gwd-scouter

I'm going to chime in here again. It is wonderful that so many of you have had good experience with your Webelos and Boy Scout Troops. When I posted earlier I said "from my experience" the 4th graders were not ready. I was a Webelos Den Leader years ago and the Troop that had the same CO as our Pack just expected the Webs to crossover to them. I didn't know there was any other way to do it, so I tried to set up dates for joint campouts. The Troop did not want the Webelos along until the fall of their 5th grade year. Then, the Webs were not given a program planned more toward them but w

Yes, our Council (Blue Ridge, South Carolina) does this too. It is called Gold Star Unit. Units must meet criteria each year at recharter and then all rank badges are free. Requirements are: recharter on time, recharter with at least one more youth than year before, hold a Family Friends of Scouting meeting for the Troop and participate in popcorn sales, and conduct Scouting for Food drive or other service project.

Back from the Council Exporee. Over 2500 Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and leaders in attedance. The weather Gods were smiling on us. Thunderstorms rolled in Friday afternoon as the troops were arriving but ended by 7:00. Saturday was fantastic, sunny and in the 80s. A brief thunderstorm Saturday evening around dinner time and thoughts of the evening's assembly and show being cancelled. But, our local news channel's chief meteorologist was on hand to tell us no rain for the remainder of the evening. He was right! Great evening. Bit of rain in the early morning Sunday. Woke to cloudy skies

I would follow the G2SS which says nothing about the grade of the Webelos Den. F rom my own experience, however, 5th grade Webs II are usually more experienced and have a better time interacting with Troop members when camping. The 4th grade Webs I are still learning how to do just about anything for themselves and it can be a bit overwhelming to be in a group of older more experienced Boy Scouts. Not much fun for the Boy Scouts either! So, while I wouldn't say that 4th graders CAN'T join a Troop campout, I would suggest that the Webs I concentrate on learning some skills on their ow

John, My son has taught weather MB at camp for a couple of years. I'll check with him and get back to you if he has any plans/materials. KB

Reading the last paragraph of the article: I think it is a raw deal. It stems back to the fact that they have been on top of us for years. For this to come up and for them to take our charter away is unbelievable, and I am still not sure what they are charging us with. There will be about 60 boys thrown out of scouting because of this, Geissinger said. Wonder what "they've" been on top of them about for?

We are heading off tomorrow for our Council Exporee. All Boys/Cubs from upstate SC can attend. Big time event held once every four years. Oh my, weather forcast says thunderstorms all day tomorrow, continuing through the night, scattered thunderstorms on Saturday, and cold (well, 60s) and rainy on Sunday. All those Scouts/Scouters moving around and camped in a gigantic field in the rain? Sounds like a muddy mess to me. Can't wait - bring it on! SR540Beaver - "boys in tin foil hats holding an extended fork in one hand and a spoon in the other while standing on an open hill d

Oh goody, I'll play Red door is fine, but the ONLY choice for camp buildings is green building/brown roof (even though it is not specifically written down anywhere, or in BOLD). I cannot even begin to imagine the anarchy that would ensue if the colors were reversed. OK, my afternoon fun is over.

Water balloons - that brings up another subject. When I was Cub Scout Resident Camp Director, the theme one year was Knights of the Roundtable. We had a gigantic water balloon catapault for the Saturday field day activities. BIG problem with all the bits and pieces of balloons all over the meadow at the end. Not exactly living up to the leave no trace principles on that one! And, there was only 24 hours between when cub resident camp was over (noon Saturday) and boy scout summer camps began (noon Sunday). Fun for the Cubs, no fun for the staff. Live and learn!

Whoo-boy I just love this Forum! Never even occurred to me that someone would wonder about a squirt gun and the BSA policies. I've heard so much about the BSA stance on shooting at a living or representation of a living target. Can someone show me exactly where that is written? Because, if there is an explicit written policy about not pointing/shooting a firearm (or any kind of projectile) at a living target, then I guess we should do away with squirt guns too. Whew, maybe this needs to be in the politics forum! :-)

Hey STM99 and welcome to the Forum! This question has been talked about in many threads. I had the same situation and questions when I first became SM and was dealing with a Troop history of PORs not actually being done but scouts getting credit. First, no, there is no National written definitation about what active means and what serve in a position of responsibility, meaning there is no defined percentage of time, etc. There are many troops out there that have by-laws that scouts sign (like yours) that say you must attend 50% or 60% (whatever) of meetings and outings. This, o

We've experienced both types of new Scouts the past year. Last year, we got one new Scout about 3 weeks before we left for summer camp. That was his first experience with the Troop and he's still with us going strong. Last March we got two new 11 year-olds. Their first trip with us was our April backpack trip. A bit strenuous for one of the lads, but the other loved every minute of it. Both complained about how cold it was at night (high 20s in the mountains). But, both are eager for this weekend's Council Exporee, signed up for summer camp pathfinder program (for new Scouts), and seem to

SR540 is correct about the weather here in the Southern Region! One year we were getting ready for our cold weather camping trip in February. Weather here in upstate South Carolina in February is typically cold, wet and windy. So, we got the guys prepared by spending several weeks before camp to go over all the necessary cold camping skills. The weekends leading up to the trip had temps of the mid 30s daytime and low 20s nighttime. Then, the big weekend came - it was in the high 70s during the day and mid 40s at night. Not exactly cold weather camping!

Our Council (Blue Ridge) has had a Cub/Webelos Resident Camp since 1994 - at least that's the first I went to with older son and thought I heard it was the first ever for the Council. A few years later, starting in 1999, I became resident camp director for the next 5 years. With summer camp Boy Scout staff on hand and a handful of volunteer adults, we put on quite a show for the lads. Scouts were put into dens based on age/grade in the fall. We had 2 programs running simultaneously - a cub program and a webelos program - and did all the activities throughout camp appropriate for their ran

Guess since I started this I ought to chime in. I travel about 5 miles each way to Roundtable. It is attended by the usual crowd. Many Packs and Troops are not represented. I think this is a universal problem and necessarily due to travel distance.

John, I have always liked the idea of making our own neckerchiefs. Did you use a large square? How were the edges stiched? Can you remember back that far?? :-) We have Troop Ts and hats that are kelly green and yellow. Green neckerchief with yellow binding would look very nice.

This topic reminds me of my sons' visits to their pediatrician. With each yearly checkup the Doctor would ask them a bunch of different questions: what do you like to read, what is your favorite subject in school, do you do chores at home. Yep, that's right. He asks them both if they do chores at home. Over the years my sons have had varying responses to that question. Clean their room, yes. Clean their bathroom, yes. Help with dishes, yes. Feed the dog and clean water bowl, yes. Cut the lawn and help weed the gardens, yes. Clean out the garage, yes. Laundry, yes. Wash the kitchen floor

Congratulations to you Eamonn and especially to OJ. Those long-term Lifers and 11th hour Eagles sure do leave us breathless don't they?

Kittle, YIKES! You had your five year old right beside you while you were running the archery range? Don't have the literature in front of me and maybe there is nothing specific in the GTSS about it, but I can't see how you could possibly give 100% attention to the Scouts on the range while having to keep 100% attention on your 5-year-old as well. Now, back to the topic. We have 2 camporees a year - fall and spring. Only registered Boy Scouts and provisional campers are allowed at the Fall Camporee; the Spring Camporee is designed for Boys and Cubs, but again - only registered and provis

Since 2001, our Council (Blue Ridge) has sponsored Cub/Parent weekends at Camp Old Indian each weekend in October and November. These are one-night events that offer BBs, archery, canoeing, nature - the usual activities - plus meals in the dining hall. The weekends are very successful in our Council. One difference though is that you must be a registered Cubscout to attend with your parent/guardian.

I've seen Chief Neckerchief and Stradri's advertised in Scouter Magazine. Has anyone used either of these companies for custom neckerchiefs? If so, were you satisfied with the product? Do any of you know of other companies that make custom neckerchiefs?

The magic of Scouting! Yes, I've felt it. I felt it early on in the Cub years. Started in 1st grade Tigers with older son. Continued serving a dual role in Cubs/Boys with older son in Boy Scouts and younger son just starting Cubs. That's when Scouting began to lose its magic for me. I was Cubmaster for younger son's Pack, Advancement Chair for older son's Troop, District Training Chair, Cub Resident Camp Director and, like many others, felt that if I gave up something the Scouting World around me would come crashing down. What hubris! Now, settling into my role as SM and leaving al

New Forum Member, Moxieman, posts that some of the leaders in his district travel 2 hours to roundtable. We can't even get folks from only a couple of miles away to attend ours regularly. How far do you and other leaders in your district travel?

Welcome Moxieman! Where abouts in the Maine Wilderness are you from? My oldest brother and his family moved last year to Haynesville. I'm planning to visit this summer.

I don't usually post in the politics section, but this topic hits a nerve. Yes, we are a nation of immigrants. The American Culture is made up of all those wonderful and diverse people who came here before us. But, not so long ago those immigrants tried to assimilate as soon as they could. They learned English and tried to fit into American Society. Yes, they kept their heritage. But, they worked hard to become citizens - LEGAL citizens. They were proud to be Americans. Americans first - not hyphenated Americans. What happened since then? Now, in certain parts of the country, an En