Our Woodlands Trail program (ages 5–10) runs from August until June and focuses on a different branch (frontier) each month. Trailmen have the opportunity to learn new skills, explore various new topics, go camping and hiking, and give back through servant leadership while being guided by a male-centric leadership.
Meetings
Woodlands Trailmen meet every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Thursday of the month. During every meeting, Trailmen learn new skills as well as prepare for the upcoming Hit The Trail activity or other outing. Trailmen are expected to wear their Troop uniform to these meetings.
At the Woodlands level, boys learn through games, hands-on activities and adventures, and learning how it connects to family and their faith. A typical meeting for the Woodlands Trail might look like this:
- Opening ceremony, announcements, and chaplain mentoring moment
- Patrol breakouts to learn a skill or prepare for upcoming campout
- Worthy Life award work
- Troop game
- Final words and closing ceremony
Hit The Trail Outings
The Woodlands Trail program conducts a Hit The Trail activity each month where we go on hiking, fishing, and biking day trips; visit museums; participate in community events; and the like. We try to make these outings in various locations around Rhode Island, East Connecticut, and South-West Massachusetts to help the boys gain a better understanding of the region in which they live.
See our Events Calendar for upcoming planned events.
Camping
Boys involved in the Woodlands Trail program will go camping at least twice a year. Our fall campout will take place somewhere within a 1- or 2-hour drive and the spring campout will be as part of a Camporee (multi-troop campout).
During campouts, boys work on skills using the patrol method. The patrol method splits a troop into small groups that explore the theory and practice of leadership, while using the gifts of individuals to build group wellbeing. Boys in the Woodlands Trail program begin to see what leadership looks like and learn from the other boys in the troop.
Campouts activities can include campcaft, ropework, sports, cooking, campfires, games, and many others.
Checkout our Troop Campout Checklist for Trailmen
Service
Selfless devotion to helping others a big part of what it means to be a Trailman. Our troop participates in several service projects each year to give boys a chance to learn the value of servant leadership.