Camping Games for Scouts: Learning the Lay of the Land

This may sound somewhat distanced from the physical, mental and spiritual development that modern-day scouting encompasses. But the lessons learned in these games focus around a scout’s ability to understand the terrain he or she is in, and subsequently using the terrain to his or her advantage.

One just needs to grasp the concepts and mechanics behind these camping games for scouts, and their true intent will be revealed to the astute observer who makes an effort to understand them:

Survey

This is a deceptively simple game that teaches scouts to survey the land around them. Patrol leaders are instructed to create a map of the area, and must make these maps based on the reports of their scouts. The patrol that first comes up with an accurate map of the area wins the game.

Flying Columns

Flying columns is one of the trickier camping games for scouts, and one that relies on the topographical results gained from the previous survey. A fictional situation is set up wherein a messenger from a nearby friendly force requires the aid of the patrols.

Enemy positions have pinned down his unit, and the scouts must reach their allies without alerting these enemy positions. They must then use the lay of the land to their advantage in order to sneak past the positions and get to the distressed unit.

Dispatch Running

Dispatch running is a lot like flying columns, except that a lone scout instead of a whole platoon needs to penetrate the defenses to get to the besieged point. The situation is similar to flying columns: a town is besieged by enemy forces and a dispatch runner must reach the besieged town, except the runner wears a two-foot long colored rag pinned to his or her shoulder.

This then forces the besiegers to form a hunting party while the lone scout musters all the stealth skills he or she can muster to get to the besieged town.

Capture the Flag

Capture the flag one of the most dynamic of all camping games for scouts, and for good reason. It can be played in one of two ways: with two teams on the attack or two teams alternating the roles of attacker and defender.

The latter is a bit more organized and easier to conduct, while the former is a bit messier but a lot more dynamic and tactical in nature. Both approaches require that the defenders stay at least 200 yards away from their flag, while two defenders need to shout “hands up!” within 10 feet of a raider to put him or her out of the game for good.

Only designated defenders can knock out raiders this way. Raiders on the other hand are tasked to obtain and sneak enemy flags back to their own flags.

Just one final note: The objectives of these camping games for scouts may appear military in nature, but the manners in which they are completed allow a scout to understand and work with the terrain around them. Both of which are an essential part of a scout’s development in the program.

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