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boy scouts of americaAs 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

boy scout confidenceOne 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

blackhawk boy scoutsWhen 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

blackhawk badgeThis 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?

Earning A Marksman Badge

cub scout marksmanFor 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

rifle merit badgeThe 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.
The skill requires boy scouts to become efficient in the way that they handle either a rifle or a shotgun. Millions of scouts have participated, but since the year 1910, only about 400,000 have actually earned. In order to earn it, you must be qualified as a marksman and meet the requirements set forth by the National Rifle Association.

Follow Your Safety Rules

earn merit badge for rifle shootingSafety 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.
The biggest thing for kids to understand is that they should always consider the gun loaded. This means you should never point it at a person, animal, or yourself. Keep the safety on at all times when you are not actively using the gun, but still, think about where it is pointed. Guns have gone off unexpectedly and you do not want a loved one to get injured.
Scouts should also never touch a gun without having a parent there to make sure that things stay safe. The adult should be skilled in how to use and aim a gun and be able to teach the scout everything there is to know about gun safety. It may also be important to find a list of rifle scope manufacturers to discover what they recommend about safely using their scopes.

To go a step beyond that, you may also want to get in contact with someone from the National Rifle Association to see what they recommend you do in pursuit of this badge. Since the NRA and Boy Scouts have been working together for more than a hundred years, they should be able to provide you with extra guidance if you need it.

Anyone Can Do Their Best!

Scouts need to put in a lot of effort to become good at all things. Just because the marksman’s badge is difficult, does not mean it is impossible. You can earn it if it is something you want to do and you set your mind to it. Are you up for the challenge?

Sustainable Solar Power for Camp

sustainable campingBasically, 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.

Protecting the Land

boy scouts camping tripsWhen 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?

Preserve the Camping Spot

sustainable campsitesMost 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 solar powered generator for power.
This generator can provide lights when you need it, charges for devices when wanted, and so much more. It can even make it easier to prepare a meal when the risk of fires is too high to warrant a large bonfire. You can use renewable energy to do everything that new-age campers and scouts want to do, which will ensure that everyone continues to enjoy getting out into nature as it was meant to be enjoyed.

Enjoy Nature’s True Beauty

Camping in the 21st century is a lot different than it was. Times have changed and they will continue to change as we rely even more heavily on our electronic devices and the luxuries that come along with them. This simple fact impacts us all. Boy scouting troops that once relied on nature to provide entertainment now choose other means, or perhaps they still enjoy it, but want to capture the memories of it without going to have photos developed.
Campgrounds, even those that promise to be 100% natural camping experiences will benefit from understanding and accommodating this change. Do you have everything ready for your next outing to keep everyone content and connected when out enjoying nature’s splendor?

Getting into Camp

securing campEvery 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 how to make getting into camp hard for people that do not belong there.

Camp Closures

securing propertyMost 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 the camp must be closed. Many camps also cover several acres of land. They may have access to lakes and forest areas. When the camp closes, that is when things become tricky for camp/property owners. They often have a gate that is closed to prevent trespassers, but sometimes a camp may need more than a simple gate to keep out others.

Securing Camp

One of the easiest ways to secure camp is to have lightweight driveway gates at the head of a road leading toward camp. It should have a good lock on it and perhaps a heavy chain to keep it closed securely. Often, a fence that can be seen from the road combined with gated driveways are enough to keep people off a piece of property that they do not own, especially if you have it posted that trespassing is not allowed. Security cameras at the gate will also be a deterrent for most trespassers, but often requires a power supply that is sometimes hard to find in truly remote camps. Therefore, a solar panel may also be required and luckily, this can also be used on the gate as well. Securing a camp on the water side is a little trickier because boaters can venture up to your private dock from other areas of the lake or river. Therefore, having a security camera close by will also be required. You may not be able to prevent them from venturing onto your land via water, but you can make sure that if they do the wrong things while there, you can prove it and find the people who did it.

The Protected Camp

camp funWhen 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 campsite is secure and therefore enjoy their time there even more. This will make it easier for everyone to relax and simply enjoy the great outdoors as they should be able to enjoy them.

Upgrading Camping Quarters

swimmingCamping 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 upgrading camping quarters to give the adults a quiet place to relax after a day of scavenger hunting with the kids.

Nature’s Beauty and Together Time

scavenger huntsDuring 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 their own space once the sun goes down. Therefore, many opt to bring along their own RV or camper to give themselves a quiet place to relax.

The Camper’s Choice

camperThe 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.

The Upgrades Make a Difference

As a parent, we all know that having one or more child can be exhausting. Camp leaders and those who take part in camping events with the scouts have sometimes 20 kids at once. Each child has their own personality, confrontations do occasionally take place, and things get messy. Without a break during a week-long outing, every adult ends up feeling stressed out, even if they have the best group of kids they could hope for. Having a space that is just for them, space where they do not have to hear kids whispering all night long or where every moment of their week is spent with 8-year-old kids; they are able to rest up for the coming day. This makes it easier to have fun throughout the entire week and most who have an RV or camper say they will never go back to the old way of camping with the scouts.

Lakeside Beach Fun at Camp

paddle boardOne 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.

Watersports and More

camping water sportsMost 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.

Beach Fun

campers on the beachOn 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.

Making it Happen

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.

Creating A Comfortable Scout Camp

bunk beds at campThink 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.

Camping Back in the Good Ole Days

bug bitesBack when you were a child and going camping with a group, you probably had to sleep on an old rickety bunk bed. They would be very hard and often you could feel the bars under your back while you were trying to get comfortable. There were also uncomfortable picnic benches for you to eat at and more bugs than you could count that would be swarming around you while you were trying to enjoy your meal. These campgrounds were not designed for comfort, but seemed to make everything more uncomfortable. Things are finally about to change. Those days are ending and everyone is happier to go out into the woods with their troops.

The Changes Being Made

summer campsSofter 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.

Why Comfort Matters


By creating a more comfortable place for campers to stay, more campers may be willing to attend the big trips out. The idea of boy scouts and girl scouts is to get kids outdoors and active. Teach them to love nature and all that it has to offer. If campers are not willing to go, they cannot enjoy all that is there for them to see and do. This defeats the entire purpose of having troops. Therefore, the idea is that if campers can get out and enjoy the outdoors, they will be more willing to spend time there in the future. It will help them to see the fun parts of it rather than the not so fun parts. It will ensure that they grow up loving the outdoors and perhaps be more willing to pass on that love to their children in the future. The future of the scout programs depends on it.