It's The Woggle: Spring 2023!

Fun Safe Spring Adventures!

Spring is here, and Scouts are again gearing up for another season of Fun Safe Adventures! Spring is when the land around us comes back to life from the dormant winter season. Youth ideas are brought to life in scouting adventures, so let’s take to the outdoors this spring and Bring Ideas to Life with Scouts.

In this issue of the Woggle, we are looking at “going the distance” and trekking our way across the country with a new Spring Program initiative: Scout Trek – Coast to Coast. Also, this edition highlights a case study from the Safe Scouting team from a Beaver Colony with some lessons learned about keeping all our youth accounted for during overnight adventures. Lastly, don’t miss out on the great tips from our Scout Shop about selecting your next tent.

Make a fresh pot of your favourite Scout Coffee and read below.

This is The Woggle: Spring 2023.

(And in case you missed the last edition of The Woggle, you can find it here. You'll find even more songs, skits, games, camping hacks, articles, and recipes…)

Safe Scouting: Case Study

During the winter months of 2022, a beaver group was having a sleepover event in a gymnasium. This was not their first sleepover.

All youth members entered their tents to go to bed. There was a Scouter positioned near each door. Two other Scouters were in a tent with their own youth.

However, one beaver, between the hours of 11 pm and 6 am, left the gymnasium and walked approximately 1km away from the gymnasium.

A neighbour outside their home saw the lost youth and called the police. At approximately 6 am, police contacted Scouters to notify them of the missing youth.

The youth was returned to his mother by police at approximately 6:30 am. 

This is one of every Scouter and Parent’s fears. Read more about how this incident happened. Collectively, we can all learn some valuable lessons from this incident.

Remember, if we can predict it, we can prevent it. If a risk cannot be lowered to a reasonable level, have confidence in being a champion of safety and change the plan to make it safer.

Land Conservancy and Stewardship a New Partnership: Scouter John’s Story

Scouter John from the Greater Toronto Council and volunteer for the Bruce Trail Conservancy is no stranger to restoration projects. In 2015 Scouter John’s Rover  Crew started making nesting boxes for the Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC). They have now progressed to Stage 3 of the project, which involves organizing the cleaning and repair of the boxes annually and installing new ones. The crew has partnered with other Scout groups and the Toronto Bruce Trail Club to tackle more significant projects. The Bluebird nesting boxes contain the vacated nests of different bird species, including Eastern Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, Black-capped Chickadees, House Wrens, and Great-crested Flycatchers. They have also found Wood Duck nesting boxes that their Venturer Company made in 2017, bringing the project full circle.

Gear Guide: Tenting Basics

In Scouts, we need equipment and gear that doesn’t just work in the great outdoors but thrives in them. In the coming edition of the Woggle, we will showcase some guides to help you learn, select, and get the most out of your gear. This season we are focussing on your shelter.

When planning great Scouting adventures, the reality is that nearly half of your time in the outdoors is spent sleeping. Getting a good night’s rest is one of the essential components of a fun and safe experience.  To get a good night’s rest, you need a safe, comfortable shelter.

We Recommend The Mackenzie 4 — Eureka/Scouts Collaboration

The Mackenzie 4 by EUREKA! is specially made for Scouts Canada.

Modelled after the El Captain Tent but with scouting youth in mind, this tent is an excellent choice for your scouting adventures and is an unbeatable price of $329.99

These tents are as tough as the campers they cover.

Get yours today. Limited quantities available. 

Purchase Now

Here are a few things to consider when selecting your perfect Scouting shelter.

Temperature:

Arguably the first place to start your selection journey is to identify the season you’ll be using your tent. A summer tent is typically built using lighter fabrics, has much more airflow to keep you cooler on hot summer nights, and aside from a heavy thunderstorm, summer tents tend to have less structural integrity. This makes them lighter to backpack with but unsuitable for supporting heavy snowfall on top of the tent.

Winter or 4-Season tents have a more rigorous build. They often have more poles and are heavier. Airflow is still crucial, while winter camping moisture will accelerate the risks of hypothermia. Hence, winter tents often have vents strategically placed to allow the moisture in your breath to escape while keeping the heat from your body from dissipating too quickly into the environment.

3-Seaon tents are an excellent go-between the lightweight summer tent and the rugged winter tents; they balance airflow and structural integrity to be able to breathe and also sustain a light snow load.

Number of People:

For a new camper or quartermaster of a Scout group. The number of people in-tent is a funny quirk. Often when a tent is advertised as sleeping a certain number of people, the manufacturers seem to think people enjoy being squished together like sardines in a can. Scouting adventures are all about safe, fun adventures, and part of the fun is getting a bit messy; after a long day hiking with some of our best friends, the last thing we want to do is crawl into bed with our noses snuggled up to their smelly feet.

Our advice is to purchase a tent for one extra person then needed, let’s call it “breathing room” so that you have enough room in the tent to move around a bit. Extra room in your tent is also a good idea for those days with less-than-ideal weather and your activities need a warm, dry place to let a storm pass by.

Get yours today. Limited quantities available.