While I do Cub Scouts, not Girl Scouts, I can tell you
that what Rick has suggested below is exactly what we
have done. We introduced our boys two years ago to
the hobby with some temporary boxes which we picked
back up. On a later excursion, I let them help me
plant a box (and we do that now on every outing we go
on together). I let them look at my logbook regularly
so they can see my new stamps, and while they are
whittling, I'm carving, so they see the work that goes
into making a box.

We've been introducing them to it for two years now,
and this year as Webelos, they will be helping me
plant a "training series" in a state park geared
toward scout groups, but available to any boxer. This
is in response to curiosity among local scout groups
in letterboxing AND in the interest of protecting
local boxes from inexperienced scout groups herding
their way through box areas and causing problems for
either boxers or parks. I decided to do the series
because I didn't want to discourage scouts from
letterboxing, but to train them to be good
letterboxers before exposing the boxes of non-scout
letterboxers to the risk of loss or damage caused by
overenthusiastic groups. We went to the park
yesterday and scouted locations and started working on
Leave No Trace, which I see as the final step to
making them responsible boxers. They will actively
participate in creating the boxes and in selecting
hiding places and writing the clues.

I also plan to take them to find some real boxes for
the first time this year. BUT - there are four in the
den now, so it is a nice small group and they
understand that the hobby is based on work and
creativity of others and those efforts should be
respected. They'll have LNT under their belts, so
they'll understand that they are to have minimum
impact, and we'll not leave a box behind until it is
buttoned up properly and rehidden well.

In addition to Don's caveat to exercise STEALTH, I
would also add the note to REHIDE WELL. That seems to
be another big complaint of boxers about scout groups.

Lucy

--- Rick in Boca wrote:

> I think some troops carve, plant, hide and find
> their own
> letterboxes. In one meeting they carve the stamps
> (see the
> "letterboxing for kids" section on
> www.letterboxing.info)
> and the next they hunt for the boxes (after the
> leaders have
> hidden them). When you are done with them, you can
> pick them
> up to display the logbooks. Or keep the best hidden
> ones hidden
> and permanently post their clues on letterboxing.org
> for others
> in KC to enjoy.





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