Seasoned scouting parents (or similar!) - help a novice out

[NoviceScoutMum]

Please help me 😆

We are not one of those multi-generational scouting families. My husband lasted about 3 months in the early 90s and was finished off by a single jamboree. However, our 7 year old is a Beaver scout and is loving it, and his independence and social skills have developed so much as a result.

He's been off on all sorts of district days and trips and camps and stuff and has a growing collection of blanket badges - but I'm getting total blanket confusion when looking for one to buy to sew them on to. What do you recommend?

Do they actually use them on camps or is it more a decorative memento type affair?

I can't imagine blankets fair too well on camps with a bunch of 6-8 year olds and camp fires and things. Every trip he's been on (and most normal evening meetings to be fair) he has come back delightfully filthy, sweaty, stinking of smoke and caked in grime. In my mind an actual blanket to use on camp needs to be something that can withstand biohazard industrial level cleaning afterwards, rather than a lovely blanket full of badges.

Help a novice out please!

I probably have 92,683 other questions, but will start with this one for now!

Thank you 🙃

Get a fleece blanket. Cut a head-hole/ slit in the middle to make a poncho. Sew non-uniform badges on.
As they move up sections the redundant badges can also go on.

I used the waiting time from another activity as sewing time. I found it surprisingly relaxing and satisfying to do!

It’s been a few years since I was a leader but scouting used to sell fleece blankets with a head hole…. Purple blanket - perfect for camps etc….

You can get beaver camp blankets which are like a poncho. We got ours from our beaver group

In my day it was an old army blanket cut to a circle and blanket stitched all round with a head hole hemmed the same way, and all you "blanket" badges plus badges from your younger age group uniforms as you moved up. It was (is) one of my proudest possessions. Worn as a poncho around the campfire.

Now I believe they sell them ready made!

I bought a wool blanket as the group DS1 goes to recommended them over fleece in terms of fire hazard, although from the photos of camp they were all kept well away from the massive camp fire! I also liked that when they were actually camping, rather than being in a hut, that the wool blanket would provide an extra layer of warmth. Most people don't have a blanket and just sew the blanket badges on to their jumpers though.

My top tip is to sew on using invisible thread, which is more annoying to sew with but means you don't need to think about what colour goes best with each badge!

We just bought a normal fleece blanket, a bit like this one https://amzn.eu/d/fSV0ddm and sewed badges onto it. We tended to use it ourselves for camping for an extra warm layer over sleeping bags if needed, and they’d take it on camp too.

We were careful about them not sitting too close to fires in case of sparks, as fleece blankets aren’t very fireproof. But it was a balance between that and a heavy blanket they’d never actually pack to take with them, and they never got that close to fires anyway.

I agree a heavy wool blanket will be much more fit for purpose than a fleece, but otoh if fleece is what "everyone" has these days, I'd probably stick with that.

Yeah, ours tended to use them as blankets to sleep with or instead of a pillow. They only had them as a warm layer near a fire when we camped ourselves, under close supervision.

As a Guide leader and a mum to Scouts...

Fleece blankets are less fireproof but wash more easily. Wool blankets end up smokey and smelly and need to be aired regularly. Unless you have an unusually neat child they will also manage to spill hot chocolate or something down their blankets a few time.

During camp fires the young members are kept well are from the flames. We make our girls remove blankets for things like marshmallow toasting.
The blankets are also primarily used on their beds.

If you want some letters to sew on this name then I recommend Paw Print badges.

https://pawprintfamily.com/search/

It’s more that a heavy wool blanket is a bit much for them to carry to camp, especially when younger when they’re tiny with massive bags with sleeping bag, roll mat, boots, other kit etc. And when older they’re keen to pack light as they’re all carrying loads of d of e kit or similar. If they just get dropped at the campsite and picked up after maybe it’s ok. Fleece is popular because it’s so light and packs right down.

https://shop.scouts.org.uk/scouts-sections/scouts-badge-blanket#selection.color=34&selection.size=719 these are what mine have, they will last a life time.

leaders can always advise and are usually more than happy to.

Thank you everyone! Fleece vs wool is still one of my big question marks so interesting to hear your thoughts although they are mixed!

Practicality wise, DS is autistic and if it's actually going to be used would prefer a fleece blanket over a wool one. Definitely easier to care for too with my limited laundry skills 😆

I like the idea of a poncho but would like something he can continue to use - he could potentially have 10 years of badges ahead of him yet!

I feel like I have more to consider now rather than less!

I think I'm leaning towards this one. Does anyone have this and have any opinions?

https://shop.scouts.org.uk/scouts-sections/fleur-de-lis-fleece-blanket-170cm-x-170cm#selection.color=34&selection.size=719

Would also love to see some pictures of blankets in your households if anyone is happy to share. Next consideration is how the hell to arrange them. Why am I overthinking this so much?! Also loving the letter badges for his name @LostMySocks certainly very tempted, but it's more sewing. Why isn't there a sewing badge? I deserve one of those!

Cubs have a badges that include sewing, so wait until he can do it himself!

That looks like a nice one. It’s a generous size - our non scout branded ones are a bit smaller than that.

Attached a pic of one of ours a few years ago - think this is the beavers badges in one corner, and cubs badges in another. Scouts are to go in a third corner. Can also add random other badges on there from visits etc.

It’s way faster sewing onto a blanket than on a flipping shirt sleeve! Plus easy practice for the kids as it doesn’t matter at all if it’s wonky, and fleece is easy to sew through.

We have a fleece blanket from Trespass. Have had it for a few years for general use and family camping. I've sewn swimming badges on it etc. I love the Pawprint badges that you can buy- I have badges with his initials, and we got some commemorative ones for kings coronation, NHS COVID etc. It's having a first Scouts outing tonight at Beavers camp!

One of mine has an adult-sized fleece poncho and the other has a huge Scouts purple fleece blanket. Neither will tolerate wearing wool jumpers, so I didn't risk going for wool on their poncho/blanket even though it washes better long term IMO and is more environmentally sound. They don't take them on Scouting camps as they are now too 'valuable' (both memories and the almost irreplaceable cost of the badges) and are worried about losing or damaging them, but bring them on all our family camping trips. They also have badges from other trips and gigs etc on them.

My DS has a half Beaver blue and half Cub/Scout green poncho type and DD has a navy one from eBay, both fleece. I have to say I didn't consider wool as I mainly got them for keeping them warm in tents though TBH they both seem to cope without them!
I'm sitting watching Lincoln Lawyer and sewing DD Cub badges on her blanket tonight. She does the shirt ones.

DS (now an Explorer scout) chose an army blanket for his first camp as a beaver. I stitched his name on in big letters, but I see on the Scout Store website that you can get thrm ready personalised. As he's moved up through scouting, the badges that didnt need to move up to his next uniform have gone on his blanket, along with "extra ordinary" camp badges etc.

DD (scout) chose to use a fleece blanket we already had.

Neither blanket has a head hole. They are just blankets, which the dc wrap up in for campfires, or lay over their sleeping bags.

You can get poncho versions of the army blanket too.

There are also turquoise Beaver branded fleece poncho blankets, and similar in dark green for Cubs. I'd advise against these, as they'll be "out of date" if your son moves up to older sections, and you really don't want to move all those badges to a new blanket!

What is this? Sewing badges onto blankets??
My DC have been through Beavers, Cubs and eldest now in Scouts. Everyone sews their badges onto their jumper/shirt?
Am I completely misunderstanding something?

The green Cub ones are the same as Scout green so we're happy with that one.

Mine have fleece from Trespass. Dd has neon pink and ds has red (their choice). We do have ex RAF wool blankets from my childhood (that I used to take camping) but they both rejected them due to "feel".

Dd has Guiding Badges on one side and Scouting on the other. She has them roughly themed. Ds has Beaver badges in one quadrant, Cubs in another and then he's planning Scouts and Explorers in the other 2. He also has some random other badges (swimming/kickboxing etc in the centre).

Edit: Neither of ours are ponchos. Given the size of the blanket to child, I've made a hood in them but once they're adult size will take that out.

Also wondering this @RedPandaClaws 4 DC here all been through all the scouting and guiding things but we've never had or know anyone who has a blanket, all badges go on uniform here. Maybe it's a regional thing?

@Fatmumslim01 I think it's a way of keeping all your badges as you move up through the sections, kind of a memory blanket really. And then at international camps they swap badges.

My son is an explorer and started his camp blanket a couple of years ago. We took off his old beaver badges and scout badges off the old shirts and jumpers and started sewing them on. I wanted all of them to go on but he says he does t really want the beaver ones on.

He has lots of badges from different events which wouldn't go on his shirt.

Op, we went for fleece. I asked his leader and she said it was better as it would wash easily if he was to use it as an actual blanket. It looks really nice now the badges are mounting up.