Scouter has been there. You’ve been there, and so have I. Your fellow Scouter, a parent, or Scout has a question. You think you know the answer. After telling them what you think there’s a little shadow of doubt in your mind;”did I get that right?”. That shadow grows, and you go looking for some resource that backs you up. You try the Scoutmaster Handbook, you look over your training notes (you do have training notes, don’t you?...
Most wilderness emergencies are avoidable, but, if you spend enough time in the outdoors, one will likely come your way. What will you do? Studying scenarios and reports is a one way to sharpen your outdoor leadership skills. Canoe guru Kevin Callan is the author of 11 books, including the Paddler’s Guide series and The Happy Camper. He shares his extensive experience as a wilderness guide instructing college-level courses in Advanced Wilderness Skills....
UDAP, the folks that make pepper spray for fending off bears, also offer (of all things) an electric fence as an alternative to hanging food in bear country. Powered by 4 D -cell and 4 AA batteries the fence packs a 7600 volt punch into a 9 pound package. Looks like a viable alternative for groups that spend a lot of time in serious bear country. We hang our food when we are canoeing in Canada more to protect it from other animals than the black bears found in Algonquin (never spotted one myself)....
What’s a good place to test insect repellent? How about 25 Scouts canoeing their way through a buggy week in Ontario, Canada’s Algonquin Provincial Park? In mid August we don’t usually run into too many mosquitoes and the black fly season is long over. This was a wet summer and we encountered more mosquitoes that we were used to, many, many more. One evening as we were chatting around the campfire we heard a quiet, yet audible, high-pitched buzzing sound that must have been a cloud of insects (we suspected mosquitoes)....
I am sure that the wilderness rescue volunteers and professionals in Ontario are the nicest people you could ever meet, but I’d like to avoid them. Well, at least in their capacity as SAR (search and rescue) folks. Here’s a recent article from Ontario Parks that shares eight tip[s to avoiding wilderness rescue taht should apply to any backcountry adventure. Ontario Parks staff are well prepared to help when someone is in need of assistance in the backcountry....
In addition to the program-oriented courses offered through MyScouting.org completing these six online training courses are a worthwhile way for any Scouter to improve their safety IQ. As a young Scoutmaster I felt a lot of these things were limitations, but now I don’t see these safety practices as restrictive. Quite to the contrary I feel more empowered and confident that I can help my Scouts plan and supervise potentially risky activities....
Two recent events prompted me to make a lightning safety infographic. Yesterday evening we held our Scout meeting at a park nearby during a powerful thunderstorm. We took shelter and played games for most of the hour and a half (this was one of our ‘summer sessions’ and we usually play a bunch of games at the park). While we were at the park 23 Scouts and adults were injured in a lightning strike at Camp Griswold in New Hampshire (hundreds of miles and several states away from us)....
If you are travelling in bear country follow these ten ways to avoid bears: Keep your cooking areas and sleeping areas separate (100 yards or so is the rule of thumb). Hang food and items with strong odors (ie, toothpaste, bug repellent, soap, etc.) at least 10 ft above the ground or use airtight, bear-proof containers. Don’t wear clothing with cooking or food odors to bed. Be clean – wash dishes, and people in the cooking area well away from the sleeping area....
Supplement your B.S.A. Hazardous Weather Training with the free National Weather Service’s SKYWARN training. (Rick Jameson suggested this after reading Ten Causes of Scouting Disasters in the Wild – thanks Rick!) To obtain critical weather information, NOAA’s National Weather Service established SKYWARN®, a volunteer program with nearly 290,000 trained severe weather spotters. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service....
A wall cloud like this is never good news. (The storm that followed caused tornadoes, thankfully a good distance from where we hunkered down!) Scouting disasters in the wild loom when things start to get sketchy, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, you get that feeling that something is not quite right. It’s time to stop, sit down and think. Bravely pushing ahead against all obstacles, having the grit and determination to keep on going, not giving in are all qualities we’d like to see in our Scouts....
Priceless! Dear Andy, I returned from Scout camp after spending six days with my son and his troop a couple of weeks ago, and I have to say is I’m shocked. I was there with the Scoutmaster, and he never lifted a finger to help the boys. All he did was sit in his lawn chair and watch them fail, time after time. I’m still so angry I’m ready to pull my son out of Scouts....
The long history of the “buddy system” in Scouting has shown that it is always best to have at least one other person with you and aware at all times of your circumstances and what you are doing in any outdoor or strenuous activity – Guide to Safe Scouting “Where’s your buddy?” is a pretty common question when we are out camping. (more likely to be directed at a patrol leader or senior patrol leader -“where is that Scout’s buddy?...