fgoodwin

I think I get what you're saying: you have a Cub who wants to do the "fun" stuff, but not do any work for it. I guess I still don't see the problem with that. If the Cub wants to go camping and nothing else, his "punishment" (if you want to call it that) is that he doesn't advance, earn BLs, etc. When he sees or hears all of his buddies moving along, perhaps he will be motivated to do the same. But keeping him away from a fun activity like camping isn't my idea of the best way to motivate him to advance. That's really his parents' problem, not yours, because they are Akela (at lea

GW, you're right -- I took WLOT in 2001 when I was in NCAC. Around 2005 or so, national revised the syllabus and renamed it OLS-WL. In content and format, it is intended to track IOLS so the two courses can share instructors, equipment, etc. Whereas IOLS deals with TF-2C-1C requirements, OLS-WL deals with the outdoor Webelos activity pins (forester, geologist, etc.). But OLS-WL is not required in order for a WDL to be considered "trained". It is required for a WDL to earn his (or her) "knot". And unless locally imposed by your council, it isn't required in order for a WDL to

Its possible your pack has its own attendance requirements, but National does not impose any such requirement on a Cub Scout to go camping. And I'm not sure why you want the boy to learn about materials and planning -- Cub camping is family camping. Its up to mom and dad to bring the right food and gear. The pack leadership will do most of the planning, like where and when to go, activities during the campout, etc. In order to go pack camping, you need a BALOO-trained adult. He or she will be able to plan the campout and should be able to answer your questions. I've been BALO

"Webelos adult leader outdoor orientation" may be a local council name, but the official course syllabus is called "Outdoor Leader Skills for Webelos Leaders". I know "OLS-WL" doesn't have the pizzazz of more cutesy names like "OWL", or "WALOO" or any number of other locally made-up names, but OLS-WL does have the advantage of being the acronym for the official syllabus and thus s/b understood in any council, whereas locally created names obviously have the potential of not being understood beyond the council that made it up. Also, OLS-WL is not considered part of basic training for

A back-to-nature guide for kids http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/healthyliving2/stories/DN-nh_brief3_0304liv.ART.State.Edition1.4654a22.html http://tinyurl.com/26pyvm Tuesday, March 4, 2008 Leslie Garcia Richard Louv's book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder (Algonquin Books, $25), discusses the consequences of the disconnect between children and nature. Not just obesity, but also emotional and mental health. That said, we offer five ways to keep such trauma at bay and to get kids enamored of the outdoors. We nabbed

I love the old Rockwell paintings, and in fact, I use one as my PC wallpaper (the Scout saluting in front of a US flag). I wish BSA would be more savvy in its use of media, but I doubt if we'll ever go back to the old art. I'd love to buy a calendar with Rockwell paintings for each month, but you'd never get the boys (and the young ladies) to appreciate that kind of art the way we do. I guess I'm torn between modernizing BSA to attract more youth vs. keeping all the traditional stuff, which seems to lack "curb appeal" for young people today.

Boy who died on hike called happy, helpful http://www.modbee.com/local/story/216659.html An autopsy is completed on 12-year-old Boy Scout By EMILIE RAGUSO eraguso@modbee.com last updated: February 20, 2008 04:54:29 AM The 12-year-old who died hiking during a Boy Scout trip at Yosemite National Park on Saturday was a "very, very happy little boy who always looked after his brothers and sisters and always helped his mom with the house," a family member said Tuesday. The Stanislaus County coroner's office identified the boy as Luis Alberto Ramirez of Modesto. An autop

skeptic writes:Only total capitulation will satisfy themGive that man a prize. As I've written many times before, this is all about ACLU forcing BSA to bend to its will. As soon as BSA changes its membership policies re: gays & atheists, these lawsuits will magically go away. Of course, that won't stop a yet another group from finding something else it doesn't like about BSA and suing it into submission again (repeat ad nauseam). Like the Brits learned in WWII, appeasement doesn't work. BSA must stand for what it believes in. Why those who don't like it won't simply form

scottteng, I invite you to take a look at pub 13-631, the Cub Scout Outdoor Program Guidelines (2007-08 edition): http://old.scouting.org/cubscouts/resources/13-631.pdf It states clearly that BALOO is required for pack overnight camping. Under non-camping trips & excursions, no mention is made of BALOO. National could very easily have included a BALOO requirement for all non-camping trips and excursions, but did not. That's not to say councils can't make it a requirement, but national doesn't. Also, I'm not trying to start a fight -- just trying to make a distinction

Welcome to the forums. Nothing in national policy says you need BALOO training to camp overnight on an aircraft carrier, as long as the program planning, activities, etc. are all run by staff on the carrier. BALOO is for outdoor camping, not overnight outings where you're staying indoors, like a museum lock-in. Its entirely possible that whoever you talked-to either did not understand the nature of your trip, or was completely mistaken about the requirements for BALOO. OTOH, its possible your local council requires BALOO even for outings where you're not planning anything,

We do a variation of what Greg Nelson described. The adults call up the Web Is (our Web IIs have theoretically crossed over by now, so we start with the Web Is) -- since they already have their Webelos neckers, the adults provide them their Webelos "colors" for their activity pins. The Webelos call up the Bears, remove the Bear neckers and present them with Webelos neckers (and book, belts, etc. as much as the Pack wants to pay for). The Bears call up the Wolves, remove the Wolf neckers and place the Bear neckers, etc. on down to Tigers. There's usually no one for the Tigers to

My WB21C ticket was one big project with five subparts to it -- I know others had a more general "vision" and five seemingly unrelated mini-projects that supported the larger vision. Either way is OK. Bottom line: your ticket will be whatever you and your Troop Guide decide on and agree to (your TG will also consult with your Course Director and Scoutmaster to ensure your ticket is feasible). Like you, I wanted to start writing my ticket before the second weekend; in fact, when I returned, I had three completely different and fully-written tickets because at the time I wasn't part o

My TG approved my ticket; I believe she did it in consultation with the SM & CD. My TG was also the one to whom I reported my progress. I'm not sure of the usage of the term "ticket counselor"; if its what I think it is, my TG was also my ticket counselor. She also approved the completion of my ticket, but she didn't exactly "check-up" on me. She would call or email me every 4-6 weeks to be sure I was making progress. My WB21C ticket included steps for reporting progress and defining completion; my TC had me understand that I alone decided when I was complete with any particul

I found it: ==== Saluting in uniform http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0605/d-lett.html In addition to the official Class A Scout uniform, the BSA also has a Class B uniformofficial Scout pants or shorts with a troop or camp T-shirt. My question regards protocol during flag ceremonies: Should a Scout use the Scout salute while in a Class B uniform or place his right hand over his heart? Christopher Dillon Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop 24 Bloomsburg, Pa. First, when referring to uniforms, Class A and Class B are military terms that are not used in the BSA.

I don't have the reference in front of me, but I believe the SM HB makes reference to a "field" uniform and an "activity" uniform. Also, Scouting magazine recently (a year ago?) answered a letter in which it said it was appropriate for Scouts & Scouters to salute the flag in their activity uniforms, because that is considered an official BSA uniform.

mk9750 writes:As the original poster, it was three adult males at a roundtable wearing hats indoors that caused me to comment about any male wearing any hat anywhere indoors.Well, since this is a Scouting forum after all, how people wear hats away from Scouting isn't an issue for me, whether it be a result of poor upbringing or otherwise. But as Scouters, there is no excuse for not following the requirements in the Insignia Guide, once a Scouter becomes aware of them.

I want to piggyback off Scoutnut's suggestion. Our troop committee has a standing question for all BORs and that is what would the boy change about the troop / do differently / what could improve or be done better / other variations on the theme. Invariably, the boys give the answers they think the committee wants to hear, which is that everything is great and could not possibly better (I suspect part of the reason is that the SM sits on all BORs and his presence probably discourages the boys from openly criticizing the program). I know there's much our troop can do to improve,

The national website has a pretty good overview of the history of Cub Scouts in the US: http://www.scouting.org/CubScouts/AboutCubScouts/history.aspx In addition, the Cub Scout division issued a history of Cub Scouts in 1987, and updated it in 2005 to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Cub Scouts (item #34473). The book is available at Scoutstuff.org for $20.

Burnside, welcome to the Forums. Are you familiar with OA (Order of the Arrow)? It sounds like the dance team from your local OA chapter performed the AOL ceremony for your son's pack. Speaking as an Arrowman myself, I think I can safely say most, if not all Arrowmen (and certainly dance team members), have the greatest respect for Native American culture and traditions, and would not knowingly do anything to offend Native Americans. If you found the ceremony offensive, I suggest you visit with the OA chapter chief & chapter advisor to share your concerns. Good luck.

Calico asks who ghost-wrote the book for Gov. Perry; according to the blurb below, Perry wrote the book "with" Eric Bearse, Perry's former communications director. Any particular reason you ask? ==== In first book, Perry criticizes ACLU and defends Boy Scouts http://tinyurl.com/2exj2m Proceeds to go to Boy Scouts of America; Perry to start book tour in New York By W. Gardner Selby AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Saturday, February 09, 2008 A book by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, published this month, meshes memories of his boyhood in rural West Texas with a fierce p

Calico asks who ghost-wrote the book for Gov. Perry; according to the blurb below, Perry wrote the book "with" Eric Bearse, Perry's former communications director. Any particular reason you ask? ==== In first book, Perry criticizes ACLU and defends Boy Scouts http://tinyurl.com/2exj2m Proceeds to go to Boy Scouts of America; Perry to start book tour in New York By W. Gardner Selby AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Saturday, February 09, 2008 A book by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, published this month, meshes memories of his boyhood in rural West Texas with a fierce p

Beavah, the OP was talking about Scouters at an RT. Like I said, if you guys want to argue for the sake of arguing, go right ahead . . .

Philly's War on the Boy Scouts http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120312309480173061.html http://tinyurl.com/3cmtwp By KEVIN FERRIS February 16, 2008; Page A10 Philadelphia As Michael Nutter was sworn in as the city's 98th mayor last month, he called for a new wave of public service to clean up drug-infested neighborhoods. If he is serious about renewing volunteerism, he'll start by putting an end to the city's campaign against the Boy Scouts. On May 31, the Cradle of Liberty Council, the local Boy Scout chapter, will be evicted from its headquarters on 22nd and Winter S

My son hasn't started it yet, but I believe Personal Fitness is the other MB that takes three months (min) to complete. So a boy turning 17 definitely does not want to put those off, as all three are Eagle required (Family Life, Personal Management, Personal Fitness).

I know you guys mean well, but this is the sort of thing about adult Scouters I find troubling. My first reaction to the question was: "why are you asking us when you should be asking your PLC?" To me, this whole discussion is just another example of well-meaning Scouters completely ignoring the advice in TLT of "never doing a job a boy can do". Why are adults making decisions the PLC s/b making? Do we teach this in TLT and then pay only lip-service (if that) to the idea in practice? I think adults should have veto power over a movie choice if its clearly inappropriate, but if it