Campers learn age appropriate outdoor and wilderness skills beginning with learning to build different types of fires and cooking their meals while spending the night in the woods under the stars. As they learn more about the natural environment they care more and gain comfort participating in more advanced wilderness skills.
Camp Wyandot Outdoor Living Skills Progression Program (OLS) is designed to help campers be more confident and comfortable in the outdoors. The outdoors can be a safe environment and an adventure where campers can be doers rather than viewers. As they progress through each of the five levels they build outdoor skills and learn to work as a group.
The program is intended to be used as a tool for Cabin Counselors to help campers develop the skills to plan and implement their outdoor experience bases on their abilities. By using an accompanying Outdoor Living Skills Manual that includes the Outdoor Progressions Requirements counselors can teach campers at all levels of difficulty from basic to advanced in each of the following areas – planning as a group, first aid, orienteering, knots and lashing, shelter, camp tools, firebuilding, cooking out , and hiking. Teen units may learn how to plan and pack food and equipment for a backpacking or canoe trip of two or more days.
OLS Progression Levels
To earn an OLS button each cabin unit must complete the minimum requirements for the level they are trying to achieve. Buttons will be presented to the campers at the Friday evening Council Fire.