The Weekette Logo

The Weekette
Winter Camp XLVIII Planning

If you think this site is large, you should see our library.

The Weekette / History / XLVIII / Winter Camp XLVIII Planning

Winter Camp XLVIII Planning

Leadership Team

Youth Leader:Ryan S.
Adviser:Steve D.
Activity Leader:Connor J.
Activity Adviser:Matt G.
Kitchen Leader:Sam B.
Kitchen Adviser:Doug W.
Participation Adviser:

Pay for Winter Camp XLVIII, the 2024 Migisi Opawgan Winter Fellowship

Payment for Winter Camp must be made on the Michigan Crossroads Council website:
Payment Link

Calendar

12/27/202411:30 amWinter Camp XLVIIID-bar-A Scout Ranch

See detailed Calendar

Theme: Ghost Hunters

We have ghost hunting as our focus with a side of Halloween and perhaps some horror as well.

Suggested Activities and Meals

Planning

XLVII Kitchen Notes
Notes from meal prop at Winter Camp XLVIII
Planning Notes, November 14, 2024
Notes from the meeting.
Planning Notes, November 29, 2024
Notes from the in-person meeting.
Planning Notes, October 6, 2024
Notes from the abbreviated meeting of October 6.
XLVII Evaluation
Notes from the XLVII Post camp meeting.
XLVII Surveys
The raw surveys from 2023 participants.

Event Documents

Planning Notes

Feel free to post your thoughts and comments on planning for Winter Camp XLVIII!

Which is point 1 of the Scout Law

Your name

Your e-mail address

Your Comments

Check out what everyone else is saying:

On Friday, 22-Nov-2024 17:33:03 EST, Grimble said
Is there a way to add like a noise maker to it like an EMF reader in movies and TV?
On Friday, 22-Nov-2024 15:40:44 EST, Alan said
It might be time to bring the old GPS boxes back, in the form of a 'ghost detector'. Same concept but with a moving target. Have some invisible field that runs away from you when you get too close, or leads you somewhere, etc.
On Tuesday, 19-Nov-2024 11:33:22 EST, K2 said
Could 3D print cookie cutters shaped like scooby snacks. thingiverse.com/thing:11042
On Monday, 18-Nov-2024 22:44:41 EST, Steve D. said
I think we need some kind of scooby doo mystery game, complete with a guy in a rubber mask complaining about meddling kids.
On Friday, 08-Nov-2024 22:24:09 EST, Steve D. said
I saw a video today where she cooked a yorkshire pudding in a 9" round cake pan and then used it as a plate for a turkey dinner. It could be kind of wonka-like or just a meal of it's own.
On Thursday, 10-Oct-2024 19:22:41 EDT, Steve D. said
I was watching a video today where a chef critiqued people who were cooking fairly terrible things, like hot dogs and string cheese in manicotti covered in chili. Anyhow, I wondered if we could make a Winter Camp meal of it.

We prepare the meal as it was done originally, then we also use those ingredients to make something we hope will be better.
On Tuesday, 08-Oct-2024 20:54:20 EDT, Uncle Ethan said
I can put together a 100+-object Kim's Game for Winter Camp. We could tie it into the theme or make it a standalone activity.
On Saturday, 28-Sep-2024 21:28:51 EDT, Steve said
We are now at 14, with 4 youth.
On Thursday, 12-Sep-2024 09:48:06 EDT, Steve said
We are now at 7 including 2 youth
On Wednesday, 04-Sep-2024 22:59:50 EDT, Steve D. said
Now it's 5.
On Sunday, 01-Sep-2024 10:52:04 EDT, Steve said
We’re up to 3 people paid for Winter Camp.
On Saturday, 31-Aug-2024 19:03:13 EDT, Steve D. said
After discussing it with the leadership team, we've decided to go with Ghost Hunters as a theme. You can, as you see above, register from now until December 20.

Registration will require your BSA ID number and will verify that you are currently registered in Scouting and have paid your 2024 dues. There have already been a few reminders about this. I can tell you that there will be no hail mary, last-minute efforts this year, so figure out now if you're registered and your 2024 dues are paid.
On Wednesday, 21-Aug-2024 21:26:57 EDT, Doug said
Saw an interesting food item which looks like it belongs at winter camp - Frank and Corn Crown. Kind of like a crown roast but it's a bunch of hotdogs baked in a corn bread so they resemble a crown. It's easy to make, a bit weird, and from the 70's. Might be cool for lunch.
On Wednesday, 14-Aug-2024 11:35:04 EDT, K2 said
More Nuclear Theme ideas... 3D printer related:

Make sugar cookies with a 3d printed cookie cutter that makes cookies shaped like a radioactive symbol.

3D print various radioactive / radiation warning signs. Could include glow in the dark filament.

3d print radioactive symbol coasters. Just because there's an apocalypse doesn't mean we can't be civilized.


For meals, could track the radiation consumed at each meal with a Geiger counter. Make sure to include brazil nuts, bananas, and potatoes! :) Could go for maximum radiation with a banana potato pancake with chopped brazil nuts, and of course green food coloring. No, I haven't tried it but sounds like it might not be completely inedible. I wouldn't make a ton of them though.
On Tuesday, 13-Aug-2024 14:41:12 EDT, K2 said
Sounds like you could just go all-in with a Nuclear Theme.

Movie could be Wargames.

Radioactive Pie - The key-lime pie could make a re-appearance. Could receive an overdose of "radiation" aka gelatin, boosted with some green food coloring.

Somebody needs to dress up as Homer Simpson.

Duck and cover meal - Everyone eats their meal under some kind of useless shelter.

Hot chocolate with green whipped cream or green marshmallows.

Plutonium Pizza - Green dough.

Basically, buy 50 bottles of green food coloring and go nuts.
On Sunday, 11-Aug-2024 00:30:33 EDT, Steve said
As long as a meltdown disappears into the vast nothingness rather than coming out in China, Jeff will consider it a success.
On Saturday, 10-Aug-2024 23:49:57 EDT, Alan said
An energy theme is just asking for me to build a nuclear reactor simulator
On Saturday, 10-Aug-2024 21:08:38 EDT, Jeff said
Energy Theme: Could involve cooking, engineering, fire building activities. Support energy merit badge. Field trip to 420-acre Demille Solar Farm in Lapeer.
On Sunday, 04-Aug-2024 13:02:19 EDT, Steve said
I saw a video today where they were trying to break a piñata throwing a frisbee at it. Some kind of ranged piñata seems like a fun idea. We could either do it as a group or as teams with multiple piñatas. Maybe we could also build thematic pinstss esrly on the week.
On Monday, 29-Jul-2024 11:37:05 EDT, K2 said
Mr. Beast contests where teams compete to win obnoxious amounts of wintercamp currency.

Example activities:
Hide and seek in a large area. Could use the LoRa radios for something like this.

Cooking contest where a panel of judges need to perform taste testing without knowing which team cooked it.

Building something that must withstand destruction from something. The Mr. Beast video I'm thinking of is the one where the guy had unlimited money to build defenses around a lamborgini to protect from tanks shooting at it. Obviously none of exactly that will be done but maybe someone can think of a scout approved option. Maybe playground balls thrown at something from a minimum range to knock it over within a specific period of time and they have to build defenses with scout skills (e.g. rope + sticks)
On Thursday, 25-Jul-2024 17:48:07 EDT, Jeff said
Shakespeare - perhaps from Henry VI
On Thursday, 25-Jul-2024 17:32:58 EDT, Steve D. said
Any theme ideas lurking out there?
On Thursday, 25-Jul-2024 17:32:43 EDT, Steve D. said
Any theme ide
On Saturday, 20-Apr-2024 09:44:55 EDT, Steve said
I’m sure we could rig something up. You have 8 months…
On Saturday, 20-Apr-2024 09:12:19 EDT, Alan said
Too bad Winter Camp doesn't have a 300' dam nearby to drop items off of
On Friday, 19-Apr-2024 21:29:41 EDT, K2 said
My kids came across a YouTube channel called HowRidiculous. It seems like a good source for potential ideas, or modified ideas, for wintercamp. They seem like wintercampers with less restrictions, more resources, and Australian.
On Monday, 04-Mar-2024 22:04:39 EST, Uncle Ethan said
I like the breakfast for dinner idea. On the idea of having more time for difficult stuff - doughnuts could be a snack as well.
On Thursday, 29-Feb-2024 12:48:16 EST, B Mann said
so i had a wild idea and looked up the worlds largest omelette, pancake, donut, and waffle to see if it might be something winter camp could do and none of those looked possible. however, i could not find anything on the worlds largest french toast. and since we make our own bread already, what are the thoughts on a possible guiness world record attempt? i dont know how to go about it but thought that it would be cool.
On Thursday, 29-Feb-2024 11:45:59 EST, Steve D. said
Maybe we should consider a "Breakfast for Dinner" meal this year. It would give us a chance to make some of those crazy time-consuming things like donuts or waffles. without having to get up super-early.
On Saturday, 10-Feb-2024 20:31:02 EST, Steve D. said
I looked at prices for large cauldrons on Amazon and I know why we haven't had one yet :)
On Thursday, 08-Feb-2024 21:26:10 EST, Doug said
How can we have gone 47 years without a cauldron meal? Sound like fun.
On Thursday, 08-Feb-2024 18:52:22 EST, Brian Mann said
I do have access to a 50 gallon aluminum pot if needed.
On Thursday, 08-Feb-2024 18:26:43 EST, Steve D. said
I think if we do Halloween we need to prepare a meal in a big cauldron.
On Tuesday, 30-Jan-2024 21:10:21 EST, Doug said
I like it. It can combine both Christmas and Halloween. Could even extend to the various pre-camp tensions with friends and family members/situations of preparing and going to camp. Have been told it is fairly common.
On Monday, 29-Jan-2024 22:50:31 EST, K2 said
Nightmare before wintercamp?
On Friday, 26-Jan-2024 11:51:30 EST, Steve D. said
I heard two new theme ideas at the chapter meeting last night. Both were holiday related. One was to have Christmas theme and the other was Halloween.
On Tuesday, 23-Jan-2024 23:13:32 EST, Steve D. said
Even if you didn't fill out an evaluation, you could still suggest new activities, meals, or themes either in the planning section or right here.
On Tuesday, 23-Jan-2024 23:10:43 EST, Steve D. said
There are a few things I didn't add that were suggested.

These were already on the list.
Meals: Doughnuts, Grilled Cheese and Soup
Themes: Pirates
Activities: Blind Tag, Euchre tournament

These are banned either by Scouting or tradition
Meals: Hamburgers
Activities: Trebuchet Building (I think building one might technically be allowed, but we couldn't fire it so much of the fun would be lost).
On Tuesday, 23-Jan-2024 23:07:28 EST, Steve D. said
I went through the evaluation and added some new items based on the suggestions there. This should put them on the live list for next year.

Activities added:
Balloon Bowling - launch a balloon at a stack of cups
Lodge/Chapter Game Retheme - like Mishigami Risk
Goal Ball - sort of a blind variation of soccer.

Themes added:
Fifties Suburbia - based on tv shows. Players could score Fonz points for being cool or doing well.
MMO Game - basically score points for completing quests. There would be team and individual quests.
South of the Border - all things Mexico and south.
On Tuesday, 16-Jan-2024 15:55:35 EST, Steve D. said
The next Migisi Opawgan chapter meeting is January 25 at 6:30 pm at First United Methodist Church in Dearborn. The plan is for an EPIC movie night.

Registration
On Saturday, 06-Jan-2024 21:07:26 EST, Steve D. said
Bristol and I talked a little about my quest idea.

What if each team had a quest for the week, plus some side quests? As a member of the team, your goal is for your team to win, but there's also a first among equals element where you can complete side quests to have the most points on your team.

I think we could take the social credit system and modify it to keep score for this event. I also think we could do different themes by changing the quests and their names. If they're missions it could be modern or future oriented. The could be called journeys, travels, deeds, whatever we like to fit the theme.
On Saturday, 06-Jan-2024 10:37:18 EST, Doug said
Sounds a bit like Alan's Geocach boxes. I bet they could be modified to do that.
On Friday, 05-Jan-2024 12:22:37 EST, Steve D. said
I think it would be fun to have an activity where teams collect parts to build a key to a puzzle they're given at the start of the week. A physical box and a series of pieces that have to be collected to open the box. The pieces could work by a combination of magnets and maybe some press to fit.

I think it would be easiest as a fantasy thing, but you could also do it as kind of a sci-fi wher4e you're trying to open the box to get some great treasure or unlock some secret of the world.
On Thursday, 04-Jan-2024 20:08:07 EST, Uncle Ethan said
We've got an online evaluation for camp that can be found here:

Winter Camp Evaluation

There were no evaluations collected at camp, so this is the best way to have your voice be heard about your experiences.

If you have any trouble with the form, please let me know.

Ethan Rein
On Wednesday, 03-Jan-2024 16:16:24 EST, Steve D said
I have some lost and found. If you’re missing some gear, drop me a note.
On Sunday, 31-Dec-2023 21:21:01 EST, Alan said
Happy new year to those of you celebrating from within the WCST timezone!