1.27 Camping Skills Part 1

Program Connections:
  • Key to Camping
    • 2. Camping Know How

KeytoCamping


Gathering Activity (in their circles)

  • Attendance and dues
  • Activity sheet (camping hidden picture -  pdf version with dot-to-dot)

      Opening

        • Circle Songs
        • Brownie Song

          Packing Skills

          • Packing skills - show the girls a kit list for an upcoming camp.
          • Before the meeting - pack a LARGE suitcase full of the required items for camp, plus a lot of unneccessary items. Examples are: flimsy pajamas, candy, medication, electronics, jeans, flip flops, a dress, a halter top, etc.
          • At the meeting, tell the girls that you are all ready for camp and have packed your suitcase. Ask if you look ready to go tenting. Have the girls figure out why a suitcase is not appropriate.
          • Open the suitcase, and put a large copy of the kit list up on the wall. Unpack each item one by one for the girls to determine if it can or can't go to camp. Check off the kit list as you go.
          • In the end, show a proper size bag for camp - a backpack or a small duffle bag.
          • Show the girls large ziploc bags (available from the dollar store) which they can use to pack each day of clothing into, inside their bag. Then they know they get clean clothes every day.
          • Before completing the excercise - check to see you have everything on your kit list. Did you forget anything? (In my case, I didn't pack any of the personal toiletry items - remind the girls to very carefully check the kit list before going to camp!)

            Bedrolls

            • Before the meeitng, put together your bedroll - tarp, foamie, sleeping bag, extra blanket, small pillow, pjs, toque, rope
            • Also before the meeting, make up mini bedrolls for the girls. I used pieces of garbage bag for tarps (although explain to the girls that they are NEVER to use a garbage bag to put their bedroll in, it was just very difficult to roll up a thicker tarp into a tiny bedroll), fun foam or foam drawer liner (from the dollar store) for the bed mat, a piece of felt folded and sewn on the side and end for a sleeping bag, a mini homemade pillow, and cord for rope.
            • Note: I didn't measure anything here - I just folded down the top of the felt by about 1.5", then folded it in half and sewed down the side and across the bottom. I cut the foam (in my case, drawer liner from the dollar store) to fit, and cut the garbage bag so there was plenty of space around the foamie to fold over and roll up. The cord was used to tie one up before cutting it to the correct length.
            bedroll1sm bedroll2smbedroll3sm
            • Using the steps on the bedroll handout (modified from the BC Girl Guides 100 Years Strong Camp in a Box), roll up your own full size bedroll while the girls work in pairs to roll up their mini bedrolls.

            Tents

            • Bring your unit tents to the meeting and work with the girls to set these up and take down again (we went out to a grassy area near our meeting place).
            • This takes a lot of time!

            Closing

              · Hand out flower sheets & Ask girls to write one great thing about who they are on each petal. Explain that it can be about their skills, backgrounds, talents, beliefs, families, strengths, and other social and personal traits.