Fehler

Three "Big things": 1) FIll out the BSA Adult Application. 2) Fill out the Merit Badge Counselor Application (see http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34405.pdf) 3) Complete Youth Protection Training, print out the certificate at the end. Turn these three things in at your council service center, and wait. More details: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/boyscouts/guideformeritbadgecounselors.aspx

You're looking for a sleep-away camp? None here, all Cub Scout camps require parents/adults/certain number of leaders from the Pack the boy belongs to.

No, ban push-ups outright. That's a line not to be crossed. Is the guy an actual registered leader (ASM, MC)? Tell him to get registered, and get trained, before trying to interact with the boys again. That will probably scare him off.

Make your elections on a meeting near the end of the month, and have terms start officially the first of the next month. Gives time for office transitions, as needed.

Make a plan to get your Eagle. Yes, you have another year and a half (don't make your plan to earn it at the last minute, every plan needs some "scratch time" worked in. Chart out what Merit Badges you are going to earn and when. Chart out when you will begin the process of your Eagle Project, when the certification/verification will occur, and when the project will be complete. Chart out when you serve your position of responsibility. And include when you will have your board of review, and your court of honor. Include in your plan as much specific "whos", "wheres" and "whens". Don

If you're looking to include a Belt Loop, consider playing marbles on a heart-shaped ring layout. If you're stuck indoors, you could do some sort of Newlyweds-type mother-son gameshow competition. Make a set of questions (try not to get too embarassing, but 1-2 groaners can be fun), have the boys sit next to their mothers, ask to see how much they know about each other, and go ahead and keep score. But have a couple of "gimmies" in there than anyone can get right. Mother questions (to ask the boys): What is your Mother's middle name? When is your mother's birthday? What city

I use the Den Cheer as the closing ceremony for our Den Meetings. Our Pack Meetings start with a flag ceremony, promise, and law, and then goes to the "Den Role Call" where the Cubmaster asks if a certain den is here, and they respond with their cheer. And right before the closing flags, we do our "Pack Cheer" (which was Cubmaster shouting "Who's great?", and the boys screaming "Pack 38!", repeated 3 times getting louder.) Not much call for cheers/applause during the meetings themselves, unless we have a speaker/presentation, or when a Den does a skit.

Den Meetings should have some ceremony involved, and it could be as little as saying the pledge at the start, and doing a cheer at the end. Its a way of reinforcing to the boys, "ok, the meeting has started" and "now the meeting is over, run wild". Does there need to be a flag procession, full pledge/promise/law recital? No. But find something, make it consistent, and it will help the boys focus.

If there was a large electrical generator nearby, you wouldn't be lost. At least, you wouldn't be lost for long after the emergency repair crew comes by.

Avoid any policy that allows/requires scouts to drive other scouts. That's just asking for trouble (and could be illegal in some areas, depending on the number of youth in the vehicle).

No one's screaming, but this is as good of a place to ask questions/get answers as there is. Things I'm hearing I like: Removing the 12-24 "Achievements" from Wolf/Bear, to a more managable/trackable number. Getting rid of the "Progress toward ranks" beads that look pointless and are easily lost. Mature the Tiger badge up a bit, less "Baby Faced". Arrow Points are a farce to all but the most dedicated Den Leaders/Parents. Things I'm wary of: Too many "required" journeys that require multiple meetings to finish. We are hit and miss in regards to Den Meeting attendance, and we ge

Rather than trying to discuss the New Cub Scout delivery system in one big topic, I'd prefer breaking out the changes into separate discussions. So, no more Belt Loops after May 2015. Good, Bad, or Meh?

So the guys behind Duck Dynasty are entitled to their beliefs, but the guys behind Lockheed-Martin are not.

I'm happy that the "My Plate" requirement reads as "or whatever the hell the USDA is calling food groups these days"

Wow, a Potter-themed Camporee just became the coolest idea ever.

Get some holiday themed duck tape, and make some duck tape wallets. Its a perfect seasonal gift! We also enjoyed doing the Belt Loop Display Case: http://cubscoutcrafts.com/belt-loop-and-pin-display-case/ I modified it by using 1X2 wood, used wood joiners rather then nails, large rubber bands rather then elastic, and added a hook so it could be hung on the wall. Could count as the wood project or the display project. The boys ran to show them off when we were done (and some of my boys had over 20 belt loops from prior years they couldn't wait to put on it).

In Mental Skills, both Traveler and Scholar can be tossed off in less than an hour. Of course, if you do Traveler this way you'll miss the fun of setting up your own compass course, or riding on public transit.

Just turned in my Merit Badge Councilor application.

I was doing Showman and Fitness together, so I had them mash it together: write a play with a boy saying "no" to cigerretts, drugs, and alcohol. In the end, the police officer puppet comes in, sends the other puppets to jail, and congratulates the boy for making the right decisions (that was their addition to the story).

Oh, I thought this was going to be another Square Knot rants. But Hey, mine is simple: =AOL==DL=

Do you have more than one set of gutters? I never tried more than double elimination (after a good 15-20 minutes of "practice runs"). Our actual heats last about 20 minutes, so our 16-18 boys end in an hour. We do this at a park in August, near a playground, so boys are happy to be done and get a chance to run, and we get some visibility for September recruiting.

Look for one with a "Cub Scout" logo on it.

Was this a "closed" National Park at the time?

I hear enough complaining about the part of popcorn sales that goes back to council to support programs in "those areas". If you tried to push the issue more, they're liable to think they are already supporting you through the council share (which we know is bogus).

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/02/1243123/-Stealing-from-Girls-Stealing-from-Communities Interesting commentary (part 2) about councils' decisions to close camps, and open "Leadership Centers". Focusing on how these camps were gifted/built for Girl Scouts, and how the GSUSA councils are disposing of the properties for their own benefit and not the benefit of the communities from whence they came.