Summer Fun Ideas - VGNO

Last week our troop had sign ups fro boy scouts. My 6 years old is now FINALLY old enough to join his brothers pack. He has been so excited that he has me searching the Internet on a daily basis to find cool stuff to share with the rest of our pack. We found some great ideas and wanted to share them with everyone. These are some great ideas for the summer when the kids are home ALL day and start shouting, "I'M BORED!"


COOK BACON and EGGS IN A BAG

one serving
4 thick bacon slices, 2 eggs, 1 brown paper lunch bag

- At home, pack the eggs and bacon in a cooler.
- At camp, cook one serving per bag. Place the bacon inside the bag, wiping the inside generously with grease (the more you coat the bag, the better). Crack eggs on top of the bacon. Fold the bag down several times, then poke a three-foot stick (green pine won't burn) through it so that the bag hangs at one end.
- Holding the stick's other end, suspend the bag over hot coals (not flames), heating all sides evenly until done (seven to ten minutes).




Minnow Traps - Great for Fish Bait!

■ Two 3-liter (or 2-liter) soda bottles.
■ One large nail (6-penny if possible).
■ Some string or twine.
■ Scissors and locking pliers such as vise-grips.
■ Your kitchen stove.
■ A marker.
■ A bowl of cold water.

This minnow trap will be made from two plastic bottles. To follow the instructions easier, you will need to mark one bottle with an ‘X’ and the other with a ‘Y’. Cut the bottom third portion off of the X bottle but leave the cap on. Then cut off the top third portion of the Y bottle and take its cap off (leaving about a half inch lip underneath the part before the Y bottle curves). We will be keeping the top portions of both bottles and throwing the other parts away. Now place bottle Y inside of bottle X with both cap parts pointing in the same direction. After doing this you will be able to see how the minnows will be able to swim into the trap but then have a tough time finding their way out.

Now we need to fasten the bottles together at the bottom. Go to your kitchen stove and turn on a burner. Take hold of the nail with the pliers and heat it over the burner until it is very hot. Hold the two bottles firmly and with the hot nail still in the pliers, poke about a dozen holes around the bottom part of your trap where both bottles are touching. When finished, drop the hot nail into the bowl of cold water. Next, take your string and sew through the holes – or make little ties of cord – around the bottom to secure the bottles together. Now reheat the nail and poke more holes around the outside of bottle X to allow water to get in the trap when you throw it into the lake.

For minnow bait, you can add crunched up crackers or bread to your trap, or even dog or cat food. Fasten a line to it and throw it in your favorite lake and wait overnight for the minnows to fill it up. The next morning you can simply open the cap on top of the trap and dump the minnows into a bucket and then you will be ready for fishing.

We will be adding more ideas as we find ones we like so check back often.