Eagle74

cubmaster; If you'd like, email me with info, we'll get the fiberglass to you.

Good discussion - thanks. One of my suggestions to our other leaders thinking on this one was that he register with the troop where he would regularly attend meetings and be permitted to be a "guest scout" on our outings when he is with dad on weekends. Would we and the boy all have to put some extra effort into this? Sure, but it's worth it.

Any advancement type activity done with us would be noted and that info forwarded to his home troop; leaving it to them to accept or not. I think a gentleman's (scouter's)agreement with his home troop regarding advancement activity while with us should be workable and reasonable. This would be a clean approach yet allow both the boy and his parents to benefit from the Scouting program.

Interesting that this topic just hit the forum. Cannot offer a definitive reference or source, but within the past week our DE replied in the affirmative (after checking with council) when asked if a boy can register with more than one troop; in our case troops in different councils.

The boy has just bridged from Webelos. Our situation is a boy who resides with his mother in another part of the state, but is with his father on weekends. Dad is registering him with our troop, Mom with one where she lives.

We're having the same trouble figuring this one out. Which troop signs of on advancements? Does each troop simply accept signed off requirements from the other? Must individual requirements be completed with one troop or the other? Which troop conducts SM conferences and BORs? Which troop is responsible for his advancement records? How will he be "active" in both? (Our meetings are on Monday evenings - he will be with his mother 2 hrs drive away - so I can't imagine he will be attending many, if any of our meetings.) In this case will he be attending meetings with one troop and outings with the other? How will this affect the other Scouts in the troop, when he cannot take part in any of the planning for an upcoming outing - menus, patrol activities, tenting arrangements, etc.? Will he be viewed as "just along for the ride" if only attending outings?

We do not wish to deny any boy the opportunity to participate in the Scouting program and realize that our program must at times adapt to provide that opportunity to boys in difficult situations. But we sure are searching for guidance on how to work this one out. It's the flip-flopping part that has us bewildered - if it were a case of he's in one place for part of the year and with us for another, we could see it working out with a simple agreement or understanding with the other troop. In the present situation there would seem to be no real continuity of any kind.

Any ideas or advice is appreciated.

baschram645; I think you will find the packet to be quite beneficial to your new scouts & parents. Our troop has done this for a number of years. We usually have an info packet done up in a nice folder that is given to the boys during the bridging ceremony if they are coming over from Cubs, or have them available for a New Scout's first meeting otherwise.

Our packets contain pretty much the same info you mention. We also include a note about registration fees, troop dues, and any other expenses such as campout activity fees (varies), when patrol food money is due for campouts, etc. that parent's should expect. The packet contains contact information for the primary troop leaders only.

We add to the packet at a parent's meeting - usually the first or second meeting - with info about camping gear that the scout will need, a short explanation of differences between cubs and boys scouts (parents don't sign off requirements, etc.), any troop-specific policies/rules, etc., who to contact in case of emergencies while their son is on an outing (usually Scoutmaster's wife, Asst. Scoutmaster's wife - they will have info on how to contact us) and other miscellaneous information. We save the troop roster for the parent's meeting or until after the boy is registered so that the information isn't being distributed to those without a need to know - ours includes scout's name, parent name(s), address, phone number, and also email address when provided.

Not sure why I keep cutting my posts short. One more time for the rest:

Another very good (unbiased) site covering many, many religious organizations is:

http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu

direct link to Jehovahs Witnesses is:

http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/Jwitness.html

Sorry, must have hit the wrong button; the second website didn't go through - it tells a little more about specific beliefs. Check the various headers on the upper left side of the page.

http://www.jw-media.org/beliefs/beliefsfaq.htm

Try this for a better understanding, I think it will answer many of your questions. http://www.watchtower.org/library/jt/

scoutingagain:

Sorry I didn't get back with an answer sooner. Been busy with work and Scout stuff and haven't been reading the forum.

Here are some resources from a research paper that I had done. There are bunches more.

http://www.ctv.consumerreports.org/caffeine.htm

http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/atod/energydrinks.htm

http://www1.drugaware.com.au/pages/caffeine_2.asp

http://coffeetea.about.com/library/blcaffeine.htm

http://www.nsda.org/WhatsIn/caffeinecontent.html

The last one is on the National Soft Drink Assoc. website.

Not an expert on this by any stretch, but will share some of what I know from education and training:

Based on 8 oz. serving:

Starbucks drip . . . 200 mg caffeine (grande = 500+ mg)

Coffee in general . . . 110 mg

Red Bull . . . 80 mg

Mountain Dew . . . 37 mg

Reg. Pepsi/Coke . . . 24 mg

"Energy drinks" and "sport drinks" should not be confused with each other. So called energy drinks get their "kick" primarily from caffeine and sugar. Some have ma huang, guarana (more potent than coffee) or taurine. The caffeine (and in combination with the sugar) is highly discouraged prior to and during physical activity, because while there may be a "high" from caffeine, it has negative effects such as contributing to dehydration. It also can result in a period of notable laxadaisical (spelling?) periods afterwards once the kick wears off, headaches, etc - caffeine withdrawal.

So called sports drinks such as Gatorade are formulated to replace electrolytes, rehydrate, and maintain a desire to drink.

A youngster or adult mainaining a healthy, well-balanced diet would do quite well by simply drinking water. Sport drinks are not really "needed" except under high levels of physical exertion, although they won't harm and if it tastes better, they might be more willing to maintain fluid replacement levels.

Back to the original question, my approach to this (and lots of snacks, and constant pop consumption) is that it is discouraged - doesn't fit well with physically strong and the lessons in rank requirements. I have on occassion asked a Scout's parents if he eats/drinks like this at home and if they approve of it when he is out with the troop. When I asked this of one parent because the Scout seemed to be drinking an excess of coffee, they were appalled - didn't do much for his opinion of me, but the parents thanked me profusely because they thought it might explain some behavioral and physiological issues. They had no idea he even drank coffee.

We also have an extensive library of "experienced" merit badge pamphlets and are regularly checking requirements against the latest Requirements Book for consistency. Do you suppose that there is some reason that "20XX Revision" or something similar can't be printed on the requirements page when the pamphlets are printed? Sure would make things easier.

We were there also - same camp, same week. I would agree with your observations. I was happy to see how well things went overall, especially considering it was the largest attendance week ever.

Couldn't agree more regarding the merit badges and campfires. Unfortunately I spent the Friday night campfire time at Kosair Childrens Hospital in Louisville - that was one of ours that wiped out on the stairs during the parade of troops. Fortunately though, he didn't break anything and I got to pass on the campfire.

EagleInKY: Were all of your MB cards signed by a registered "adult" counselor? We were at CCC during the same week and it looks like a number of our cards were not signed by a registered adult counselor.

My experience is that part of the summer camp (esp)/MB camp/MB challenge problem is that "counselors" have not been thoroughly trained regarding their responsibilities as a merit badge counselor. I queried a few "MB counselors" during summer camp about what training they had received and the general reply ranged from "Very Little" to "Some" to "I was trained in my home council". With some it was clear that they did not understand their duties/obligations. With some it was obvious from the manner in which the blue cards were filled out.

As was stated somewhere above, how do I as a troop leader verify the qualifications of the counselor that will be working with the boys at summer camp prior to issuing a blue card and/or check on their record of Scouts earning vs being given their merit badge. Within our home district/council this is relatively easy; 150 miles from home is a different story.

Correction. Everybody except the leader. One "leaders' tent" is left set up.

Summer Camp @ Chief Logan, Ohio; everybody pitches their tent on arrival (BSA wall tents) and takes it down/folds it up upon departure.

You might also want to check this thread out:

Do a forum search for:

keyword: JLT ideas

poster: bugle344

date: 11/5/2002

Several good movies/movie clips were mentioned during the discussion.

Just think about watching polar bears at the zoo swimming past on their backs.

Now as ugly as the picture may be, think about us lilly-white, less than ideally configured, "experienced" Scouters floating by doing a leisurely backstroke . . .

Polar Bear swim - Right?

Our troop has done the trust fall at every Troop JLT for years and occassionally at troop meetings. With proper guidance and a trained instructor there should be no problems. Not that injury isn't possible, but properly guided they shouldn't. The only mishaps I have experienced while using this in Scouts and as a leadership instructor in my vocation is an occasional scratch or small bruise.

Our JLT trust fall usually starts with the smaller boys that are game and progresses through the larger boys, ending with the boys "catching" the adult leaders. Any Scout that wishes may simply watch and extend encouragement to others, but most have joined in when they see the adults safely complete the fall. In thinking about it, I can only clearly remember one Scout that did not eventualy take a fall.

One of the wonderful results of a trust fall is that the most reluctant participant is the one that gets the most self-satisfaction when it's done and the most profound experience of what trust is all about. Even though some are still nervous at a second round, they trust the team to catch, they're just still working on overcoming the fear of "letting go" - it's the freefall part that bothers them, not that they don't trust the team to catch. For the daredevils in the bunch, it's just another game.

During one of my son's COPE classes, they caught the 250+ lb. (closer to 300 lbs methinks) instructor. I just happened to be observing that particular exercise and had some concern, but the participating Scouts were all older, more physically mature Scouts. Their sense of accomplishment matched the size of the catch.

You've handled the situation well IMHO.

John, if EagleInKY's form doesn't work out for you, try hooking up with someone in your locale that has the full version of Adobe Acrobat. The pdf form you have can be modified with Acrobat to become a fill-in form. (Or for that matter, the form you have can be scanned and built into a fill-in form using Acrobat) For someone familiar with the software it won't take very long.

Back from a weekend with the troop - lake canoeing for those with swimming qualification (instructed by a Girl Scout Leader; the mother of one of our Scouts) and outdoors advancement work for those not canoeing - and lot's of adult leader talks about "issues". A productive and fun weekend.

Thanks all for the replies. I would agree that for any of the choices the Scout should be toting the activity-appropriate equipment. Follows be prepared and proper trip planning.

As for whether or not the intent is for the Scout to carry his full gear during the other activities seems to still be up for some debate. For instance, does the Scout bike the 15 miles with all gear that would be needed for an overnight type of trip?

Or as Hunt states, is this intended to be a "side-trip" type of activity undertaken during a camping trip, that would only require that gear needed to be properly prepared for a short excursion away from base camp?

I read this over and over again while out this weekend and read the pamphlet from cover to cover. After studying and discussing with the other leaders, we came to the consensus that these are intended to be considered as side trips during the camping experience.

For a few of us, some of the confusion is based in what we remembered from past versions of the camping merit badge where one of the requirements was to hike 1.5 miles into and out of camp carrying your personal gear and your share of patrol gear - a requirement that is no longer there. Our humble conclusion is that the active portions of this badge have become watered down through the years. (I even pulled out my old requirements book, copyright 1969 for a "way back in the dinosaur days" comparison) Not only is there no longer a requirement to carry your gear to and from camp, in the older requirements not only did you make a ground bed, but you also had to use it for two nights. Other old requirements included building a proper fire area, using wood tools to prepare fuel for cooking, show how to protect your fuel and prepare a meal under rainy conditions, build three types of fires, serve as your patrol cook for at least five meals prepared in camp, make a layout of a typical patrol campsite showing the locations of various "facilities" of the campsite and explaining how various site and weather conditions are taken into consideration, while on an overnight campout present yourself correctly clothered and equipped, show proper methods for protecting food and equipemnt against animals insects and adverse weather.

Needed updates are there and revisions were made to reflect changing principles, but essentially, other than a requirement to spend 20 days and nights camping, and a couple of short side trips, the rest of the merit badge is now a "classroom badge".

And while it might be proper and maybe make sense to move cooking skills to Cooking MB rather than Camping, the fact that Cooking is no longer required and very few of our Scouts do Cooking MB leaves a big void in what I think should be a little more of an overall camping experience badge with actual demonstration of camping skills.

Could use some help from any Camping Merit Badge counselors out there.

Requirement #9b, states that the Scout picks two items from a list of six; hike up a mountain, backpack four miles, bike fifteen miles, float trip four hours, rappel thirty feet, perform a conservation project. (abbreviated descriptions)

Question:

Is it the intent that the Scout carries his gear during these? We have one counselor that says the intent is that gear is carried if he chooses any of the "trip options" as it would be for the backpacking option and one that says not.

In perusing the merit badge pamphlet I can find no definitive indication. My take on it is that the Scout does not carry his gear unless he chooses the backpacking option.

Won't be back to the forum til Sunday evening due to a troop camping trip, but appreciate any insight.

In reference to the quote in Eamonn's post

Two plus two equals four . . . or does it?

:) + :( = ????

Dry humor from one of the training sessions I teach.

Know your adversary.

"When in a political war, a Hun must always keep an eye to the rear."

Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun

Wess Roberts, Ph.D.

Found this site accidentally tonite; if it's a repost, sorry:

BSA Discrimination

http://www.bsa-discrimination.org/index.html

Interesting.

Here is the Code wording:

U.S. Code

Title 4

Chapter 1

Section 7 - Position & Manner of Display Section 8 - Respect for Flag

Paragraph c) - The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.

(emphasis added)

Flag Code wording throughout is "should", "should not", "should never", etc. There are no instances of "shall", "shall not", "shall never."

"Should never" appears to be pretty strong wording, particularly when taken in context with other instances of this type of wording throughout the Code. Has it been done before? Often, respectfully, and under quite prominent circumstances. I would personally not find it offensive, but agree with BW that "it's really your call . . . and technically appears to be incorrect." Only you can evaluate the specific situation and whether the potential battle is worth fighting, or not.

Good advice above, re: allergies. You need to be working with an allergist, especially when undertaking a conditioning program preparing for the goal of participating in a strenuous physical activity.

Before I suggest some conditioning ideas, do you have access to a fitness facility with a range of equipment? What does the facility have in the way of track, swimming, etc.? Or are you wanting to do a conditioning program from your home? If I know what's available to you, I can be short with my suggestions.