eagle90

After reading many of the above, I am grateful our camp is about 7 hours from home and thus there are no provisions for Family Days. Seems that sparks some of the problems. I think our scouts realize their parents would not be very happy driving 14 hours round trip to bring them home!

sctmom - Our troop meets at a public school, so we meet only from September till June, approximately 33 meetings a year. That means a scout must attend 24 meetings. If he cannot do that due to "Sports, ROTC, Civil Air Patrol, etc" as you say, maybe he should reassess his priorities about the scouting program. Of course if there is a special circumstance, we will be flexible. for example we had a scout a few years ago who was hospitalized for 2 months. We did not penalize him. And there is no problem with our program - we are the most active troop in our area, having just comp

The only requirement our troop has is for attendance at Summer Camp and/or High Adventure activities. In order to be eligible, a scout must attend 75% of our troop meetings throughout the year and 3 of our 8 weekend campouts. New crossovers must attend 2 of our 4 spring campouts before going to Summer Camp. This criteria was set up by the PLC and is reviewed every year. We did this so that the scouts have the necessary experience learned during the year. It also keeps older scouts active and not just using the troop as a travel agency for a Summer trip.

I had a similar problem with a scout a few years back when he joined., Not sure if the exact diagnosis, but while a straight "A" student, he had a big socialization problem as well as being disruptive. Mom wouldnt admit there was a problem though. When he signed up to go to Summer Camp his first year, our Committee wrote a letter to the parents requesting that dad go along. He did and it worked out wonderful. Dad has been back to camp the last four years (because he wanted to, not because we requested it!) and this year the scout went on a High Adventure trip without dad and was very good.

I guess we are fortunate (?) in that our camp is about a 7.5 hour drive from home. That discourages parents from wanting to make the drive to pick up a homesick scout. Also the only pay phone at camp is about a 2 mile walk from our campsite!

We just returned from our week at Lefeber Northwoods Camp in Laona, WI. It was a very successful week. We had 19 Scouts and 9 adults. No rain for the entire week!! Our scouts passed 36 MB's and have 10 partials to be completed at home, received numerous NRA Marksmanship Awards, and earned the "Super Troop" award. Patrols worked well together with very little signs of homesickness among our 7 new scouts. They were kept busy all week! This SM and 3 other leaders even got to sneak out for a round of golf midweek! The camp staff was excellent as usual, and scouts were making plans for ne

smaster 101, your post above should be printed out by every SM taking a group to camp. What excellent advice. I applaud your insight.

We are leaving tomorrow for Lefeber Northwoods Camp, run by the Milwaukee County Council, in Laona, WI. Will eport on our week and our accomplishments upon our return.

Sctmom - I hear ya! Reminds me of my grandma! My mom tells the story of having to learn how to dress herself at age 3 because Grandma was dieing soon. The typical worry wort. Of course Gram lived to 94!

Sctmom - It never will change! I am a 52 year old SM who will be leaving for camp this Sunday. When I go to my parent's house to say Goodbye, I will get the usual from my 74 year old mom - Be careful, Stay dry, Get enough sleep, etc., etc., etc. I've been hearing it since the firt time I went to camp as a scout back in 1961! God bless her!

What a great week At Laguna Station. The base is run by the Rio Grande Council and is located at the very southern tip of South Padre Island, near Brownsville, TX. While the facilities are a little rustic, the program more than makes up for it. We did snorkeling, both day and night, kayaking, surf kayaking, sailing, fishing, again both day and night, boogie boarding, took a tourist trip to Mexico, and still had a lot of free time for lounging on the Gulf of Mexico beaches or watching the dolphins romp in the bay right outside our tents. The staff is excellent, very friendly and accomo

OGE, you beat me to it. You cannot take away something that the scout has already earned, nor can you increase the requirements for their next rank. I think you should look at a more fair "punishment".

I have never heard of a camp that criticizes a troop for bringing their own special treats. In fact, we forego the regular dinner one night and make deep dish dutch oven pizzas from scratch for our own troop's dinner. We surely don't want to feed the wholoe camp!

You have to look at what is best for the entire group. One scout and mom should not cause this much chaos and disruption. I would lay down the rules for her - no extra foods, wat what is on the menu, do your share of the work. If he and she cannot live by these rules, I would say they cannot attend camping events. I know this may sound harsh, but you have to look at what is good for the entire troop. I am also surprised the other boys in the troop are not on his case.

Ten of us are leaving bright and early tomorrow for the Laguna Station High Adventure Base on South Padre Island, TX. Flying from Chicago to Houston and then on to Brownsville. I will give a full report on the facilites and program upon our return.

Sctmom - So sorry to hear of this tragedy. We have a Summer Camp orientation meeting tonight and I plan to open with a prayer for your scouts and a moment of silence. Is there going to be a memorial or fund of any kind for this young boy? Please let us know.

I have always thought Cooking should be a required badge. In your lifetime, you may never have to save a life, or use environmental science,but at one point or another you will have to cook a meal, whether it is in college, as a single, as a young married man, or later in life after the death of a spouse. In our troop we put a lot of emphasis on the proper cooking of meals.

OGE - Your website looks good. I sure like to see another well-run active troop. Your muck reminds me of a camp we went to in northern Wisconsin that has a cranberry bog. After a ecology hike thru the bog, it ended up in a mud pit at the end. What fun for the boys! The camp even gave an award each week to the troop that came back the dirtiest and grungiest. The award was a zip loc bag filled with bog!

I think the usefulness of the Commissioner is a very individual thing. How they see their role differs among the individuals. In my 30+ years I have seen commissioners who we only see at the Annual Dinner and Family Picnic, where he can sponge a free meal. And others, like our present commissioner, attends most committee meetings and is an active participant with ideas, suggestions, and input. They can be an invaluable tool if they are dedicated to the job.

In Dayton, check with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. If you have time, the US Air Force Museum is there, which we have visited twice with our scouts and they love it. About 500 planes on display, with everyting from the Wright Brothers to space capsules. Great Lakes might be a problem, as they are the only Naval Basic Training Base in use now, and are super busy. Last year they put a hold on all weekend tours because of this. I know you will love the Boundary Waters. I've been there a half a dozen times or so.

Yes, it is really remarkable to see the change in the scouts over a week's time at camp. The patrol who cannot even make a simple meal on Sunday becomes a well oiled maching by wednesday or Thursday. It really gives me, as SM, a chance to get to know these kids a lot better than just at a troop meeting or weekend outing. And when that change carries over into the fall at troop meetings and campouts, you know you have been successful. I too can't wait till July 14th and another trip to Summer Camp. I think this will be Summer Camp trip number 35 both as a scout and leader.

I agree with OGE - We encourage our scouts to COMPLETE two or three merit badges while at camp rather than starting 7 or 8 and completing none. Take the extra time to explore the camp with a buddy, take a walk in the woods, swim a little, shoot a gun, use a sailboard, do something you've never done before. Or just sit and relax and enjoy the beauty of nature. Even scouts need a little down time once in a while. Taking too many badges makes the week feel like another week of summer school! We encourage our first year scouts to look at the scoutcraft, nature, and handicraft areas for

I agree with nldscout. 10 years old is too early to join Boy Scouts, especially when the ages in the troop can range to 18 years. Thats too big a gap. The ten year old may not be able to pull his weight on camping trips, sports activities, and other such activities. we just took in ten Webeloes who all completed two years, and even some of them I cringe at because of their lack of stature and maturity. There is time enough for Boy scouts when they get older and can enjoy the program to its fullest.

Our scouts respond well to extra duties or loss of privilege. Perhaps being the in the cleanup position for 2 meals instead of one the next day would work. Or if there is a "fun" part of the campout - ie. Canoe trip, ball game, free time, etc. those scouts involved have to forfeit that activity and instead maybe gather wood for the evening's campfire, do a camp project,etc. Seems to work well for us.

We attend another council's summer camp, and our OA candidates who have been duly elected thru our lodge can be MENTIONED at the camp's call out ceremony, but cannot be officially called out nor can they go thru their Ordeal at the other camp. Even being mentioned takes approval of the OA advisor or chief.