Scoutcraft Presentation
Scoutcraft, obviously, is one of the most important parts of a
Scout meeting. A boy should go home from every Troop meeting feeling that he has
learned something new in Scouting, something he wants to practice at home and in his
Patrol.
In all probability your Troop bases its program on themes,
concentrating a month's work around a certain Scouting skill. The Scoutcraft
presentation will logically feature some phase of this skill. It will not attempt to teach
it, but will try to give the Patrols the incentive to follow up on the subject at Patrol
meetings and on Patrol hikes.
The Scoutcraft presentation at the Troop meeting is not meant
to be a formal instruction, dividing the subject into so many lessons, with an
"expert" putting his stuff across. Scouting is not interested in mass
instruction. Scouting is not regimented learning. Our efforts are directed
toward giving each boy an opportunity to grow according to his own abilities and
interests, to learn at his own speed. We want to see Scouts train themselves and
each other right in their own Patrols.
This is one factor which makes Scouting distinctive as an
educational movement. As Baden-Powell says: "If once we make Scouting into a
formal scheme of serious instruction in efficiency, we miss the whole point and value of
Scout training, and we encroach on the work of the schools without the trained experts for
carrying it out. We want to get ALL our boys along through cheerful self-development
from within and not through the imposition of formal instruction from without."
Besides being against Scouting principles, mass instruction in
the Troop is impractical: The average Troop consists of a mixture of Tenderfoot.
Second and First Class Scouts. Any mass instruction at Troop meetings would be too
advanced for some and too elementary for others. And furthermore-no Scoutcraft
subject can be thoroughly taught and learned in weekly twenty minute periods.
Ways of Presenting Scoutcraft
The main purpose of the Scoutcraft presentation is to show some
of the aspects of a Scouting skill in such a fashion, that the boys will be inspired to
get deeper into the subject and master as much of it as possible.
If your theme for the month is "Communications," for
instance, several types of presentations may be made during a series of Troop meetings: At
one meeting, a good speaker may tell an exciting "camp fire" story of life
saving through signaling. At the following meeting, an Explorer may show how to make
a simple blinker or buzzer from scrap metal. Next time one of the Patrols may
demonstrate signaling methods during the ages. And finally, the leader in charge of
the commando game scheduled for the Troop hike of the month will explain the signaling
project planned for the climax of the game.
If properly presented, the result should be: A vivid interest
in the subject, a desire to learn more about it, tricks to be tried out in the Patrol, a
way of using the knowledge in the out-of-doors which will require Patrol practice.
You have a wide choice of methods for presenting Scoutcraft at
the Troop meeting:
TALK - A talk is probably the least
effective method. Yet, if well done by a person who knows his stuff and how to
present it to boys, a talk may provide a good starting point. A general treatment is
better than one going into too many details. True-life incidents add color. A
first-aider, for instance, may tell of "Accidents I Have Dealt With." - a forest
ranger of "Forest Fires We Have Fought," combining information and drama.
BLACKBOARD TALK - A blackboard
provides the chance to illustrate a talk with simple sketches and diagrams. The
principles of building a pioneer bridge or a signal tower can be shown more easily in a
diagram than by demonstrating with full-length timbers. A blackboard presentation
also makes boy participation possible: The speaker can draw out the boys and write down
their ideas on such a subject, for example, as: "What Equipment Do I Need for an
Overnight?"
LARGE-SIZE PICTURES, SLIDES AND
FILMSTRIPS - make a talk even more effective. The Boy’s
Life photo features on Scoutcraft may be used here. A number of series of slides and
filmstrips are available; many more are under preparation.
MOTION PICTURES -
Our special Scout films are excellent for interesting the boys in a Scoutcraft subject.
They range from "Axemanship" and "Life Saving" to
"Conservation" and "Forestry" ("The Scout in the Forest").
Your Scout Executive has a list of Scout films and can get them for you.
DEMONSTRATIONS -
are your best bets for the Scoutcraft presentation. They can be put on by
individuals or by Patrols. A leader may demonstrate fire-by-friction; how to pack a
pack; how to sharpen an axe. A Patrol may show how to lash a bridge trestle; how to
improvise emergency stretchers; how to make a fire rescue. Take time off after the
demonstration to answer all questions the Scouts may raise.
DRAMATIZATIONS -
work well for a number of subjects. Axe safety, for example, may be shown in a
Patrol skit of "Tenderfoot Willie Brings His Axe to Camp" - Willie, of course,
being shown by his Patrol pals how to use his axe correctly after having handled it in the
most dangerous manner. Any number of first aid "dramas" are possible.
Of the various methods of Scoutcraft presentation,
demonstrations and dramatizations put on by Patrols are the most beneficial all-round.
They kill three birds with one stone: They present the subject in an interesting
way to the whole Troop; they give the Patrol putting on the presentation the incentive to
get to together at Patrol meetings for practice; and they encourage friendly rivalry
between the Patrols to give the best performance.
The Scoutcraft theme of the month should be brought Into each
Troop meeting program. A game or a demonstration will do It.
Suggestions for projects for demonstrations and dramatizations
may be found in PROGRAM THEMES and GAMES & PROJECTS.
