As your troop considers where to go to summer camp in 2020 you have an excellent choice close to home. I never liked the argument that an Indian Waters Council troop should pick Barstow because it’s “your camp.” Camp Barstow should earn your loyalty.  But you might not be aware of the changes at your home camp, including an innovative program called Barstow Bundles.  Over the next few days I will be explaining the many ways things are #BetterAtBarstow.

We are the educators who totally blew up the traditional model of summer camp. Instead of criss-crossing camp every hour running to merit badge classes, meet the Barstow Bundles.  This model takes complementary merit badges (usually 2-3) and marries them in a 2 1/2 day program.  Your Scouts stay in a program area and focus on experiences that just happen to cover requirements.  This unique model has the Scouts working with the same counselors for 14 hours total, allowing us to build a curriculum of learning activities that do not include reading out of a merit badge book.

It’s a very simple schedule!  Scouts only have to decide what are they going to do the first half of the week and what are they going to do for the second half.  They pick 2 of the 24 bundles and that’s their schedule.  For the Scoutmaster the other bonus is you know where they are during the day and can simply check in with them at meals since they are not changing classes every hour.