As adults, most of us wish to be a part of something great. Most of us have never had the opportunity to be a part of a group that works together. The Boy Scouts of America gives boys the chance to become a part of something great, but it is something that goes beyond boyhood. Men who were a part of it when they were younger live by the things that they learned throughout their adult lives.
The Benefits of Being a Boy Scout
One of the biggest benefits is that boys get to try new things. They may have the opportunity to go camping and do so much more. They also provide services to others who need it. They are helpful in their community whether they are giving elderly people a moment of their time or doing other things. They are given the opportunity to become self-confident in all that they do. The confidence and values that they form as children will be carried over into their adult lives, which improves their work life and their family life.
Why Boy Scouts Succeed in Life
When boys become scouts, they learn the value of becoming trustworthy and loyal. They are helpful in their community and believe that others should come before themselves. They are taught to be friendly, obedient, brave, and thrifty. They strive to keep their neighborhoods cleaner and most who have been involved with scouting for several years, feel that God and Country are very important to their adult lives.
The Blackhawk Area Council
This boy scouting group is ideal for pushing good kids to be great. There are many opportunities for kids to earn badges, they have the opportunity to explore new adventures, and do more than other boys their age. There are training events that take place to help them grow as individuals. Wouldn’t you enjoy knowing that you enrolled your son in something that will help them become a better man as an adult?
For a boy scout, nothing is more satisfying than earning their badge for doing something great. Some badges are relatively simple to get. They include doing things like helping an elderly person or showing kindness to a stranger. Other badges only come from practicing a specific skill to become great at it. These are very coveted badges that a scout may try and earn for months, if not more. One example of this is earning a marksman badge.
The marksman badge is one of the absolute most difficult badges to earn. It is also an award that is in some cases necessary for them to become an Eagle Scout, but it is not always required. Being difficult to earn does not hinder the popularity of it. It is one of the most popular badges to “aim” for.
Safety rules are always important, but when you are going for a merit badge in marksmanship, it is essential. Most families agree, that the best place for a gun is locked away when kids are near. However, in certain cases, an older scout may be allowed to use them for hunting or target practicing.
Basically, all campers are devoted to the idea of leaving nothing behind you when you leave except for your footprints in your camping spot. Boy scouts are trained to respect the land. They plan ahead for camping trips and attempt to consciously use the environment in a way that does not cause any harm. This is one of the main reasons so many campers are choosing sustainable solar power for camp set up and use, whenever possible.
When fire season is at its peak, the last thing we should do is start a campfire without a water source nearby. Its common sense. Boy scout troops go out in large groups, which means that they must bring a lot of gear. This can be tricky. They must carry their tent, their supplies, and especially during fire season, they may need to bring lights for the camp so that they will not have a large bonfire. This can pose a problem. It makes it difficult to avoid using unnatural things, and it can make it hard to avoid leaving pieces of yourself behind. What can be done to preserve natural camping spots in this situation?
Most scout camping trips are held in sites that are as close to natural as possible by camp leaders and the scouts themselves. This often means there is no traditional power supply running to them. In today’s world where campers enjoy sending pictures and video of their vacations back home to the parents that they left behind, it can be tricky to keep it uncomplicated. If you take away cell phones, scouts and leaders may choose that they do not want to attend as many outings. The easiest way to have the best of both worlds is to use a
Every camp, whether a hunting camp, fishing camp, or a boy scout camp, will be closed at times throughout the year. They are closed during off seasons and times when there isn’t anyone coming to stay at them. They come when the weather is cold or hunting season ends. For established camp sites, this time of the year can be a concern since many camps must have to worry about vandalizers and thieves coming onto their property when it is closed for the time being. Camp owners must decide
Most camps are only open when hosting events or campers. When the camp is open to others, security is not as big a concern as it is during the off seasons, but there are still times
When you have a camp that is protected from intruders, you can relax knowing that everything is secure and that everything will be as you left it. You will not have to worry that when campers venture onto the property that they will find vandalism and people who do not belong there. Your campers can enjoy knowing that their
Camping out is a great way to spend time together. It is a setting that makes it possible for kids and adults to learn something new about the world that we all live in. However, there are times when it isn’t so great to have the together time. It can become too much since many people want their own space at times as well. For this reason, many boy scout camp grounds are
During the day, explorers are out exploring. There are swimming events, bow and arrow target practices, games to play, and a lot of stories to tell. The kids and adults spend time looking at different leaves, learning about various types of moss and finding the one that can be used as soap or as a fire starter, and more. It is all about learning and working together as a team to make the most of the outdoor experiences that can be found there. It is a great time for everyone. When the sun goes down, there are ghost stories to be told and marshmallows to roast. The togetherness doesn’t end. This can become overwhelming for camp counselors and scout leaders who enjoy having
The camp counselors who choose to bring their own fifth wheel or RV quickly discovers that it isn’t enough to have their own space. They find themselves very tired at the end of a day chasing children through the woods, so they may add new mattresses to their camper’s bedroom. They may also worry about curious kids searching their camper on a scavenger hunt, and may choose to upgrade to a Jayco door latch. Many have a stove and a microwave so that they do not have to eat the camping food that the kids enjoy. By making little tweaks to ensure they are comfortable, most counselors and scout leaders say that they are better with the kids the next day.
One of the most favorite parts of camping for most boys and girls is the activities that they can take part in. They enjoy hikes through the woods, campfires with ghost stories, and being able to get into the water at times throughout the day. There is just something great about enjoying all the water sports and it is even better if the lake has a beach for them to enjoy as well because it leads to a whole lot of lakeside beach fun at camp.
Most all scout camps have large lakes for the kids to enjoy nearby. They also try to have a variety of things available for kids to use in the water. This is so that the campground and troop leaders can encourage them to get active and stay that way. They may have paddle boats, canoes, kayaks, and more. They may also have large inflatable rafts for the kids to float on or pool noodles for times when they are trying to push people into the water in a competitive game of jousting. The possibilities and the fun are endless, but there also comes a time when everyone wants to just simply sit by the lake and enjoy.
On the beach of a lake, most scouts enjoy simply hanging out. They love to have a bond fire in the evening hours where they can roast marshmallows and kick back in lounge chairs where they may have a hanging cup holder resting for their chilled soda. This is big because most of the time at camp they only get water or milk so soda is a big deal. They also tell ghost stories and at times if there is a girl camp next to a boy camp, they all get together in this area to mingle. During the day, they also enjoy that spot by the lake because it is still a great hangout spot for them when all other activities have slowed down. Girls enjoy sunbathing on the beach and boys enjoy hunting for sticks and other things that they can throw into the water or make toy rafts with. When the water is clear, these same kids also enjoy wading into the water to see what wildlife may be hidden beneath the surface.
As with all other areas in the camp, nature doesn’t always make it enjoyable for the kids. Some summers a camp may have to go in and remove lake weeds or spray for pests down by the lake. They may have to replace the lounge chairs and set the burn pit back up. It is the campgrounds efforts that make everything worthwhile and more enjoyable, but they can only do it with support from the troop leaders and all the scouts who want to be there to enjoy it. Without people willing to go camping, campgrounds have no reason to make sure the paddleboats are working and the kayaks are durable and this is truly sad because of all the missed opportunities for fun.
Think back to when you went on a school 4H camping trip or a boy/girl scout camping outing. Chances are good, you have some pretty fond memories of your experience, but also a few not so great ones. Did you go only one time or did you go every chance you got? Many parents, when asked, say that they only did it a time or two because they liked being home more. Most likely, it wasn’t because you didn’t like the activities. More often than not, it was because you didn’t enjoy the whole discomfort thing that we dealt with back then. Now, things are improving. Everyone is working on creating a comfortable scout camp so that more kids will be willing to attend and perhaps even a few of their adult parents.
Back when you were a child and going camping with a group, you probably had to sleep on
Softer beds are the first priority. The beds that used to be there were serviceable, but they didn’t make kids or troop leaders want to return the following year. Now, campers have a higher quality mattress under them when they sleep and the bunk beds are no longer rusty metal bars of uncomfortableness. Mosquitoes are also not a problem like they have been in the past. Now, there are campgrounds that use lawn spray to kill mosquitoes before campers even get there and afterward when the campers first start scratching.