IM_Kathy

as a den leader I never was lucky to have a den chief, but my son spent a year as a den chief when he was a 1st class scout.

his responsibilities were:

plan an opening and closing activity so that boys were kept busy while DL talked with parents about things

would be assigned at least 1 requirement from the activity pin they were working on each meeting and lead it

was also asked to pick out 1 activity pin and plan and lead it for the boys (my son picked outdoorsman as it was one of his favorites as a webelos)

attend pack meetings when able and assist DL with what is needed. For pinewood derby he helped in the pits.

if I had a den chief I think that's what I would've expected... unfortunately there isn't a set expectations - I've seen some DL use some as just gofers and I've seen some DC that just sit in the back of the room all day (even heard of 1 that fell asleep during the den meeting). Only set of expectations is for boys wanting to earn the national award (my son was 1 boy short as there were only 2 webelos II both crossed. 4 other boys in den were webelos I and didn't cross until the next year, but by then my son was onto a new position)

easiest elective merit badges

to me this varies for each scout.

scout A is only a student and scout - would expect them to be much more regular

scout B is in marching band, basketball, and scouts - would expect them to be much more active in the spring and summer until band camp starts

scout C is in debate which has compitions all fall on same night as scouts - will obviously miss all those meetings

scout D is in whatever activities but splits time between mom and dad's homes and only 1 parent supports scouts - they will be there when at that parents house.

To me part of active is staying in touch and that can be as simple of coming up to SPL or SM and saying "hey XXX is starting so I will be missing the next X meetings, if I'm able to attend an outing I will notify via email to sign-up" Any time leaders say to each "haven't seen or heard from XXX for a few months anyone know what's going on" and no one knows and phone calls go un-returned then they are no longer active.

as a parent of a scout and "jumped" troops - I do like to find out what others coming in are wanting.

My son and 3 friends all switched after just a year or so and all were tenderfoot... so it was easy for the new trooop to work with them on their requirements before doing SMC and BOR

with lower levels it is easier - but any rank I don't think it's right for someone to immediately ask for a SMC or BOR - after all we are suppose to be asking them about how they are doing in life and in the troop and what they see as things needed changed or improved with the troop... if they've only been there a couple weeks how should they know?

shouldn't have happened... at the end of boards with son's troop they congratulate the boy and let him know they will give the form to advancement person and they will get him his new rank badge as soon as they can. Most of the time it's the next meeting, but there are times such as if a BOR is done on a campout that the form isn't turned over to advancement person until the next meeting so it would be the next one after that when badge is given.

while it's great to have that immediate recognition - there are times that life happens and a boy will have to wait a little longer. The key is they don't start being "Life" (as an example) once they get the badge - they are "Life" as soon as they are congratulated.

the only one that I can think of one that medically I wasn't allowed to attend nor will I ever be which stinks...

Son's troop sent 2 crews to Philmont summer of 2011.

I have an anxiety disorder (PTSD) and all the BSA HA and Jamboree do not allow any anxiety disorders. They don't even specify what type of anxiety disorder. From my son and adults that went that know my disorder and symptoms I would've been just fine. But it's hard to hide the disorder when the doctor writes it right on the form and then I have to list my medications. Now I know what affects me and I know what to avoid - and National Jamboree would be one that I definetely would avoid. But in talking to those that have done Philmont and Boundry Waters I could do either of those - though not sure about Sea Base as I haven't talked to anyone that has gone there.

get trained - may be really boring and a waste of time (was for me) but it is required and you may learn some things

talk with SM - find out exactly what the SM wants from ASM.

if SM lets ASM do SMC then ask if you can sit on one and see how the SM does them.

find out from the SM who is allowed to sign off rank advancements - is it patrol leaders? boys above 1st class? only non-parent adults?

find out from SM who teaches the skills for rank advancements

Troop I'm SM for I prefer to do SMC for all but my own son - this way I know all getting asked same things, but then I hardly ever miss a meeting or campout so it's easy to schedule one with me. If I knew I was going to be gone for a stretch of time I'd assign an ASM for this task.

The troop only allows non-parent adults (SM, ASM, MC) and JASM sign off on rank work. Boys learn the skills either by older scouts, parents, learn on own, or ask a leader for extra help... then when they have skill down it is demonstrated or explained (depending on requirement) to an adult for getting signed.

Biggest thing I do as SM is to make sure if I'm not going to be at something is to assign one of the ASM as adult in charge. The SPL is still in charge, but it's good for all to know which adults will be there and in charge. For example I don't do the 4th of July parade due to my anxiety disorder - so I find which ASM's will be there and simple say "ASM X, since you are planning on being there will you be adult in charge" and I've never been told no.

biggest thing is to sit back a bit and see what adults are doing. Offer help, but if you're told it's not needed then just sit back and watch. Also attend as much as possible even if it's just sitting back and watching.

In the spun thread it was mentioned that the SM can give a scout a particular MBC to avoid someone who is deemed to require too much or too little.

But, it is my understanding that as a SM I can give a scout a MBC, but if the scout finds another MBC for that badge and is registered - what can a SM do?

I'm more concerned with MBC that are skimping on the requirements. There are boys who are looking for the easy way out.

Yes, as SM I have brought this up to the MBC and their claim is they are doing it correctly. My own son refuses to do badges with this person because as my son says he doesn't do any of the work the MBC tells the boys everything. (Yeah to my son!) but it's stuck here since MBC doesn't see anything wrong with what they are doing.

Also just to mention that this MBC is also a UC so there is some different dynamics to it. I do know MBC's boy is an eagle and gone - he wants done now, and I know MBC will not continue after the boy is done so I'm hoping he gets done soon, but in the mean time - what can I do???

we have a large one that does take the time you mentioned to set up although painting the bars to help in what goes where helped cut the time down a lot - it's used at camporee's when we have most of the troop there and then we will set it up at summer camp if we are expecting rain on parent's night.

other wise we have an easy up which we'll use - mostly just to keep an area dry - typically where the boys will hang to play cribage or the like during free time.

normally though we don't set anything up - don't need it. dress for the weather and manage through the rain.

we typically use first names when referring to the boys in the troop - when we have boys that have same first name as another boy then usually one of them will get a nickname.

now my son on the other hand got his first nickname his very first summer camp - "Walking Taco" as just a couple days into camp his scout shirt had nutrional value to feed someone for a day... it also became the them for last years troop t-shirt.

now my nickname "Sarge" was given to me by my now brother-in-law back when I was just dating my now husband. Most scouts call me by my first name - really only people that use my nickname are those that tent with me as it's important to use nickname if I'm having a night terror as it will wake me better/easier

to me if they are scout appropriate and the boy being called it doesn't mind then have fun. my biggest thing is when they start changing nicknames - nope, earn 1 stick with it!

only thing's we have had to deal with are an occassional blue card that was lost before getting to advancement recordings, but got copy from merit badge councilor and got new card filled out.

other than that when I went to get a eagle app signed by council the other day I asked if they would print out my son's as he has done everything but his project for his eagle so thought I'd get that for him since I was there - realized his first troop spelled his first name wrong so they have records for him under two names, but it's now been fixed - and none were missing.

almost all campgrounds around here have maps that can be found either at host site or online.

we print off route maps for all drivers and then have a few maps of campsite always available for those wanting to take a hike, find a better fishing spot, etc...

I use sheet protector to keep map dry in case of rain. and then after campout will store that map back with my collection so if I return there I already have a copy.

some troops do winter camp - just a bit harder to find.

around here BSA troops camp once a month - with GS troops they will camp 4-5 times a year is most I've seen.

sadly I could not get my GS troop to winter tent - but I did at least get them to cabin sleep but spend day out in winter.

part of it is also gear - BSA it's expected that camping year round get the gear to winter tent, but with GS it isn't expected and so many don't have that gear. Heck I remember having to show girls/parents what a mess-kit was so all girls would have one for camping.

with planning and running activities - done with both cubs and girl scouts - group of leaders work together, but each den/troop would plan, shop for, run an activity station. made sure it was a mix of some active, some creative, and some learning... but all were fun!

boys really enjoyed painting with mud

both really enjoyed shoe golf (use tennis balls for the ball and take old shoes and drill onto a wooden dowel for the club)

really hot the boys love sponge wars - like dodge ball only with sponges and no one is "out" and the water buckets mark the center line.

both always liked making cobler and eating that making s'mores at night.

let's see in my daughter's 13 years (she crossed to adult this spring) she's done...

summer camp (too many times to count)

troop camped (too many times to count)

canoeing

swimming

horse riding

fishing

gone to zoo, science museum, art museum, botanical gardens

troop trips to Kansas City, South Dakota, and San Antonio

cooked both camping and kitchen

too many service projects to count

while she opted to not complete any of the higher awards she spent a year as a LIT (Leader In Training) helping the brand new daisy troop and enjoyed that so much she stayed with the troop for 2 more years as a SGSAL (Senior Girl Scout Assistant Leader)

yes she did a lot of crafts especially in early years, but also learned to design a webpage, learned first aid and cpr, built emergency shelters, can do basic household repairs, can do basic car maintence, can use a compass and a gps, can build fire with flint, and tons of other things.......

basically if you put my life scout son and my daughter together - they can survive just about anything we could throw at them. they both know the same stuff - just wore different style of uniforms.

due to my PTSD I am unable to attend and it's run by our SPL and I have one of my an ASM as lead adult. My son had something else going on that day so he wasn't able to be there either and I haven't seen any pictures from the event yet so don't know.

the pack/troop in my town use to deal with this a lot. our school system use to have 5/6 together at one building and the 6th graders who finished cubs but didn't go into boy scouts would harrass the 5th graders that were still in scouts. since then the school system has switched to 4/5 in 1 building and then 6/7/8 in another - has heled a lot as those who do join the troop have more from the 3 schools and so harrassing has stopped a lot. that and having a more active program with some high adventure makes it seem a lot cooler too.

where my son's troop is the cub pack has a float and the two BSA troops walk - his troop hands out candy and flyers and wears uniform shirt.

The activity shirts in his troop change every year as the boys design them and like to have different shirts and variety of colors. this past year they actually decided to have a troop hat - those will always stay the same and can easily get more made in future years.

camp my son's troop attends has made a lot of changes with check-in over the last couple of years.

Arrive trailer gets hauled to campsite

and you have your staff guide waiting for you at your site and they are with you for whole day and spends night at your site first night.

guide will make sure you've gone for pictures (we did that on walk to our site), swim tests (we only had 4 who missed our troop test before camp).

supper 1st night is either on own or OA does a pizza deal - past 2 years we've done the pizza, but think next year we will cook our own.

nurse staffers will go around on their cart and come to each site and give medication lock box and collect health forms.

site guide will go over pool rules, dining hall rules, etc...

use to be you walked to all of these locations got those rules while at that location... with big delays at swim tests and health forms.

never ever at summer camp... BSA summer camp is for boy scouts.

we have allowed a cubby son join his dad 1 campout as mom was unable to watch him due to health and we were really needing that dad to help for adult number.

other than that 1 time we have never allowed though I could see if it were similar situation, but NOT summer camp

as someone with night terrors working with doctors to find correct medication and find things to help lesson them has helped. if I slept walked - I'd work on learning what could wake me and use it outside of tent to wake me (bells, rocks at tent door to step on, or the like) I just do a lot of tossing and turning and saying "no" don't scream thankfully, but my tentmates know and know how to wake me up by calling me a particular name.

so keep eye on 'em find out what triggered it, if it's a one time thing or continues. if continues try things that would wake 'em and consult a doctor.

night terrors and sleep walking are somewhat similar and sometimes are just a phase some go through. other people it's a constant part of their life.

somethings that really make mine worse - being very tired (so I will take a nap if needed to help), being too hot (so I pack a battery fan and my tentmate has gotten use to keeping it cooler and will use her sleeping bag almost all weather and extra blankets in the winter), being touched (so we keep plenty of space between us)

my sons troop does not keep a stash. when a boy completes his BOR a form is filled out and the boy will recieve his badge at the next meeting. If the advancement co. can't make it to shop we have a couple of other people that will do it for him, but he works in town of shop so just takes a different direction to stop by and get. same goes for merit badges

cards for rank and MB and parent pin gets done at COH

I've worked with 2 boys and 1 adult teaching swimming to pass the swim test (the adult was going to boundry waters and didn't realize the adults had to pass the test too so had to learn in just a couple of months)

key is to figure out what it is they struggle with - some it's endurence, some it's being on their back, some it's face in water... whatever it is there can be a way to make it easier on them. I remind them it's not a timed test - I don't care how long it takes them as long as they don't stop. Once they surface they can keep their face out of the water. If the want to use goggles then go ahead.

We got a waver for 1 scout who was healing from a battle with cancer and just didn't have the strength to do it. He still doesn't, but he's closer. He still tests with everyone each year for canoeing purposes. He can now do the distance on forward stroke, just can't do the elementary yet so will be working on that and hopefully in another year he may have that down well enough to pass. He may never complete the swimming MB, but he's working on the hiking one right now.

our summer camp pool uses bell for buddy checks and whistle to get attention to stop an activity followed by speaking (yelling if loud crowd) of the type of activity to be stopped.... "no dunking" "walk!" etc...

I'm one of those that can wear jeans and a sweatshirt when it's in the 30's and be comfortable so when it gets in the 60's I'm in my shorts when it gets into the 70's I'm in sleevless shirts except for when in uniform. I do have switchbacks for when I need to go into the weedy areas and if I'm in that sort of hiking I wear longer socks with my boots (normally pushed down) and will just pull the socks up.

I just wish that BSA would come out with some sleevless t-shirts... I'm always cutting off the sleeves of past years summer camp shirts!