AnneinMpls

If I may have your permission, I can post your request at wagggs-l where they are really keen on GS inspirational readings etc. and might be able to come up with something appropo.

Something the girl wrote would be pretty cool to have read - Gold Award generally requires some write-up and there might hbe something to use from that, or maybe thak you letters from the organization she helped?

I'll keep thinking,

Anne in Mpls

Good morning, Firecrafter

I'm starting off with a smile because I'm afraid I may have some harsh things to say. Please take it with a grain of salt, because I only have your posts here to go on, ok?

I just finished reading through your posts to date and a couple things jump out at me right away.

1. Your position is Committee Member, yes? I'm glad you are supportive of your SM - he definitely needs folks in his corner supporting him as it sounds like he's doing a super job under difficult circumstances. But, unless/until your position title changes, you might need to rein back a bit on the micromanaging yourself - you're not in a position in which this is helping. Many of the issues you've raised are the perview of the SM, and other issues you need to let lay in the laps of the UC and CC. It's take a deep breath time - what doesn't *matter* doesn't matter.

2. Your troop started 3 years ago out of a conflict-ridden situation and that's a nasty heritage that will continue to bite your unit in the proverbial butt. It seems you all got the active/uppity parents and left behind the do-nothings. Terrible split to have and difficult to overcome.

3. It sounds like your Troop Committee is bloated with folks with no real job to do. So they'll continue to create their own job descriptions with items such as Second-guess the SM, Brow-beat Scouts, Discuss and Gossip ad nauseum.

I think ASMs serve at the pleasure of the SM, because the SM is responsible for them, so if the ASM is as bad as what you're telling us, it's up to the SM to drop him from the charter. (I think?)

*IF* you were the CC, I'd recommend cutting the fat from the Committee. Keep only those folks with actual committee positions, and if you need one or two "at large" positions to keep valuable folks on board, then do that. You need a CC. You need outdoor, advancement, treasurer, etc. You do not need Chief Gossip-monger, Vice-chief gossip-monger, Asst. to the Vice-chief gossip-monger and so on. But, you're not the CC. So....that brings me to the most pointedly pointy question: what *is* your role in the troop? What is your position on the Committee? Your focus on doing your own job to your very best will serve as role model to the rest of the committee - that's where you need to be most active. If you have a good relationship with the CC, then you might gently pass on these or other suggestions that might make things more workable, but you must realize it's really not your call, at least as far as I can tell from what you've posted.

In peace!

Anne in Mpls

Hello again Campcrafter )

Goodness, thank you for the lovely compliment - I'll remember your words every time I'm feeling incredibly foolish - which is pretty often!

You said they organized the new scouts into a New Scout Patrol. Who's the ASM assigned to the NSP? How bout...you? ) Then you don't have to worry over trying to change "the whole troop" "right away" - just make the NSP the very best NSP it can be (put the rest of the troop to shame - interpatrol competition? Have the NSP instigate it themselves - send the older boy patrol a letter in a bottle challenging them to whatever piece of scoutcraft you've been helping them learn up down and sideways

You can make change from within - you're still playing the game of scouting - just the challenges are greater - don't see the current troop leadership as "wrong" - just as "worthy opponents"

Hmm, the boys didn't get to cook at the last campout? There's a wide-open opportunity to challenge the older boys - or even the adults! (Might be the NSP has *more* experience with outdoor cooking than the boys who have been with this troop for awhile!)

Your team has the ball, and you've got a couple hundred cheerleaders on your side among us (though only some of us actually look good in a skirt...)

Peace!

Anne in Mpls

Hmmm....that's going to vary from person to person of course...

I was a BSA volunteer years back - started off becoming a troop committee chair in order to get my then husband active in something He came along as an ASM so we were a package deal for a troop that was trying to get back on its feet. From there we moved our volunteering a little closer to home when we started a Cub Scout pack - this time he was Cubmaster and I was Pack CC and we also were the Bear and Webelos den leaders when volunteers were in short supply.

Now as a single mom I'm back to being a very active GSUSA volunteer as a troop leader and service unit volunteer, also lead some training now and again when it fits my schedule.

The reason I want to get active again in the BSA is because there's a whole lot the BSA does right, whereas in GSUSA we're forever reinventing the wheel or pushing ropes uphill. So I want to maintain/renew my connections with BSA folks to keep my motivation going for my GSUSA jobs, and I'm also looking seriously at transitioning or cross-enrolling our older girls into a Venturing Crew.

You'll notice nowhere along the way was I a Scoutmaster or ASM - I suppose I could have served in those positions, but the real need was for CC leadership, and I happen to have the skill set for motivating folks to step up for committee jobs, along with being very good at knowing and following policy and helping other folks to understand it better.

I also tend towards thinking boys need men as role models, and girls need women as role models so if good folks are available to fill those positions I gladly let them That's not to say I don't think women ought to be Scoutmasters or ASMs - if that's where their skillset is, and they don't feel the need to serve young women for whatever reason, then go for it. In other words, this view of mine only pertains to how I choose to use my skills, and I'm fine with how someone else chooses to use hers )

Peace,

Anne in Mpls

Hmmm...

You don't mention any particular behavior issues, so it might just be that it's not meeting his interests right now.

How boy-led is your troop? Does he have an opportunity for input into what his patrol does? This game of scouting ought to provide young people with what truly feeds them, so if interest is flagging, I'd sooner look to the programming...

Is there too much emphasis on Adavancement rather than on achieving?

Is he wanting to define himself apart from dad? Does he want you over on the *other* side of the room more, but maybe doesn't want to come right out and *say* that to you?

Is he getting hassled by somebody that's taking the fun out of it?

These are just ideas off the top of my head - I'm not at all familiar with you or your troop or your family )

Just keep hittin the back button a few more times and you'll be right back up there

Anne in Mpls

Anne in Mpls

Anne in Mpls

I would caution against restricting fluids at bedtime, as the more concentrated urine can act as an irritant and may make wetting more likely. (Besides, less concentrated urine does't smell nearly as bad as dark, concentrated urine!) Drinking *plenty* of water, and peeing frequently keeps the bladder much happier and obedient

Anne in Mpls

ScoutNut, what's a VISTA?? Havn't heard a thihng about it...

It's my understanding that the council realignment process is on the range of 3-5 years, with final map due this October.

Our council has held 3 meetings for volunteers to get the information that was presented in Orlando.

Anne in Mpls

I think getting buy-in from the youth is a lot easier than getting it from the adults.

It's inportant to help them both see that things are progressing.

(Reminder - we are GSUSA, ot BSA...)

I dug up a old resource from the 50's, back when GSUSA still published a PL handbook. It's a fabulous cartoon-illustrated piece, and it has a page titled "What Troop Leaders Do During Patrol Meetings" "They may be talking with a guest...Or just looking out the window or gazing at the sky..."

The girls get a superb kick out of me doing a dramatic reading of this page, and we use the catch phrase that their job is to make us adult leaders really really bored. Then I make sure that they chance to catch me striking a "looking out the window or gazing at the sky" pose.

Alright, maybe not helpful exactly but it works for us

Peace!

Anne in Mpls

This is a scripted piece I wrote for unit volunteers to use at day camp to introduce the buddy system. Use as is, or your comments are appreciated too to make it better It includes a couple very simple ice-breaker games to reinforce the buddy system.

Peace,

Anne in Mpls

Orientation for girls on how to be a good buddy!

Whats your name?

Whats your buddys name?

Having a buddy is an important part of staying safe and having fun here at day camp!

A buddy is a person for you to be with. The buddy system is everything we do with our buddies to keep each other safe.

The adult leaders and caddies have done their part to make our day camp safe and fun. Being a good buddy is how you do your part to keep our day camp safe and fun.

What makes a good buddy?

Know who your buddy is! Quick: turn around and see if you can remember what your buddy is wearing. Were you right? Did you mix anything up or forget anything important? Try it again! You can also play another game: each buddy secretly changes something about what theyre wearing maybe take a barrette out, or roll your socks down, then turn back around and see if you can figure out whats different!

Stay with your buddy!

This works best when you keep the same buddy all day. That way, you always know who youre supposed to be with. Any adult leader or caddie you see can ask you where your buddy is well be checking! Stay with your buddy.

Well, how close do you mean when you say stay with your buddy?

When youre in your unit area, working on a craft or playing a game, youre close enough when both of you are within your unit areas boundaries. (Ask your unit leader or caddie if you dont know the boundaries!) Same thing if youre at a station playing a game (again, make sure you know the boundaries for the station!)

Heres another game to play with your unit and with your buddy: Your leader or caddie will call out a direction: Elbow to ear!, and yup, you and whoever is next to you put elbow to ear! Or hand to toe, or hair to nose, or whatever the leader calls out, when she calls out Buddy to buddy! you run and get your buddy and hold your hands in the air.

If your buddy needs to go somewhere, to the bathroom or the first aid station going with her is your job! You go with her, and she goes with you. Everywhere you go. If an adult is not walking with you, you and your buddy hold hands. (Remember! Any of the adult leaders or caddies can ask you wheres your buddy?)

Some activities require more attention from our buddies to keep us safe. When you are in the water or on the boat, you need to be within arms reach you should be able to touch your buddy instantly if she needs you right there.

The adult leaders may need to make changes to these rules for being a good buddy thats their job, to keep watching the situation and figuring out what makes sense. As with everything else in Girl Scouts, you respectfully follow the rules and follow the leaders instructions.

Good morning, Bob!

Yha, you've definitely got your work cut out for you, but you've also got some "comrades in arms" who will be on board with getting things back on track.

Have you been to Woodbadge yet? Or is it still coming up for you this spring? You'll be able to craft your ticket items to exactly what your troop needs most. You might also put a bug in the SM's ear to attend woodbadge with you too. Actually...since the SM serves at the Troop Committee's pleasure, you could suggest that the CC let Mr SM kow that his continued appt. as SM is dependent upon his attending woodbadge

Just a thought,

Anne in Mpls

Oren, thanks~! What are the dimensions of the 4-man tents you use? Is 8x8 or 9x7 about "right" for overflowing 3 scouts (or 4 littler ones?) or do you go bigger?

LongHaul, thanks to you too! Now you've got me taking a tape measure to my sleeping bags. Oh well. The neighbors already think I'm weird

All of our sleeping bags are 28" wide. My Thermarests are 21" wide. My fullsize (I think?) Airbed fit nicely (wall to wall) in the smaller one of my teeny tiny cheap 2-man dome tents (you know the kind with the doily rainfly on top!). (And yes, resulting in condensation along the sides, but I stayed cosy and dry.)

Thanks!

Anne in Mpls

LongHaul - thanks for your very astute observations on the Osage 4 - I guess you're right that 4 would be pushing them right up to the sides. The Osage 2 is for some reason a lot roomier for the 2... Our weather here is a lot rainier than I generally acknowledge

I'm now leaning more towards some 2-person tents as we already own a couple larger tents, but the total cost is anxiety-provoking. We want to be sure we're spending our money on something that's a high enough quality to justify it.

(Scoutnut, you and I have gone around the merry-go-round before - I don't want to have to keep re-explaining our troop organization for you year after year. It just seems like a big waste of time to me. Yes, we are a troop existing in perpetuity. We bridge girls in and out of our troop. If you're still curious or don't remember our previous conversations please visit the archives.)

We serve a very low income population so buying tents as a troop is the plan. Our plan up till now has been adult leaders pretty much fully subsidizing the troop on equipment needs which obviously isn't quite the right way to go either. It's difficult enough to encourage parents to stretch their budgets to get sleeping bags and socks and hats. Most outings we are trying to track down needed stuff like shoes that fit. Very low income means little to no access to health care and not eating a full meal over a weekend because there's no school.

So, I'm still working on the stated subject: how many, how big Anyone got a rule of thumb for square footage per persohn that they like to go with?

Thank you folks

Anne in Mpls

Some more number-crunching:

The Osage 2 allows 30" of width per person. The Osage 4 allows 25.5" per person. The Osage 6 seems to allow 24" for 2 of the 6, and 30" for the other 4...

G'mornin good people

Alright, so I'm browsing tents moire seriously this year because of the info on ALPS mountaineering, and trying to figure out how many tents we'd need to buy. We're now up to 4 patrols: 2 with 4, 1 with 6, and 1 with 8 girls.

Many here advocate 2 to a tent: I like this because it reinforces the buddy system.

On the other hand, our funds are very limited and bigger tents are cheaper to buy per square foot from what I can tell from my browsing.

Currently I'm runing comparisons on several brands offering 4-person dome tents either 8x8 or 9x7 approximately.

If we put two to a tent, we'd need 12 tents. If we put 4 to a tent, we'd need 6. 12 of the ALPS Osage 2 would cost us $461.88 plus shipping.

6 of the Osage 4 would cost us $362.94 plus shipping. So, $99 difference...

Most of you say to subtract one in order to fit folks comfortably in the tents. Well, there's o 3-person Osage, so that would mean 12 Osage 4's for $725.88 or 6 Osage 6's for $593.94 for a difference of $132. The Osage 4 just seems like an awful lot of tent for 2 people. We also generally dont camp more than 2 nights in a row so not a lot of gear to stow. Dunno. What do you think?

Anne in Mpls

I am in the process of writing a compilation of information on vagabond stoves and buddy burners. It's up to 20 pages now and not finished yet )) I'll put word in here when it's complete. Could use a place to post it online so it's easily accessible for folks too...

Peace!

Anne in Mpls

Hi Eamonn

I know Patrol Method is not a Venturing method, but could you do kinda the same thing with squads?

Have three or four squads, and each meeting, one of the squads is in charge of training new recruits (drill? how the Venture crew operates? orientation?), the other squads work on whatever is underway at the time...?

you do still have to solve the lack of adult leadership issue of course - sounds like right now you're needing someone with a particular skill set. What are those needed skills? Where do you find those sorts of people? You know how to do this of course

Peace!

Anne in Mpls

No no no, the proper earrings to wear with the uniform are, naturally, fish hooks. To augment your survival gear of course

Anne in Mpls

Wow - thank you )) I'd hunted the web like crazy but didn't come across it again.

Thanks again!

Anne

Hi folks - I barely remember coming across an annual event held in Wisconsin or Michigan I think? involving Sea Scouts, Boy Scout troops, Cadette/Senior/Studio2B troops, Venturers....does this ring a bell for anyone? I'm pretty sure they had a website and seemed the event took over the entire town for a weekend. Not sure why I'm thinking Bayfield.

Anne scratching head in Mpls

Yes, we *are* that weird.

5:02 am central time. Gotta head off to work (driving schoolbus)

Peace out

Anne in Mpls

lol....tell us how you really feel Scoutnut )

A. Umm, yha, $6 a pop? I have 17 girls in our troop. That's over a hundred dollars that I *know* the girls would rather spend on a camping trip or horseback riding.

B. By Girls For Girls? Are they kidding? What girl would have *ever* come up with these requirements. I can't tell that they had any input from any girl any where for this new scheme.

C. Girl Scouts 11-17 - after all of the hullabaloo over how teen girls are *really* subdivided into three age groups, they come up with one truly awful set of requirements that are over the heads of the 11-13 year olds, irrelevant to 13-16 year olds, and *yawn* pedantic for the 16-17 year olds.

D. The same necklace! It's the same dangblasted necklaces for both the Juniors and the 11-17s! Ok, one's maroon and one's blue. Ooooh. And the 4th graders don't even think they're cool!

Please can't we make it stop?

Anne in Mpls

G'mornin folks

Would love to hear opinions on the new challenge awards that national put out. You can read about them here: http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_central/challenge/default.asp

I've looked into the Challenge 2 for our Juniors and am thinking it's a hard-sell - very paper and pencil. What do you think?

Anne in Mpls

Got another tip for taking younger folk winter camping.

So many of these 11 year olds are pretty short. A fullsize bag is too much space for them to warm up. Either use "childsize" cold-rated bags (but only if they'll be used often enough to make it worth the investment) or tuck the extra length of a fullsize bag under the feet. Less space for small bodies to have to warm up.

Peace,

Anne in Mpls

Oh my....what do I want for Christmas?

I want my kiddo home with me. Also, I want to not feel gulty for wanting her with me, instead of going to her dad's. Sigh.

I want her to have a wonderful visit - it's been more than two years since she's seen him, and she's feeling flu-ish and miserable this weekend and her flight out is in two days.

*I* want a nice date with a sweet guy. No one on the horizon though. Sigh, again

I want my friends to have some joy this season - seems every one of them is being hit hard this year. One is celebrating her first Christmas apart from her kiddo this year and cried on my shoulder yesterday. Another is recovering from cancer surgery and heading towards divorce. Another one - her grandpa just passed away and she's hosting an extra family in her home who were evicted from their apartment last week. And today just heard another friend's mother passed away over the weekend. I wat so much to be there for each of them, but the well is seeming to be running a bit dry just now...shall light some candles I suppose.

Peace,

Anne in Mpls