FScouter

Mike Long - I used to have a Kelty baby backpack. Some of my fondest memories are hiking through Yosemite National Park with my son in the pack. There is no difficulty hiking with a baby that cannot be dealt with, and the experience is the greatest.

When I took the course, it was an overnighter, Friday night and all day Saturday. It that still the case?

Is the adult a registered scouter acting in the capacity of an adult scout leader? Or is he just a dad observing an outing from the sidelines? I would not want a uniformed, registered adult leader using heavy handed disciplinary tactics with any scout, even if the scout is his son.

Id like to see and build some of the projects in the pioneering merit badge book. Rope tackle would interest me. There is more than one way to lay a fire. What are the advantages and disadvantages? Whats the best way to get usable coals for cooking? Whats the best way to get a fire going with one match on a windy day? First class first aid is good, but wilderness first aid may be beyond the scope of the course. Tracking would be interesting. We may never actually track anything, but it would be fun to teach the boys how to find evidence of the presence of a wild creatur

It's not his uniform to decorate according to his personal tastes. Strange he would take this so far as to be dismissed rather than correctly wearing the uniform. Is he trying to make a statement?

When I did this training, I would have liked to have seen more hands-on sessions. Give me knots, pioneering, fire lays, lighting of various stoves, knife and hatchet sharpening, camp gadgets, cooking, shelter construction, first aid. We got a lot of displays to look at, and a lot of talk, but not a lot to actually DO.

1. I dont believe criticisms toward Bob are necessarily for his opinions and statements. I see the criticisms more as rebuttals to his own criticisms of the ideas, processes, practices, and policies of others. I dont think people resent the information or the knowledge he has to offer. They resent the implication, sometimes not so subtle, that they are a poor leader, untrained, or less of a person, because they have ideas or practices that conflict with the scouting way. Bob doesnt seem to accept that most of us of us have not had the same amount of training as he. When we do some

Out here in California, there is an additional number in the sequence which is the council number where the training takes place.

How fun! You'll soon be getting one of those baby packpacks so you can take her with you on those hikes. Get 'em started early!

Here is a complilation someone put together: www.sonet.net/usr/troop56/bsfamous.htm

Ultraviolet sunlight tends to break down the waterproofing and fabric. Set up in the shade whenever possible.

BobWhite Our numbers DE is no longer our DE. He accepted a council executive position in another state. I dont mean to demean him at all, and I dont have any knowledge about his recruiting habits other than my personal experience with him. OGE asked about scouters perceptions of their DE, and I simply offered my perception of our DE. I am extremely proud of our boys and our troop. Our troop was started from scratch with three 11 year old boys and two fathers that wanted a troop in our community. There was lots of struggling. We have grown and made worlds of progress since then, b

OldGreyEagle Without commenting on our district executives interest in the quality of the program, or lack thereof, my observation is that he is very much concerned with the number scout units in our district. When our troop was small and struggling, he called me one evening and almost begged me to start a venturing crew. He said venturing was so great for the boys, they would love it, and he would fill out the application and all I had to do was sign it and could I please come in tomorrow morning to sign it. I tried to explain that we were struggling as it was, had only 6 boys in the ent

This old thread has more discussion about how to split profits from money-earning events.

The Troop Committee Guidebook #34505 should have most or all of the information youre looking for relative to who owns the troop and how leaders are selected. Chapter 2 is The Organization of Scouting, and Chapter 5 is Selecting and Recruiting Adult Leaders. The book is available at the scout shop, through the catalog, or through the web site. Some quotes: Your troop is owned by a chartered organization ..., Each chartered organization using the Scouting program provides a meeting place, selects a Scoutmaster, appoints a troop committee of at least three adults, and chooses a chartered org

ScouterPaul - I think I understand what you are asking. If a boy attends five campouts, but no other types of activities, has he met the requirement for second class? I would have to say that the requirement for two campouts out of the five is there to ensure that the boy gets a minimum amount of camping experience. If his other three troop/patrol activities happened to also be campouts, that should be fine. It would mean that the boy did not participate in a day hike, or a money-earning event, or a service project, but if those kinds of activities were required, they would be listed

Hmmm... Why would one NOT wear the uniform to a PLC meeting? Next meeting, ask one of the PLC members in street clothes to justify to the group how street clothes are appropriate for a PLC meeting.

Agreeing with Bob, the "OR" restriction for Eagle rank is a restriction for Eagle, not for Star or Life. Sounds like someone in your troop wants to deny Star or Life rank based on what mix of the 15 badges a boy earned?

Is there really a purpose served by responding tit for tat to rude comments? Theres no need to lower oneself to the level of a rude or insulting person. Yaworski has raised some interesting points in various discussions on these boards. Though his style may be somewhat abrasive, and his frustration has boiled over here, that does not invalidate the points that have been raised.

Gold is a lighter color metal than bronze, and silver is a lighter color than gold. Thus, bronze, gold, silver, with the lightest color being the top award, and the darkest color being the first award. So I heard.

I believe colors for the service star backs were chosen because they contrast with the color of the uniform shirt. A green backing on a green Venturing shirt or a blue backing on a blue Cub shirt would be hard to see.

There are hundreds of special award patches in scouting, including the World Conservation Award. A boy can wear one at a time on the right pocket, temporarily. When he earns another, he takes the old one off the pocket and puts it on his brag rag, blanket, backpack, or whatever.

Could you not assume a position as a committee member, perhaps with responsibilities more acceptable to the committee?

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The home-built boxes I've seen are nice. We use the Wal-Mart plastic tubs. Just haven't found extra time to build a custom box.