jeff-o

I don't know what National's position is on this these days (searching the web gives you various opinions and options). Here are things I DO know: 1. Our Council's summer camp is offering these merit badges. Based on what requirements, I have no idea. 2. Our district has approved the preliminary requirements and scouts can (because one of mine has) earn the merit badges based on those requirements. Our district approved the scouts working on them, and they allowed us to send approvals to council, and council sent us the merit badge. My suggestion -- ask your district executive.

Ah, but with the cobbler, does not one also put PIE filling in said cobbler? Therefore, this can only be considered as both part of the pie family and the cake family. 1. Shepard's Pie 2. Pizza Pie 3. Cobbler 4. Any pie someone else makes that I get to eat.

I know some hate badge magic, and I certainly agree that there is something to be said for learning sewing. I have been using badge magic for the past four years on all my uniform stuff. The only place it hasn't held perfectly is on a nylon windbreaker. One patch (of dozens) has slightly slid on that surface. All patches on uniforms are great. The only repair I've had to make is on the large shoulder strip for district -- it bends so much that I have needed to (once) add a little more badge magic to keep the ends down.

And a minor suggestion going forward -- for this troop and anyone else -- perhaps next time someone wants to be bugler, they be asked to audition for it. Then we will all know if they can actually play the instrument.

Edit for above -- yes, the badge was received from council, not district. District is the one who approved us working on the badge, as when I asked council, they told me to ask district.

Any word that National has canceled these is simply untrue. A Scout approached me a few weeks ago and wanted to work on Pathfinder, based on what he had read on the Internet. I checked with my DE, and he said to go ahead, then fill out the advancement form and send it in. We did. Today I received the merit badge from our district in the mail. I'd say that means this thing is going full steam ahead, right now.

" Be a bit like your doctor wearin' a ribbon from his 5th grade science fair project on his lab coat. " Oh thanks, Beavah, I needed a laugh this evening!!!

>>>>>As a Scoutmaster, I view my main job as making sure these crazy scouts don't hurt themselves.

To answer the question posed, I'd have to say: "Anything that doesn't put people in danger or compromise the Boy Scout program." As a Scoutmaster, I view my main job as making sure these crazy scouts don't hurt themselves. Other than that, I'm willing to let them try anything they think they can do. And if I think they can do it, I'll push them to help them realize they can do it. The only time I overrule decisions or outright say "no" is when they want to do something that I know is just physically dangerous. If its against Boy Scout policy (not written policy, but the aims of Scouting),

I just got word from our local DE, and the merit badges are a go at our local level. He says that until all the electronic stuff is up to speed, just print out blank advancement forms, write it in, and he'll make sure it goes through where and how it needs to. And no, you can't have our DE for your very own.

Now I was quite careful -- I said the Scout had completed the requirements. He looked it up on the web, found the requirements, and completed them. So now I'm trying to find out what to do when the blue card is completed, so I know what to tell him. I'm hoping that my district doesn't come back and say, "Gee, sorry, we're not supporting that," but that does seem to be an option based on what council has told me. So he doesn't have a blue card, but he is ready to meet the counselor and show that he's completed the requirements -- but now I'm stuck telling him, "I'm not sure what to do for

Interesting. I just today had a Scout come to me with all the requirements completed for Pathfinding. I tried the national site. I cannot give him credit for the merit badge. I tried Scoutstuff.org, it won't let me order it, as it says it is a limited item, and I have to contact my local council. I called my local council, and they kinda wouldn't answer, and then eventually said that I had to call my district DE for information on obtaining the physical merit badge. Seems rather backwards to me, but I've got a message in to him to see where this goes.

And as of now, I'm only supposed to do advancement via the online method through scouting.org. And no, those merit badges aren't in the list yet. I guess when the Scouts in my troop earn them, I'll just have to order the patch from somewhere other than the BSA to get them. That's sad.

Tough choice. Indeed, asking your son might be a good idea. After all, with this, he's becoming more of an equal and less of a son.

Good to hear. I just read the leader's guide from our upcoming summer camp, and they're planning on offering three of the four (not pathfinder).

Wait, there's pie? I need to be part of this thread if there's pie!

Great stuff. One question, as you're moving forward with this -- could you imagine a situation where a scout would remain in the NSP? For example, let's say you started the NSP in March with 8 Scouts. By June, 5 are Tenderfoot and have moved along. The other 3 just sort of hang around and are having a good time, but just aren't real interested in advancement at all. They like Scouts, just don't appear to care about advancing. Then fall comes, and 2 of the 3 remaining decide to move along, but the last one just isn't interested. Then in fall round-up, you get another 4 Scouts to join

Just think -- in some of these cases, these boys need scouting more than anything else. I know of one boy who has parents that are currently undergoing a divorce, and fortunately he's still with Scouting -- and Scouting, right now, is the one solid thing in his life. When you see the parents that don't seem to care about the Scout, work harder to help ensure the boy doesn't grow up the same way.

If it were me, I'd plan for 4 dens right now. Sure, the best laid plans may fall apart before next year, but I'd try to get there now. And yes, in a group that size, not every cub will know every other one. So there's bound to be natural groups. Let them form and go with that. If you're worried too much about peer pressure, just have each cub write down on paper two or three they'd like to be with in a den, and take it away. As for the gas, matches, and paper -- just bring along a fire extinguisher, and you'll be fine!

Eagle732 said: "Our NSP is where new Scouts start. When they make Tenderfoot they can chose another patrol or stay in the NSP which. If they keep enough members in the NSP they eventually becomes a regular patrol." I've been struggling with how to do things with a new troop (almost 1 year old now). We've discussed it a bit among Scouts and Scout leaders, and haven't come up with much just yet. I really like this idea. I see it as the NSP that really sort of always exists, and when you earn Tenderfoot, you can leave that patrol, while others who join will continue to populate it.

Never had a problem here with Rangers, and we've dealt with them separately in three different national forests/parks in the last couple years. They have never said a bad word to us. And in fact, tomorrow I'm going to meet with a ranger at a forest to pick up gear because the following weekend the scouts of our troop had said they wanted to do a service project at the forest where we've camped for free before. I mentioned it to the rangers, and they said they had a trail that could use cleaning up, so our troop is going to spend Saturday clearing the trail, cutting brush, and re-blazing t

I can imagine it might be tough to change the method when you already have the older scouts. I haven't had that problem, having started a troop from scratch. Once thing I have started, and plan to do annually, is to have a parents meeting, at least once a year. In that meeting, I stress that this program is for the scouts. I emphasize that its a program for scouts and the scouts decide what they do, and they get to run things. As an interesting aside, at our last meeting, we had a parent with a Webelos scout come for a visit. During patrol meetings, the patrol was to plan their food for t

We're a new, small troop, so we plan on about 27 nights a year. We sent off the forms for the first unit award (10 nights) a few months ago, but haven't heard anything back. I guess I need to check and see if that check was cashed...

Personally, I see nothing wrong with accepting photos that the scout has taken himself. One scout took pictures this past summer while on vacation with his family and showed us prints of animals he saw. I thought that was pretty impressive.

Heh. You should come join our troop. We have 11 year olds who are conducting teaching classes for tenderfoot skills. I imagine by the time they are 17, they will be doing everything, including MB classes (even if they have to officially be under the supervision of an 18 YO merit badge counselor).