Camping and Camp Gadgetry
I love camping… it gives you that opportunity to try stuff that looks oh-so shiny in the shops.
Apart from the usual kit for camp – GPS units (two of them), spare mobile phones (again, two on different networks), camera (two…. oh good grief this is sounding like Noah’s shopping list 
) – I’ve also got a couple of “eco” toys to play with.
The first is the “green” tent peg, sold through Millets, which biodegrades after a couple of months. These were mentioned on BBC TV’s “Countryfile” as they were handed out at the last Glastonbury music festival. I’ll give them a go and see how robust they actually are.
The second “green” gadget is the solar powered FreeLoader – with the various wires to recharge phones and other small electrical items. I’ve also bought the battery charger that works with the FreeLoader – either charging the unit – or taking power from the Freeloader to charge the batteries. The battery charger also has a USB plug – and I’ve already used it at work to prepare my batteries. Luckily, for another gadget (the sat nav) I’ve got the power charger, which uses a USB socket, so charging should be a breeze.
So – what other toys will I be playing with?
I’ve bought a Peter Storm summer weight waterproof – not as good as the GoreTex, but much lighter and easier to pack; I’ve bought another set of cutlery (the last set part walked off – which is anoying as they were Ikea Baby cutlery*)
I’ve got a pair of boots to use – again more of a summer weight, so not as waterproof (but I’ll have my gaiters) but just as supportive.
So anyway, we’ll see how things go – and I’ll update the blog when I get back.
Toodle-pip!
*A useful tip – if you just pack your cutlery, having “kiddies” cutlery will mean that you won’t cut your fingers when you reach into your bag – and your Knife, Fork Spoon is much more easily identified! The only down side is that it won’t cope too well with tough meat…
Preparations for Camp
With one week to go before camp, some of the Troop had made the assumption that (as they weren’t going to camp) didn’t need to be at Scouts – which was a shame.
The main evening challenge was to get the patrols to draw up a list of equipment that they would need to stock their dining shelter. The quartermasters then issued whatever kit had been requested (sometimes giving not exact kit – such as gas that didn’t match the cookers).
We then challenged the patrols to “do something” such as cook dinner etc… and identified what equipment was missing. We also spent a few minutes talking through personal kit for camp – so that Scouts would know what to ask for.
This link here will take you to the kit list price list. Listed prices are as at July 2008, so may be subject to change.
Hopefully when Scouts go to camp next, they’ll have an idea about what they need to think about!
The 2008 Pathfinder Challenge
Just to let the few people in my District that read this know that I have published details of the 2008 Pathfinder Challenge at http://19harrow.wordpress.com/pathfinder-challenge/
Toodle-pip!
A Pioneering Challenge
What was going to be a Sedan Chair Relay was disrupted through bad weather – making “outdoor play” a bit of a no go. However, after a quick relay game (and it surprises me how a “backwards” run sort of looks like a sideways run!) we then set the challenge.
The troop formed up into groups of 3, each team having 6 poles. Then, with a limited supply of ropes (well, more than is actually needed), the challenge was set. The rules were:
- using the poles they had to construct the framework to which a groundsheet would be put on.
- they could not use tables, chairs or walls to support the frame – it had to be self supporting.
- all scouts would be inside the frame when the groundsheet was thrown over – so they would have to be confident in their knots!
It was actually quite good then – with loads of determined efforts. In hindsight, perhaps we should have picked who worked with whom – as our linking Cubs struggled to make their knots hold; our PLs being reluctant to work with anyone but other PLs so that they would “win”. But that’s a learn point.
I may upload a couple of pics from the evening – so watch this space.
Finally – we said goodbye to Ben who has joined army cadets. We all wish him well.
Tents
Tip, Tip Tip went the mallet, lightly on the peg. “Go on, thump the mallet on the ground”. Tip. “No, really hit it”. Tap. “Oh, come on, go for it”. Thump. “Great – now hit the peg with that force”. Tip tip tip….
With 16 Scouts attending – all with little to no camping experience – we were able to teach putting up Patrol tents ensuring that each step was properly taught. There was still the element of reining in natural enthusiams, but generally the evening went really well. I hope that the Scouts will remember the lesson – next time many will be putting up their “home” for the week…
A modern challenge?
So, as a good Scout you’re going to uphold all the Scout Laws – or at least, do your best? How’s that going? Good, glad to hear it!
Reading B-P’s “Scouting for Boys” I found a reference to the “Code of Chivarly”, the code that the Mediaeval Knights would live by. This can also be considered to be the basis for the original Scout Law, which was adapted to the modern one that we all promise to upkeep today. Now, how many of these could you live by?
“Be always ready with your armour on except when you take your rest at night
Defend the poor and help them that cannot defend themselves
Do nothing to hurt or offend anyone else
Be prepared to fight in the defense of England
At whatever you are working, try to win honour and a name for honesty
Never break your promise
Maintain the honour of your country with your life
Rather die honest than live shamelessly
Chivalry requireth that youth should be trained to perform the most labourious and humble offices with cheerfulness and grace and to do good unto others”
Fire at Home
The last of the Fire Safety Badge evenings.
After a game of crab football (even though we don’t play it very often, it still seems to illicit groans from the Scouts 
)
We then broke into 3 groups. Alan took the Scouts through safety in the home – which included demonstrations of smoke detectors (glad he did it outside with the doors shut!), a first aid base looking at dealing with burns, and a camp flavoured base looking at camping gas and the dangers that could be found.
We also tried to play the Towers of Babel game – but I’d hurried to get 20 flower pots and so hadn’t marked them up to enable teams to distinguish their pots from their colleagues. Consequently – chaos ensued.
The Scouts also seemed to be quite boisterous, and given the echo that the hall produces it was a challenge at times to maintain control.
Towers of Babel Game.
Each team starts with a stack of 5 pots, each pot a different size. The pots are stacked biggest to smallest. Each team has three bases - the start base, where all the pots begin from; a middle base and an end base – where all the pots need to finish, again stacked biggest to smallest.
Only one pot can be moved at any time, only the top pot in any pile can be moved and it can only go onto an empty space or a larger pot.
I organised it so that with 4 teams, each table had a start, middle and end of a different team (so Start for Team 1, Middle for Team 3, End for Team 4) – in hindsight though a simple relay style approach may have been better given the pots were not different from each other.
