Camp PreparationHow to prepare your troop to go

camping

Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road Council

Course Objectives

One of the most important aspects of taking a troop camping is preparing everyone to go. This involves:

Involve the girls in planning Meeting plans to prepare for camping Basic Outdoor skills Basic organizational camp skills Budgetary principles for camping and activities with girls

The objective of this course is to help walk you through the steps to take your troop to camp.

Girl PlanningGirls can plan! While it may seem easier and faster for leaders to plan activities, girls need the opportunity to develop leadership skills that come with planning.

Girls will be more responsible and more receptive to getting things done when they have been the ones to plan the activity.

Girl Planning

With your help, girls can decide: When and where to go What to do What to take Acceptable behavior New skills to learn Special needs

Girl PlanningGirls will benefit by:

Learning decision making skills Creating excitement and ownership Learning to work together

Once girls learn the skill of planning, leaders will benefit:

Reducing their planning time Having a sense of accomplishment seeing the girls take charge

Brainstorming

A simple way to get the girls started with planning is to have a “troop adventure box”. It is a box where girls can put suggestions or ideas for their outdoor adventures. They can draw or write their ideas, depending on their age. The ideas can remain anonymous. You can pull them out and see what most of the girls want to do. Use this as a starting point for planning with girls.

Basic Skills

One reason girls join Girl Scouts is to learn how to take care of themselves. We have identified 8 basic skills to help them to that in the out-of-doors. They are:

Outdoor manners Dressing for the outdoors Knots Knife care, usage and safety Fire usage and safety Cooking First Aid Nature and conservation

Out and AboutSkill Building

If you are taking these online courses to complete Out and About, you will need to sign up for a classroom session on Fire Building and Safety.

This is a beginning level of camping and is a great place to begin to teach the 8 Basic Outdoor Skills.

Here are the Basic Out Door Skills that you should teach your girls for an Out and About experience:

Outdoor Manners Dressing for the weather Outdoor safety and basic first aid Nature and conservation Fire safety and simple fire building Cooking indoors

Troop CampingSkill Building

If you are taking these online courses to complete Troop Camp Certification, you will need to sign up for a classroom session which is an overnight in a camp setting.You will be learning outdoor cooking techniques, tent care, camp sanitation, and many more skills to make outdoor living an adventure packed with fun and great memories.

Additional skills for girls to learn for their basic outdoor skills:

Building a fire for cooking Cooking on an open fire Knife safety and usage Knot tying Compass /GPS– Finding Your way Camp Sanitation Camp tools

Meal Planning

Planning meals with your troop isn’t much different from planning meals for a family with a few exceptions.

You will need to consult with parents regarding food allergies and religious restrictions

Also remember that girls will almost always eat more when they are physically active and outdoors

Their food should be nutritious and filling and they should drink plenty of water

Meal Planning

Other things to remember when planning are: Nutritional balance Cooking/preparation time Cleanup time Costs Skill level of the girls Other activities/time limitations Ease of transport Likes and dislikes of the girls

Out and About Level Cooking

If you are completing Out and About level training, your cooking methods should only include no-cook, the kitchen stove or restaurant take-out.

Girls should help plan their meal prior to the camping trip.Ask questions like: What are some of your favorite foods? Have you ever tried . . . ? Raise your hand if you will eat one hot dog? Two? More? How many buns are in a bag, and how many bags are needed if we need 17 hot dogs?What utensils and special ingredients will we need to prepare that?

Troop Camp Level Cooking

If you are completing Troop Camp level training, your cooking methods can be over a campfire. During your training you will learn a variety of wonderful recipes and ways to make outdoor cooking fun and delicious!

For experienced planners, girls can accompany the adults on the shopping trip to purchase food.

For handouts to help plan food for camping and a camp cook book, check out the Outdoor Education section of the council web site!

www. gskentucky.com

Budgeting

Girls need to understand the basics of budgeting before planning a camping trip. There are many trade offs to consider:

Food Activities Site rental Equipment purchasesAs a troop, you may decide what is most important to

you. There is no right amount to spend on any one item.

Budget

FOODWe always want to insure that girls are eating a

properly balanced diet. Within the nutritional needs, you have many choices.

After the girls have talked about their likes and dislikes, it may be a good time to take them in on a field trip to the store. Consider assigning them certain items to find and have them write down the cost. Use this information at the troop meeting when you explain the budget for the trip.

Budgeting

ActivitiesGirls love to do the activities at camp and this can become an expensive item for the troop.Give the girls a realistic picture of how many activities you will be able to afford by talking with them about the number of boxes of cookies they need to sell to do each one. The girls will quickly decide what is “worth it” to them and what isn’t.

There are many free field trips and fun things to do at camp to fill the time.

Budgeting

Site RentalKentucky’s Wilderness Road camps are an

affordable option for many troops.The pricing for the camp sites can be found in

the Camp Handbook found on the forms section of the council web site.

Budgeting

Equipment rental or purchaseThe families in your troop may have items that

you can borrow for the camping trip. Council camps have equipment available at most camp sites. Check the Camp Handbook for a list of available equipment.

If your troop is going to camp regularly, you may wish to purchase some troop equipment.

Budgeting

Teaching girls to budgetA fun way to teach girls to budget is to do an “activity fair” at a

troop meeting. Post signs around the room that list activities the girls would enjoy with arbitrary prices. For example:

Camp $85 Crafts $10 Parade $0 Picnic $40Post as many ideas as you feel the girls can handle at their age.Give the girls play money and have them decide where and

how to spend their money. Don’t give them enough money to do everything.

After they are done, talk to the girls about what else they would like to do and how to go about earning money.

Kaper ChartGirl Scout camping should teach girls life skills. The best way to learn things is by doing them. Each girl should have housekeeping responsibilities while at camp. These extend beyond taking care of herself and personal belongings. Tasks or responsibilities in Girl Scouts are called “Kapers”. An easy way to organize girls is with a kaper chart.

What can girls do?

With proper training and supervision, girls can do almost anything that is needed at camp. They can clean, cook, set the table, wash dishes, etc. Activities are usually assigned in groups called patrols. The patrols will rotate responsibilities throughout the trip so that no one is stuck with the messy jobs the entire trip.

Every girl should take responsibility for a variety of tasks.

Sample Kaper DutiesCustomize to Meet Your Needs

Fire Builders (Not for Out and About)• Gather equipment• Check for safety• Build type of fire needed• Watch and tend fire• Extinguish fire and put away equipment

Hostess• Clear and arrange tables• Make a nature centerpiece • Place dishes on table• Select and lead grace• Decide how food will be served

Cooks• Gather food needed• Gather equipment needed• Prepare and cook meal• Remember condiments and drinks

Clean-up• Gather dishwashing equipment• Plan method of heating water• Wash personal dishes first• Store and dispose of leftovers• Wash all cooking equipment• Wash table (stove)• Put equipment away when dry• Empty trash

How to choose which girls are in a patrol

Dividing girls into groups for kapers should be done in a manner that doesn’t show favoritism.

Draw names from a hat Assign jobs based on experience and age Pick groups based on the color they are

wearing Play a game

Do things the fun way!

Here are some steps for a simple game: Decide how many patrols you need Come up with stickers as a symbol for each patrol Place stickers inside plastic eggs Have the girls pass the eggs while music is

playing When the music stops – each girl opens her egg

to find her sticker She is then part of that patrol

Kaper ChartsHere are samples of kaper chart designs. Make them as simple or as decorative as the girls desire.

Camp Clock

A camp clock is a time schedule of activities and should be done in large blocks of time. It could cover a single day or an entire weekend. Camp clocks are planned with the girls and should allow for rest periods (turtle time) and free time.

A camp clock might include:Campsite setupTime to get upFlag raising ceremonyBreakfast and clean up (allow 2 hours if cooking)Morning activities and free timeLunch and quiet timeAfternoon activitiesDinner and clean up (allow minimum 2 hours)Flag lowering ceremonyEvening programBedtimeLights outFinal camp clean up

Planning Your Trip

Whether you are camping in buildings, cabins or tents, preparing your girls should be part of the process.

Preparing your girls for the experience should include planning everything from when to go, what to eat and teaching them the skills necessary to make the weekend successful.

Planning your camping trip can take 4-6 troop meetings

Resources on the Outdoor Education of the council web site includes an outline

of preparing your girls for the your camping trip.

Check the web site to sign up for the skill building section for Out and About or Troop Camp

Certification