Jay K

IOLS can be substuted for the pack level outdoor training. This comes from a perusaul of the "new" Tour Plan form. Give National a call, I have found them always eager to help.

Wow, a generally positive thread about Wood Badge! Huzzah!

I had one son receive Arrow of light and cross over in a brief, fun ceremony that we (of the Troop) dropped into a 20 minute slot at a regular pack meeting. I had another son who crossed over to our Troop via Paperwork in December, but participated with his den at the Blue and Gold Arrow of light/ crossover event the following February. I got the idea to do that because our Wood Badge people said that we could have our bead presentation at any time or event, and even multiple times. I do reccomend talking it all over with the other Pack Adults, in case someone has an irrational objection t

This is my opinion: Scout People serving on ANY BoR should be in uniform, for all the reasons we wear a uniform. How can one think that an Eagle BoR has nothing to do with Scouting? How does one separate "Scouting" and "The Community?" Scout people going to a Scout event: Uniform. And so someone is going from work to the BoR. Bring the uniform and change into it. I have changed into my Uniform just before leaving work many, many times.

I have thought about this more. Are you saying that the Counselors at the Merit Badge event aren't adults? Are you saying that per-se they are not qualified? The 14-year old Scout with 55 Merit Badges- Hooray! I hope he gets 100. I bet that Scout isn't "hiding in the back." I've seen lots of Scouts, all sizes and shapes, have trouble setting a tent up, especially when a parent gives him a new tent for reaching a rank miestone. I had a canoe camping event where a troop brought their new tents to use them for the first time. They had trouble putting them up. I wonder about the motivat

I spoke with my DE. He said: 1. An oganization can only have one charter for a pack. 2. When an organization charters a pack, they commit to providing a space for the unit. So is this other pack operating without a charter? is their charter org listing "your" facility as their facility? My DE said that if this was going on in his District, he would certainly look into it.

I count it.

That's what I'm saying, Dichotomy from one side to the other. No National Outdoor policy that I can see.

I deal with this at the ground level: I'm a BSA Aquatics Director. I hold a monthly SWIM event in our area. I personally counsel Lifesaving MB. I humbly submit that I do a good job. I suggest: Send a few of your cagiest Scouts to it, or go yourself. You can keep a tight rein on what they take there, and see what they think. Find out who the Counselor is, and talk to him/her yourself. There's one going on here, soon. They recruited ME to counsel Lifesaving MB. They have a weather guy from a local TV station helping with Weather Merit Badge. I think that the Scouts will be blessed wor

I thought about that after I posted it. I guess I'm hazy on what happens after I hand the stuff off. I just LIKE taking the stuff to the office. I'm the proud Scoutmaster. :~)

I do suggest the you confer directly with the other unit's adults. Then, once a relationship is established, find out: Who is their Charter partner? Why do they need to use your Carter partner's facility? I'd confer with my District Executive on this; he/she should know what's going on with that other unit. Is there a District Commissioner about? I do agree that you have a problem here, and that it needs to be resolved.

When I was at college, I noticed a big dichotomy between two groups I noticed: One group of girls who'd been in Girl Scouts "loved it." "We canoed and went bike camping, went rock climbing and hiking. " The other group : "it was okay. We made crafts and talked about being women." I thought "What gives?" I got married, and immediately had a step-daughter. I took her to a Girl Scout recruiting event. She asked about camping, and got such a lame answer, that she never wanted to join. So, anyway, how does it get "fixed?"

I want you-all to know that this is all just for fun. Page 4 "Special regulations" 2009-2010 Insignia Guide,(I haven't seen a 2011 one,) : "TWO BADGES WITH THE SAME MEANING Cloth badges and embroidered square knots are representative of metal pin -on awards and are designed for the convenience of the wearer. Generally, when a cloth badge is worn, the metal one is not worn." So, I'll agree that that isn't a prohibition, but I will adhere to it anyway.

We go to our standard Council Camp, but: We bring our own food. The Scouts plan the menu, prepare shopping lists, do the shopping, divide the food into meals for each day, cook, and clean up. We use the same 5-day coolers that we bring canoe camping. (I wouldn't bring the coolers on a backpack trip.) We do go into a town midweek to get ice and food for the end of the week. We use a combination of cooking on a fire, and our camping stoves. We eat well. The Scouts are proficeint cooks.

The Way it works here: The Scout hands or mails requests for letters of reference to people that he, the Scout selects. There are suggestions like Teacher, Minister, employer. I, the Scoutmonster, write one. A stamped envelope adressed to the Scoutmaster is included. I, the Scoutmaster, then gather the letters, the application, and the project notebook, and had carry them to the Council office (I could mail them, but I don't.) I get together with the registrar, who goes over the advancement record as it appears on their computer, the paperwork that I brought, and approves it, or tells me wh

Why isn't the Outdoors central to the GSA program? :~)

We had a camporee with a movie, and it was good, but we haven't done it since. We usually have one at our OA Winter Fellowship, but that's kind a tradition. At National Camping School, Central Region, at Cole Canoe Base in 2010 the campfire WAS a movie, a video of a fire, projected on a screen. I though it was strange. :~) WWW

We cancel when the 2-deep requirement can't be met. Sometimes the other Adult isn't available because of some anticipated weather event.

The high points for me were: 1. E.D.G.E. 2. Management styles 3. Leave no Trace 4. Team development. I've put all these to use in my Troop. It was worthwhile. I'm sure that some of the other stuff will come to the fore as the future unfolds. Our course did show the power and sweep of the Scouting movement, to a degree. We were at Gilwell on the day of the 100th anniversary of the start of the Brownsea experiment.

Crutches don't preclude use of map & compass; in fact the topo lines will help in the selection of a level route. Your speculative patrol might be abandoning a hike and trying to find a bushwacking route becuse they are evacuating a Scout or an Adult who broke his ankle. This Brownsea requirement isn't Orienteering MB. I love this forum! WWW :~)

When I was a Youth I did a mile, on crutches, in 7 minutes. It might hurt a little bit, but considering it's an ankle, pick a nice level course, have lots of buddies, and do the 5 miles on the cruthes.

Wood Badge! 1. You get the beads, and then the bead-heads listen a little better to you. It's cred. 2. The weekends were fun, maybe not totally fun, but fun. 3. They DO get you to look at yourself. That's a good thing. 4. I did get some good lifetime friends out of it. It doesn't have to be anything more that that, does it? My Dad was a Wood Badge course Director, and he told me all kinds of great stuff about it. That was Wood Badge for the Bronze age. I took Wood Badge for the 21st Century, and comparing what my Dad said to what I experienced, I think that a little bit HAS

I've actually done this, and it worked great. The boy saw that he could become Arrow-of-Light, cross over, and come to summer camp with us. After camp, he went back to the Den as Den chief. It brought the den into our Troop, they were all prepared well, and they all took turns and enjoyed being patrol leader. It made for a seamless transition, they all made Life, and 5 are eagles now. I'd do it again, any time.

The main thing is to have the Scoutmaster and the Scout on the same page.

If one wears the medal, one is not supposed to wear the knot that represents it at the same time. I wear 7 knots on one shirt, and I have another with 5 knots, that I wear when I'm wearing the medals. So, I'm wearing knots, but NOT ones that represent the medals that I AM wearing. In other words, It's Knot OR medal, it is not Medal AND Knot. Jay