Follow
It’s a great privilege to be a guest of the Scouts while we are at summer camp for the week. Here’s what our average day looks like:
| Time | Scouts | Adults |
| [6:45] AM | Awakened by the SPL and PL’s. Flag is raised and all Scouts go to polar bear swim as a group. | I used to get up and go to Polar Bear swim years ago (like 15 or so) but I think it’s important for the Scouts to do this on their own. |
| 7;15 AM | Scouts return from polar bear swim, get changed and begin cleaning up the campsite. | Some adults are up this early for a shower or out of habit. |
| [7:45] AM | Waiters off to the dining hall, Scouts get together to leave for breakfast. | I am up around [7:30] and all of us adults are off to the dining hall for coffee. I call to the SPL and tell him we’ll see them at breakfast. |
| [8:00] AM | Breakfast | The SPL sits at my table during every meal and I ask him how things are going. I also review what happens next – he’s usually a few steps ahead of me anyway. |
| [8:45] AM | Back to the campsite to finish cleaning up and to gather their things for the morning. They will do lots of things in this hour. | The camp staff inspects our campsite each morning. I never walk around wit the inspector that’s the SPL’s job. |
| [9:45] AM | Off to merit badges or first year program or COPE or mountain biking or whatever. | Traditionally I take the new Scouts to the first year program on Monday. This gives me a chance to observe how they are doing. |
| [12:00] | Return to campsite – Waiters off to the dining hall at [12:15] | I ask the SPL to let me know if anyone is missing right away. He checks in with patrol leaders before each meal. |
| [12:30] | Lunch | I watch the Scouts at meals pretty carefully – are they talking and joking with their friends? Are they eating? If so they’re happy. If not I need to know why. |
| [1:00] | Siesta in the campsite | Casual discussions with SPL and PL’s; just seeing if there are any issues. |
| [2:00] | Off to merit badges or first year program or COPE or mountain biking or whatever. | Mornings and afternoons while the Scouts are out and about we adults may be doing a service project, napping, lounging, visiting. We don’t travel around and look over the Scout’s shoulders. |
| [5:00] | Back to campsite to get ready for retreat and lower the campsite flag | This is one activity when the Scouts and Adults are all expected to attend. I may take the opportunity to say something when we are assembled but usually not. |
| [5:45] | Retreat ceremony | Scouts assemble, adults line up across the field. |
| [6:00] | Dinner | Often I know what the evening program will be before the SPL does so we’ll talk a bit about how he’s going to prepare for it. |
| [7:00] | Back to Campsite – free time | Another opportunity to observe what’s going on. |
| [8:00] | Campwide Activity | Like every other activity at camp the Scouts get themselves together and go wherever they are supposed to go. We observe from a respectful distance. |
| [10:00] | Patrols meet as soon as we return from the evening activity. They discuss the day and complete their Patrol log entry. The PL brings the log to a PLC meeting and reads from it. Issues are resolved, plans discussed and it’s off to bed. | As with any meeting of the PLC we observe but do not contribute unless asked. I get my minute for comment at the close of the meeting (I usually ask other adults for comments at that time) |
The adult mission at summer camp is to keep out of the way and observe. We are watching for:
- Any tendency towards ‘The Lord of the Flies’ syndrome or other seriously anti-social behavior.
- Basic cleanliness and health issues.
- Overall happiness and inclusion of every Scout.
I take advantage of several key opportunities at developing and strengthening youth leadership and patrols:
- Daily patrol logs and PLC meetings strengthen the idea of how patrols relate to the PLC and Troop – how the concerns of Scouts are part of the planning process.
- Observing the SPL and discussing things over each meal (not for the whole meal – give him some breathing room!) helps establish the mentoring relationship.
- Practicing observation from a distance, keeping quiet, and letting many things resolve themselves without stepping in.
- Patrol areas in the campsite, patrol activities and responsibilities; everything works together to give the patrol leader a great deal of practical experience.
- I work hard to strengthen the idea that the Scouts are leading themselves – that they have actual responsibilities that matter, that we will not lead for them.
- It’s an excellent opportunity to establish the role of adults for those who have recently signed on as leaders.
- Take advantage of the opportunity to observe other troops and see how they do things
While at camp I put myself and the other adults of guests and observers. We define our area in the campsite (not the choice, prominent most comfortable area- give that to your SPL) and stay in it. We don’t follow our Scouts around camp and with rare exception don’t lead them around camp. We don’t shadow their choices of merit badge or their progress. We seize every opportunity to let the Scouts do things independently.
If you think of the experience as visiting a drive-through wild animal park you’ll begin to approach the whole thing with the right attitude. At the park you have to stay in the car; sometimes the animals come right up to the car and you can feed them but you have to stay in the car.
There are opportunities to cross the observer’s line into a game or activity once in a while; we don’t want to miss out on all the fun – but crossing into the Scout side of things requires that they invite us to do so.
Camp is a great place; it can be the most important week in a patrol and troop’s year.
Clarke,
Great summary, and your experience largely mirrored mine this past week with my troop.
After several years of being a smaller troop that was largely adult-run, we have finally gotten to a very nearly fully youth-led troop with 51 boys attending summer camp. The SPL was in charge and had a strong corps of ASPLs to assist him. Patrol leaders took responsibility for their patrols, including the PL for the new-scout patrol, the Nighthawks, who worked closely with his Troop Guide. I was impressed.
At flag assemblies, most of us adults took my lead and stood well behind the boys lined up. I noted that in the other troops, the adults stood with the boys.
Nobody had to walk the scouts to their merit badges. We did, of course, have several parents of 1st year scouts who went with them to PATH.
Again, Moose Patrol (adults) camped in the back area of the campsite. We put up our patrol flag in hopes it would inspire the other patrols who still don’t have a flag. It was just a couple years ago when some well-intentioned adults thought it was best to “surround” the boys’ campsites and tent among them so as to keep them under “control”. All it took was a simple “let’s camp back here” to change that. SPL got to set up a tent of his own and tent with two of his ASPLs, while the rest camped in BSA canvas tents on pallets.
In the dining hall, once again this year I was fortunate to sit at the table with many of the 1st year scouts. I got to know their names and what they are like, and watched as they changed from a forgetful, uninvolved mob into a patrol of boys who worked together.
My biggest challenge was to convince the new parents to let the boys do for themselves, particularly clearing the table. Challenges that remain are to encourage parents in camp not to shadow their sons too closely so they can become more self-reliant, and to withdraw the last of the adult interference in the boys running their troop.
As for me, I checked in with my son about once a day to see how he was doing; otherwise, he did his thing and I did mine.
Proudest moment? When my son was called out for the Order of the Arrow.
Our troop spirit is at an all-time high. The camp staff really likes our troop and looks forward to us returning.
In the course of a week at camp, lots of little things come up, and in a post on my blog this week, I’ll mention a few of them that may be of help to others.
Allan, you are doing something right 🙂
Unfortunately, the summer camp shower is the least of their worries. They still have junior high locker rooms to face. I’m not even going there 🙁
Just got back from Camp Tom Hale. Our present SPL, as a first year scout 4 years ago, would not sleep in the tent because of the Daddy Long Legs (Spiders). At the time, I picked one up and set it outside the tent, and shoo’d the others out. He was really clingy as an 11 year old away from home for the first time. I let him follow me around, bought him an ice cream at the trading post that night, hooked him up with the others in the patrol. This past week I saw him with a trail of new scouts in his train, telling them about how he did not like spiders either his first year, letting them shadow him all over camp. I like that.
After watching scouts kill daddy long legs in odd and unusual ways for years, I finally saw a new way this year: The younger scouts figured out that if you put one in a spider web, the spider will run over, bind it up with webbing and eat it. Was very impressed at their ingenuity.
As for the problem of scouts not wanting to shower, I told them when we arrived at camp that if they didn’t shower they should at least make sure they go swimming in the pool. My SPL commented that the lake doesn’t count, as the lake kinda has a smell. It seemed to work, as none of the scouts had a green cloud around of them, and I didn’t get any complaints from parents about filthy kids when we got home.
Nice. Really nice summary, Clarke.
2. Basic cleanliness and health issues.
Ok, I try to stay out of things as much as possible, but on Monday evening the Scouts began to make comments about one of the Scouts “cleanliness”. He was a first year camper. The SPL and Patrol Leader each talked to him.
So, Tuesday afternoon, when he returned from his First Year Camper activity I was ready. I already had my kit and towel out. As he walked into camp I asked him if he wanted to walk up to the shower with me. He said sure, and went and got his stuff.
We walked up to the shower house and I went inside a shower and did my thing. When I came out, he wasn’t around so I walked back to camp.
“And now: the rest of the story!” On the way back to camp I passed my Ken, my Committee Chair headed up to the shower. I asked him if he had seen this Scout (he was aware of the issue) and he said, “No”. So I headed on back to camp and dressed for dinner. Later that evening Ken told us what happened. He arrived at the shower to find this Scout standing outside one of the showers intently peering inside. As he watched, the Scout began picking up rocks and throwing them inside the shower!
Being naturally curious, Ken asked the Scout how things were going and what was up with the rocks? Turns out the Scout was throwing the rocks at the spiders. Ken took a look inside and found a dead Daddy Long Legs up in the corner. He grabbed it and tossed it outside. He eventually talked the Scout into entering the shower and getting cleaned up (and removing the rocks). The SPL later reported that the Scout accompanied his patrol to the shower the rest of the week and did fine. Ah, those pesky Daddy Long Legs spiders 🙂
Ken and I both interacted with this new Scout to help him find his way. I would prefer that new Scouts just jump in and figure things out, but it doesn’t always work that way. This turned out to work out very casually and neither of us had to direct. Just came alongside. I think the Scout will be fine now.
1. SPIDERS
Fear of spiders seems to be a pretty big deal with some of my Scouts too. I had an SPL who – at 17 years of age mind you – held the irrational opinion that Daddy Long Legs spiders could have mutated into a stinging, poisonous spider. He plotzed if came into contact with a Daddy Long Legs. A good number of Scouts mount thorough spider hunts of their tents the day we arrive at camp.
2. THE SCOUT WHO WOULD NOT SHOWER
An excellent example of why adults are in camp at all. That was a big step for that Scout – a little kindness, patience and insight was all that was needed. It would have been easy to do this by demanding the Scout take a shower or to assume he was just lazy . There’s often some underlying reason Scouts don’t or won’t do things.
Sounds like my typical day at camp! I probably do a little bit more wandering around to classes for the first day, maybe two but I take great care to be as invisible as possible. We allowed the SPL to be responsible for darn near everything, with mixed results. Everyone had a great time and came home with all limbs intact but the Troop didn’t bring home a single award, except for my second place in the Scoutmaster’s Golf Challenge which consisted of 9 coffee can holes with a club and ball that you had to make yourself! Several of the youth were disappointed and questioned me about it, I simply deferred the questions to the SPL.