JoeBob

10 minutes ago, MattR said:

Maybe you're thinking of sheet bend?

Busted.  And I can't even plead typo; the 'T' and 'P' are even close to each other...

On the other hand, I'm knot alone:

https://weaving.wonderhowto.com/how-to/tie-sheep-bend-knot-for-camping-325923/

3 hours ago, Eagledad said:

Hmm, 10 trees?      I hate tree identification. Is that a left brain or right brain thing?

I don't know about brains; I do know about trees.

My Scouting mentor was the districts' nature instructor.  He would get absolutely effervescent whenever we stumbled upon a new tree that he could teach us.  We picked Blueberries and made Sassafras tea together along the AT in every state.  

Here's a quick way to get boys interested in tree ID: tell them to pick a Sweet Gum leaf and crush it in their hand. (Show them the right tree...) {If you know what a Sweet Gum tree is...}  The fresh sap is very fragrant and distinctive.  They'll never forget it.  FWIW: Try to avoid Sweet Gum as firewood; it's almost impossible to split as the grain grows in a very convoluted pattern.

A Scout is helpful:  

46 minutes ago, ParkMan said:

My ideal plan training would look something like:

1) Quick intro training for new leaders like @Eagledad suggests.

2) In depth position training for each position.  Seperate ASM training from SM training.  

3) Mentoring program for new leaders.  Team experienced Scouters up with new Scouters.  New does not mean new to Scouting.  It means new to your role.

4) Ongoing specalty trainings for experienced Scouters.  i.e. "Implementnig the Patrol Method" for Scoutmasters.

5) Advanced trainings for those that really want them - stuff like Powder Horn or Wood Badge.

And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is how you get a two-beaded Would Badger scouting expert.  I see no T-2-1 basic Scout skills in Parkman' perfect training outline. 

 If a leader can't cut firewood, warn a boy about poison sumac, build a lean-to in a storm, splint a broken arm, or even pack a backpack; then that troop should probably stay in the city.  Indoors in the city.  You can learn basic first aid for paper cuts on the Bandaid box.

4 hours ago, Eagledad said:

what they need to be confident leaders are the very basic skills for that first time because the first time is 90 percent of everything they need to know,

Eagledad: you nailed it.  Inexperienced new leaders would profit immensely from a quick, non-threatening way for them to learn the basic T-2-1 skills.  YPT, troop dynamics, boy-led, and patrol method are all subtleties that can be learned after new leaders are comfortable with the basic skills.  There are enough old codgers that can teach the basics and make it fun.  There are plenty of young whippersnapper Scouts that could kindly teach a course of T-2-1 and not make new leaders feel like idiots.

PLEASE avoid the Wood Badge mentality "We know more than you and are hence better than you until you take our super-secret initiation course in order to be as good as us."  New leaders need confidence that stems from real knowledge of what they want their boys to master.

But I disagree with one of your basic premises: confidence without competence is a doomed mindset.  I'm sure that all of us have known / worked with / tolerated a clueless bumbler who felt very good about his ability, but in reality couldn't distinguish his arse from a hole in the ground.  Boys see through the facade.  If you can't tie a sheepbend, start a fire, identify 10 trees, or hike 20 miles; you have no standing to test the Boys.

Sounds fun!  Ripped 4x4s (2x2s?) would worry me for their splitting potential.  If available, Bamboo would be ideal: lightweight, strong, and good lashing points at the section rings.

We expect a report!

Mid 70's Army used 'Two' to end a salute.

Large formations, BN size or bigger, always included 'Ready' or 'Ready Up' to improve synchronization.  

PETA = People Eating Tasty Animals

'Vegetarian' is an old Cherokee word for 'Poor Hunter'.

43 minutes ago, WisconsinMomma said:

The kids need to see consequences for bad behavior. 

Plus one hundred!

This ain't the type of adult behavior that you want your son to model.

Hang out on this page long enough and you'll get a 10% discount offer:

http://www.hatchetsandaxes.com/tomahawks/throwing-tomahawks

Here's the kit that you'll want for camp.  (We bought this one for our troop,  The extra handles are a necessity, as they get split when hit by subsequent throws.)

http://www.hatchetsandaxes.com/scout-special-16-hawk-throwing-kit-for-younger-scouts

High dollar, more durable:

https://www.sogknives.com/throwing-hawks-3-pack-nylon-sheath.html

Our boys grew tired of tomahawks faster than we thought that they would,  It requires a time investment to get good at sticking them, and then more time to become accurate.  However our adults enjoyed the challenge.

Edit: Don't 'Google', 'Bing'!

If you go rogue, you may as well go Secret Society, too.  Bring back the loincloths!

Or is that a YPT issue?

On 7/14/2018 at 7:11 AM, RememberSchiff said:

Hmm, maybe one of your scouts gave your car a pheromone rinse. 

I'll make sausage all day long; but I do NOT want to know how they collect that stuff...

14 hours ago, Keithami said:

the court order that stated my sons mother visitation was not to start until 6PM  on Friday,

Sounds like extreme sour grapes to me.  If mom was going to abscond with kid, she'd do it at 6pm Friday when the OP must give her the child.  That mom has visitation shows that she is not a threat.  What if mom signed up as a volunteer, passed her background check, and signed up to work daycamp? Would Camp Norse then be responsible for keeping the two apart?

 I'm sorry that mom had the time to be with son at daycamp and you didn't.  Please don't ask volunteer scouters to enforce your pettiness. 

6 hours ago, ScouterNorth said:

Correct me if I'm wrong but...

Is a pistol even a viable hunting firearm?

In Georgia I have collected one whitetail with a 10mm Colt Delta Elite open sight semi-auto and several with a scoped 38-40 Ruger Blackhawk.  Hunting with a pistol makes you up your game in stalking and scouting your prey.  The shots must be closer.  My 38-40 pistol groups tighter with handloads at 100 yards than my little brother's 30-06.  Really hacks him off!

Whatever you do, do NOT let the BF become a registered scout leader.  Because then BF could not be at home alone with your son or drive him to meetings.....

4 hours ago, MattR said:

boys ... need a purpose.

My best successes (maybe only successes) with older scouts is when you get them to own modeling and mentoring.  "Would you teach Youngscout how to ABC?" "How's Youngscout doing?  Do you need any help?"  "Thank you for working with Youngscout."

Once you get them hooked on teaching skills; they realize that they now have the credibility to teach attitudes, manners, and morals.  And the adult leaders are are at the top of this long line of good men teaching boys to be good men, because at some point in their youth, they were Youngscout.

Some boys never get it.  "Okay, Youngscout can tie a square knot now.  I'm going back to throwing rocks in the river."

***

Boys need a safe environment to take risks.  If boys attempt only tasks that they know they can succeed at, they'll never fail, and their personal growth will be slower.  Some boys won't take chances if the girls are watching...

That line of storms blew through here earlier. 

https://www.ajc.com/news/local/breaking-deadly-incident-newton-county-boy-scouts-camp/tVwr8m3HqQE8KN7moES4DK/

Bert Adams was aggressively thinning the trees when I was last there.  It's mostly towering pine trees 100's of feet tall.  I can vouch for the fact that cutting 90% of the trees makes the remaining 10% of trees more susceptible to wind damage.  Without the rest of the grove to dissipate some of the wind speed, the single trees get whipped around by the full force of the air.

What's the solution?  No trees?  No shade?  Dang, that's hot!

Heartfelt prayers for the family of the 14 yo Texas scout and all involved.

3 hours ago, NJCubScouter said:

One, I really hope that nobody actually tries to do that.  It is not what Scouting is all about, and would not reflect well on that person - and most likely their parents, who I suspect would be the people who actually dreamed up such a thing.

Two, if someone does try to do it, I hope the BSA does not permit them to do it.  I do not support allowing games to be played with the policy.

You know, I hope several girls sign up this week as boys.  It's allowable: Irving can't question the gender selection on the application.  It's strategic: why wait on BSA national to get off the stick?  Everybody knows that co-ed is coming.  Why should BSA penalize my daughter because they can't make up their mind?

Why my cavalier attitude?  I think that BSA National deserves some of their own medicine.  No gays!  Ummmm...  No atheist Eagles! Well...  Certainly no gay leaders for our children to role model.   Well you see...  No girls!

I'd like to see lots of 'boys' with pigtails sign up immediately and change their minds 2 years from now after Irving changes their edict.

How's it feel?

I don't know.

Did they have insurance?

Who is going to be sued for the first pregnant 'Boy' Scout?

STDs anyone?

OMG!

"Today everything is so different. Unquestionably one of the great problems of the modern day is the tendency toward soft living; too much heat; too much dress-up clothes; soft, highly seasoned food to tease the appetite. The curse of modern city life for all of us is softness; soft lights; soft easy chairs, soft music, and a passive type of entertainment."

Ponder the import of those words for a moment.

Before I reveal to you that they were written in 1923...

Further:

1. Teach nothing indoors that can be learned out-of-doors.
2. Teach nothing from books that can be learned from nature.
3. Teach nothing from dead nature which can be observed on the living.
4. Nature is to be the schoolroom and the schoolbook, unless insuperable difficulties prevent.
5.  

Thanks for the link @walk in the woods

When I read the originating post; I thought the OP was asking how to handle a prospective member who is obviously a girl, but selected a blatantly false position as male in order to game the system.  

What I would do in the case of a tomboy wanting to be a scout is "Welcome to the troop.  But we're going to have an issue with who shares a tent with you, so please recruit another 'boy' to be your buddy."  

And then we'd have no issues with getting enough female leaders on trips.  Because we're all boys, right?

3 minutes ago, NJCubScouter said:

(Apologies to myself.)

Did you accept?

Hopefully Summer Camp will provide enough distractions to keep your son interested for the short term.  But I would definitely plan on finding a new troop.  The situation you described is toxic and you are not in a position to change it.  Leaving for a better troop is definitely preferable to dropping scouting because of aberrant adults.

Consider letting your boy know that y'all will be troop shopping (keep it to himself) so that he'll have something to look forward to.

An imaginary tally in my head of forum opinions of Would Badger would break down like this:

30% liked Wood Badge, thought it was worthwhile, and were glad that they were now part of the cool crowd.

30% were gray.  It was okay.  May have learned a few things.  Did make new friends.

30% thought it was a waste of their time.  Corporate dynamics are fine for adults who have a monetized interest to leverage, but hard to apply to boys when the adults are supposed to be 100 yards away.  Wish they had spent the time with their troop instead.  (Most of this group were either old-time scouters or Eagles in their youth.)

5% hated it and left after the Friday night WAYCW, aka - The Prisoners Dilemma.

5%.....  I forget.