The Outdoor Trainer "Buffet"

(the "local cuisine" of Las Vegas)

by Pam English
Joshua Tree

Everyone thinks the paperwork part of the training is boring, but no one had a better way to do it. The material has to be covered!
Safetywise Doodles -- cartoons on a board, with page numbers beneath them. Have the people in your class discover the rules covering each of these situations.
LNT Board Game -- draw question cards, and see if you can answer them in order to move around the board.
Jeopardy Game (permanent board) -- had questions which could be slid into plastic sleeves (page holders) fixed to the board. Everry council needs one of these -- or more! (I mentioned the sticky note version, not as permanent, but shich can be made up on the spot if you happen to be carrying enough sticky notes.)
Give Apprentice Trainers a specific job -- running the clipboard check from the back of the room. Hand her a clipbaord with a list, in order, saying "These specific points must be covered." Then, if she notices anything that was skipped, she can call in "...and don't forget to..." so it doesn't look unprofessional.
Meeting our own objectives can be a problem. Where are we spending the time? Could we cut down on time spent on outdoor cooking? (Yes, it's fun, but...)
Knife Training -- have 'em make potato stamps!
There's a GSUSA-produced slide show: "From Backyard to Back Country", an intro to minimum impact. (Every council got one -- where's yours?)
If you work it right, you can teach Outdoor Program Aide in parallel with Troop Camper. Some things would be taught together, and some apart. Also gives you some skill demonstrators (other than the trainers), who can acquire prestige/respect because people in the Troop Camper class can see them work.
Check out the ACA course: "Outdoor Living Skills"
Knots Joshua Tree requires: overhand, lark's head, square knot, and clove hitch.
Handouts:
- Fires or Stoves (from Scouting Ahead)
- Fable of Troop 500 (Lone Star GSC)
- "Minimal Impact" Board Game (Outdoor Education in Girl Scouting)