kari_cardi

I agree, I think he must be registered. If I register him as an ASM (thanks Eagle92) he will not have all the training for ASM by re-charter. He can in theory complete YPT and anything online, of course. He is interested in becoming an ASM anyway. I have multiple phone calls into local contacts to figure this out and posted here as well for insight. Our current DE is nice and friendly but started last month.

We have a scout that has completed his Eagle project and is waiting for his BOR in January. He turned 18 last week. Does he stay on our troop charter? He is considering Junior Asst. Scoutmaster but hasn't completed the app or training yet.

We have similar tornado-proof restrooms in a nearby park, partly funded by FEMA. A local official applied to FEMA for grant funds. The description in the article makes the scout shelters sound pretty nice.

We did a puppet show recently in a workshop led by a professional puppeteer. He had the students make puppets first, simple stick puppets, then put them in groups of 3 or 4 to make up a play. He used a timer and gave them 20 minutes to improvise the play, then the groups took turns to perform their play. He said kids work better if kids make puppets first then create characters and a story that fit the puppets. The Star Wars fighter jet attacking a peacock was quite amusing. Good luck!

I think there are good leaders and bad leaders. I've worked with men who do those foam craft kits for everything, read straight from the book, have little creativity in presenting the program. I've worked men who build giant slingshots to fling pumpkins into the woods. I've worked with women who can put out a table full of craft sticks and rubber bands and guide the scouts into building bridges and other mini-engineering marvels. And I've worked with women who are stuck on Pinterest crafts and focus on how 'cute' the project will be to take home. Some adults are better suited to working with k

I gathered from his post that Stosh was following the lead of the Boy Scout and therefore, the event was boy-led. His deference to the scout may not have been clear to the Webelos leaders, but it's possible that they would not have noticed anyway.

I'd tell him to wait. He doesn't meet the requirements. What benefit is there to him if he were to join 'early' rather than waiting? If he isn't ready for 1st grade, it isn't likely he is ready for Tiger either. What I might do in similar circumstances is invite him to join the pack in June rather than in the fall so he can join in the pack summer activities.

Our sales are up about 30% but so is our membership, so it's not really a surprise for us. From a budget point of view, it keeps us even.

We do snacks for pack meetings, generally related to the theme. Den meetings, no. We also don't offer milk and cookies, it's more likely to be a piece of fruit like grapes or mandarin oranges.

Our unit dues include the cost of BSA registration at re-charter time each year. We tell this to the parents. I don't understand your point? We could charge unit dues and BSA registration fees separately, adding them together into one sum and calling it unit dues that cover BSA registration each year is the same difference.

My friend whose son just joined a pack as a Webelos is a good example of this. They are spiritual but not religious and do not belong to an church. The den leader is insisting that every scout earn the religious medal for requirement 8 because 'that is how we do it in our pack.' So the family has a choice, pull out of scouting or join a church to fulfill the requirement. Neither accomplishes the goal of the requirement. I see it as just another way BSA is used to support discrimination. The pack supports the leader, the COR supports the pack policy. The family joined this particular pac

My friend whose son just joined a pack as a Webelos is a good example of this. They are spiritual but not religious and do not belong to an church. The den leader is insisting that every scout earn the religious medal for requirement 8 because 'that is how we do it in our pack.' So the family has a choice, pull out of scouting or join a church to fulfill the requirement. Neither accomplishes the goal of the requirement. I see it as just another way BSA is used to support discrimination.

I think it is fine, as Basementdweller said, to use one big project to complete multiple requirements by breaking it down into parts. I don't consider that double-dipping. I think it is important to make sure the Webelos know what requirements they are working upon, let them determine the work as much as possible, and to do the requirements with integrity.

I find that our Tiger den seldom looks the same a year later as a Wolf den. We have a lot of turnover and add lots of new scouts as Wolf Cubs. I wouldn't worry about it yet but keep an eye on the situation. I have found that a poor recruitment year for a den can impact the pack by reducing the pool of parent volunteers available. We run a smaller pack so it might be a bigger problem for us than for your unit.

Love the idea of using a smiley face for no-photo kids!

I'm not being condescending. I'm simply pointing it that it is an impossible rule to follow with any sort of consistency as it is written and as you and other posters have indicated it should be followed.

My scout store recommends the green numeral patches. They certainly won't call anyone out for wearing the wrong color.

moosetracker, please share how to enforce these rules. Given that proof of marriage isn't required on any BSA forms nor is any training given other than the guidelines, I'm not sure how to identify the issue. Or is it okay for unmarried couples of any persuasion to share a tent with a scout as long as no one says anything or knows differently? It's a poorly written rule at best.

berliner, I've started wrapping foil dinners in two layers of foil with a damp paper towel between the foil layers. I also add a little liquid to the veggies. No more burnt dinners! I believe I learned those tricks here on the forum.

We made the choice to do extra fundraising to have enough in the bank for the pack to operate for one year. This gives the pack the resilience to survive a very poor popcorn fundraiser or inexperienced new pack leaders or a sudden increase in registration fees from National. This decision was made by the committee with parental input. Participation in fundraising was optional, as it always is in our pack. I don't think it hurt the scouts to do this and I think it benefits our scouts to be assured of a stable program without financial worry.

The issue we have run into with cast iron is allergies. The way most cast iron is treated, no washing and oiled, makes cross- contamination a realistic threat. Using cookware that can be scrubbed is better from an allergy point of view. Basic steel cookware can be used in all of the ways you've described, Grubdad. It's reasonably non- stick if you heat the pan first, then add you cooking fat and food. If you camp with access to electricity a lot, I'd also suggest purchasing a couple of electric griddles and a couple of crock pots. The electric griddles make cooking stacks of pancakes a br

Our troop sells around 600 Christmas trees a year. It's our primary fundraiser for our modest-size unit. The scouts and adults would much rather sell trees than popcorn. We staff the lot on Wed-Friday evenings and all day on Saturday and Sunday, from the Saturday after Thanksgiving to Dec. 23. The hours work out to 5 or 6 shifts per scout/family. Pricing depends on the type and size of the trees, but generally we charge $35 for a Scotch pine and up to $60 for a tall Frasier fir. Trees are discounted after the last weekend before Christmas and we donate leftovers to charity with the chari

Though not likely the situation in the original post,I'd like to point out that two people do not need to be married to be parents, guardians, or parent and guardian to the same child. Since BSA doesn't ask for information about all the adults in a scout's life or require proof of marriage, neither do I. A question for the rule sticklers, do you require step-parents to sleep in a separate tent from their spouse and their step-son?

I routinely turn in youth apps that have the birth date of the parent left blank without a problem. I don't think it means anything nefarious, just that the parents are self-conscious or cautious about their personal information. For adult applications,, I've had issues with people not willing to give their driver's license number or Social security number. I don't blame them, they don't know me or the BSA and it's a leap of faith at best. I've never had a leader balk, though, just parents or guardians who do not live at the same address as the scout.