John-in-KC

jemek, There are several different physical forms out in Scouting land. The latest form is BSA 36405 dated January 2009. That's supposed to be the universal form for all Scouting outdoor activities (including the high adventure bases). There are a couple docs on this board, and hopefully they will come by to give their thoughts. Absent that, I'd call your friendly District Executive, and ask for the contact info for the Council Surgeon. (Many, not all Councils have a physician volunteer who provides medical advice to the professional staff and the executive board. That's who the Surgeon is. If your Council has one, he's usually a member of the Health and Safety Committee). Then, call him, explain your sons' situation, and ask him to contact your family physician. One alternative: If you'd like to have your son take some ownership in this, after getting the contact info from Council, have your Scout make the next call. Thinking on it a little further: Your doc is making a professional assessment of your Scout. While the folks here can give you some thoughts, you really do need to resolve this locally. Your doc will accept a consult with an area physician he knows. Do you think he's going to buy info from a web-board as competent consultation?(This message has been edited by John-in-Kc)

5Scoutmom's post on faith makes one of my hobbyhorse points yet again: - Faith is a matter of family - It is the duty of unit serving Scouters to ask questions about faith, especially to the parents. Note that the Chaplaincy is not a youth member position. It is adult in nature, demanding maturity in faith. - No Scout should ever be put in a position where what he is doing is anathema to his faith, by his unit leaders, youth or adult.

DO NOT FORGET BOY SCOUT DEN CHIEFS!!!! Have your Cubmaster approach your friendly, neighborhood Scoutmasters and ask for quality youth leaders to reach back and serve Cub Scouts. A trained Den Chief, working with a DL (who has also taken DC training),who become a team with his DL, can be the best recruiter a Scout Troop will ever have. IMNSHO, the relationship between Den Chiefs and Cubs should begin no later than Bear year.

From my understanding, the date a youth member absolutely, positively no longer work the previous rank is the day he starts his next school year. In other words... Tiger must cut off the day he starts the 2d grade Wolf must cut off the day he starts the 3d grade Bear must cut off the day he starts the 4th grade. Webelo, absent a special need, IIRC is cut off by ScoutNet at the 12th birthday. NOTE: Council Registrars IIRC have options in ScoutNet to promote boys based on the area opening of school. In my neck of the woods, I think our registrar does it the day after Labor Day.

Having been in a messy divorce myself, what Beavah says rings very true.

(yelling sarcasm) OH BOY!!!! JUST WHAT A BOY SCOUT NEEDS!!! A FORM TO TURN A MERIT BADGE INTO ANOTHER BLOODY SCHOOL PROJECT!!! (/yelling sarcasm) Give the youth a large scale map. Let them annotate it. Let them write up their own lists.

Is Scouting something you want to keep doing after the kids are out of the program? If yes, take WB. In a way, it's like some of the schools your DH attends: They're a rite of passage on the trail. Would you like to be able to help units improve communication amongst themselves? If yes, take WB. Would you like to broaden your base of Scouters you know? If yes, take WB (even in TAC... because folks will come over from Britain and up from Italy) Finally, and fully in jest... If your DH DEROSs while you are working your ticket, would you like to give your TG/SM conniption fits when it comes time to bead you, and the two of you are now stationed at,... let's pick Lewis? If you, take WB

Having been a youth member under requirements that included specific signalling events to reach first class, I for one am delighted the MB went away, and especially went away from the Eagle List.

I would substitute car rental facilities for livery stables and garages/machine shops for smithies. Modern equivalents.

Mr Brown, There's a position for that: It's called the Troop Scribe. Have that youth member, under the SPL's overall leadership, work with the adult Treasurer. The hills of Osceola are calling you today...

No Scoutfish, He does his duties as prescribed in the Scoutmaster's Handbook. The Committee gives him broad limits on program ("With fuel at $4 per gallon, discourage the PLC from camping more than 100 miles from our meeting place"). The Commitee evaluates execution of the program, most notably through interviewing youth members at their Boards of Review. Boy Scout adult support is not a chain of command thing: It is a collegial and collaborative group of adults wrapped around the miniature operating republic that is a Scout Troop. The Scoutmaster and the Committee Chair are specifically accountable to the Chartered Partner through the COR. The rest, ASMs and Committee people, are accountable to their respective principals, who in turn, need to coordinate any personnel matters with the COR. In your case, as a Scouter supporting the Cub Scout program, here's an interactive diagram on the National Council website: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/AboutCubScouts/ThePack.aspx

Here is the Transatlantic Council BSA website: http://www.tac-bsa.org/Home.html Here is the Far East Council BSA website: http://www.fareastcouncil.org/ If your Air Base is someplace outside of these two Councils, here is the National Council Direct Service page http://www.directservicebsa.org/ PM me and this old broken down Army ocifer (sic) will give what hand I can...

Not knowing what all happened in the meeting, TCD's comment "My point here is that if your CC and SM have gotten to the point of pulling rank on each other, they've already lost the war. The rest is all just drama." may well ring true. This is where a properly involved COR should be asking for assessment and assistance from his/her friendly Unit Commissioner/Commissioner Service, the District Committee, and the Professional Service.

Uhhhh, not exactly. Now someone with a SM and Committee Handbook can give you the verbiage, but... THE SCOUTMASTER is the principal PROGRAM officer of the Troop. He and his assistants deliver the BSA program to the youth members, using the Aims, Methods, and program materials furnished by BSA. He is an ex officio member of the Committee, without vote. He reports to the Committee, is responsible to the Committee, and levies resource requirements upon the Committee. The COMMITTEE CHAIR is the principal SUPPORT officer of the Troop. He and the committee members furnish assistance and resources to the Scoutmaster. They ensure the Troop executes the program according to the Aims, Methods, and program materials furnished by BSA. THE CC AND THE SM are accountable to the Chartered Organization Representative, who is the designated member of the Chartered Partner who oversees all BSA franchise (charter) operations they have undertaken. In a well-working unit, the CC and the SM share a common vision for the youth members. They evaluate the goals of the unit (which should be generated by the youth members) and evaluate the program of the unit ... looking to see what should be sustained (it works, don't fix it) and what should be improved (it needs some fixing). They should have each others backs. Again, this is not directly from the program books, but I hope it helps.

The current BSA metal slide is an imitation of a woggle. Teach them the Turk's Head, then let your PLC decide. Remember also that slides are an approved expression of individuality by the Scout!

Jeffrey: See also Home Repairs and Woodworking MBs.

ScoutNut: In my District, we've not allowed new Counselors to register under these. Next week will be the first training where I authorize folks to sign up for them.

Modern hand tools=Woodwork or Home Repair. Armstrong hand tools=Carpentry. If a Scout does not want to do it that way, his Scoutmaster is free to assign him a different Counselor. The Scoutmaster is the Gatekeeper.

Here is the top layer url: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/historical_mb_program.aspx Verbatim: Historical Merit Badge Program Merit badges have been a fixture of the Boy Scouts of America since its inception in 1910. The requirements that generations of Scouts have completed have taught lifetime citizenship lessons, personal fitness habits, and life skills. They have been the beginnings of countless careers and lifetime hobbies. In the last 99 years, there have been many changes in the merit badge offerings. As society has changed, the Boy Scouts of America has adapted by revising the requirements, implementing name changes, adding new merit badges, and in some instances, eliminating some badges altogether. For the 100th Anniversary Celebration, four vintage merit badges are being released for the centennial celebration year only, giving Boy Scouts the hands-on opportunity to experience the exciting past of Scouting while learning how our world has changed in that 100 years. Here are the basics of the 2010 Historic Merit Badge program. * An overall goal of the program is for a majority of the BSAs registered Boy Scouts to earn one or more of the merit badges during the centennial year, 2010. * The badges offered have a history that can be traced back to the origins of the BSA. * The original requirements are being used, as well as supported by scanned pages of the early merit badge pamphlets so a Scout can view what a Scout 100 years ago used. Supporting the scanned pages of the original pamphlets are information guides for each merit badge that explain what a Scout of 1910 might have experienced, along with background information to assist a Scout in understanding what maybe unfamiliar terms. * The contemporary merit badges closely resemble the original designs of their counterparts with the exception of the border, which is gold The unique border will immediately identify it as a 2010 historic merit badge. * The four historical merit badges may be used toward a Scouts rank advancement. * The effective date for earning these new merit badges is April 1, 2010, and requirements must be completed no later than Dec. 31, 2010. * The BSA will not reprint the pamphlets for these merit badges. Reprints of the original merit badge pamphlets are posted to www.scouting.org/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/MeritBadges.aspx. * As with all merit badges, units, districts, and councils should recruit and register qualified counselors for these badges. Badges may be earned by individual Scouts. District and council advancement committees are encouraged to offer opportunities for Scouts to work on at least some of these merit badges at resident camp, at camporees, or during special anniversary celebrations. See the how to sections for additional support at www.scouting.org/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/MeritBadges.aspx.

GAME ON!!! Here are the urls, folks: Pathfinding: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/MeritBadges/2010_mb_pathfinding.aspx Carpentry: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/MeritBadges/2010_mb_carpentry.aspx Signaling: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/MeritBadges/2010_mb_signaling.aspx Tracking: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/MeritBadges/2010_mb_tracking.aspx They were not up at 5pm on 31 March, they are up at 751pm Central 31 March.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

E92, We had access to a good wood shop, and made our own kits from plywood. We prototyped one, then determined how we could most effectively use a 4x8 sheet of plywood. We then ripped the sheet down into sub-assembly sizes, then used jigsaws with jigs to cut down to parts. We bought 1" dowel material, and again cut to suit. One of our Scout Reservations, for our Bear overnight parent/child camp, does the same thing with 1x8 dimension lumber. For several years, an area mill has donated some excess. Sorry I'm not more helpful.

Look at your cooking activity, revise so the food fits the situation (maybe MAKE an energy snack). Look at your woodcraft, maybe go back to the toolbox even if it's out of the rotation (space mechanics still need tools).

Ken (narraticong) has the right of this. If we say these young people are a functioning miniature society, then they (meaning the PLC) need to be the ones establishing the ground rules. Not us SM/ASM/Committee types ... the youth members ... the ones who are the participants in the game.

I am also a divorced Dad. I had joint legal custody with parenting time. This is an area where the IH/COR need to be involved and supportive. Most Councils, on their Exec Board, retain a General Counsel. In addition, there are almost always more than a couple attorneys in the Council. The Chartered Partner should ask for reliable advice. Every situation is just a little bit different. Let the folks who are familiar with family law locally and this situation perhaps in particular help solve the issue specifically and then generically for the future. Beavah, now and again, puts his disclaimer on his advice here. You don't want someone giving you a disclaimer, you want advice hats can be hung on.

In my youth, the Troop supplied Baker tents. When we went backpacking, we slept mostly under the stars. Each of us did have a first generation tube tent. Great ground cloths, tube tents. I'll never sleep in one again; they are night stills. These days, quality tents can be found on sale the year round. Keep shopping at places like REI, Bass Pro, Cabela's and Camp-Mor online. They turn up. Kudu is right about quality footwear. It's more important than the tent.