Knowledge of fire safety and the fire triangle is an essential outdoor skill. Scouts should understand the science of fire when camping. Newer scouts often struggle to get a fire going. Understanding the way fire works and what is required to start and sustain a fire not only helps them build fires. It also helps scouts […]
When preparing for a campout, one of the most common questions from less experienced campers is “What should I bring?” This article from Boy’s Life magazine is a good list of must haves for that campout.
A reader asks about cutting the corners from a Whittling Chip card when the owner commits a safety infraction.
This backpacking program feature offers the opportunity to learn more about hiking and low impact camping. A Boy Scout troop PLC can plan a whole month of activities incorporating a backpacking theme.
Karen asked this question: “How many boys from a Patrol does there need to be to qualify as doing “anything” as a Patrol?”
This cooking program feature for Boy Scouts offers the opportunity to plan a month’s worth of troop activities with food and cooking theme. The featured activity for this month is a patrol feast.
The Special Cooking Troop Program Feature offers the opportunity to explore cooking with special equipment and techniques, including Dutch oven cooking, foil packs, and camp stoves.
The forestry program feature offers the opportunity to introduce natural resource management and conservation in a Boy Scout troop setting.
What is the best way to treat a knife cut? This article from Boy’s Life magazine explains how to stop the bleeding, clean the cut, and dress the wound.
This is a self contained camp stove which burns twigs, charcoal, wood pellets, etc. It has a small battery powered fan to draw air.
The Boy Scout Roundtable Planning Guide suggests a Camping troop program feature for Boy Scouts. The focus of this program feature is on outdoor skills.
Skits can be a great way to start an instruction program. They get everyone’s attention focused. This is a skit I saw at a camporee, but it would also work as an introduction to a session on fire building.
Our council has a “Toasted Chit” training for pressurized fuel use. I believe this is a local requirement, but I thought the organization of the material might be helpful to anyone doing pressurized fuel instruction.
Summer camp is usually the highlight of the Scouting year. It can be particularly exciting for first year Boy Scouts. It can also be a little intimidating. A program designed specifically for new Scouts will help them adjust to camp life.
Boy Scouts are going to build fires. That is pretty much a given. So they should be trained to use fire safely. This BSA certification provides a set of rules which can be used for training with Scouts. A pocket card is also available at your local Scout shop, to indicate that the Scout has […]
Camping is an essential part of the Boy Scout program and Scouts need to keep track of how much camping they have done. There is a space for this in the back of their handbook, but as a Camping merit badge counselor, I know that there are some other aspects of their campouts they need […]
