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 kids than others. Some adults are better at focusing on the intent of the project rather than the way it looks. As a CC, I'm grateful to each and every adult that volunteers to work with our scouts, as long as they are good role models and do the job with a good heart. When I read threads like this here, it always seems like other units have their pick of leaders and can chose the candidate with the best qualifications. Ha! I wish!

 

Christina, I think you should be able to tell the other leader that you are sure her Wolf den will enjoy the project she has planned but you are going to make catapults since they will fulfill the requirement for either Craftsman or Engineer and the Christmas decoration does not. Then proceed with your plan however she responds. We've made great catapults with shoe boxes, pencils, rubber bands and duct tape, the directions are in the Webelos book and don't require woodworking tools. Also, I like whatever projectiles I have in my supply box that are FREE!

I'm not the Webelos den leader. Our Webelos den leader is new. Our Webelos den has one fifth grader and 8 fourth graders. We are planning to cross over our fifth grader in February. My question is: does he have to earn his arrow of light to cross over in February? If he never earns his arrow of light' date=' does he cross over in May?[/quote']

 

He needs to be 11yo to cross without his AOL, and 10.5yo to cross with his AOL. Everything else is a matter of the troop accepting his application and tradition within the unit. When will he be 11yo? Has the scout and the Web leader spoken with the troop?

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 council now puts the registration fee on the flyers that go home with interested boys. At first it was a problem as it was a LOT less than we were asking of new families. We adapted and it isn't a problem any more.

• We ask just for the amount to register at this point in time with the application. This increased the number of boys who sign up on registration night.
  
• We present the cost of our pack dues and when payments are due - end of September. We used to ask for all of it up front with the app. This way works better anyway.
  
• We show in detail what the pack dues cover, and emphasize that the registration fee goes to National, not us.
  
• We tell them how they can use popcorn sales to reduce the cost of scouting. Most don't take advantage of this but giving them the option makes the cost more palatable.
  

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.

The emblem thing is wrong in so many ways..

First - It is not only the atheist you need to be concerned with, but the boy/family who believe in something, but do not belong to any formal religious group.. That means no religious emblem for "I believe in something".. That would be ALOT of your scouts..

 

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 pack because they are new to the area (Deep South) and their son has school friends in the pack. They don't feel comfortable confronting the pack further or taking it up the line.

 

I'm not convinced that the leader is stepping outside the 'rules' given LDS units and their modifications of the BSA programs as one example, I also know of local Roman Catholic church units that require all their Webelos to earn Parvuli Dei. The only difference I see is that those units are restricted to one faith rather than allowing scouts of many faith backgrounds to join but require a certain requirement as in this situation.

The emblem thing is wrong in so many ways..

First - It is not only the atheist you need to be concerned with, but the boy/family who believe in something, but do not belong to any formal religious group.. That means no religious emblem for "I believe in something".. That would be ALOT of your scouts..

 

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.

Our past units have also used various photo storage sites. Invitations were sent out from a private account and interested parents created accounts and passwords to view photos online. If you do have children whose parents do not want their photo disseminated, put a smiley face sticker in an obvious spot on his clothes. If the sticker's in the photo, don't post that one or blur his face.

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

Wow.. Lot's of advice on "Why I would break the rules.." All sound and reasonable, and if your group is basically all liberal thinking just fine and dandy.. I understand also where you are coming from with the changing times, and you not wanting to seem like some old fuddy-duddy..

 

But the OP stated that people in his group have come to him with concerns.. It's fine to ask you CO their preference, but basically your CO can add more rules to the BSA rules, but can't decide to not follow BSA rules.. So, this is like the homosexual your group makes a scout leader.. It is fine, until someone who is not OK with the situation turns you with a complaint about it to council.. Before you do it, you should be sure everyone in the group is in agreement, and there is no one "voicing concerns"..

 

Also could become an unwanted slippery slope when you say fine to this unmarried couple for the reason that they kind of seem married by all living together anyway.. Then a year later have a father who is going through a mid-life crisis and changing sex-partners on a weekly basis wanting to bring their girlfriend of the week along with him..

 

Do what you want, follow the rules, don't follow the rules.. But, make sure you think things through when you decide not to follow the rules.

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.

There is an official answer and a practical one. I guess it depends on how much one hates sewing, Officially red until they cross but 80% of the Webelos 2 guys I see with the new tan shirts have green. But yes that is incorrect and the scout store may catch you on it. We just went with green as we were going over to a Troop with the same number.

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

Wow.. Lot's of advice on "Why I would break the rules.." All sound and reasonable, and if your group is basically all liberal thinking just fine and dandy.. I understand also where you are coming from with the changing times, and you not wanting to seem like some old fuddy-duddy..

 

But the OP stated that people in his group have come to him with concerns.. It's fine to ask you CO their preference, but basically your CO can add more rules to the BSA rules, but can't decide to not follow BSA rules.. So, this is like the homosexual your group makes a scout leader.. It is fine, until someone who is not OK with the situation turns you with a complaint about it to council.. Before you do it, you should be sure everyone in the group is in agreement, and there is no one "voicing concerns"..

 

Also could become an unwanted slippery slope when you say fine to this unmarried couple for the reason that they kind of seem married by all living together anyway.. Then a year later have a father who is going through a mid-life crisis and changing sex-partners on a weekly basis wanting to bring their girlfriend of the week along with him..

 

Do what you want, follow the rules, don't follow the rules.. But, make sure you think things through when you decide not to follow the rules.

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.

Usually for "cubs first night out" we tend to do foil wraps in the coals of the fire.

The kids get to cut up, clean all the veggies n stuff themselves, works good with hamburger or minced meat,

I and think that "I wrapped it myself" thingo is pretty cool for the small ones.

 

Another nice thing is "eggs in a bag"

just have a "buffet" with grated cheese, bacon, ham, mushrooms whatever and each kid gets a couple

of eggs, cracked into a ziplock bag raw and mixed with what they want,

then each scout writes their name on their bag and all the bags go in a big pot of boiling water and - voila - scrambled eggs and

you dont even need to do dishes (spoon right out of the bag like an MRE LOL)

 

Oh and I love Dutch Ovens. I need to get myself one. Mmmmh peach cobbler nom nom...

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.

What is their argument for having the pack spend the money for dinner and childcare? If I had to guess, I would say that the pack has a lot of money and they feel that they can afford this luxury.

 

Our pack financial philosophy is to spend as much money on the kids as the budget allows and leave around $1500 in the account by the end of the year as a cushion for the following year (we have about 35 scouts). When you have a large bank balance, that's when trouble occurs: people get tempted to steal or someone decides to go after the deep pockets.

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 breeze and the crock pots are good for heating and holding foods warm for serving.

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 charity doing pick up. Our prices are more than what chains like Home Depot charge but the trees are nicer.

 

In addition to a lot to sell from, you'll need a way to display the trees for sale, lighting for selling at night, signage, and some sort of shelter for inclement weather and to keep paperwork and cash. We offer to trim for a fresh cut, so an ax yard is also set up. The scouts also like to keep a camp stove handy to make hot chocolate.

 

I think you will find that you can sell more than 100 trees. I'd pick the most visible location this year to try it. Doing two lots will double your financial outlay for tree supports, lighting, etc. and the number of shifts you need to run. Keep it simple while you work it out.

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.