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fotoscout

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Posts posted by fotoscout

  1. Ill take a month off before I do it again.

     

    We just had our Pack Campout this past weekend. This pack hasnt camped for probably twenty years and with the exception of me, none of the leaders are campers. Last year I did a Den Family Camping Trip. This year, after sitting through Baloo, I figured Id do a real Pack Trip. We started off with about 40 families signed up. Then the weather reports started. In the end we had abut 20 families and 1.1 inches of rain from noon until about 10:30pm on Saturday.

     

    What a shame you might say! Not in the least!! Ten of my boys showed up with their Dads, and we had a great time. They fished (with handlines that they made), they hiked, they played in the rain, and they played in the rain some more.. We made some little Indian drums. Then the boys spontaneously (of course we were watching), went off and paraded around a Boy Scout troop that was camped nearby.

     

    We even did our Campfire program under the tarp. The song sheets got a little sloppy ha ha ha. It was the first Campfire program that Ive put togetherand I have to say that I was very glad when it was over. I obsessed over this thing for weeks. Precious moments 9:00am on Sunday, the boys are sitting around the fire ring holding their own little campfire program still singing away. As our Campfire program was winding down, the BS troop invited us for a Flag Retirement Ceremony.

     

    Before we ended the Campfire, I told everyone about the invitation, and reminded the boys that they would have to be on their best behavior. After a very long day in the rain I wasnt too sure how much self control they had in them anymore. The troop did a very nice ceremony and the boys were fascinated by it. As for their behavior, I shouldnt have been concerned. Still standing in the rain,they made us all very proud.

     

    The question I asked was out of curiosity. I wondered how other packs did it? I would be a little uncomfortable with people coming and going all day long. First, Id be concerned with food, and then Id be concerned about supplies. Then of course is the issue of just how many heads am I counting. We did have two families that came for the day and went home, but we knew that up front.

     

  2. Bob my point stands. Let me rephrase your initial response for you.....Foto you may want to look at the only if part of your sentence.

     

    And I would have said, good point Bob, thanks Ill rephrase it.

     

  3. Bob, I dont get your point, except for the excessively literal interpretation of my words. Whether I ask them, or tell them, (and youll note that I did not say require them), is a mute point. Whether I supply my own knives or have the boys save to purchase them, or, suggest that the parents buy it is a mute point. Where they buy it, is another mute point, except that it would be nice for them to all have CS pocket knives with a sheath that they made themselves.

     

    The reality is that some will follow the recommendation, and some will not. What I can guarantee with 100% confidence is that all of them, even the 8-9 year olds, will have the interpretive skills to understand the concept.

     

    May I suggest a good Poetry Book???

     

  4. TwoCub,

     

    Many of these techniques work in principle, and they are all terrific ideas, but say you have a boy who only attends 70% of your meetings. Then there is another boy who is very often sick, and the regular routine of boys who miss meetings for one reason or another. At any time you would have the potential for not collecting dues from any these boys. Over time, this will add up to a considerable amount of money.

     

    Im sure that you, like me and many others, always buys enough supplies for all the boys in your den. So now youve spent money with no chance of recovery because if the boy wasn't at the meeting you didn't collect his dues.

     

    On the other hand you guys have given me an idea, anyone smell something burning? Next year my boys can earn their Whittling Chip. I think Ill tell them, followed up with a letter, telling them that they can earn the card only if they have purchased a knife and sheath with their own money. Ill tell them what to buy and were to buy it, but they will have to earn the money for it. Not a bad trade off and it's goal oriented which is easier for the boys to understand.

     

     

     

    (This message has been edited by fotoscout)

  5. We don't pay den dues per say. We pay $7.00 pre month, period. Preferably paid as a lump sum at the beginnings of the school year.

     

    50% of the money goes to the pack fund for registration, Boys Life, badges, patches, awards, etc.... and 50% goes to the den. The Pack does not pay for shirts, trips, or other special events. The Pack will pay for special "speakers" at a pack meeting, or will supplement Blue and Gold activities. The Den portion goes to Den expenses to be used at the discretion of the Den Leader. Any Den funds left over at the end of June revert back to the Pack Fund. For us this seems to work, the Treasurer is not constantly going to the bank, and the Den Leaders are not constantly trying to do the book keeping for dues payments.

     

    The trick here is for the Den Leaders to properly plan his expenditures. Last year I bought the boys some nice little binoculars as a graduation present at the end of the year. This year, because I bought name tags for all of my boys, there will barely be enough money to support our year end camping trip.

     

    As for the Responsiblily theme, it's a great concept, and maybe it works elsewhere this great country of ours, but here I think it would be lost on the kids, let alone the Den Leaders.

     

     

     

     

  6. My District, and all the other districts in our council run Webelos Woods. Unfortunately, this year our district lost the oppurtunity because of a scheduling conflict with the Council Scout Show.

     

    Cub Scouts are discouraged from attending Camporees. Webelos are welcome, but no formal invitations are tended. I think Webelos should be made more welcome at these events as daytime visitors.(This message has been edited by fotoscout)

  7. My wife wont let me by any more toys, so I bought one for my son. Its the headlamp style, and wow what a light. This one runs off of 2 maybe 3 AAAs. The battery life seems to be endless.

     

    The earlier models had no throw to them. Although this one is still more of flood than a spot, it does seem to throw enough light out in front to be useful while your on the trail. I think its an Aurora. Oh yeah, I really like the white light.

     

  8. Why is everyone so fast to take swipe at the parents? I see this comment over and over again in this forum, Its a Problem Parent not problem child, or some variation of it. I think thats presumptuous and disrespectful of any leader that takes this position from the get go.

     

    First off, these parents bring their son(s) to Scouting because they want what we want for our children. There motive is the same as yours, they want the best for their children. They want their child in an environment where they can flourish. In addition, child development experts typically recommend that ADD/ADHD children be kept in structure activities, like Scouting. Some of these children are in the program because the parents are following Dr.s instructions/ recommendations. I think thats indicative of good parenting, dont you?

     

    Second, not all parents are created equal. Some, like fboisseau, have the ability to take charge of a difficult situation and turn it into something positive. Others do their best, but simply dont have the god given tools to handle the situation. Does that make them a problem parent?

     

    This is one of the classic examples where the parent and leader have to work together in the boys best interest. Discounting the parent, tagging the parent as Problem., or telling the parent to stay away will not help the situation. Give the parent as much of a chance as you give the child!

     

    In this particular situation maybe mom is a problem, on the other hand, maybe dad works the late shift, and mom is under doctors care, and what appear to be drugs are really prescription medication.

     

    Sure there are occasions when the parents are the problem, but usually it involves a happy heathy normal child. Parents of children with a disability , especially if they care enough to put their kid in Scouting, are more often very proactive with respect to their childs disability and should not be so quickly discarded.

     

  9. Sager,

     

    What you say is correct, swimming and floating with a life jacket are two totally different things. However, with the swimming skills come confidence and presence of mind, the ability to think straight when necessary. Ill use your example, feet downstream and head up to see where Im going, you were able to do this because you (1) knew how to use your body to make it happen, and (2) you had the presence to remember it.

     

    A non swimmer in a life jacket would not have reacted as you did. Life jackets have become a crutch for many people. They are a necessity for young children, and an added measure of safety for us older folks. But they are no alternative to good swimming skills. I would argue that, for anyone old enough to take a swimming lesson, good swimming skills are a prerequisite for donning a life jacket. Anyone not old enough to take a swiming lesson, well, they have been born yet.

     

  10. Eammon,

     

    Your compassion here is admirable, and I certainly wouldnt advocate removing this boy before I felt that I had given it my best, and, that the boy was given a good opportunity to adjust.

     

    However , I would avoid keeping him on in the den as a personal challenge or even worse, keeping him in the den to the detriment of the other boys, if over some period of time, (a few weeks), he could not control himself within an acceptable standard. First and foremost in my book is the self esteem of all the boys. If this boys is hitting, then he is negatively impacting the self esteem of the other boys. Worse yet, little Mikey wont come to his den meeting because PC hits him or constantly says bad things about him.

     

    We have to be careful here about trying to do too much. Youre right in saying that this boy needs what the program offers, probably more so than the other boys. But we cant, and I believe shouldnt, diminish the CS experience for all the boys in order to satisfy the needs of one individual. As you suggest, this boy may be looking for someone special and Kevin certainly has the opportunity to be that someone. If Kevin chooses to follow that path, he may, again I say may, have to find a way to do outside of the normal Den Meeting.

  11. Most of us have some grouse about uniforms. Much of that evolves around what we want the uniform to do. No one uniform will serve all of our purposes, so if you are going to buy one uniform.... What function(s)should it serve? What function should it not serve?

     

    I'll go first:

     

    It should quickly identify the boys as Scouts, and it should display there achievements.

     

    It should not be the ultimate outdoor clothing set.

     

     

  12. This is effectively a no brainier on more than one account.

     

    First is the absurdity of a passenger in the canoe. Were not talking about taking the ageing SM Emeritus on a canoe trip. Were talking about a young boy. Does anyone expect that he will sit in the middle of the canoe with his hands folded during the entire trip?

     

    Hire a personal Lifeguard. Tremendous concept!! Maybe his parents will also hire someone to do his Eagle Project for him.

     

    Next is the issue of contribution. If the boy has not paddled, then he has not contributed to the adventure and he has not participated in the shared experience. So, if he has had a free ride, then he would have to contribute in some other way. Perhaps all the other boys could sit around and take a break while this boy sets up the entire campsite. I think he could also prepare all the meals and do cleanup chores. Enough, Im sure you get my point.

     

    Then, has anyone asked the parent if he (she) could swim? After all, this person would be signing on as the personal protector for the boy. Then there is the issue of the parents REAL swimming ability. Hmmmmm.

     

    BSA may be a little over the top on some safety requirements, but not here. We have enough responsibility, this is not an added burden that I would take on. If the boy cant prove a proficiency in swimming then he doesnt go on the troop trip.

     

    If the parents are so convinced about the boys invincibility, and perhaps their own, I might suggest that they contact a local outfitter and privately do a different trip over the same time period.

     

     

     

  13. Good Morning,

     

    DS, my humble apology, I think you know my thoughts about professionals!

     

    Mr. Robby - I'm glad to see that we are not alone!

     

    I expect that the next 2 dozen posts will be from all around the country (world) with affirmations about how much detail is communicated about WB. Great!! It we say it, we can do it!

     

     

    The point is, that for anyone who is interested in getting the answers, those answers can be found without much effort. Unit leaders, Training staff, Commissioners, Professionals all may have the answers. But if they dont, the ultimate go to guy is the SE.

     

  14. masses of unwashed volunteers

     

    Be careful on that one KS, BW will come after you!

     

    No seriously, I dont know what it is with you guys from the rest of the country (not the Northeast). THERE IS NO SECRET!

     

    Here, if you ask the question you get an answer. We talk about it at Roundtable, we talk about it at training, and we answer all questions anytime they are asked. What I wont do, is give away the punch line. Those of you that have been there know what I mean. I will not go into great detail about each and every minute of the course. It would be counter productive, and not in the best interest of the Scouter that asked the question. Some things just need to be experienced for the first time without any preconceived notions.

     

    And for those of you that seem to have trouble getting any information about WB, I suggest this; have your SE fired. BW will tell you that there are no secrets in BSA.

     

     

    (This message has been edited by fotoscout)

  15. Hello Kevin and Welcome,

     

    First for the hitting. That's a no-no! If he can't control himself with respect to hitting then he stays home. Period.

     

    There are many techniques for dealing with ADD & ADHD children. Youll find some helpful ideas here in the forum. However if the boy is truly disruptive to the den and disrespectful to the leaders, you can insist that the parent accompany the child to all activities. Furthermore, you must inform the parent about just how much control you want the parent to exercise over the child. Every leader has a different threshold, every child has different behaviors, and every parent has a different idea as to what good behavior/discipline needs to be. You need to guide this in a direction that is comfortable for you and respectful of the other boys in your den. If the boy(s) is on meds, you might want to ask the parent about adjusting them to accommodate your meeting times. Regardless of how you chose to handle this, the parent should be reminded that this boy needs to be at each and every meeting. These boys need routine and structure; he will not get that by attending every third meeting.

     

    As for the standards, you dont need to lower any standards. One of the great things about BSA is that it allows us tremendous flexibility in dealing with children that have disabilities. The boy needs to Do His Best. If he has done that, then he has succeeded and you can in good faith acknowledge his achievements. Having said that, you should know that many ADD & ADHD children are exceptionally bright. They have the ability to master anything that the other children can. They just need to do it in smaller pieces.

     

    It's always possible that this boys condition may be such that he does not belong in a regular den, or perhaps he needs a den leader that is more familiar with handling these boys. I'm no psychologist, but the behavior (hitting)and language (negative/defiant) you described seems to indicate something other than just ADD/ADHD. Maybe mom's holding something back. Good luck.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    (This message has been edited by fotoscout)(This message has been edited by fotoscout)

  16. During the 80s I worked with a client who occupied an office in the United Way Headquarters building. A magnificent building, built on the banks of the Potomac River in Old Town Alexandria, Va. I remember thinking to myself, how could a charity organization build such a grand edifice to itself? This took place during the same time period when the UW executive(s) scandal was underway. To top it off, the client was a Washington lobbyist.

     

    So, anyone that might have the false impression that the UW sits on the moral high ground, might just want to reconsider their position.

     

     

  17. If I understand you correctly you are not looking for more skits, songs, ceremonies, or jokes, you are looking for new ideas for each den to do at your pack meetings. I am sure you know that the old standbys of opening, closing, songs, skits jokes, flag ceremonies, escorts have been proven over time to be durable, flexible, and worthwhile program elements. Most have the uncanny ability to evolve with time and current events. But as a formula or recipe its always nice to have some new ingredients to work with.

     

    How about trying "The News". Local news can be a fun thing for the boys to do. It could be Pack news, School news, sports news, or Community news.

     

    How about "Announcements". The boys could do the monthly announcements, and then the Cubmaster could follow-up with more details or to answer any questions. this also insures that the message gets out at least two times.

     

    You could always have them do an active demonstration of something they learned, knots, flag folding, etc.

     

    You could have one den be responsible for Scouting History at each Pack meeting. A brief 5 minutes of Scouting History.

     

     

    I hope this gives you some ideas.

     

     

    (This message has been edited by fotoscout)

  18. The neckerchief is a great part of the uniform. What would a baseball uniform be without baseball socks? It's the same thing here.

     

    The BSA stock slides on the other hand should really be trashed in place of something that offers the parents some value for their money. I've lost count of how many slides the boys have lost or broken. Yes broken, some of them started to fold the tangs into the neckerchief in an effort to stop the slides from being lost. After a few episodes of folding and "unfolding" the tangs they simple broke off. Some of my parents have been back to the Scout Shop three and four times to buy slides.

     

    Its simply unacceptable for the parents to contiune spending money on an item that is clearly disfunctional for Cub Scouts!!

     

    We ended up having the boys make some very durable wood slides that fit properly. So far we haven't lost any of those.

     

  19. Newbs, welcome and good luck.

     

    Yes ! Family camping and they all happened to be wearing Orange tee shirts. I believe that the last name started with a T. It was great.

     

    Actually the Cub Scout Leader book tells us not do achievements at den meetings, so your old den leader did get something right. I cant tell if you approved or disapproved of the boys doing all the achievements on their own. But I can tell you this, if you chose to do achievements at your den meetings there is a huge challenge in trying to make some of them FUN for the boys.

     

    Everyone here had great suggestions for you, let me add mine Go to Roundtable and become a regular. Develop a dialog with other scouters in your area and youll be amazed at the volume of good local information that you can accumulate.

     

     

     

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