Scout Trip FAQ for Parents
"My son is the Grubmaster...What should I do?"
First of all, don't panic. Grubmaster is a rotating position. Each scout in a patrol takes turns purchasing the food for the entire patrol for a campout. It is his responsibility to store it properly in a cooler and bring it to the departure site. (If your family doesn't have a cooler, let one of the adult leaders know - one can be borrowed.)
Unless he is working on the First Class Requirements, your Grubmaster should have a menu that his patrol put together. He should also know how many people he is buying food for. If he doesn't have a menu or doesn't know how many people he is buying for, he should call his patrol leader. Most of the time, the Troop "brownbags" lunches, so the Grubmaster will not have to provide lunch. There are exceptions, so if he doesn't know, he should ask his patrol leader.
We ask that parents take their Scout on a trip to the supermarket to fulfill their Grubmaster responsibilities. The Scout should have a list to keep track of what needs to be purchased. Parents, we ask that your assistance be minor, perhaps asking if your son has enough for everyone, or if there is anything else they might need for a meal. If items are forgotten, such as milk for the cold cereal breakfast, it's okay! The Scouts learn to compromise with the items that they do have. They are very creative. We have yet to have scouts starve on a camping trip, and usually, the next time, the items are not forgotten. (This is what is known as "a teachable moment.")
When Scouts are planning menus, they should try to make healthy choices. When Grubmasters are purchasing the food, they too should make healthy choices.
Being the Grubmaster is also the perfect time to learn "A Scout is Thrifty. Have your Grubmaster compare name brand and store brand prices. Have him compare serving sizes on different brands. Just like in real life, the Grubmaster has a budget.
For each Scout in the patrol:
The cost of meals is paid for by the troop. Please make sure your scout saves the receipt for all food purchased. You can then submit the receipt for reimbursement using the Expense Reimbursement Form.
First of all, don't panic. Grubmaster is a rotating position. Each scout in a patrol takes turns purchasing the food for the entire patrol for a campout. It is his responsibility to store it properly in a cooler and bring it to the departure site. (If your family doesn't have a cooler, let one of the adult leaders know - one can be borrowed.)
Unless he is working on the First Class Requirements, your Grubmaster should have a menu that his patrol put together. He should also know how many people he is buying food for. If he doesn't have a menu or doesn't know how many people he is buying for, he should call his patrol leader. Most of the time, the Troop "brownbags" lunches, so the Grubmaster will not have to provide lunch. There are exceptions, so if he doesn't know, he should ask his patrol leader.
We ask that parents take their Scout on a trip to the supermarket to fulfill their Grubmaster responsibilities. The Scout should have a list to keep track of what needs to be purchased. Parents, we ask that your assistance be minor, perhaps asking if your son has enough for everyone, or if there is anything else they might need for a meal. If items are forgotten, such as milk for the cold cereal breakfast, it's okay! The Scouts learn to compromise with the items that they do have. They are very creative. We have yet to have scouts starve on a camping trip, and usually, the next time, the items are not forgotten. (This is what is known as "a teachable moment.")
When Scouts are planning menus, they should try to make healthy choices. When Grubmasters are purchasing the food, they too should make healthy choices.
Being the Grubmaster is also the perfect time to learn "A Scout is Thrifty. Have your Grubmaster compare name brand and store brand prices. Have him compare serving sizes on different brands. Just like in real life, the Grubmaster has a budget.
For each Scout in the patrol:
- each breakfast is limited to $4,
- each lunch limited to $5, and
- each dinner limited to $6.
The cost of meals is paid for by the troop. Please make sure your scout saves the receipt for all food purchased. You can then submit the receipt for reimbursement using the Expense Reimbursement Form.
One last tip for Parents: This information is presented to you to help you supply your son with the gear that he needs to camp comfortably in cold weather. Your son will be the one looking through his backpack or bag for the gear, so he has to know where it is. Every Scout should pack his own bag! That way he knows exactly which pocket his flashlight is in, or where to find his gloves, or if he even has a certain piece of gear. The flashlight issue comes up a lot because newer scouts don't realize they need their flashlights out until it's already dark..