Mint SpiesRan an evening meeting about Money Matters for my husband's Scouts, and now I'm exhausted. Did cover the important points though: take it in turn to buy rounds in the pub, and think about the tradeoff between money and happiness.
@hischeekiness @forquare Introducing patrol-based cooking is something that takes a while to do: you need to build the kids' experience and create the right culture (for the leaders too).
We did it like this (over the course of about a year - we had a young troop without experienced PLs):
Camp 1 - every patrol is given a box of the same ingredients, laminated recipe cards, and a leader directly on hand so that they can ask questions throughout cooking
Camp 2 - give them a choice of meals beforehand, then provide the relevant ingredients for each patrol (so they're cooking different things). Leaders float but are a bit more hands off.
Camp 3 - each patrol plans their menu and gives a shopping list to the leaders beforehand, who then sort quantities and do the shopping. Leaders on hand if necessary (with spare ingredients in the store tent!).
Camp 4 - each patrol is given a budget and taken to the supermarket to buy their own stuff. Do not give in to requests for extra money: let them make the budgeting decisions. Leaders cook their own meals (on the same budget) and kids can come over to ask for advice when needed (and learn by seeing the leaders in action!)
You definitely can't jump to Camp 4 without building the skills beforehand!
CheekyMcB
Slash909uk