Scouts BSA Troop 222 for Girls

Tag: Flamingo Patrol

  • Should have written it sooner, but the rest of camp was amazing!

    Daily camp summaries seemed like a great idea, but once you get finished with the week and don’t get it all written down… well, time flies and it doesn’t happen. So after the first couple of days, we present…

    THERESTOFTHEWEEK

    Highlights include:

    Hammock time — hanging out in the hammock, chilling, laughing. This is when we get to catch our breath.

    Girls in a hammock
    Hanging out in the hammock in the shade is a lot cooler.

    Wednesday is Troop Night, and we went into Bedford to the Golden Corral. An air-conditioned restaurant was a great treat — as was the chance to pick whatever we wanted to eat (and drink) — and desserts. The family behind us was celebrating Grandma’s 94th birthday, and we joined in singing “Happy Birthday” to her, much to her joy.

    Happy diners!
    What have we done? Caffeine?

    Firecrafter — a council-wide camping honorary — gave our scouts something to do when we weren’t in classes or activities. The first level of Firecrafter (Camper) involves Scout skills and service — and we had helpers in camp as well as at the Firecrafter shelter. Two of the boys from 183 next door had Firecrafter programs for the final rank, and we got to enjoy them in our camp area!

    The Safety Patrol and the Dragon played a role in Adam’s program
    Stuart demonstrates the features of his headlamp in Sebastian’s program.

    The Ransburg Triathlon was Thursday night — and several of our scouts joined in! Who knew so many of our girls wanted to paddle their way through the challenge, but it was a blast!

    Scouts with leaders Annie and Troy (and cheerer Callia) had a great time canoeing in the triathlon. Camper also ran and biked to finish the challenge.

    Friday, we had camp clean-up duty and took on the Jackson shower facility — it only took about half an hour to clean the bathroom/shower rooms. Thanks to everyone doing their part, the showers were safe and clean for everyone — but we felt pretty tough for doing our cleaning job!

    Mission accomplished! The Jackson was clean when we were finished!

    Camp was amazing. We finished a bunch of merit badges, got involved in camp life, and tried a bunch of new things! Troop 222 took on Ransburg and emerged proud, strong, and excited for whatever is next!

    Scouts gathered at the Ransburg Office chimney
    We made it through an exciting week — this was our last picture together before we headed out on Saturday!

  • Summer Camp commences: The first full day of camp

    Flag raising

    The morning at camp started at 6:15 — for most of us. Some of us were up before that, but everyone was up at 6:15 when SPL Nora got everyone up. It was smacking the tent doors and calling out “Good morning! Wake up!” that got everyone going.

    Nora wakes up the troop.
    Callia and Nora are ready to head up for breakfast

    Hoppers reported to the dining hall at 7 am to get everything set up. Hoppers set the table, bring the food to the tables (we eat family style). Each table seats eight, and so our troop gets TWO TABLES! (They’re not both full.) Our hoppers are waiting for us when we get sent in.

    Each troop gets dismissed in turn. We start with grace, led by Chaplain Ken, and then some sort of silly song — on and on and on, until the leaders get the sign from the dining hall that the tables are ready. Then the troops are challenged to act the most like something silly. For the first couple meals, we were charming enough to get sent early…

    After breakfast, the whole camp gathers at the flagpole for flag raising. Then first meal group heads back to camp to get ready for classes, that started at 9. Annie was also taking some classes, and Scoutmaster Jenny went to the Leaders’ meetings, which included camp information and some short presentations.

    GIFT BAGS

    Nora made gift bags for each of the scouts in the troop. The bags included personalized bookmarks, flamingo necklaces, bracelets, and more. They were so great! What a thoughtful thing for her to do as an SPL! She even hand-lettered a tag for each girl, and the adults got gifts as well.

    Stuart brought friends for the entry for our campsite: Jim and Francesca!

    Francesca
    Jim
    Our Fancy Founding Flamingoes — “Don’t forget the sunglasses!”

    Monday was a long, hard day, and by night, we were all pretty tired. Going to bed got a little rough, but we worked through our challenges, and I took the time to read another chapter or two of Nancy Drew before bed. (There was logic to my choice: Nancy Drew books are filled with some suspense, but — spoiler alert! — there are a whole lot more books to follow, so we all know that Nancy will be fine to sleuth another day, but Nancy’s problems might serve to distract the scouts from their own fears or concerns.)

  • Summer Camp orientation: My head is spinning!

    Troop 222 Scouts are ready to go to Ransburg for summer camp!

    One of the biggest events for a Scouts BSA troop is going to summer camp. Everyone packed their own stuff — and we gathered to load the trailer and get on the road!

    Scout camp is an amazing chance to earn merit badges, work toward rank advancement, meet other scouts, sleep at camp — all the things. But we were all nervous about it as well. First time at Ransburg Scout Reservation!

    We got to camp and had a whirlwind orientation — they checked health forms, told us (very quickly) how the dining hall runs — hoppers and A meal and everything — and waterfront orientation and a quick look at the Jackson and the Trading Post and off to Bison Trace, our campsite.

    Troop 222 scouts and leaders!

    Mr. M had parked the trailer, so all we had to do was check over the tents, unload everyone’s totes, move into our tents, learn about the campsite, check out the area, and OH MY GOODNESS we need to get to dinner!

    We waited at the flagpoles for dinner; while we were there we met other troops who were also waiting. That was fun to start figuring out who’s there and everything. But what ho? There’s a patrol with the same patrol patch as we have!

    The Fancy Founding Flamingoes meet the Fresh Flamingo patrol!

    The evening ended with an all-camp campfire. It was so fun! Everyone was there, and there was energy and excitement and all those camp counselors and all those “inside jokes” that we would understand at the end of the week (“not with that attitude”).

    Stuart captures Hannah and Evelyn dancing as everyone filled the campfire area.

    By the time campfire was over, it was time to head back to our campsite and head toward bed. Scoutmaster Jenny brought a book to read with high hopes of reading several chapters before lights out — distract everyone, get us tired, and, of course, get our minds off being away from home and in unfamiliar surroundings. (Spoiler alert: four chapters)

    Lindley shows off her tent

    Off to bed — lights out — camp starts in the morning (and breakfast is at 7:15).

  • Overgrowth and Archery — Aiming for Service and a Challenge

    Overgrowth and Archery — Aiming for Service and a Challenge

    Who needs Service Hours? (Everyone) And service with friends is even better.

    Girl Scouts and Scouts BSA pose on a structure
    Troop 222 girls and Ginny’s Girl Scout troop ready for our work

    Ginny invited us to join her and her Girl Scout Troop for a day of service and fun at Girl Scouts Camp Ada. We started the day with a drive from Bethel to the camp. Who knew it was State Road 38 Garage Sale day? Navigating the cars that seemed to have just stopped on the side of the road was kind of exciting, especially when those garage sales looked so inviting. (That one had a FOOD TRUCK!)

    But Scoutmaster Jenny would not stop that van!

    Girls gathered for flags
    Ginny leads Girl and BSA scouts in the flag ceremonies.

    Ginny started our day with a flag ceremony. It was neat to have both the Girl Scout and Boy Scout opening flags — the World Scouting Movement is a great bond. Then it was off to work!

    Our first task was to clear a couple of overgrown campsites. Ginny and her troop had previously cleared several, but there were still a few to uncover. We moved tree limbs and pulled out some invasive Japanese honeysuckle (pretty to smell, but it blocks out all the native plants) and cut the tall weeds down so someone can use the space again.

    Girl with weed cutter
    Hannah trims weeds in the campsite.

    We got to use tools like a weed cutter, loppers, and a saw, and cleaned out the areas. It was cool to see the change in the sites we worked on.

    Girl with weed cutter
    Evelyn also gets a turn to cut the weeds.

    After we finished cleaning in the Little Woods, we hiked through the Big Woods. Scoutmaster Mary surprised us (later) with Turkey Trot Trail patches! There were a few signs that had lost their paint, so we touched up the arrows to make sure people knew where to go.

    People hiking in the woods
    Hiking the Turkey Trot Trail

    After all that work, we washed up and then ate lunch in the pavilion, then got to go to the archery range for some lessons for the archery merit badge and some practice! We’re probably not nationally competitive like our instructor, Mr. Magnuson, but we had fun.

    Three scouts with compound bows aim at targets
    We had some time to practice our archery skills — maybe some of us will earn that archery merit badge.

    We had a lot of fun, and it was great to support Ginny’s Girl Scouts as they finished their Silver Award project.
    Want to join? Check out our Resources page for youth and adult applications, and meet us at Bethel Lutheran on Mondays at 7pm.

  • First Aid without the emergency

    First Aid without the emergency

    We had a lot to deal with, what with Scoutmasters Jenny, Mary and Annie’s (fake) injuries, but we learned some first aid to help them. Fake animals bit them. We had to flush things out of our eyes, and treated our scoutmasters’ fake burns and learned how to get a fish hook out of their skin. (We didn’t harm any scoutmasters in these practice scenarios.)

    Girl with water bottle gently drops water on another girl's face.
    Practicing flushing an object out of someone’s eye is best done when there’s not a real emergency.

    From our Scribe, Claire:

    “We learned about First Aid and demonstrated on Annie, Mary, and Jenny. We learned about how to get objects out of the eye, heal a bite from a warm-blooded animal, how to treat puncture wounds, and we also learned how to deal with second and third degree burns.”

    Two girls study the scout Handbook
    The Scouts BSA Handbook for Girls has all the instructions for First Aid rank advancement requirements.

    We’ll work on more first aid requirements in another meeting.

    Several scouts are taking the First Aid merit badge at summer camp. We’re covering many prerequisites for this badge, which are also required for rank advancement, in these sessions. (For the First Aid merit badge workbook, click here.)

    Did we mention that Scoutmaster Annie got a tick? This one wasn’t a fake scenario, but Scoutmaster Mary demonstrated how to remove it for all of us to see. That was a bit much for some of us.

    (Do you still need to turn in your health form? Go to our Resources page to download the forms.)

  • Five Miles of Smiles (and more)

    Five Miles of Smiles (and more)

    A five-mile hike is one of the requirements for advancement — and we have the perfect place for it!

    Strawtown Koteewi Park is a great park northeast of town with walking trails, Indian artifacts, a nature center, camping, fishing, zip lines, horseback riding, archery… We recommend Koteewi for a lot of outdoor fun.

    We met on a Saturday morning and got our compasses and maps and even bags for trash. Ginny had some camp songs for the trail, and there was a lot of enthusiasm. But picking up trash and having fun also means you might take a wrong turn…

    Don’t worry, it’s hard to get lost. We backtracked and got back on the trail and back to our adventure.

    We found a lot of evidence of wildlife in the area — we saw deer tracks, heard various birds, found snails and bugs, and even startled a snake (or maybe it startled us).

    The Koteewi trails are three miles for the southern loop and two miles for the northern loop (maybe 2.5). We started with the southern loop, then gathered at the parking lot for snacks and a bathroom break, then hit the northern loop. It’s true, that second trail was a little rough — everyone was getting tired, and we learned the challenges of chafing.

    The weather was perfect, though, warm enough to take off a jacket, cool enough not to get too hot. And the sun was just what we needed to have a perfect day.

    After the hike, we took a picture of the scouts who did an amazing job and succeeded — that’s everyone! Then we signed off some advancement requirements in everyone’s books. It was a great day.

    Girls gathered after a hike around a map of the park
    Success! Scouts celebrate after their five-mile hike
  • New Scouts Camp Out (at New Scout Campout)

    New Scouts Camp Out (at New Scout Campout)

    New Scout Campout was our first camping trip, and it sure was memorable!

    Maybe some people wouldn’t have fun camping on a rainy and cold March weekend, but the excitement of our first outing made it all worthwhile.

    Our site was Walking Bear campsite at Camp Kikthewenund (“Camp K”). We set up our tents on the platforms they use for summer camp (the tents they use aren’t up yet) and spent the day learning different scout skills that we need for our first couple of ranks.

    We learned first aid, hiking safety, how to raise and lower the flag, and knife skills. Mr. Sherrill gave everyone a knife to use, and once we demonstrated knife safety, we got to keep them. We got our Totin’ Chip and promise to make wise choices with knives.

    Mrs. D was our grubmaster for the weekend, and she cooked some delicious food. We all helped, including with cleanup. And in the evening, we had a campfire — and did some skits we’d practiced. And the dump cakes? Did we need THREE? But did we eat all three of them anyway? (Clearly, we did need them and we did eat them.)

    Sunday morning when we got up, we found that the raindrops on our tents had FROZEN overnight! It was cold. No one got a lot of sleep, but that’s what Sunday naps are for. We broke camp and cleaned everything up and had a Scouts’ Own service, and made sure to take a picture before we left.

    New Scout campout was great — and we can’t wait for more.