NorCal Program Offerings

Last week, we discussed the many different program options that will come with the construction of the lake here at NorCal. We have previously discussed the climbing tower that is ready to be reconstructed, atvs and more. Today, we wanted to focus on one you probably have not considered. Chickens.

One of the coolest things about being around Scouts is their desire to help. We get offered some pretty fun stuff at times to assist with our programs and we greatly appreciate it! Occasionally, we have to say no, but when someone offers a paddles, personal flotation devices, a climbing tower, or a great boat, we love to be in a position to say yes! So, recently, we were offered a chicken coop. Hmmmm….chickens. We love eggs but how does this fit into NorCal program offerings? Easily!

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It is going to be fantastic to have chickens at NorCal. There is the obvious benefit of eggs but it is more than that. When you have the opportunity to show young people new things, we should take it. Many of our Scouts are familar with farm animals, life outside of cities, and how the food chain works, but so many have never had this experience. Supervised learning experiences are always welcome and we know our younger Scouts will be a good audience for some of our knowledge disguised as fun.

There are many benefits to having chickens available at our camp. The caretaker will be responsible for their upkeep and well being but there is many things to help our youth grow. First, there’s the opportunity for children to make connections with our natural world. As we discussed above, many of our youth live in urban settings and have not had an opportunity to be around chickens. It also helps children understand where our food chain. Outside of that, they can learn many basic life skills and lessons like:

How we all fit in the world together. Respect for living creatures. Empathy through caring for another being. Connections between everything in nature. Responsibility that it takes to care for an animal. Animal kindness. Life cycle observations from eggs to chick to chickens.

We cannot wait!

So thank you to all that donate program supplies. We will get back to being able to pick them up soon. While we might not need everything, you never know what great program ideas can be created when you mix in a little imagination.