Klondike Derby and how it builds team work and leadership skills
Well I survived the Klondike Derby held at Hidden Valley in Perry County last weekend. My son Tyler and I got up at 5 a.m. to get ready and get to the even which started at 9. It was his and my first, but won't be our last. WHAT A GREAT EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY it was!
The boys ( we had two sleds from our Troop 284 from Lewisberry, PA) in teams of 7 each had a sled loaded wiht required gear and whatever else they wanted to bring. The sleds weighed about 200 lbs. loaded. They had wood for fires, tarps, rope, water, books, a tent, tools, compass, and more on them. The boys pulled them form station to station during the day to 10 stations total. They had 30 minute "modules" about 10 minutes was to pack up and get the gear from one station to the next and then 20 minutes to work on the "challenge".
The first challenge was for my sons sled team to build a shelter to pretect themfrom a fast moving thunderstorm using the sled and the gear on the sled, but the Tent could not be set up as a tent! The boys quickly fashioned a lean to out of the sled and the tent used as a tarp. They got points for leadership, quality of the lean to, and team work. This first station was tough. But by the end of the day they were a well working team.
I am talking about boys from 11 to 15 years old. Some of the challenges, they under took:
Save your patrol leader who just fell thru the ice.
Build a fire and leave no trace with a flint and steel.
Build and "A" frame and walk it down a path.
Adminster first aid to a victim with a broken leg,bleeding arm and going into shock,
Two scouts instruct two blindfolded scouts how to put up a tent.
Tie the group together and walk in unison.
A pipe line challnge to move a golf ball down a field with 3 peices of PVC pipe.
Map and compass use.
Lashings to make needed "tools" from wood and ropes.
The boyse learned to work together, have a leader and a chain of command, have a plan, and to think to the next step, and to not be idle to look and see what else they could do if there part was complete. These boys did outstanding! How would you fare?