AnneinMpls

LOL! Well, as Girl Scouts, we think it'd be pretty lame to let the boys cook for us! My newest scouts just flew up - they are 9 year olds, so the parameters I set for their patrol were a one pot meal, and a tinfoil meal - they picked which method to use for which meal, and then which recipes and things to complete the meal. One is sleeping over at my house tonight and has approved the sausage/egg/hashbrown (good thing! she's the picky one!), and looks like if there's interest, they'll pick a muffin to bake in oranges or the biscuit thing (oh yes! honey! yup!!) Our two older patrols

Yha, I looked all over the scout stuff site and couldn't find em. I thought there were other patch companies that did them, but now I'm not finding those either (maybe the same companies that also did spoof position patches and patrol crests, etc.) Anne in Mpls

Thanks for your responses! The hashbrowns and eggs and sausage sound good - and pretty likely to turn out well (which is of course important for new campers!) We are cooking by patrols, and since others are planning things like pancakes, I'm wondering what ideas to offer in the sweet/carbo type breakfast category? Do the cakes/muffins cooked in orange peels turn out pretty dependably? This isn't one I've done. Or I'm thinking toasting biscuits on dowels while the foil packs are cooking, serving them with jelly/preserves. Thoughts? Anne in Mpls

I used to be able to find this stuff all over the web - where did it all go? Anne in Mpls

Good morning! I've got dsome younger scouts going on their first tent camping overnight with us, and I suggested they do one one-pot meal and one tinfoil meal. They went with a one-pot meal for dinner, so we're needing ideas for a breakfast of tinfoil. (Or, if you have alternate ideas for what makes sense in terms of progression in skill, let me know!) Thanks! Anne in Mpls

Also, this could be done by Junior GS's earning their Junior Aide award. Generally, this is mainly for helping Brownies prepare to fly up to Juniors, but it often grows into a more ongoing assistance to a younger troop. Peace! Anne in Mpls

Tempest in a teapot indeed I think this can be salvaged though (and it sounds like you'd prefer to find a way to keep this kid in Scouting!) I think what happened is mom got only a quick snapshot of "what was happening on the campout". Maybe her son isn't communicating too much about what goes on out there in the woods I think an invite to coffee - along with a couple of your strongest supporters among your troop's parents could be very helpful. Guide the conversation around to (or put it on the agenda up front and center) "the boy-led troop and developing leadership", then use the f

G'mornin! I know of a super-sweet 12 year old - tried cub scouts for a millisecond and found it boring. Then went to what he thought was Boy Scouts and they were making cars... (Yha, most likely it was a Webelos den meeting, but now he's got the idea that Boy Scouts is just like Cub Scouts!) So, we're looking for a good active troop, with a great outdoor program, and is good at accepting quieter intellectual types. We're looking around the Coon Rapids, NE Mpls, Fridley area, and willing to travel a bit from there. Chartered to a Catholic parish would be awesome too (Dad's active in K o

Okeydokey...lots to chew on here! Goals: prevent loss of troop equipment and funds, strengthen scout program by way of effective CO involvement, ___? I agree with getting that new trailer purchased quickly, and marking it BSA TROOP whatever (kinda like licking the car to mark it as yours Whether or not your troop ultimately switches CO's, there is value in making the effort to improve relations. Yes, pandering is not what you want to do. Ideally, you want to encourage both the CO and the troop to meet on the 2 way street. You might ask the COR to make a brief presentation to the

No, they do not publish anything on patrol leader training anymore. Keep searching ebay for when the old patrol leader handbook (comic book style) comes up for sale every now and again. The also through the 60's published two versions of the Patrol Book - one for Junior GS and one for Cadette GS - these are record books. There are a very few resources available online from troops that are trying to implement the patrol system more fully. I spend about $30 photocopying materials everytime we elect new patrol leaders in order to make older materials available to them. The old handbooks fr

Howdy First key concept in Girl Scouting is progression. Do you have a copy of Outdoor Education in Girl Scouting? Actually the earlier edition of the book has a better chart of outdoor progression. These steps are commonly talked about in GS circles: Look out, meet out, move out, explore out, cook out, sleep out, camp out, pack out. As an example, this is how the progression has played out with the girls in the troops I work with so far. Starting in brownies, we learned basic skills during troop meetings like how to roll or stuff different types of sleeping bags, how to pack gear ef

In our GSUSA local council we have a well-publicized crisis communication plan that is to be put into play anytime police, EMS or media are involved. The main step is putting in a pager call to whichever staff person is on call - they take turns so that the pager is answered 24/7. Do BSA councils have a similar procedure in place? I did not receive any training about such a plan back when I was a BSA volunteer. Anne in Mpls

Obviously there are many many different species of buzzards in different parts of the country. My head is spinning now as my research into the fabled Chartreuse Buzzards takes on the proportions of a quest for the Sangraal. (Those playing the home game may remember my birding interests began sometime ago with one handsome fish and wildlife ranger teaching our then Brownies all about woodducks, but I digress...) Buzzard is most likely from the French word Busard, the French term for hawk. English settlers may have mistakenly called the vultures here buzzards, while in Europe a buzzard is

But...why did it take them an hour to call 911?? I'm asking not to point fingers but to understand how that decision was made in case there's something to be learned from it. I know our waterfront rules required immediately sounding the alert if someone was missing for even a second after a buddy check. A canoe flips and you cant find one of em?? That's an immediate emergency I would think. It's not like someone's going to flip their canoe and then just "wander off for a bit". Anne in Mpls

Ahem. Did you not ever wonder, as I did, what these durned buzzards were doing with sharp *teeth*? I mean, they're *birds*. Birds do not have teeth. Didn't this *bother* hyou, even just a little bit? You might, or might not, be amazed to learn that the birds in the above misnamed song, are three.... CHARTREUSE Buzzards. There's a Chartreuse Buzzard song society and everything. The International Order of Chartreuse Buzzards. http://www.scoutingweb.com/ScoutingWeb/SubPages/ChartreuseBuzzards.htm Enjoy Anne in Mpls, sitting in a dead tree

"Hands off the freaking can opener!!!" (Terminology variance follows as this is GSUSA, not BSA) My asst. leader was sitting with the dolphin patrol as usual (her daughter is in the dolphin patrol). Dolphins and Tigers were to make vagabond stoves. I handed each of the patrol leaders a can opener with the reminder that they should ensure that each girl in their patrol gets a chance to help make a stove. I turn around. I turn back. My asst. leader has the can opener in her hand. Arrrrrrrrgh. I hand a meal plan form to each patrol leader. I field questions from other pa

I'd like to try again to put into words why I am (mildly, not strongly!) in opposition to this project. Currently we have the tradition in place as it has been for a long long time. It's a good tradition. It's enjoyable and has just enough air of mystery of something that's been carried forward from time immemorial to be really pretty durned cool. There are all these various threads of history passing down through entertwined interweaving lineages of these campfire ashes. At any point, someone could begin the tradition anew, or add on to an existing lineage, keeping the tradition alive

Make one the CO, ad the other The Sponsor. That way they each have separate and distinct roles to play. Anne in Mpls

Hey don't dismiss the yacht club so quickly - it sounds to me like he just isn't very familiar with Scouting in general - it may take a little time for the idea to gel. He has probably now in the meantime heard from more folks there that are a little more informed about scouting. Anyway, keep your options open and see what's available. Anne in Mpls

Umm, ok, I had to look up corrugated culvert... That's a lot to lug along on a campout. Ed, I like your idea with the foil.

Found it online... The Parting Hour By Edward Pollock There's something in "the parting hour" Will chill the warmest heart-- Yet kindred, comrades, lovers, friends, Are fated all to part; But this I've seen--and many a pang Has pressed it on my mind-- The one who goes is happier Than those he leaves behind. No matter what the journey be-- Adventurous, dangerous, far To the wild deep, or black frontier, To solitude or war-- Still something cheers the heart that dares, In all of human kind, And they who go are happier Than those they leave behind.

Really good suggestions being shared here. I also suggest doing a search in the archives on Aspergers Syndrome (which is on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum). We had a pretty lively thread going a few months back. Anne in Mpls (Kiddo with Aspergers, now having a total blast as patrol leader where she gets to figure it all out at her pace!)

Yup, that's why I put it over a hot flame for a few minutes. If that oil isn't heated up sufficently it's going to go bad. Anne in Mpls

Well, so I dug out my appelskiver pan from the depths and discovered in the last couple years it had developed some rust and one of the indentations had some kind of dark liquid goo in it. A scrubbing of Kosher salt did the trick! It absorbed most of the goo and cleaned up the areas starting to rust. Amazing stuff. Then I dumped the salt, rubbed in a tiny bit of oil, and set it on my gas stove with a high flame. The remains of the goo emitted the lovely scent of lingonberries....ahh...mystery solved. Burned and scraped off the remains of the lingonberries and my pan is good as new The

As I understand it, the tradition is that only those actually present at the campfire may recieve ashes, so I would be loathe to contribute - it just doesn't feel right to me Anne in Mpls