My Favorite Camp Things

Dewdrops on gumboots and bowls of rice crispies

Woodsmoke on kettles and stews cooked in dixies

Sturdy wood gadgets all fashioned with string

These are a few of my favorite things

Green colored ridge tents put up in a hurry

Whistles and cow horns and goulash with curry

Wild ducks that fly with the sun on the wings

These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in blue dresses with navy blue jackets

Can’t get to sleep for the noise and the racket

Bright golden mornings that make us all sing

These are a few of my favorite things

When the camp ends when the bus comes

We simply remember our favorite things ,

And we don’t feel so bad.

BRING BACK MY LEADER TO ME

Our leader said. ” Burn, bash and dump’

All rubbish and trash that you see!”

We did as he told us, exactly

-Oh. bring baek my leader to me!

CHORUS;

Bring back, oh. bring back.

Oh. bring back my leader to me. To me !

Bring back. Oh. bring back.

Oh, bring back my leader to me !

Our leader, she likes to make campfires.

For brewing up coffee and tea:

Now, kero looks almost like water

-Oh. bring back my leader to me!

The swimming-hole is so attractive,

Our leader dived in from a tree

The depth, as you know, is deceptive

-Oh, Bring back my leader to me!

Our camp-site has modem ablutions,

They don’t Fush very well as you see:

Our leader’s been in there a long time

-Oh. bring back my leader to me.!

Words and music traditional “Verse 2 by Mike and Michelle

The Fairy Godmother mime.

The Leader pretends to be the fairy godmother and the Guides pretend to do all of the changes.

Scarecrow race

One Guide for each Patrol is dressed by each of the Guides in turn with dress up clothes. First Patrol to finish wins.

Governance makes camp planning fun

Camping is fun.

Often when the proposal of going to camp comes up the newer in experience Guides groan.  What ever their age, or experience, most people have been to camps where they have little in put, they are kept out of much of the planning. However the preordained activities are great, they have a ball, the relatives or school mates all try to outdo each other.  But from these experiences what have they learned? What skills have they worked towards and gained? Are the rewards what the person really was striving for?  or was the experience ” …just like any another activity!….Boring!!!”

Right from the first suggestion of a camp Guides of all ages in the Hazelwood and Churchill Units have much in put – after all it’s their camp.  Therefore the  Guides are shown how to organise a plan of action, decide on their theme, the menus, activities and the pre-camp activities are included into the normal program. Some of the things that are on the to learn or add practice list are standard requirement that the Leaders have a need to know the Guides understand how to do and when to use. These activities  may consist of focusing on different types of cooking rules, learning how to clean inside things, choosing a sleeping bag to purchase or borrow, erect and strike tents, care for the tents, bush walk, tie knots for commando and skills training activities, make tracking activities, read maps, make bed rolls secure, camp gadgets, camp site planning, camp program, flag pole, Campfire, Guides Own, entrance, cooking facilities, water gathering methods…..

Often the decisions are influenced by those with greater camping skills.  Experienced leaders mentoring the newer Guides, Parents, helpers and Leaders.

Governance is very much the Guides method of management choice.  Each camp then has very have made very clear goals and Guides lines to be planned around.  Depending on the experience and age of the Guides going on camp the steps taken are worked out in a way which is both a challenge and achievable. How the Guides will go about getting help as they work towards gaining what they have set out to do is different ,but the same , on each camp.  Some may use the experience for the Look Wide Badges, others towards their Peak Achievement Awards.  There are other things that they may work towards as well.

If the theme is an international camp they may include that years Jota / Joti as either a pre or post activity.  The camp may have a morse code night activity or two. Or there may be a State or Region sleep over.

On the “Other People” camp each Guide chose a country to look into. The Units Patrols were asked to choose a Guide Region.  [Western Hemisphere, Asia Pacific, European, African, Arab Nations, Russian, the Americana’s]  Some looked at their heritage for a county, others chose a country from school subjects. Patrols then put their interest forward as to which country they would work with.

The Patrols then chose the menus from various recipes supplied, activities and games from different countries represented, the decorations were posters that the Guides created about ‘their’ country.

Other camps the focus may be on outside camping under canvas.  Is the camp site to be in a controlled bush setting [ with toilets provided? or as an expedition?  What shelter and equipment do they need to learn and experience before they go on camp.  Whose transporting everything?

When organising of the camp whose doing what job? How many patrols? Where is the money to pay for the camp coming from? Is it Unit restricted? Age restricted ? Open to all.?  What about the Big jamborees?  The Region Camps?

The biggest hurdle the Guides face is a panic attack.  Will they look stupid?  Do they know anything?  Initially a panic attach on exactly what do they have to learn.  When they realise they have done so much each time they have come to Guides that are cross credited as training the Guides are initially “surprised”.  Then excited and smiling.  fear of the unknown starts to be removed.  New Challenges step to the front. That is why, from the start, Guide camps are learning stepping-stones and challenges made into fun.

Writing encouraged by http://www.clear-vision.com.au