Open house

Before you begin

• Decide whether you’ll run this activity as a normal session at your meeting place or on a camp. This activity isn’t just about setting up a basic camp – it’s a competitive session with active learning and reflection, so it’s a great way to learn and practise skills.
• If you’re running the activity on a real camp, it works best on a night away where groups set up their own self-contained campsites to cook and sleep separately (for example, Patrol sub-camps).
• If you’re running this at your meeting place, it’s up to you whether you set up mock campsites. If you have enough space and choose to do so, you’ll obviously need camping equipment such as tents and kitchen equipment.
• If you don’t have outdoor space or equipment, you can do this as a pen and paper design challenge.

It won’t count towards the Scouts Outdoor Challenge Award, but it’s a great way to practise for the real thing. This option’s also quicker – it’ll take about 30 minutes, because people don’t need to spend time putting things up.

• You’ll need to remind yourself of the essentials of camping before you begin, so you can pass your expertise on! Scout adventures has an excellent campsite resource, and there’s information about identifying and controlling risk on the Scouts website.

Practise indoors with pen and paper

Remember, this doesn’t meet the requirement for the Scouts Outdoor Challenge Award by itself.

1. The person leading the activity should help every to discuss what’s important to consider when setting up a campsite, and how people identify and control risk at camp.

The information in ‘Before you begin’ is there to help you do this.

2. Everyone should split into teams. Each team should get some paper and pens or pencils.
3. Each team should spend between 10 and 15 minutes designing their ideal campsite. It should be well-organised, and the campers’ health and safety should be the top priority.

Each campsite will also need shelters for sleeping, food and equipment stores, and space for chopping and storing a woodpile, as well as anything else the team thinks is important.

4. While the teams are designing, the adults leading the activity should wander around and offer guidance, especially about assessing and controlling risk. For example, do people know how to use gas safely? Where will they safely store their tools?
5. Once they’ve agreed on a final design, everyone should draw out their ideal campsite. They should think about how they’ll make a pretend version in their meeting place, so they can show everyone else their ideas.

For example, they could use tape to mark sections on the floor so they can give tours, a bit like an estate agent might show people around a house. They could also use props and signs to represent different things.

6. Everyone should work together to create their pretend campsite in their meeting place.
7. Once everyone’s pretend campsites are finished, the group should come back together. One at a time, each group should show off their campsite by giving everyone a tour.
8. After all of the teams have had a chance to share their ideas, everyone should vote for their favourite.

It’s up to you how you vote, you could do a show of hands or an anonymous ballot.

9. The people leading the activity should point out where people have introduced great safety controls, and help everyone learn more if there are things they didn’t get right.

The real thing outdoors

1. The person leading the activity should help everyone to discuss what’s important to consider when setting up a campsite, and how people identify and control risk at camp.

The information in ‘Before you begin’ is there to help you do this. It’s up to you whether you have the discussion when everyone arrives or during the journey there (if everyone’s travelling together).

2. Everyone should split into teams.
3. The person leading the activity should give everyone a time limit, then each team should get stuck in to designing their ideal campsite. A different person should take the lead on each aspect of the set-up. Their campsite should be well-organised, and the campers’ health and safety should be the top priority.

Their campsite should be well-organised, and the campers’ health and safety should be the top priority. Each campsite will also need shelters for sleeping, food and equipment stores, and space for chopping and storing a woodpile, as well as anything else the team thinks is important.

4. While the teams are designing, the adults leading the activity should wander around and offer guidance, especially about assessing and controlling risk. For example, do people know how to use gas safely? Where will they safely store their tools?

Remember nothing should be turned on or used until and adult has checked it is safe to.

5. Once each section of the campsite is ready, everyone should think about how they’ll show others around. For example, they could give tours, a bit like an estate agent might show people around a house.
6. Everyone should come together. Each team should take it in turns to walk everyone else through their sites, showing them key features and explaining why they made certain decisions.
7. After everyone’s seen all of the campsites, everyone should vote on which is the most practical and appealing.

It’s up to you how you vote, you could do a show of hands or an anonymous ballot.

8. The people leading the activity should point out where people have introduced great safety controls, and help everyone learn more if there are things they didn’t get right.