Leaderboard

When I was a bumbling, unmotivated Tenderfoot, I witnessed a scout receiving his medal at the end of a regularly scheduled troop court of honor. All of the merit badges earned at summer camp were presented (but none for me--I went but didn't earn any that year). Then the ranks...Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class. Fair amount of scouts went up and collected their new patch. Star...Life...only a couple of those. Then the new Eagle was called forward. The lights were dimmed. SM had some meaningful words. Medal pinned on scout. Mom's pin presented. New Eagle said a few words.

The requirement also does not state it must be "a Scout patrol from your troop" - stick 4 Scouts together that are working on the Mb together at camp, and you have a Scout patrol.

Assuming your son is also ADHD, this explains a lot. Not that it's good but now it all makes sense to me. If I'm wrong then please excuse my assumption. Either way, ask your son what he wants. The troop will not put their heart into it no matter what and that's what your son wants. Assuming he is ADHD then he likely poured his heart into getting eagle. Maybe he'd like to go up to the mountains with his friends, have a 10 minute ceremony, and then have a slide show of good memories and a picnic. After all this fuss it will be the best memory and in 10 years from now it will be that much better.

Oh if only that were true. Though I have not seen many, and I have been at this rodeo for a while, I have run across a few leaders that felt if a little training was good, then more was better. They spend more time in training, attending training, running training, finding courses, etc etc than actually you know, being out and about with a unit, in the woods, in the mud, maybe huddled under a tarp in a downpour chatting with young scout on his first outing and not happy about all the rain. That's where Scouting happens, out with Scouts having fun on adventures. Yes the training is good

As a youth ceremonialist, I throughly enjoyed conducting Cub AOL and crossover ceremonies. The regalia was neat, but as others have said, to me it was just a tool that we used to help achieve our aims. If we can’t provide the recognition and inspiration to the Cubs without feathers on our heads, we’re doing something wrong. Beyond that, most Cub Packs will turn over most, if not all leaders within a 6-10 year period. Some even faster. What is “new” in 2019 will be “we’ve always done it this way” by 2025. It’s not going to shock me when they announce regalia is going away altogether

I recall a simple ceremony...on a very hot night in an un-airconditioned meeting room at Howard Air Force Base, Panama. The MC said a few words. Three of us lined up on one side of a wooden bridge. We walked across. Our new SM put a brand new Boy Scout neckerchief on each of us. We each received a card and the AOL patch. SM said a few words (Mr. Bates was a powerful man and 12 words from him carried more weight than 100 words from others). I couldn't have been more thrilled--Cub and Webelos days were over, a new adventure was about to begin. There was no OA or Native American

I was looking for some supplemental materials for helping to teach basic compass skills and came across this video. It's hilarious while also covering some good basic information. Enjoy!

Both of my sons (and I as a youth) were recognized at the Brotherhood level. Both of my sons also cringed at the Hollywood Indian and copy of the Plains war bonnet worn, knowing that it a form of stolen valor in eyes of many tribes. It helped (and hurt) when a member of the Navajo nation stayed with us and had long conversations with them about history, abuse, etc. Some lodges do an amazing job of working with the local tribes, but unfortunately far too many do nothing of the sort. As for cross-overs.... When we crossed Cubs over, the invitation was delivered by the Patrol that

Not to be a pedant but why is this not possible at camp? It doesn't state that the actual campout has to occur or even that the scouts actually camp after setting up camp. To me, this seems very much like the difference between the Webelos Castaway #1C: Using tree limbs or branches that have already fallen or been cut, build a shelter that will protect you overnight. And the Wilderness Survival MB #8: Improvise a natural shelter. For the purpose of this demonstration, use techniques that have little negative impact on the environment. Spend a night in your shelter.

Well said! I've moved around quite a bit in life, and rarely have I seen the many of the super-dedicated-to-training scouters out in the thick of things, be it a backpacking trip or a camporee. There are exceptions, of course, but they were no doubt wired that way before they attended training. For some scouters, attending training and serving on training staffs is their comfort zone. After all, at district/council/national training, there are endless opportunities to make contacts, feather one's nest, hobnob with people higher up in the food chain, collect another geegaw to put on th

I agree! I think back to the Baby Boom era. Huge packs, lots of dens. The grand ladies that served as den mothers, and the men who were cub masters, all were superb organizers. Yet very few, if any, had attended WB, or any kind of leadership training outside of their job. (WB back then was a "by invitation only" event.) But the pack ran like a Swiss watch. Without computers, smart phones, email, social media--gasp! Much of the today's "leadership" and "management" training strives mightily to reduce the human/art side the equation, and emphasize the "science" side. This results in

Nice resuscitated thread. Training , if done right, has only one real goal: to open up new possibilities. If you already have the skill, the talent, training reinforces it. If you haven't been there, done that, good training allows you to see another way, it allows you to avoid having to discover, all over again, what previous generations discovered , often at risk to their lives and limb. The Scouter that has had only ONE experience may think THAT"S the only way to do it. It can be seen as going back to our own parental upbringing. How do we first think "how to deal

I’m a den leader, and I agree with whoever said that it seems superfluous at this level. I’m sure it’s a good training, but.....I don’t feel I need leadership training to run herd on first graders! I’m my son’s den leader now, and I’ll stick with that for four more years. After that, I’d like to go back down and be a Tiger Leader in perpetuity. I’d even do Lions! I just don’t feel that a ton of training is needed for that......

Yeah. That sounds like the perfect ceremony. It's one I'd enjoy.

Thought experiment by way of example: A recent grad in our district had founded a "Do Something Club" into a service fraternity for young women. Strip away your arrowmen's homage to native tribes, then tell me what do you have that's any different than what they have? Lot's of groups claim to offer brotherhood. Many are cheerful. And, many others tout service. A few package that quite nicely. Why should a youth bother with O/A if they can't get a deeper understanding about what we admire the most from the native American mystique?

My preference with WB beading. Unless you're the Scoutmaster I don't recommend getting beaded in front of your troop. It can be long, and the boys won't care. I got mine at our Council Wood Badge dinner, with my patrol, course and friends from around the council, and saved my Scouts from the long winded agony of my Wood Badge course director.

Wood badge, as with any training, is dependent on the following: 1) The curriculum. Is it a "school" that teaches what it says it teaches? Scouting, values, yes. Camp skills, not so much. Spirit and devotion, yes. People management, maybe. Activities ideas, yes. 2) the Teachers/staff. You may get Baden Powell in carnate, you may get Bozo Clown . Can't predict. Sometimes, the staff are experienced in their topic, sometimes could be better. Depend on the idea that everyone is dedicated and "Doing their Best". 3) The attitude of the Attendees. If you have already ha

I am only going by what the original post states and it states that they think the SPL might be making money on it. He also does not state how much each Scout is charged but was not comfortable with the amount that was being charged. Perception is everything. If someone reported this to their District or Council, it does not look good. The Scouts in my troop help each other build their decks so everyone is on a level playing field. They teach each other how to play. Either way, I would not be comfortable with it unless someone can show all the money is accounted for especially since ther

a Firestone has stated the difference between a "stick" and a "stave" (or "staff). The first is a whacker, the second is a tool. What I try to instill in the Scouts I work with is the "respect" shown tool. If your stave is carved, polished, used, hiked with, used for balance, as a tentpole or joined with another pole for a flag waver/signal flag, then that Scout will not see it first as a weapon. Yeah, it can be a weapon, but that is not it's first or second or even third use. And if the Scouter uses a hiking stave, what example does he/she set? Give the Scouts opportunities.

It's tricky because the stick/staff has a long history in Scouting. I have a picture of one of our scouts at the last camping trip with a walking stick, one leg propped up on a rock, leaning slightly forward, looking like an illustration straight out of an early handbook. We're also working on the Good Knights adventure in our Den right now, and there is that illustration in there comparing a scout to a knight, a key feature of that comparison being the staff (comparable to the knight's lance). I believe at one time the staff was a required part of a Scout's uniform. I've been on hikes w

Nothing wrong with games just as long as every campout doesn't become game club. IMHO.

One of the grandkids explained it to me tonight. She always has dinner with us before going to Religious Education on Wednesday evenings. She doesn't play with "Magic" cards, but she knows about them. She has a completely different take on the issue. She thinks that those of us who are opposed to having girls in boy scouting should embrace the idea of boys playing nerdy fantasy card games at scout campouts. Nothing could be more effective at keeping the girls out.

I am referring to all Cub leaders - that includes pack committee members, Cubmasters, Asst. Cubmasters, as well as Den leaders. Many packs I know are 40+, if not 60+ boys & families. Organizing a pack is a lot of work. However, since you mention den leaders, let's look at that. One of my den leaders plans our B&G banquet. It's a feast for 200 people with catered food, program, activities, etc. It requires coordinating amongst numerous adults, leaders, and dens. Several other den leaders plan portions of our campouts for 150 people. The Webelos den leaders coordinate joint act

Excuse me? Den leaders plan large events and develop annual programs all the time? Only in the mind of a WouldBadger does riding herd on 10 third graders require Tom Blanchard management theory...

Cub leaders should definitely attend Wood Badge. Leading a Cub Pack has different dynamics than a Boy Scout Troop, but it's no less difficult. It requires trained leaders too. Many of the skills you learn in Wood Badge are directly applicable to the Cub experience. Leading a team of adult, planning large events, developing an annual program - these are all the things that den & pack leaders do all the time.

I think it depends in part on how big the pack is. The sister pack to our troop has about 160 cubs and it's in desperate need of qualified, committed, trained leaders. I'd say two bucks a scout to help achieve that objective is not out of line, even for a half dozen scouters. I, on the other hand, attended Wood Badge when I was cubmaster of a pack with about 15 scouts. I paid my own way.