Autumn Camp 2023: Aki River BBQ!

On our last camp day of 2023 we were blessed with clear blue skies and a high of 19° at Aki river. Excited to get going we loaded up the car and said our goodbyes before making our way out of Tokyo. On the way there we discussed the upcoming lunch plans of making our own burgers and everyone agreed to try the lettuce and tomatoes in or on the side of their burger.

After arriving at the river the scouts helped to carry the equipment down to the riverside and we set up and took stock of our day before jumping into our first activity.

We started by gathering in a circle for some quiet listening. This is an exercise to help quiet our minds, improve our listening and awareness and keep our bodies still for a moment. Everyone did very well as we sat quietly for two minutes until the timer went off and then we discussed the different sounds we had heard. One scout heard the birds chirping, one the sound of the river rushing by and another heard cars in the distance and the wind down river. As we discussed the various sounds we came to the conclusion it was quite amazing how much you could hear and learn about what’s going on around us when we were still and quiet.

With the sun bright and the weather wonderfully warm it was the perfect time to get into our dot painting. As this was our last attempt at dot painting we used rulers to map out where we would make our dots. Our previous painting activities had been more open ended and this time was more guided and I showed the scouts how to use rulers to make a pattern that they could follow with the paint later.

After we had finished marking our designs the scouts used one colour at a time, making their way from the outside of the pattern to the inside and then back outwards again. Everyone was quite happy with how they turned out, commenting on how they looked similar to the pictures we had seen before.

Our next task of the day was to get the materials for our fire. With the weather being dry and a variety of driftwood available, as well as standing dried reeds and bushes, we quickly gathered what we needed for our tinder bundle, kindling and firewood.

Even though the reeds were dry they were very strong and difficult to pull the seed heads off so the scouts tried using rocks as tools against each other to break the reeds. It was difficult but in the end they succeeded in getting what they needed.

After returning all the bundles to our camp spot we got to work cutting the longer pieces with a saw and breaking some of the thinner ones with our knees so they could fit into the barbecue grill. Using the saw was difficult and everyone expressed some frustration along the way but with guidance and focus they began to get the hang of the motion and were able to saw their pieces successfully.

When we finished preparing our tinder bundles we practised the fire lighting process and striking of the Ferro Rod. Today everyone was much more successful at getting sparks with the two young scouts achieving several. In spite of their success at making a spark it was still hard to light the tinder bundles, so the older scout went first and after a couple of attempts manage to ignite it.

With the fire burning we started our food preparation, beginning with making our hamburgers and after forming them we moved onto cutting and tasting the tomato. Some scouts were very unsure about eating the tomato but agreed to try it with the salt and pepper. They were very surprised by how good it tasted and they asked for more on the side of their plate.

The next thing on the lunch prep agenda was filling the bananas with chocolate and wrapping them up. Everyone wanted to taste the chocolate and were quite surprised at the difference in taste when using 70% cacao chocolate! After wrapping the apples and cutting the bread buns, we got the grill set up for the burgers and the scouts worked together to make little balls of tinfoil to act as a barrier between the very hot embers so our fruit would cook without burning.

Pretty soon the burgers were cooked and the buns toasted so we made our way to the table to arrange our burgers and dig in. And digging they did. Everyone enjoyed the burgers immensely with some wanting to lick their plates clean!

When we were finished eating burgers the chocolate bananas and apples were ready so we got them out and spread them onto some biscuits with some cinnamon and brown sugar and vanilla essence for a delicious dessert. We talked about the strong taste of the chocolate and how using different types of chocolate would change the outcome.

After our lunch was finished we tidied up and had some free play by the riverside. Activities included rock tower building where they worked together to try to make Tokyo Tower; rockthrowing, with the goal being to throw across the river and dramatic play set around sword fighting superheroes and Ultraman. The high point for them was reaching the goal of throwing a rock all the way to the other side and one scout was newly successful in this endeavor.

With only about an hour left we decided to go exploring upstream where we observed people fishing, climbed over some large boulders, raced leaf boats and played various other games.

With the sun beginning to set it was time to head back, pack up our things and make our return to Tokyo. We sat for a quick snack of some goodies one of the scouts brought to share before heading to the car.

We had a great autumn camp together. Thank you all so much for joining us and we look forward to seeing you next time after the holidays!