Enviornmental Science at summer camp.

[Lynda J]

Ihad a young man contact me last week about helping him finish his ES badge. He had started it summer camp. I figured he would lack doing the Eco System in the bottle. He camp up Friday evening. He hadn't done hardly any of the requirements. No work sheet. They had only completed requirement 1-4-5-6 at camp. I can't understand this. ES is a great summer camp badge. All the experienments could be easily done at camp. I ask him if he missed any of the classes and he said no they just didn't do anything else.

I am wondering how many other camps don't make much effort to get badges like ES complete.

I did this one with our troop on a weekend camping trip. We build bottle eco systems before we went.

[FrankJ]

Sound like a great weekend camp activity.

The summer camps I have been to, a scout can complete the entire merit badge if he work at it. Some of the requirements would have to be completed outside of the class time.

[Lynda J]

Basically they only did one requirement that wasn't classroom. He said they only went out once. I worked with him Friday. I own an auto repair shop so we could do some of the experiements here. We did the water oil spill. Air pollution with air particles. I sent him home with a worksheet anda list of suggestions on what to do on the remaining. I will meet with him again in about 2 weeks. He knew the information they had done so I don't think it is a matter of him not getting the work done.

That was one of the things that impressed me so much about Slippery Falls this summer. There is no doubt that my boys did all the requirements on the badges they worked on. I helped with a couple of classes and walked around some just listening in. I was impressed.

[aflmom]

My son completed his ES badge this year at summer camp along with rifle and two of the citzenships. However, he typically completes all the requirements before attending camp outside of the discussion ones-- where he needs a counselor.

[Mad Dog]

We are off to camp next week. A number of boys in the troop are planning on taking ES. In the past you had to start on Sunday night and complete it Saturday morning. This year however, the camp has dropped the eco-system in the bottle requirement. They claim that it was having too negative effect on the environment.

[hops_scout]

The MB has been revised and the ecosystem in a bottle requirement is no longer there.

[Lynda J]

I just got the new book. They were working out of the old book I guess.

[summertop]

I took my scouts to camp last week. Twelve boys. Some of them already had the Env. Science MB. Now ALL of them do. It was great! My scouts are awesome!

[aflmom]

When my son worked on the requirements for ES before summer camp, he started in the old book. When he realized a new book had come out, he did the requirements in it thinking the MBC would be using it. However, when he got to camp the MBC wouldn't accept some of work, but did say they would be going through the requirements in class and he would still be able to complete it.

If it was me, I would have been defensive and told the MBC that he couldn't NOT accept them just because it was a different book and so on.

My son took a different and more noble approach. The end result was the same and he commented that the MBC was young, around 18, probably didn't know about some of the rules, and this was the first badge the MBC had taught. Thus he didn't mind redoing some of the work he had previously completed.

Nothing like a 13 y/o putting you to shame!

[WeeWillie]

Did the Camp publish a Leader's Guide? Most Leader's Guides include a section on merit badges offerred, their prerequisites, and requirements not available at camp.

Did any leader's go arround and monitor class sessions and progress? It should not be a surprise that a Scout returns with an incomplete. Thursdays I and my leaders check workbooks and or instructor records to see how our Scouts are progressing. If a Scout is falling behind we encourage him to catch up by visiting the appropriate activity lodge... After that it is up to him to finish.

[aflmom]

I'm not sure if there was a Leader's Guide or not. My son went as a provisional scout and we didn't get much information or a list of prereqs.

He doesn't like incomplete merit badges, so did all the requirements prior to attending camp other than the ones that needed to be discussed with a counselor.

It's hard finding MBC's where we live and although he has asked his leaders repeatedly for a list of names or who he can go to for a specific badge, nothing has been forthcoming. Attempting to go through council or district hasn't helped either.

Essentially he has completed what badges he can through his leaders and the rest at camp. The downside is he hasn't been able to work on the badges he's truly interested in and has done most of them out of convenience or because they were required for Eagle. Currently he's getting ready to plan his Eagle project and as he would say, "It's all good."

[wagionvigil]

our council actually put the leaders guide on the council web site this year.It really was a great idea.

[WeeWillie]

Most councils also have a leaders meeting. This year year we went to Camp Fiesta Island which is 475 miles away, so I skipped the meeting, but the leader's guide was on-line.

My troop usually goes out of council. When selecting a camp we try to get the leader's guide. Programs don't change radically, from year to year. Changes generally match those of the updated Merit Badge Requirements. The inside cover lists the revised requirements.

[scoutaholic]

I don't know of any reason why this badge can't be completed at a week-long camp.

I always recommed the boys do this one at camp, because they are in the environment where it is easier. It can be hard to do this one at home.

I just got back from our summer camp, and we had several boys take the class. I think everyone who attended the classes completed the badge.

[ccjj]

We had 3 boys complete this badge at camp this summer. One had started at home with a counselor, but just didn't understand it. Once at summer camp, he finished it with ease! My son completed it while he was a CIT a couple of years ago.

ccjj

[mhjacobson]

I have found that most of the time that a MB is not completed at camp is due to one of the following:
1) scout did not complete as much as the worksheet at home prior to going to camp -- research is often difficult to conduct at camp without computers & libraries;
2) scout did not bring the worksheet to camp -- MB counselors are not psychic and do not know what the scouts have completed prior to going to camp;
3) worksheets are not signed by scout leaders at appropriate spaces and requirements so that the MB counselors at camp know what has been observed by the SM (i.e., 20 days camping for Camping MB); and
4) the Scout is more ambitious that he should have been and attempted to complete more MB than was humanly possible.

There are a few other reasons such as scout physically unable to complete one or more tasks (i.e., small scout attempting to shoot for shotgun MB and unable to handle the weight of the shotgun).

[scoutaholic]

I have found that most of the time that a MB is not completed at camp is due to one of the following:
1) scout did not complete as much as the worksheet at home prior to going to camp -- research is often difficult to conduct at camp without computers & libraries;
2) scout did not bring the worksheet to camp -- MB counselors are not psychic and do not know what the scouts have completed prior to going to camp;
3) worksheets are not signed by scout leaders at appropriate spaces and requirements so that the MB counselors at camp know what has been observed by the SM (i.e., 20 days camping for Camping MB); and
4) the Scout is more ambitious that he should have been and attempted to complete more MB than was humanly possible.

There are a few other reasons such as scout physically unable to complete one or more tasks (i.e., small scout attempting to shoot for shotgun MB and unable to handle the weight of the shotgun).

The biggest reasons I have seen are:
1. The scout didn't attend the class he was signed up for.
2. The scout attended, but didn't do the work in class.
3. The scout had an assignment to complete outside of class and didn't do it.

[scouter01]

That is weird, I finished the whole merit badge at camp.

[pipestone1991]

I did mine my during the 2005 summer camping season. I got it done. The prereqs were loaded though, had to do the ecosystem and 2 essays at home....if u didn't have them, sell, you were out of class.....we lost 23/4 of the boys.



...

This year because of all of the kids getting kicked out they only made the prereqs with 1 essay. ASlso even if you didn't have prereqs for a badge they let you come and either get a partial or finish them during the week.

[Mad Dog]

We had 4 boys sign up for and complete this badge at camp this summer. They had to make sure that they managed their time so that they could do their observations and complete their essays.