Preparation for Troop Camping

Course Outline

Developed by Dianne Hegarty & Sue Steger

Muir Trail Girl Scout Council

Includes links to appropriate areas to inhance this training

Session I (3 hours)

I. Welcome

• Get Acquainted game or self introduction for small groups
• Explain Camp Names
  • Ask trainees to come up with camp name for themselves by Session II

II. Course Training Objectives (by the end of the course participants will be able to):

• List 3 values of troop camping for girls
• Determine the readiness of a group for an overnight
• List 5 ways to involve girls in the planning process for a camping trip or overnight
• Understand the Council and Safety-Wise requirements for troop camping and overnights
• List 10 health and safety steps to be used in planning and carrying out an overnight camping experience
• Demonstrate the skills necessary for meal planning, packing, site set-up, and the use of kaper charts
• Outline the planning and preparation steps for a troop camping weekend
• List five safety rules for cooking and use of stoves in the outdoors
• Teach at least 3 program activities to girls appropriate to the outdoors

III. Philosophy of Outdoor education in Girl Scouting

• Why do we camp? Why is it important?
• Brainstorm ideas (make sure to make the following points:)
  • Builds self-confidence
  • Builds bonds between adults and girls
  • Builds teamwork skills
  • Develops skills girls can draw on in other areas of their lives

• Minimal Impact Camping
  • Start at meeting place and extend philosophy to outdoors
  • The Fable of Troop 500

• Girl Readiness
  • Brainstorm examples of how you know girls are ready to go camping (make sure following points are made:)
    1. She should want to go
    2. She should not be afraid to be away from family and family should be prepared to let her go
    3. She can cope with visiting new places
    4. She can cope with darkness, night noises, insects
    5. She can function as the member of a group
    6. She is willing to sleep and eat with all girls, not just her best friends
    7. She can be flexible
    8. She can manage with little privacy
    9. She has shown she can follow directions
    10. She actively participates in trip planning
    11. She has practiced the skills required for the trip

• Girl Planning
  • Brainstorm types of things girls should plan
  • Brainstorm types of things adults should plan
  • Discuss how to progress girls to more girl planning and less adult planning

• Progression in camping
  • What is progression? - discuss
  • Discuss outdoor progression
    • Day trip
    • Cookout
    • Simple overnight (indoors)
    • Backyard campout
    • 1 Night campout away from home
    • Weekend campout
    • Extended trips

• Child Behavior
  • Discuss scenarios

Break

IV. Safety Management

• Council Procedures
• Safety-Wise (Crossword Puzzle)
• Safety Management Plan

V. Trip Preparation

• Goals
• Site
• Budget
• Transportation & Packing

Session II (3 hours)

I. Dressing for the Out-Of-Doors (part of the 8 Basic Skills)

• Layering
• Appropriate Clothing
• Appropriate Footwear

II. Teach Knots

• Square/Clove Hitch/Bowline/Half Hitch
• Knot Games (I found lots of  knot games at the Guide Zone knots section)
• Resources for Knots (Check out the Animated Knots!)

III. Personal Packing

• Bedroll/sleeping bag discussion
• Stuff bags versus securing bedrolls properly
• Personal equipment list sample

IV. Menu Planning

• Progression in cooking (Cooking Progression)
• Nutrition & Food Pyramid
• Trainees come up with shopping list for 1-pot meal trainers choose
  • Vegetarian Chili in Junior Girl Scout Handbook, p.189
  • Southeast Louisiana Council has developed a great cookbook called "Pocket Stew". Contact Girl Scout Council of Southeast Louisiana
  • Provide resources for menu planning (cook books, etc.)

  Break

  V. Equipment Planning

  • Trainers go over list of what is provided in cookboxes
  • Equipment needed for weekend campout (Outdoor Education in Girl Scouting Appendix)
  • Handout list of items to bring for outdoor portion of training

  VI. Patrol System & Kapers

  • Trainees break into patrols and choose patrol leader
  • Exchange names and phone numbers
  • Choose patrol name
  • Kaper Charts
    • Explain different types (show samples)
    • Trainees make kaper chart for outdoor portion of training

  VII. Weekend Logistics

  • Maps
  • Time to arrive
  • Remind of things to bring

  Session 3 (12 hours of actual training outdoors)

  I. Welcome

  • Receive weekend schedule
  • Unload equipment
  • Practice Emergency Drill

  II. Site Set-Up & Equipment

  • Tent Placement
  • Tent Care
  • Cooking Area
    • Cookstove Safety
    • Cookstove types
    • Demonstrate Cookstove assembly then have trainees demonstrate
    • Demonstrate Lantern assembly then have trainees demonstrate
  • Dishwashing & Handwashing (Sample Dishwashing Station)
    • Show Dishwash Set-Up
    • Demonstrate Dishwash method

  III. Health & Safety Practices

  • First Aider requirements for camping
  • Discuss dispensing medicines
  • Poisonous plants
  • First Aid kits
  • Discuss hypothermia
  • Discuss dehydration
  • Discuss heat exhaustion, heat stroke
  • Discuss vector borne diseases

  IV. Fire Building & Safety

  • Advantages of different fuels  
  • Fire starters
  • Fire components
  • Demonstrate how to build a simple tipi fire and keep it lit
    • Have trainees demonstrate fire building
    • Hand out directions for an Edible Fire

  V. Knives

  • Circle of Safety
  • Safe position for whittling
  • How to hold, pass, open, close a knife
  • Trainees whittle a toggle for their dunk bag

  VI. Outdoor Flag Ceremony

  • See Ceremonies in Girl Scouting or ( Flag Ettiquette )
  • Demonstrate sample outdoor flag ceremony
  • Assign patrols to do flag up and flag down later in day

  VII. Girl Scout's Own

  • What is it?
  • Themes
  • How to plan one
  • Have trainees plan one for close of campfire

  VIII. Program Ideas

  • Typical Weekend Schedule
  • Resources (play several games from each book)
    • Sharing Nature With Children by Joseph Cornell
    • Sharing the Joy of Nature by Joseph Cornell
  • Activities for inclement weather
  • Hikes
  • Games
  • Ecology
  • Knots

  IX. Camp Courtesy

  • Quiet Hours
  • Respecting campsites

  X. Campfire (Campfire Planning)

  • Campfire progression
  • Present a typical campfire & include samples of
    • songs (Guide Zone Song Book)
    • games
    • skits (Guiding Zone Skits)
    • Girl Scout's own

    XI. Evaluation & Good-bye

    to Training Outlines