I am the den leader for my son's Cub Scout den and we had a meeting on Monday. I am trying to help the kids do all of their required achievements so they can earn their Wolf badges. Basically, we have to assume that the parents are going to do nothing - that they are going to treat Scouts like babysitting. They want the kids to have fun and learn values, but not if they have to do anything. Even though many of the achievements are things that they are supposed to do at home with their families, all of the den leaders so them at the den meetings anyway, or most of the kids would never get their badges.
This Monday I noticed that most of the kids in my den had not completed their cooking achievements. They had three - cook a meal for the whole family, make yourself breakfast, and cook an outdoor meal. I came up with a scheme to get the kids all three achievements at once. I took a Coleman Stove to the meeting and set it up outside the church where we have meetings. Then I had my den make bacon and eggs (breakfast) for the whole pack (a lot more people than an average family, but everyone helped).
It was fantastic. We lucked out and got a cool, sunny evening. The kids really loved cooking and taking food to the other dens and snarfing down eggs and bacon. We made a fantasic mess. I learned several things. Modern Coleman stoves clean up very easily. After 36 eggs and 2 pounds of bacon cooked by me and a bunch of 8 year olds that was a very good thing. Next I learned that cooking eggs on a griddle is good in theory, but in practice, if your stove is not level then the eggs run all over. See the bit about stoves being easy to clean, above. Next time, we will use small skillets. Of course, Alex, being his mother's son, suggested the frying pan before we ever went to the den meeting. She was quite a cook and I know that she was laughing at me. Some of the moms at the meeting were laughing at me, too. I told Alex that he was right and I was wrong and that made him very happy. I also learned that, it doesn't matter if it is 7 at night, and the kids have already eaten dinner, that they can polish off nearly any amount of food if they are the ones making it. I also learned that modern, propane powered Coleman stoves fairly kick butt when compared with the old kind that had the pump that you had to work by hand. The new ones are sooooooooo much better.
The kids helped me clean up and we packed out our trash so the church wouldn't smell like eggs. Once again, the firetruck proved its worth by hauling the cooler, stove, a small table, and assorted implements and supplies. It was one of the most fun den meetings that we have had.
This Monday I noticed that most of the kids in my den had not completed their cooking achievements. They had three - cook a meal for the whole family, make yourself breakfast, and cook an outdoor meal. I came up with a scheme to get the kids all three achievements at once. I took a Coleman Stove to the meeting and set it up outside the church where we have meetings. Then I had my den make bacon and eggs (breakfast) for the whole pack (a lot more people than an average family, but everyone helped).
It was fantastic. We lucked out and got a cool, sunny evening. The kids really loved cooking and taking food to the other dens and snarfing down eggs and bacon. We made a fantasic mess. I learned several things. Modern Coleman stoves clean up very easily. After 36 eggs and 2 pounds of bacon cooked by me and a bunch of 8 year olds that was a very good thing. Next I learned that cooking eggs on a griddle is good in theory, but in practice, if your stove is not level then the eggs run all over. See the bit about stoves being easy to clean, above. Next time, we will use small skillets. Of course, Alex, being his mother's son, suggested the frying pan before we ever went to the den meeting. She was quite a cook and I know that she was laughing at me. Some of the moms at the meeting were laughing at me, too. I told Alex that he was right and I was wrong and that made him very happy. I also learned that, it doesn't matter if it is 7 at night, and the kids have already eaten dinner, that they can polish off nearly any amount of food if they are the ones making it. I also learned that modern, propane powered Coleman stoves fairly kick butt when compared with the old kind that had the pump that you had to work by hand. The new ones are sooooooooo much better.
The kids helped me clean up and we packed out our trash so the church wouldn't smell like eggs. Once again, the firetruck proved its worth by hauling the cooler, stove, a small table, and assorted implements and supplies. It was one of the most fun den meetings that we have had.
Comments