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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/25/19 in all areas

  1. We recently had 5 new scouts cross over. One included a single parent who asked if she could go on the first overnighter, and bring a younger sibling along. We welcomed her to join the trip, but explained the differences she should expect on the campout, in contrast to cub scouts. At the same time, we told her the younger sibling would not likely find the activities interesting, and that his presence might detract from the event, but would be more than welcome at our annual family campout. She agreed, and made other arrangements for the younger sibling. I see the bigger issue being new pa
    3 points
  2. With anxieties...Small steps. Gradual transitions, with no sudden surprises, to build confidence. Become a trained leader. Plan to stay the week if he needs you. Hopefully after 2 or 3 days, he will say I got this Mom.
    3 points
  3. I would suggest that it's appropriate to note that the requirement says to "Use GPS" - not an embedded GPS-enabled navigation system. The requirement says to use the GPS to find and follow the route. It does not say to use the embedded navigation system in a TomTom navigation system, or in Google/Apple's Maps/etc, to find the route. Clicking the "directions to..." button on a GPS-enabled navigation system is to "Use a GPS to find and follow a route", as "phoning in an order for takeout" is to "planning and preparing a meal"...
    2 points
  4. Go with him! Go with him and make some memories. At camp, don't let him velcro to you, he can go off with the other Scouts but see you back for whenever the adult leaders and youth are in proximity -- meals? (I don't know, I have not been to summer camp yet). But be there, but when you are there he has his own schedule and stuff, and you have your own stuff. Talk to the counselor and the Scoutmaster about it. Your son should be working with his patrol leader and that kid will be the point person for your son at camp, NOT you. I hope that helps! After his first time he
    2 points
  5. I think a lot a new cross overs are concerned about going to a week long summer camp. My son goes to therapy for anxiety as well and will be going to summer camp. I would first recommend talking with his counselor. Any advice coming from us is not with the full background of knowledge of your son’s situation. The counselor should be able to help. 1) My son will be going on a new scout camp out before summer camp. Just 2 nights away then home. 2) I’m working with my son prepping him for the swim test. He’s close but not quite there. If he doesn’t pass or doesn’t feel comforta
    2 points
  6. Yes indeed, red berets and the colorful rank and patrol patches started circa 72. The pants, shirts and shorts were simplified in design and made of lighter materials. A couple washings and they were like pajamas. Then the Oscar D uniforms appeared in 80. I think they were a moderate improvement over the 72 - 79 era. Except Oscar introduced those abominable epaulets, a completely unnecessary contrivance for scout uniforms.
    2 points
  7. You can get more flies with honey than with vinegar. I believe Unit Commissioners operate best when they are a friendly face, a mentor, a guide. Not a police officer, an inspector or an enforcer. Unless there is some sort of health or safety issue going on, a soft power approach is going to fix far more units than a confrontational and aggressive approach. Maybe your district or council does things differently than mine. https://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Unit_Commissioner
    2 points
  8. Pretty good. Now, how about those knots? Barry
    1 point
  9. Too many (not on this forum) seem to think the requirements are to be done at home and then signed off when accompanied by a parent note. This is not cub scouts. First step is instruction on the GPS etc, by their Patrol Leader, Instructor, etc... This instruction should include using the gps to determine location, provide driving directions, walking directions, off road travel, etc... The instruction should not be limited to the most basic minimal "sign-off" of the requirement. Then they practice. Then they are tested. I always like to have requirements be part of the adven
    1 point
  10. Some good stuff here! We've found an Android smartphone app called "Backcountry Navigator" (free) does a nice job of allowing 7.5-minute quad topo downloads over wifi or cellular for use when there's no cell signal at all (smartphone GPS receiver still works without cell signal). Google Earth (free) is also great for selecting coordinates of features to be used in a GPS course. So, with a little prep it's pretty easy to set up a course in the local park, or even around a shopping mall or other large open space.
    1 point
  11. To me, the requirement is intended to teach that GPS navigation is valuable for certain situations, but is not quite superior to compass/map. Smartphone GPS especially is reliant on satellite and cellular signal triangulation (and in most cases, internet signal to download the map). If you are in a backcountry area with limited to no cellular signal, it can be pretty widely imprecise. A dedicated GPS unit is typically more reliable. This requirement itself is just a basic learning experience, so I wouldn't ask a youth to use the GPS and locate a spot 5 miles away and walk the route.
    1 point
  12. A good point. One of the issues I see with many scouts (and non-scouts) is that they have no idea of their home surroundings (the have no mental map). They have no idea which way is north ("try the north side of the building." "Huh, which way is that?"), they can't navigate on their own from their school (or soccer practice, scout meeting) to their home, even when it's not very far (such as a 20 minute walk). They have no idea of where things are in relation to each other ("can you point toward the general direction of your house from here?"). And unfortunately, the same can often be said of t
    1 point
  13. a better choice of wording to the requirement would be helpful. As first Class scouts aren't going to be typically of driving age, and that the navigation requirements follow a progression from previous ranks, I would say the intent is land-based navigation and plotting course. if you read the first part, I feel the author of this requirement was trying to distinguish from using a car navigation setup: 4b. Demonstrate how to use a handheld GPS unit, GPS app on a smartphone, or other electronic navigation system. Use GPS to find your current location, a destination of your choice, and th
    1 point
  14. I think that your comment "it would depend on the knowledge he gained from the experience" captures the problem precisely. We should not be making judgment calls to determine completion of rank requirements. It should be black and white. As to my perspective on the minimum skills that are intended to be learned, I'd lean towards learning how to use a GPS for backcountry travel rather than car-based travel. So, selecting a route between trail side campsites using coordinates rather than street addresses. I completely agree with wanting to promote the spirit of fun and adventure, and would
    1 point
  15. Epaulets, correctly understood (as BSA does not) eliminate most sewn-on patches, replaced by loop=on or snap on insignia/patrol colors. Last time i checked, in Oz they had one sewn-on patch - the district (as we used to say before "council") patch.
    1 point
  16. I fully agree. I'd also suggest developing your own plan for camp. Such as ... bring two or three large books to read. Or bring wood carving supplies for yourself. Or work on your schoool lesson plans for next year. Or a sewing kit. Or take lots of naps. Create a plan for yourself so that you are busy. Maybe there are courses at the summer camp for adults to become trained adult leaders. I've seen that too. But make your activities boring for your son so that he goes off on his own with his friends and grows.
    1 point
  17. @ScoutMom45036, welcome to the forums! A couple of son #2's best buddies had anxiety issues ... maybe related to divorce, but usually it was more complicated than that. If the boy's telling you he's nervous about it now, it's a good indication that giong "cold turkey" wont work. Our troop has welcomed moms like you with kids like yours to come camp with us adults. You're not the problem mom who we generally worry about. Generally, you're good company, and you're not hovering over your son. You get to know the leaders and other parents and catch them up on the things your son is going
    1 point
  18. @ScoutMom45036 welcome to scouter.com .
    1 point
  19. Sure was. 1980. Here's a start; https://mediafiles.scoutshop.org/m2pdf/BePrepared_Vol_1_No_8.pdf https://www.classb.com/history-of-the-scouts-uniform/ https://www.classb.com/history-of-the-scouts-uniform/
    1 point
  20. One does not have to read between the lines of the precisely-worded announcement. They are severing Scouting from their faith in every meaningful manner and that is their right. They want their youth to participate in their program, and will not overtly encourage Scouting. With that will be a discontinuation of support and the faith’s dominant presence in the operational and policy-making committees of our organization. We will no longer need to be concerned that our decisions will run afoul of the preferences of the faith’s leadership. I thank them for their past interest in the BSA and
    1 point
  21. There are a few of us here who were scouts in the 60s or even 50s. I joined up in '69 but the big uniform change was in '72 or '73. Something about Oscar de la somethingorother. I don't think I have a Guide to Insignia anymore, but I do have the handbooks. Yes, Knots were worn by adults they were a different colored background than todays versions. The eagle as I recall was a toss up. A lot of adults still wore their Eagle badge, I saw a few from the 40's that were square rather than oval, it was not correct by the strict rules but I never heard of any of the Patch Police
    1 point
  22. After reviewing this topic, there’s nothing orthy of it being in I&P. It’s going to open discussion program.
    1 point
  23. I went back and re-read the OP. Was struck that now the 10 year old daughter who was interested in attending with the mother could today join a Pack and be a Scout herself in a year or so.
    1 point
  24. Oh, my no. You can't even get Medical doctors and nurses to up to full compliance with regular mandatory trainings and a giant cudgel to bash them if they step out of line.😖 And yes, you absolutely do train the janitors and receptionists regarding data safeguarding - at least up to the level of "under no circumstances may you ever do X". A janitor who snaps a selfie with a patient, or a receptionist who tweets "guess who just walked in the door", is going to be in for a world of hurt. 20 minutes of training would be perfectly fine for "don't be an idiot, the medical forms are private
    1 point
  25. "Today, your journey in our Pack ends, but your journey in your Troop begins." Cubs are still Scouts, so I would spend less focus on what kind of scout they are, just defer to describing as what type of unit they are/will be in as a compromise.
    1 point
  26. if you're boiling water anyway, then it might not be too much of an imposition to just use regular grits and just leave on the pot on to boil a few minutes longer. I like the idea of adding beef jerky (or bacon bits). It might also be good to experiment with other things to add: diced hard cheeses, dry onion flakes, etc.
    1 point
  27. "No self-respecting southerner eats instant grits." -My Cousin Vinny 😀
    1 point
  28. We were coming back from an outing last week, stopped for lunch, saw the Girl Scouts were selling cookies nearby so we wandered over and bought some cookies, talked about our recent outing, heard about their projects, and we went on our way. The sky did not open, everyone was pleasant, and we ate several boxes of Samoas before we got back to the church
    1 point
  29. The biggest problem for adult training is how the focus is on the adults being trained to be the leader, and not how to train the adults to mentor the scouts to lead. For example at SM Specifics, the adult is trained in how to set up an annual program calendar. Instead, it should be how the adults can mentor the scouts to set up the annual program calendar. Seems subtle or semantic, but it isn't.
    1 point
  30. HIPAA (not "HIPPA") requires that a person's "PMI" (personal medical information) be safeguarded from people who are NOT authorized to view it and can be disclosed ONLY to others who are authorized (in the Law, that means medical providers, insurance companies, etc.). The info can be disclosed only with the written permission of the person (patient). I am not confidant that the BSA, Councils, Lodges, Units, etc have the capability to ensure such safeguarding even if they wanted to.
    1 point
  31. I like this one. Our pack is doing crossover this Thursday night, I may suggest that to them.
    1 point
  32. "You are no longer a Cub, you are now a Scout."
    1 point
  33. You could also maybe change the sentence to say something like, "You are no longer a Cub Scout. Welcome to Scouts BSA," or "Your journey in Cub Scouts has come to an end. Welcome to your new journey in Scouts BSA." It would seem weird, sentence-wise, to say, "You are no longer a Cub Scout; you are now a Scout."
    1 point
  34. Crazy.... I made some great life long friends at WB. And weather they finished or not would never want to do something like that to one of them..
    1 point
  35. I did read the topic which is titled Third Bead. It did not address the subject matter which I wish to present. I just commented on a post regarding the olde tyme Wood Badgers and the "elitist" aspect of Wood Badge in the olden days when the courses were far and few in between. Only those "chosen" few were privileged to attend. And still fewer were ever chosen to serve on Staff. Happily, Wood Badge has shed this stigma and it is now being made available to more and more Scouters. This has been a blessing to so many Scout leaders and, more importantly, has helped our youth to have s
    1 point
  36. Neil, gotta admit, the tone of your e-mail kinda sticks in my craw. Just a hair on the high and mighty side. I don't know if my council applied for a variance, but they do tend to play by the rules. I do know that when COPE came out, our council pointed at our course and National agreed that our course is more difficult. So we do our course and National sends people to us. There are a couple of things from the old course that we've kept in NYLT, too. Doesn't make any difference to me. I'm here for the boys and the fun, not the politics. Vicki (not sweating the small stuff and it
    1 point
  37. We have started saying, "You are no longer a Cub Scout. Welcome to our organization which is in no way affiliated with the Girl Scouts of America. Here is your neckerchief. Do you have a preferred pronoun you would like us to use when addressing you?"
    -1 points
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