infoscouter
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Posts posted by infoscouter
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Here we go. I knew there was a way to do this without digging a hole in the ground. It's called a hay box:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/1980-01-01/Rediscover-the-Hay-Box-Cooker.aspx
http://www.all-about-cooking.com/haybox_cooking.html
http://www.ssrsi.org/Onsite/PDFbin/Haybox_flyer.pdf (this one is a contemporary version with polystyrene insulation)
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It's not easy to build the rockets, and the racing is time consuming and troublesome.
If you're doing a space themed camp, building rockets from 20 oz or 1 liter pop bottles and launching water rockets is _much_ easier. we've had good success with this at camps.
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You can use a dutch oven to do a version of a bean hole cooking.
Its not very LNT, because digging a hole is involved.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2141778_bean-hole-stew.html
You might be able to make a "no trace" bean hole by building up a mound of earth and digging in hole in that, but you'd have to get the dirt from someplace without digging it up.
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Well - in my council we ARE able to go pack camping at a council facility (not as part of a day camp or resident camp) and do shooting sports. Our council interprets the phrase in the Guide to Safe Scouting "council activities where there are properly trained supervisors and all standards for BSA shooting sports are enforced", as including shooting at a council facility with a council trained adult range supervisor.
As a National Archery Association Level 1 Instructor, I train pack level volunteers to conduct archery shooting events _at council camps_ for their pack, district or the council. My NRA trained counterparts do the same for BB-guns.
Mine is not the only council which interprets the shooting sports guidelines in this fashion. We are in the minority, but as one of the five largest councils in the country, we get a lot of kids shooting this way.
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From the Minnesota HIstorical Society photo database
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Ooops - forgot. A week before RT an e-mail goes out from the DE to all units w/ a preview of RT content
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I am CS RT Commissioner - here is the schedule:
6:30-7:00 Preopening - attendees visit the various tables set up by the district operating committees, and pick up info, flyers etc.
7:00-7:05 Opening - this is a joint session attended by all program sections
7:05-7:20 (best case - often slips to 7:30) General session - *short* announcements, WB beadings, info from District Commissioner or DE
We spilt into Cub Scout, Boy Scout and Venturing sections. I chase all stragglers out of the room. (As the largest group, we keep the big room)
7:20-8:00 General Cub Scout section, following the Cub RT guide with additional info on Cub events, training, etc.
8:00-8:30 Cub Scout breakout sessions (per Cub RT guide)
8:30-9:00 Fellowship and clean-up
9:00 - Out of the building per our agreement w/ the church
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There is an excellent collection of photos of props here:
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We recently had a Scoutmaster in our council arrested too. It sparked a lot of interest in the topic and have had more units showing the youth videos.
In our troop we do show the video every year. The questions the boys ask change, and as they age we will add the video for the older boys as well, which we will show only to them. We invite the parents and get a lot of good feedback about the presentation.
Some people choose not to participate - that's O.K., but out of 29 youth 25 or so attended this fall when we did the presentation.
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Other topic - I am not sure that the BSA's ban on homosexuals in our program really has anything to do with Youth Protection. It has to do with the fact that some of our major chartering organizations feel that being homosexual is wrong, and that a homosexual __as a leader__ cannot set an example of being morally straight.
There is currently a hoo-haw in (I think) Connecticut about couple of women who volunteered to lead in their son's Cub Scout pack, but felt they had to tell the DE that they were a couple. He declined their applications. It can't be that there was a YP issue - since we don't have little girls to worry about.
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In our pack we have a uniform inspection as part of every pack meeting. As part of the gathering activity, Scouts present themselves to the Cubmaster or Assistant Scoutmaster. They are awarded tickets for our door prize drawing for attendance, and proper uniform (tucked in, neckerchief, etc.) extra tickets are awarded for official pants and bringing a food shelf item.
At the end of the meeting we have a drawing for small food items (Little Debbie, storebought cookies) and $1 items like water bottles, clearance books from the scout shop, just stuff leaders pick up for very little.
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Snowshoes are fun! You get a lot of good exercise using them.
I've had a pair since I was in college, so mine are the old school kind - wooden. I've never used a pair of the newer lighter weight ones.
There are a variety of types of snowshoes and the Bean web site divides them into "recreational", "day hiking" and "backcountry" categories. I imagine the price goes up as the intensity of the activity increases. There is a nice synopsis there of what the difference is and how to choose.
I've never been disappointed with anything I've purchased from Bean's, and $100 is a reasonable price for the day hiking type of shoe. You can get cheaper ones, but as with any outdoor gear, you get what you pay for.
The great thing about the new styles is the crampons on the bottom - these make ascending and descending slopes much easier. Traditional snowshoes don't have them and you have to adopt a variety of strategies to avoid ending up on your kiester.
Using poles makes the experience more pleasant as well, as they help provide stability - again something we didn't have in the "old days", but which I would strongly suggest.
Do any of your local camps have snowshoes? Ours stock them as regular equipment for check out at a modest fee. Local parks rent them as well. A short term try out is one way to see if you enjoy the activity without the up front investment.
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Dues just went up to $80.00 - includes neckerchief, custom numbers, shoulder loops, all badges, registration, Boy's Life, troop t-shirt and some other things I don't remember.
Summer camp approx $215.
Monthly campouts vary - regular outings $30 - camporees, etc are more.
Winter camp $80-100
We have yet to do any high adventure, so don't know.
A regular monthly campout will be $5 per meal (4 meals) for food, plus a share of the camping fees. Our camporee fees are $15 plus the food cost, so those (three a year) are $35 or $40.
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I must have been old and feeble for about 12 years now. I haven't had a son in the program for about that long. However, we recently signed our youngest up for a special needs Crew, so I am now a committee member in a Pack and Troop and a Crew. What WAS I thinking.
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Is this a new name for the Webelos to Scout Transition Coordinator? This position has been standard in the Membership committee for sometime. It is certainly not a new goal to transition as many Webelos Scouts to Boy Scouting as possible.
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I've also heard about a 4th badge - Scouting Heritage.
This is the schedule I've seen for release:
Scuba - Q4 2009
Souting Heritage - Q4 2009
GPS/GIS - Q1 2010
Robotics - Q2 2010
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Oops - forgot. Sometimes it also depends on which camp facility we are using - if there isn't an appropriate range, and equipment, then that's a consideration. Last spring was at a camp which only has a BB-gun range and BB-equipment, so it wasn't part of the program.
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It depends on the camporee theme. This fall's upcoming event includes archery and black powder. Sometimes the theme lends itself to shooting sports, sometimes not.
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We too have converted our raffle into a door prize drawing.
Tickets are awarded for being on time, bringing a food shelf item, being in uniform - with neckerchief (and an extra ticket for wearing uniform pants). Additional tickets may be awarded for showing Scout Spirit during the meeting.
The scouts from one den each month are tasked with bringing a small, prepackaged food item - cookies or snack cakes. In addition, we pick up items at dollar stores, the Target dollar bin, Scout shop, etc. We generally give out 6-10 items per meeting.
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I have in the past worked on specialty Shooting Sports days for Cubs. They have been very popular.
We have a one day horse back riding event coming up this fall. I'm curious to see how that goes.
We haven't had the same experience you seem to have had, not sure why.
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So if they were going to redo it anyway, why oh why didn't they get rid of the plaid? Just make an all green cap w/ the Webelos emblem on the front.
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You may also want to visit the training page on the National COuncil web site:
http://www.scouting.org/Training/Adult.aspx
There are descriptions of basic, supplemental and advanced training courses at that page.
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We use individual Scout accounts to provide an incentive for fundraiser participation. Our parents appreciate the fact that their sons can earn part of their camp fees, etc.
We also communicate to the parents the benefits to their sons of participating in the fundraiser. The Scouts develop self confidence, demonstrate bravery (its hard for a little kid to approach an adult), hone math skills, even get a little exercise walking around the neighborhood with their buddy or parent.
We use prizes and a pie throwing incentive to keep the boys enthused. For every twenty items sold, the Scout earns a ticket he can redeem for a whipped cream pie to throw at any adult leader. Twenty items sold in the first week earns an additional ticket.
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Your trainer was indeed mis-informed. The Cub scout leader book addresses this subject in the chapter on advancement. IIRC, in general, the recommendation is to keep the boy with his den, *unless* his parents feel he would benefit from repeating the rank. This however is usually only the case if the Scout has _not_ earned his rank.
Think about it this way - Scouts may be one place where he feels successful (especially if he has been advancing successfully). Why would you want him to feel worse about Scouting when he likely doesn't feel good about his school experience.
I don't have my leader book handy. Dig yours out and find the chapter and read it. I think it will help.
Webelos and the Year of Celebration patch
in Cub Scouts
Posted
This is addressed in the FAQs for the patch program:
"Can a Cub Scout carry over completed requirements to a Boy Scout troop?
Yes. Before the Cub transitions from their den to their troop, their completed requirements must be entered. Go to the online form to enter the completed requirements, and indicate that no ribbons were completed. You may print a record of this by clicking on the Print an order form link. Then, it is the responsibility of the Cubs parent or guardian to notify the troops Scoutmaster that he is coming in with completed requirements which do count toward a Year of Celebration ribbon."
http://ww2.scouting.org/100years/100years/sitefiles/1000/YourSource/PlanningTools/YOC/YOC_FAQ.pdf