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-- TROOP CAMPING --

Intro

Planning for Troop Camping


CAMP DEWITT
   Facilities/Fees (pdf file)
   Site Availability
   Reservation Procedures
   Camp DeWitt Use
      Arrival & Departure
      Safety
      Parking
      Fires & Stoves
      Housekeeping
      Latrines
      Program Center Use

Forms (pdf files)
   Camp Usage Application
   Trip/Camping Notification
   Clean-Up Check List 		Planning for Troop Camping

Careful planning will result in a successful, coordinated camping experience and offer the perfect forum for encouraging and developing strong girl/adult partnerships.

To further aid you and your troop in planning, download Planning a Girl Scout Camping Trip, a handy outline of things to do, skills needed and girl and leader responsibilities. Service Unit 12 has created a useful Checklist of Troop Camping Equipment & Supplies.

Ratios of Adults to Girls - for events, trips, and troop camping
Two adults to every:
    6 Daisy Girl Scouts*
   12 Brownie Girl Scouts
   20 Junior Girl Scouts
   20 Cadette Girl Scouts
   24 Senior Girl Scouts
   24 Ambassador Girl Scouts

Plus one adult to each additional:
    4 Daisy Girl Scouts*
    6 Brownie Girl Scouts
    10 Junior Girl Scouts
   10 Cadette Girl Scouts
   12 Senior Girl Scouts
   12 Ambassador Girl Scouts
 *Under the leadership of the troop leader, and with parents, guardians, or other family members, a Daisy Girl Scout troop may participate in occasional overnight family camping experiences.

Outdoor Certification - Each troop/group must have a minimum of one adult with Rolling Hills Outdoor Certification as follows:
   Outdoors & Overnights Step 1 (Online) - Overnight hotel or cabin camping, no outdoor cooking, no fires
   Outdoors & Overnights Step 2 (Outdoor Skills) - Overnight hotel, cabin or tent camping with fires, stick cooking
   Outdoors & Overnights Step 3 (Camp Kitchen) - Outdoor cooking other than stick cooking

These are revised requirements based on recent modifications in the Outdoor training curriculum.

First Aid Certification - All troops/groups must have a qualified adult first-aider. First-aiders may be adults with a current Red Cross Standard First Aid and CPR Certified card or a more advanced certification; physicians, registered nurses or licensed practical nurses. Read Safety-Wise and the Policy Manual for guidelines on necessary permissions and procedures for all outdoor activities. You are responsible for providing your own stocked First Aid Kit and contacting emergency personnel when needed.

Service Team Approval - Approval of the S.U. Outdoor Consultant is required on the Council Trip/Camping Notification Form, both for council-owned and non-council sites.

Site Reservation & Costs - Decide with the girls where you would like to camp and what costs are involved. Discuss the troop/group's budget with the girls before reserving a site. (If using Camp DeWitt, see Facilities/Fees.)

Prepare the Girls to go Camping - Remember that progression is important in the development of successful camping skills. Start, in the troop meetings, to teach the basic skills learned in basic leader and outdoor trainings; then try a hike and a cookout; move up to backyard overnight or camping in a cabin; then to tents already put up for you at camp; next, learn to pitch a tent and camp for a weekend or longer; and finally progress to more advanced camping trips. Leaders should progress through the Outdoor Training courses to be prepared to teach girls the next level of skills.

Involve the Girls in the Planning - Girls can plan and do things for themselves...if adults will let them. Sometimes mistakes provide the most valuable learning experience. The leader should step in when the health and safety of the girls is threatened.

Evaluate with the Girls - After your camping event, discuss with the girls what they liked about the experience, what they didn't like and how they could improve the next one.