Earn the Camp Craft Badge with your family and be prepared

I was a Girl Scout when I was young and volunteered as a leader for my youngest daughter for several years. I consider Girl Scouts one of the most important things I did as an 8 to 12 year old city girl. It helped me learn to take care of myself. It certainly gave me confidence and a love of the out of doors. They made a change to the Girl Scout program about 10 years ago and now the badges seem to focus more on entrepreneurship, citizenship and the arts, than the rugged outdoor activities that I remember doing as a kid.

I found this 1954 handbook at a used book store several years ago and I spent $2 on it because I thought it would give me a different perspective on preparedness…a look into the past, and the way we used to prepare our girls for the future. So while I think there is a place for teaching girls to run their own businesses (I do it myself!), I think there are lessons from the past to learn too.

The Girl Scout “be prepared” motto:

A girl scout is ready to help when she is needed. The desire to help is not enough. You must also be trained. You must know how to do the job well, even in an emergency. For example, if a person is drowning you cannot rescue him unless you know lifesaving. Have you learned about the ways your heroes and heroines trained themselves?

As you work through this book you will find hundreds of interesting activities. All of them will help you be prepared.

To earn this badge, do ten of these activities, including the four that have a star. Follow the links below to learn how to do the activities you choose.

1)      *Plan and carry out an overnight or weekend troop (family) camp at a cabin or lodge.

2)      Demonstrate ways of heating, cooking and lighting when gas and electricity are not available.

3)      Build a fire in a stove or indoor fireplace and help cook a meal over it.

4)      Show how to care for and safely use an oil lamp, lantern or stove.

5)      *Plan and pack your own equipment for the (family) camp. At camp make a comfortable bed roll and arrange your personal belongings neatly.

6)      Pack food for transportation. Build a cache at the (family) camp.

7)      Demonstrate at least one method of purifying water. Show how to prime a pump  or thaw out a frozen water pipe.

8)      Show your skill in using a knife, hammer, saw, and hatchet or lightweight axe by building something for your campsite or cabin.

9)      Split or saw enough wood to keep a fire going for an hour. Make a neat woodpile.

10)   Make use of four of the following, choosing one from each section:

a)      For cooking – broiler, pothook, Planking, crane, fuzz stick.

b)      For lighting – candleholder, lantern, waterproof matches, emergency fuel.

c)       For carrying equipment – packbasket, knapsack, waterproof cover for any equipment.

d)      For housekeeping – collapsible wash basin, grease pit, dishwasher drain, incinerator, food cache

11)   Show how to dispose of garbage and waste and how to keep a latrine clean.

12)   *Help lash an article for use during the (family) camp. Whip the ends of a rope  and show the use of two of the following (knots): sheetbend,  sheepshank,  bowline, double half hitch.

13)   Help build and care for three of the following: a quick hot fire (teepee), a reflector fire, a fire for broiling or roasting, a beanhole fire,  a council fire. Demonstrate fire prevention and safety rules.

14)   Help assemble a (family) first aid kit, or make your own individual kit. Demonstrate the use of the triangular bandage . Know how to call the nearest doctor.

15)   *Help plan a campfire program and conduct part of it.

Take your time and work through these activities as a family. Imagine how prepared you will be once you have put the time and effort into earning the Camp Craft badge. Follow the links and teach your family how to be prepared.

Do you use a Girl Scout or Boy Scout handbook to help with learning preparedness skills?