Bits of Woodbadge

I attended the Course for the Woodbadge, the main training for leaders in Scouts BSA (what used to be officially called the Boy Scouts). The course goes all the way back to Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of the scouting movement. He realized the need for trained leaders and had them come to Gilwell Park to camp and learn the whats, hows, and whys of scouting. 

Camp Oest, a Scout-owned camping facility, became Gilwell Field and we participants were Troop 1. In addition to learning leadership skills and theories, we also saw models of den meetings, pack meetings, field assemblies, patrol meetings, patrol leadership meetings, interfaith services, etc. etc. 

 

The main meeting hall

We played a lot of games too because Scouting is described as "games with a purpose." One game was the Whatzit Box. Our individual patrols had to identify what was in the box. A lot of people used their phones to find out what was in the box. My patrol successfully figured out everything on the last day.

Whatzit Box

We played other games in the field, hopefully some I will be able to take back to my Cub Scout pack.

Another tradition (from summer camps, not from Gilwell) is the Trading Post. At summer camps, the post sells snacks and drinks and bric-a-brac. This trading post had various patches, pins, and paraphernalia from the patrols.

Trading Post

The field where we had opening ceremonies was nearby. I made the mistake once of crossing the middle of the field. One of the Woodbadge staff corrected me. Subsequently, I was sure to walk around the edge of the field.

Gilwell field

Flags at half mast for when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg died

Another fun activity on the first weekend was building and launching bottle rockets. We did a good job decorating. Our design worked well until the rocket got caught in a tree. Unfortunately I did not catch that moment on film.

Our rocket in action

That night, we had some other challenges, including stacking cups as high as possible.

Our stack

My patrol

We had to decide on a patrol name based on the animal assigned to us. The course includes all sorts of familiar animals like owls, eagles, buffalo, antelopes, and foxes. My patrol was the bobwhite patrol, which left us scratching our heads. A bobwhite is a small North American quail that lives on the ground. After some discussion, we decided to call ourselves the Boogie Woogie Bobwhites. Between weekends, we worked on a flag, a t-shirt, and a silly hat for our patrol. 

Our flag (thanks Christina for designing it!)

Our t-shirt

Our hat (thanks, Ron!)

The patrol in shirt and hat

We had a lot of other prep work too, including making plans to help out our home units. As individuals, we came up with a vision and five goals to work on in the next eighteen months. The course isn't just for learning skills, it's for applying them. 

Another project was planning our own dinner for Saturday night of the next weekend. We were given a modest budget which was supplemented by some donations (thanks, Steven). We had surf and turf as the meal we cooked for ourselves.

Steak, potatoes, and salad

The surf part of the meal

After dinner, we had a nice campfire where we read special letters from our patrol guide (who was so awesome) and the scoutmaster for Woodbadge. We got to know each other a little better, too.

Campfire!

Sleeping is never good for me while camping. I did my best.

As ready as I'll ever be for sleep in a tent

The course had a Disney theme which was used throughout the presentations and activities. The scoutmaster even had a six-foot Mikey Mouse who accumulated more and more decorations.

Mickey the scouter

The program was great and inspiring. I am looking forward to working on my goals.

Ready for action