TROOP CAMPING TIPS TO LEADERS THE SECRET IS PLANNING & MORE PLANNING Girls & Leaders together plan: Food: Simple menus requiring age appropriate preparation. Things to do: Leaders should plan extra activities for transition times. A theme for the overnight helps too. Kaper Charts: Jobs to be done. Organize/divide jobs among the group. Packing List: Equipment needed, including personal care items. HINTS ABOUT ACTIVITIES Have plenty to do, but don't cram too much in. Let girls enjoy what they are doing. Leave time for just running and playing, and discovering. Make it fun and educational not just another slumber party. SECRETS TO SUCCESS Health and safety procedures: Buddy system, fire safety, etc. Choose a site with some comforts of home for the first trip lodge, troop house, cabin unit. An indoor kitchen, electricity, and flush toilets will help a lot! PRACTICE-MAKES PERFECT AND PREPARES EVERYONE FOR THE "NEW" EXPERIENCE Learn - and practice basic camping skills. Take several short hikes, have several cookouts before the trip. Make fire starters, waterproof matches, sit-upons, and other equipment at troop meeting (to use on trip). Leaders visit site in advance of trip Ask a Senior or Cadette Girl Scout to go along to help) with songs, games and camping skills. Before it gets dark, acquaint girls with the camp site, have a fire drill, talk about "night' noises. Make sure girls get lots of sleep and rest so they have energy for the next day. Plan a simple breakfast
1st TIME TROOP CAMPING READINESS INDICATORS (YOU MAY WANT TO ADD OTHERS) EMOTIONAL READINESS HAS NECESSARY SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE Is not afraid to be away from home or parents overnight (and parents are prepared to let daughter go!) Can help plan a simple trip Can help read and follow a recipe or a kaper chart. Wants to go. Is willing to sleep, eat with, play with all girls, not just with best friends. Can help use kitchen implements: hand operated can opener, grater, peeler, paring knife, etc. Can cope with unknowns: strange places (including bathroom) darkness (no electricity) woods, and night noises spiders, bugs and worms! Can wash dishes, cleanup kitchen/cooking area, and store food properly Can build a fire. Doesn't always have to have their own way, can work as a group. Can make a bed. Knows how to operate a flashlight, camera, etc. HAS EXPERIENCE PROVEN ABILITY PHYSICAL READINESS Has stamina, does not tire quickly. Strong enough to carry own supplies Has followed instructions previously. Has been on a series of day trips, cookouts and/or has been to day or resident camp. Has experienced all the camp jobs usually found on kaper charts. Has demonstrated (practiced) in troop meetings her ability to pack and repack a suitcase, roll and tie a bed roll, etc. Has strength and coordination needed for planned activities.
PLANNING IT Learning how to make a bedroll can be great fun if you do it with games like "guess what is missing from this bedroll" (lay out sample of bedroll & personal gear remove one item & see if girls can guess what is needed but is not there). Everybody helps choose the menu! Going shopping with an adult to buy the food is fun too! Have a sleeping bag rolling relay each Team member runs up to a rolled (not tied) Sleeping bag, unrolls it, crawls inside Crawls out again, rolls bag back up & Then runs to tag tee next player. The girls in the troop can help produce a colorful caper chart. What does or does not go in a first aid kit? Put the necessary first aid items in a pile with non-first aid kit Items & let the girls sort them into "yes" & "no boxes. Practice using kitchen utensils by preparing troop meeting refreshments with the girls. This could be peeling carrots for carrot sticks, measuring ingredients, etc. Learn a new song to take along with you. (Older Scouts are a great help in this department.) Look on a map to see where you are & where you are going.
AND DOING IT! Now is your chance to practice that knot! Allow plenty of time for exploration & wondering. Buddy Up for Safety 2 by 2 is the thing to do! Clean up as you go. Set Boundaries for Exploration by Posting a Map or going on a Site Safari. Point out hazards! Night noises aren t so bad once you see what s making them. Campers get hungry! Have some games mentally tucked away just in case it rains. They can t wait to try out the fire starters, sit-upons, etc. they made at the troop meeting. Be sure to save enough energy for packing up! Campfire A good time for singing, talking & dreaming.
EQUIPMENT LIST PERSONAL EQUIPMENT ONE carryall, duffel, gym bag or backpack ONE bedroll or sleeping bag extra blanket ground cloth small pillow (optional) air mattress or (optional) foam pad 15 'rope Sit upon Rain gear Boots or extra shoes Warm Sweater jacket slacks or jeans (extra pair) Socks (extra pair) Shoes (sturdy & comfortable) Toiletries Small towel, washcloth, soap Pajamas (warm sweatsuit with hood) Hat (knit cap) Mittens (if cold) Flashlight, extra batteries Dunk bag (stuffed with ) - drinking cup - plate, bowl - knife, fork, spoon Work gloves (if desired) PATROL OR TROOP EQUIPMENT Kaper Chart First Aid Kit Matches (waterproof) Charcoal and/or wood Plastic cover (for wood pile) Fire starters Work gloves Pot holders Cooking utensils Pots Tongs Ladle Can opener, etc. Propane Lantern Toilet tissue & holder (container) Flag Plastic garbage bags Hammer or Mallet Spray disinfectant for latrine & latex gloves Food storage cooler DISHWASHING EQUIPMENT 3 basins 1 large metal pot (for heating water) Detergent (for dishwashing & Soaping outside of pots) Clothes pins (optional) Bleach water solution EXTRAS Camera Journal DO NOT BRING Aerosol sprays Jewelry Purse (use pockets or fanny pack) TIPS: - Roll sleeping clothes in sleeping bag. - Pack Plastic bag for wet items. - Transfer detergent, Clorox, shampoo, etc. into small containers. - Line pack with plastic bag to keep everything dry.
COME ALONG WITH US FOR OUTDOOR FUN
KAPER CHARTS Girl Scouts call the list of jobs and who does them a kaper chart; each job is a kaper. Here are some ideas for different kinds of kaper charts. MON TUE WED THU FRI COOK FIRE WATER SET TABLE CLEAN UP A kaper chart is not Just for fun. It lets each girl help decide how the jobs are divided, and it is a record of what has been decided. At camp, anyone can look at the chart and know when she will be the fire builder, cook, or clean-up person. Two special reminders: Exciting activities for everyone should not be scheduled too soon after a meal. You want to be sure the clean-up people will not miss them. Be sure to make a final clean-up chart. MEAL KAPERS FIRE Tie hair back Wear gloves Prepare fire circle Check fire buckets (refill if needed) Lay fire Light fire Tend fire Put dishwater close to fire Put fire out Recover woodpile COOKS Pick up food Tie hair back Post menu Prepare food for cooking Put all packages, cans, jars in trash bag Cook food Pack leftovers from food prep Clean up food prep area Soak cook pots and utensils Wash cook pots and utensils HOSTESS Pick up cooking utensils Invite adults to meal Prepare eating area Check hand washing (refill if needed) Choose and lead grace Wash adults dishes Dispose of food not eaten Return leftover food Return cooking utensils CLEAN UP Fill pots for dishwater Set up dishpans Check trash bag (replace if full) Clean up eating area Fill dishpans Pour dishwater through leaf bag if flows downhill away from site Supervise dishwashing to make sure everyone scrapes Clean and dry dishpan
ORGANIZATION OF A COOKOUT Kapers FIREBUILDERS COOKS HOSTESSES Gather wood lay - light watch fire. Be sure safety equipment - bucket of water on or near the fire. Put water on fire for dishwashing. Prepare and cook meal. Prepare eating area - set tables make centerpiece - lead grace. CLEANUPS Clear eating & preparation area. Wash all cooking pots and utensils. (Each girl washes her own plate, cup and silverwear.) Put out fire - clear fireplace. CLEANUP PROCESS MAKE SURE WATER IS HEATING WHILE YOU ARE EATING!!! Set up 3 buckets or pans WASH - soapy - RINSE - warm water SANTITIZE - 10 drops of bleach per gallon Each girl washes own dishes - puts in drip bag and hangs on line to air dry. Cleanups then wash all other items - air dry. Some helpful and -handy hints - If cooking as a whole unit, remember this is a large group. Meal should be simple, perhaps several fires. - If by patrol - each patrol will plan cook - cleanup, etc., separately. - If there are fewer girls, each may do more than one Kaper. - Remember - each group will not be busy with its Kaper at all times. Groups may be assigned to do other things such as: collecting material for craft, work on long term project - lashing - etc., learn skills in small groups. Sketching, creative writing, games. - Each one should know her own job within the Kaper group peel carrots or stir stew, etc. - Always set up a definite place for all to eat together even if not table. "Gracious living in the out-of-doors". - Soap outside of pots with liquid detergent. HAVE FUN!
DISHWASHING PROCEDURE DISHES Each girl has her own individual Dunk Bag. She scrapes, washes, rinses, and sterilizes her own dishes and silverware. A. Scrape leftover food in to trash container. B. Trash goes in to trash container - this includes foil. C. Wash silver and dishes in hot soapy water. D. Rinse in clear, hot water. E. Place clean silver and dishes in individual Dunking Bag. F. Hold bag by string and immerse bag in warm water to which 10 drops of Clorox per gallon has been added to sterilize the dishes. G. Hang bag on line to dry. POTS & PANS & COOKING UTENSILS Cleanup patrol washes, rinses, and sterilizes cooking utensils after other dishes are washed.
Check with the Council or agency at whose camp you will be staying as to what their procedures are. Check In and Check Out How to contact Emergency Services (e.g. fire, rescue squad) Phone Operation Fire Drills Disposal of garbage & Recycling Disposal of ashes Waterfront usage for boating and swimming Parking Regulations GAMES /ACTIVITIES SCAVENGER HUNT give a list, depending on the locale, of things to find such as: Pinecone, dead branch, pointed leaf, white pebble, dandelion, acorn, feather, daisy, shiny pebble, shed bark, shell, sea pod, round pebble, black pebble, berry, piece of paper, empty bottle, paper bag, foil, empty tin can, carton, cellophane, string, wire, etc. Scavenger Hunts, can be short, or so planned that they become a major event. In such cases, celebrate the return with a special treat. Remember not to pick anything living and to return natural items to where you found them. ABC HIKE: Hike and try to spot things starting with each letter of the alphabet. Write on a list, and then have teams compare lists. A - apple (acorn, ash leaf) B - beetle (beech leaf, briar) C - cone (caterpillar) SHAPE HIKE: Learn the shapes meant by words like star, crescent, oval, triangle, octagon, hexagon, oblong, rectangle, spiral, etc. and see how many you can find in nature. STAKE A CLAIM: With your buddy, tie one yard of rope in a circle and put down on the ground. Together, look carefully at everything in your circle (your claim) and see what you can. KIM'S GAME: Put natural things (leaves, flowers, bits of bark, seeds, shells, insects, stones, etc.) in a box. Divide your group into teams. Leader lifts objects from box. Team confers and must name the object. OR, let each girl or team look in to the box for a specified time and then see how many objects they can remember or write down. Litter Scavenger Hunt: Each team has a certain area to cover and receives gloves and a garbage bag. Set a time to do this. Each team goes out and picks up litter and puts it in the bag. As they put the garbage in the bag the count 1 point for each piece.
INCHERS HIKE: Look for treasures less than one-inch tall/long. ANIMAL HOMES: Look for animal homes including bird and insect homes as well. ACCIDENT CASES: Look for examples of accidents or untimely death along the trail such as: rock split by a tree root, tree blown by wind, tree cut down by man, tree struck by lightning, tree or land burned by fire, empty shell, leaf partly by an insect, fern or plant that has been stepped on, shell with a hole bored in it, animal hit by a car, nut gnawed by squirrel, broken spider web, fish left by land by the tide, an anthill that has been damaged, a dead flower. ODDITIES HIKE: Look for something that is odd or unusual like a humpbacked tree, a twin-trunk- tree, a nut gnawed by a squirrel, a strange looking knot on a tree, a stone that looks like an animal face, a strangely marked leaf or bark, etc. OUTDOOR RUBBINGS: Place a piece of paper against the bark of a tree or over a leaf and rub the paper with a crayon to see the design appear. BURIED TREASURE: Make a treasure map and hide a "treasure". Send the girls out to find the buried treasure by following your map. TAG HIKE: Give each Small group a number of tags and tell them they have a limited time to tag the following items, 1. types of soil building materials, 2. a place where some animal is making use of a tree, 3. a place where water is eroding and washing away the soil, 4. a spot where humans have interfered with Nature s plans, 5. A spot where nature has healed its own wound, 6. a good spot for a bird or small animal to gain protection from enemies. CAT'S TAIL: Place 20 30 pieces of heavy string, each 6 inches or so long, along a trail. Hide them so they cannot see them too easily. Divide group into teams, each time having a person who is the cat. The cat gets one piece of string to start. They follow the trail(s), all players except the cat, and gather the strings and bring them back to tie onto the cat s tail. NATURE LOOK-SEES: Bug s Eye View everyone stretches out on the ground, eyes on grass level to see what the world is like to a bug. The blade of grass is a tree, the pebbles seem mountain-sized, people are just feet to an insect. Bird s Eye View visit a lookout tower, church steeple, fire tower, roof or high building or the top of a high hill or mountain to see what the world looks like to a bird. Big things appear small and small things disappear! Fish Eye View at the pool, beach, pond, or lake look at the world from water level. BIRD TREE: Find a big bare branch and hang it in some prominent place. Every time someone sees a new bird, they draw the bird on cardboard, color and initial it so it can be placed on the branch. Everyone places their birds on the branch to create a Bird Tree. At the end of your camping trip, you can see how many different types of birds your troop saw.