My most memorable camping experience was helping chaperone a group of Cub Scouts on a camping trip. Even though there were eight adults, the Scouts kept us on our toes. All the kids had their own camping gear and knew how to set up their tents, make fires and even cook their own grub. One of the dads works for an optical firm, and he donated a box of binoculars for the Scouts, as they were working on bird identification. But we also developed a binocular scavenger hunt, where the purpose was to find birds, animals, rocks, flowers and other hidden objects with the binoculars.
This may seem like a mindless activity, but it really forced these youngsters to look at nature in a new and different way. Sometimes people are oblivious to the world around them, so encouraging them to use binoculars to see things from a fresh vantage point helped these boys appreciate and use their senses in a more acute manner.
Everyone received a prize for their efforts, and the boys were able to keep the binoculars. At the next Scout meeting, the one thing they were all talking about was how much fun they had camping and how much they enjoyed the scavenger hunt. We’re now thinking of planning one for our Memorial Day outing.
