Aquila

>>>Glad this topic is here. Almost all of our boys can get thru it by using the DARE program. However, this is not an option for our homeschooled scouts. Any ideas? We have one right now that this is the only thing holding him back from becoming 2nd class.

>>>Although technically never sworn in as 43 president, he was elected until the activist supreme court stepped in and took it away from him.

Say something NOW. Not when they''re 4 miles into a 5 mile hike and he realizes he can''t finish due to the JRA. The SM and any ASMs present need to know when there''s a medical condition, for safety''s sake and for practicality. There are a few other reasons for this, all benefiting your son. If the SM knows about his condition, he can make modifications. It might be as simple as not having him carry the Dutch Oven. Or it might mean making certain his "buddy" is someone strong and mature that your son would feel comfortable telling that he was having a bad day, JRA-wise. His pa

>>If boys are to learn respect for women and how to interact with women, it takes a man to teach them, not a woman. Boys learn how to respect women not from a woman, but from watching how their father and other male role models demonstrate respect for women.

Yeah, I know some are aghast at "leftover money". We had a discussion over this earlier this week, and I''m curious as to the general consensus. Like many troops, when our Scouts earn money at Scout fundraisers, they go into Scout Accounts. They use these for campouts, dues, and personal equipment. What happens to the money when a Scout leaves? Does it matter if he''s aged out, transfers to another troop, or simply quits coming? We''re not talking about $10 here, but about several hundred for this particular boy. What would you do?

We allow any parent who wants to go to do so. "Parent" ALWAYS trumps "Scoutmaster". Not too many of the moms go, but they''d be welcomed as long as they can let their boys be boys. You might be surprised at the different skills some parents bring. If they are looked upon AND TREATED as assets, that''s what they''ll be. It''s probably why we have such a high parent participation rate for everything else.

Sounds to me like the SPL and ASPL might be a little big for their britches... Who would WANT to serve in *any* position under these guys?

I agree with Lisa. YPT is do-able for all. The quality of the other training varies widely with the trainer. I''d love to see a lot more done over the Net rather than wasting time and money sitting in a room with someone droning on in monotone about things so basic that no one with any Scouting experience could have missed (not that I have a definite opinion or anything ;-)). For troops that have a difficult time getting enough involvement as it is, this could be a death knell.

It would help to know in which region you live, but http://bugguide.net/node/view/4/bgpage has a good identification page. Souunds like it might be a trapdoor spider [http://www.canadianarachnology.org/data/spiders/513]. Do a websearch on Myrmekiaphila fluviatilis.

>>>For some reason, I suspect laziness, many packs do not observe this practice.

A gun would''ve been cheaper ;-)

It''s not just LDS troops. Many people involved in Scouting believe it to be a male subculture. The beauty of Scouting is that there is a lot of local control. A troop whose members believe that older men provide the best role model for younger men is free to operate that way. And a troop whose members believe that boys need to explore their ''feminine side'' is free to operate that way.

Do you have Scouts interested in space? Even though he''s back already, Scouts can still earn a temporary patch from CharlesInSpace.com. They have a special Scout section. The boys read the site, then take a (very easy) quiz. Print out the certificate and take to the Scout Shop for the free patch. Call your Scout Shop first to make sure it''s still available (it was originally an April 2007 patch). The patches themselves are beautiful, and the site is well laid out, intuitive, and informative.

Found the book... here''s a snippet (fair use): (p35) "HIKING GEAR Take the Outdoor Essentials with you on every outdoor adventure. The items on the list may help you avoid emergencies, and they can make a pleasant hike even better. The Outdoor Essentials * pocketknife * first aid kit * extra clothing * rain gear * water bottle * flashlight * trail food * matches and fire starters * sun protection * map and compass At least one person in each hiking group should carry a watch so that you can pace your travels, stick to your trip pplan, and return home wh

Frankly, as much as I like the troop we''re in, if there was a nearby group of Scouts whose moral, religious, political, social, and educational choices matched our own, I''d be there in a New York minute. The LDS troop in our city SHOULDN''T have to be open to boys who don''t agree with their church teachings. Same with the specifically Catholic and Baptist troops. EVERY troop should be able to implement the Scouting program, within the BSA Guidelines, as they see fit. No troop is neutral; they take on the flavor of their SM/ASM and CO whether they want to or not. As long as their up

When there are capable men available, women ought to act in a support capacity. Notice the "when". Best case scenario is older men mentoring younger men. No matter how wonderful the woman, she cannot teach a boy to be a man. That doesn''t mean they have no role in the troop. We have MBCs, committee members, and support chairwomen who do a fine job. But the day our Troop appoints a woman in leadership authority over my young men is the day we go elsewhere. They are not little boys any more. Most American boys have plenty of strong women in their lives; it is the strong male influenc

To what are you referring? The merit badge guide has a section on urban hikes which refers to hiking in the city. It doesn''t HAVE to be in the city. We''re trying to give ours a variety of situations. Or did you mean the water and 10 essentials? I don''t think there is any specifically stated requirement about carrying water, but a lot of trails don''t have water sources. Mine carry what they choose to - and they''ve learned to choose very wisely. We don''t share unless there''s a medical emergency. We''re training them to be self-sufficient.

We''re almost done with our Hiking badges. Our boys are 12-16. The 16 year old can''t swim for medical reasons, and that''s why we''re hiking. It really does depend upon the kid doing the hiking, but remember that they are carrying their own water and ten essentials which can get very heavy about mile 8. We average 2 miles per hour. Less for the hilly ones. You''re not just walking; they want to see things, play around, look at bugs, give each other noogies, skip (yes, really!), and have a good time. I wouldn''t recommend 20 urban miles unless you can''t avoid it. There''s no

>>It seems that many troops lose these older scouts, which I think is the real key to junior leadership. Scouts are not kept interest, they are rushed to Eagle and quit, or they are moved to Venturing Crews. All of which takes leadership away from the troop.

They don''t necessarily reflect the values of the "public" nor can the "public" simply change the things they don''t like (don''t be naive - the NEA is the LARGEST union in the US, by a large margin); they are government schools. Calling them public schools is a misnomer. Public schools were originally voluntarily paid for by the community - hence, they were serving the public. As far as the poor having no choice, according to a University of Chicago study, near 1 in 5 students under the poverty line in Chicago go to private schools. It''s always a matter of choice -- because we home

I think every troop is going to run a little differently. Since most of our boys are 10-13, our SM and ASMs have a much larger role in the troop than they would if they were all 16 and 17. They define the parameters, and the boys are free to run the program within them. They are fine men who are wonderful examples of what these boys should be striving to become. I just don''t see how the blind leading the blind is the best method. Some skills take years to become proficient at, and to discard the wisdom and the knowledge of elders simply because they''re elder seems ridiculous to me.

Ouch! We utilize the Schools on Trains programs a couple of times per year (great Scout field trip, btw, if they run in your area; $10 for the kids to take a 6 hour round trip to a big city in the area). There is always plenty of room for coolers. Now if we can just find a current B1G1 fare on FlyerTalk ;-)

Acco, it''s the EAGLE SCOUT''s program. If I''m invited to an Eagle Ceremony at a temple or church, I fully expect the program to reflect the Scout''s interpretation of reverent. If I know the Scout to be involved in something that is offensive to me, I don''t have to go. Watering down to a ''higher power'' practices equal-opportunity offensiveness. Only those who don''t know a personal God would find it acceptable. The school-prayer argument is fruitless to those who believe our country is ecumenical. When 85% of the nation identifies itself as subscribing to Judeo-Christian e

I''m glad to see Spiral Scouts -- their existence will help to weed out those who don''t really believe in the Boy Scout principles, but want the "experience". They won''t become competition for BSA; instead, having that alternative available makes BSA better because it leaves as members those who agree with Scouting''s values. Some of the posters here sound like they may be a better fit for SS, and might want to transfer over and help them out. AHG, on the other hand, is siphoning off the TOP of GSUSA, taking girls from families who cannot morally stomach the policies of GSUSA national

That''s a different situation altogether. Our MBCs don''t accept work done before the badge is officially opened (we make exceptions -- like the kid who didn''t think about opening his camping badge until the 6th campout he''d been on). In that case, I''d probably tell the kid, "Great! You already have experience and it shouldn''t be any problem the second time around."