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Wilderness Survival Merit Badge for Boy Scouts  Boy Scouts who like building their own shelters and making survival packs will enjoy the Wilderness Survival merit badge.

Webelos Visit Tonight  Troop meeting tonight with 4 Webelos visiting . Boy Scouts are teaching them how to pack, pitch tents, camp skills, etc.

Venturing Ranger Award Requirements - Backpacking Elective  By completing the Venturing Ranger Award requirements for Backpacking, a Venturer must learn many aspects of backpacking - from equipment to cooking on the trail to first aid. Then the Venturer must use these skills and teach them to others.

Venturing Ranger Award Core Requirement - Wilderness Survival  Venturing Ranger Award: A young man or woman must complete 8 requirements and 4 electives. 1 of the core requirements is Wilderness Survival

Swift Explorer Base  Since I often do reviews when I go camping, I thought I'd do an article about some of our experiences at John S. Swift Explorer Base. Swift is located at S -F Scout Ranch near Farmington, Missouri.

Camp Drake - Summer Camp  A review of our troop's week of Boy Scout summer camp at Camp Drake in eastern Illinois, near Champaign-Urbana.

Take Me Out to the Forest Song  Take Me Out to the Forest is a classic Scouting song. Sing it around the campfire, when you're out on a hike, or when you are camping.

Bear Grylls Survival Series Ultimate Kit  Nylon pouch, multi-tool, miniature light, hand saw, signaling mirror, survival blanket, fire starter, waterproof matches, cotton ball fire tinder, snare wire, emergency cord, waxed thread, fishing kit, sewing kit, pocket survival guide, and rescue instructions.

60 Hikes Within 60 Miles (Multiple Locations Available)  This is great for Scout units, because you can pick up the book and know you are going to be able to find something within a reasonable driving distance.

Review - Johnson Shut-ins Campground  A few weeks ago our troop camped at Johnson Shut-Ins State Park in southern Missouri. The campground was completely rebuilt following the Taum Sauk hydroelectric power station disaster in 2005.

BSA Methods - The Outdoors  One of the methods for Boy Scouts is “the outdoors”. Being outdoors presents Boy Scouts with challenges and adventures. Boys enjoy the independence of getting away from home and taking care of themselves.

Camping Troop Program Feature for Boy Scouts  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.

‘Twas the Campout Before Christmas  Kim Gilbert of Pack 533 in Andover, Kansas sent me this take on 'Twas the Night Before Christmas so I could share it with you. Thanks Kim! I'm sure many of the Cub Packs out there will enjoy this.

Review – Washington State Park  Our Boy Scout troop recently had a family campout at Washington State Park. I recommend this campground. There was definitely plenty to do and see there and we had a great time. I'm sure we'll be going back.

Camping Information Sheet for Camping Merit Badge  I recently spent a week at Swift Base at S bar F Scout Ranch with our Boy Scout troop. Swift is normally a Venturing camp, so when they do a week for Boy Scouts, the only merit badges offered by the staff are Canoeing, Swimming, Lifesaving, Rowing, Water Sports, Small Boat Sailing, Climbing, Horsemanship, Rifle Shooting, and Shotgun Shooting. So the Scouters attending camp with their units were asked to offer additional outdoor oriented merit badges.

Patrol Planner for Campouts  The hope is that after a few months, this will provide some consistency so that our youth leaders will do more planning and delegating without as much adult intervention. I think if we provide them with some help and training and they try it, they will see that the patrol method really does provide a way for everyone to share in the duties and makes planning campouts easier.

Camping Merit Badge for Boy Scouts  Our scouts frequently do this badge at summer camp. But they often come home from camp with an incomplete because they haven't complete requirement 9. They often think they have 20 days and nights of camping when they sign up for the badge, but they don't realize that those must all be tent camping and they can only count one summer camp. Or they haven't done the part where two of the campouts must include climbing to an elevation, rappelling, etc. So as a registered counselor, I can sign off on this badge when they finally get enough nights and days of tent camping.

BSA Medical Forms  All four of my boys had their physicals yesterday. And I took along the BSA medical form to have it filled out so they would be ready for camp this summer. Sometimes this takes parents by surprise. Remind them to make an appointment and get it done if they haven't already.

Camp Programs for First Year Boy Scouts  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.

Spring Camporee  My Webelos had a great weekend at our district Spring Camporee. Three of my four Webelos attended. Fortunately the severe weather which had been predicted earlier for late Saturday afternoon passed to the south of us, so we did not have to bug out early. The field was wet and muddy and there was some rain, but that didn't dampen their spirits.

Review - New Orleans West KOA Campground  I would definitely recommend this campground. The neighborhood felt very safe and it was definitely a more economical way for the six of us to visit New Orleans than staying in a hotel.

Scouting Resources - High Adventure Destinations  Scoutmaster Clarke Greene - of The Scoutmaster Podcast fame - is developing a database of high adventure destinations. I love the idea! Adding a little adventure to a program keeps older Scouts engaged.

Review - Davis Bayou Campground  Overall, this was a good campground because of the location and all of the attractions in the area, but the bugs were a real annoyance.

Review - Buccaneer State Park in Mississippi  Overall, I'd recommend this park for camping, but you might want to bring some earplugs and bug spray.

The Versatile Frisbee  Many campers consider the frisbee an indispensable piece of gear for camp. How do you use your frisbee to improve camp life?

Camping In Instead of Camping Out  We didn't expect a tremendous turnout for January tent camping, but only 3 youth (2 of them my sons) and my husband signed up. So it had to be cancelled.

National Outdoor Badges - Camping   If you have some enthusiastic campers in your troop, they might have completed the requirements already.

The Twelve Days of Camping Song  Heres another silly song for you. This works well at Christmas (because of the tune) or at camp (because of the theme).

Outdoor Essentials for Cub Scouts  Even as winter approaches and it gets to cold for the Cub Scouts to get out tent camping, we can still get them outdoors on a day hike. Make sure your Cub Scouts know the 10 Outdoor Essentials.

Camping Log for Boy Scouts  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 to record.

Boy Scout Leave No Trace Award  Boy Scouts will complete a couple of the requirements for the Boy Scout Leave No Trace award while working their way toward Eagle Scout.

The Outdoor Code  Every Scout who is spending time outdoors should be familiar with the Outdoor Code. It is especially important for Webelos, Boy Scouts, and Venturers who are out camping regularly.

Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award  If your Cub Scouts attended day camp or resident camp over the summer, you might want to encourage them to work on their Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award.

What Is the Order of the Arrow?  Some of you may have Boy Scouts in your families who are in the process of becoming members of the Order of the Arrow. Just when you thought you were getting a grasp on Boy Scouts, they threw something new at you!

Fall Fun Rally | BSA Centennial Year National Venturing Event  This year Fall Fun Rally has been designated the BSA Centennial Year National Venturing Event.

Camping at Swift Base  Swift offers weeks of summer camp for Venturers and Explorers. Activities include water skiing, tubing, sailing, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, rock climbing, rappelling, ropes challenge courses, horseback riding, mountain biking, rifle shooting, and archery.

How to Prevent Chafing at Camp  With all of the first aid information in the various Cub Scout and Boy Scout handbooks, I never come across much information about the one problem we see most frequently at summer camp

Planning for Summer Camp  Summer camp is the highlight of the Scout year. It takes a lot of planning beforehand to pull it off smoothly though.

Camping With a Coed Venture Crew  Camping with a coed Scouting unit presents its own set of concerns and challenges. It is important to have a clearly defined Code of Conduct beforehand.

Camping Packing List  One thing new scouts (and new leaders) often ask the first few times they go camping is "What do I need to bring?" Download a suggested list of personal camping gear.