Re: A parent's guide to Scout camp - New Statesman


I now include camp chairs on the kit list as recommended but far from
essential. I hate sitting on a bench. It always gives me a bad back
after a while. As they can be picked up for a fiver and will often last
a couple of camps it seems silly not to bring one. (Although mine is a
posh sturdy one from Decathlon)

I do point out that they aren't always very robust and must be labelled
with the child's name to save arguments. It does make our campsite
look like a chair farm. But we have the comfiest kids on camp.

I think it is partly in reaction to the site of Guides near us with
leaders in chairs and girls on groundsheets who are specifically
forbidden from bringing chairs etc. (NB I am not accusing all guides
from being like this... but some are and I don't like it.) They might
as well be comfy with me. They do enough activities while i sit and
watch them with a coffee.

And mobiles should definitely be banned from camp. I've tried
rationing their use etc. It never works. The kids can write, use a
payphone etc if they need to. And parents can send letters etc. I'm
sick of being the phone policeman.

I could rant for ages about them.

Good article though. Unless the scout leader is genuinely a lunatic,
he seems to have given the kids the impression of being wild for a week
or so while actually being safe and well looked after. They could
obviously contact their leaders on the hike while in trouble, the
leaders picked up the boy with asthma and left him to read his book in
peace. A job well done.

I love to hear what goes back to parents from my scouts. I once too a
winning patrol away for a night. The cooked, cleaned, put up tents did
some climbing on the wall, and then did a hike to the local pub where
thay had a coke in the garden and played on the climbing frame. Walked
back to site, had a campfire and went to bed at a decent hour.

The whole camp was reported back by one 12 yr old as, 'we did some
climbing and went to the pub'.

When the camp was explained to the mother, it all made rather more
sense.

Only 11 months 3 weeks til next summer camp... and counting. tick tock
tick tock

cheers

chris

.

Relevant Pages

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    ... parents who have ventured into the woods with their kids, ... A large capacity pack is a must. ... committed to the task of watching the kid, while the other one does camp ... I would not expect a small child to sleep in a tent alone. ...
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    ... parents who have ventured into the woods with their kids, ... A large capacity pack is a must. ... committed to the task of watching the kid, while the other one does camp ... I would not expect a small child to sleep in a tent alone. ...
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    ... parents who have ventured into the woods with their kids, ... A large capacity pack is a must. ... committed to the task of watching the kid, while the other one does camp ... I would not expect a small child to sleep in a tent alone. ...
    (rec.backcountry)
  • [l/m 4/24/2006] Babies and Kids Distilled Wisdom (22/28) XYZ
    ... parents who have ventured into the woods with their kids, ... A large capacity pack is a must. ... committed to the task of watching the kid, while the other one does camp ... I would not expect a small child to sleep in a tent alone. ...
    (rec.backcountry)
  • [l/m 4/24/2006] Babies and Kids Distilled Wisdom (22/28) XYZ
    ... parents who have ventured into the woods with their kids, ... A large capacity pack is a must. ... committed to the task of watching the kid, while the other one does camp ... I would not expect a small child to sleep in a tent alone. ...
    (rec.backcountry)