kenk

Or . . . I suppose the two boys in my den that did not receive the Tiger Cub badge could opt to get the diamond-shaped Webelos badge and go with the older style 4-badge configuration, and the four boys that did get the Tiger Cub badge could opt to wear the oval-shaped badge by itself. Seems like too many options to me.

I'm a Webelos 1 den leader and my boys are about to receive their Webelos badge and am trying to understand whether they should receive the diamond-shaped badge or the oval-shaped badge. My theory is that the diamond-shaped badge is an older-style intended to be used by boys who did NOT receive the diamond-shaped Tiger Cub badge. The diamond-shaped Webelos badge would "finish off" the four-badge rank diamond (Bobcat+Wolf+Bear+Webelos). My boys were one of the first dens to receive the diamond-shaped Tiger Cub badge. Most of the boys are currently wearing the "new" four-badge rank dia

What is the brand name if the sleeping bag? The combination you list - Qualofill, mummy shape, rated for 0 degrees F - all indicate that the bag should meet the needs for winter camping, BUT the quality of the bag's construction is a big factor. The better bags are sewn such that there aren't cold spots where there are seams. Also, a bag rated for 0 degrees F, though absolutely necessary for winter camping, may be too hot to be comfortable for a cold summer night of camping. I myself purchased two bags for myself and my son - a winter bag (very warm 0F mummy) and a summer bag (light

I have both NG Topo! and Delorme's topographic software. While the Delorme software is nice - I use their street atlas all the time, it is not nearly as good as the Topo! product. I think the Topo! maps are actual scanned USGS maps, while the Delorme maps are built up with data. I would stick to the NG Topo! software.

While I certainly agree that some parents are clearly too involved in the building of the cars, I do think parents need to be very involved, especially for a Tiger Cub, and the involvement should wain as the boys age. When my son was a Tiger Cub, we built the car together with him doing as much as he could possibly do. He did the design on paper, with some slight suggestions from me (usually when just too complicated for him to do). When it came to tranferring the design to the wood block, I held the paper on the block and instructed him to trace the design. When it came to cu

I've seen several versions of the 3-bucket method of washing cooking/eating ware. Most seem to flip-flop the 2nd and 3rd stage. I'm not sure what BSA's official method is, but... From what I can gather searching the web, and also based on my own common sense about the killing power of chlorine and the possibility of re-contaminating sanitized utensils, here is what I think is the proper methodology: 1. Scrape dishes into waste container so they "look" clean Wash cleanest to dirtiest 2. Wash in warm soapy water 3. Rinse in hot water (>=110F, hot to the hand, not sca

Since no one else has mentioned it, I will ... A Tiger Cub den of 11 boys is simply too big. It might help if you break the den up onto two dens - one with 5 boys and another with 6. A den with 11 boys of that age has got to be pure chaos. My Webelos 1 den has dropped from 8 to 6 boys over the years (with a few added and others leaving) and I find that smaller size so wonderful to deal with. If the counts of each drop later, they two can always be recombined as needed.

We recently started using ScoutTrack.com's online tracking tool. It allows den leaders to track requirements completed at meetings/activities and parents to track requirements completed at home. Den leaders can also enter requirements completed outside the den meetings. Den leaders can run reports to see a summarized status for advancement and/or the sports & academics program. A week or so before each pack meeiting, our advacement coordinator simply runs and prints a report that lists out the number of each award earned since the last pack meeting (basically a shopping list) and then

My point, and its been talked to death in this forum, is that a fixed blade knife is no more dangerous than a folding knife, an axe, a hatchet, or a saw. The danger is in the actions of the holder. A sharp folding knife is just as dangerous if mishandled as a fixed blade knife - maybe more so due to the risk folding accidents. Misuse of axes, hatchets, and wood saws will result in MUCH more serious injuries (I have the scar to prove it - one slip of a bow saw on the pointing finger of my left hand). Unfortunately, fixed blade sheath knives are the "assault rifles" of the knife world - the publ

I agree wholeheartedly about the split. It won't be popular, but it is for the best. My Webelos 1 den has six boys right now and it is soooo much easier than it was even with eight boys. If the dens' sizes dwindle later, the two can always rejoin together. Also, I borrowed an idea we used when I was a boy in Indian Guides. They had a "talking stick" and, during discussion times, the rule was you couldn't talk unless you had the talking stick. Now, with young boys I don't recommend they hold a large stick. When my boys were Tiger Cubs I got a small tiger beany baby type stuffed animal and

Has anyone on this forum REALLY ever witnessed first-hand someone hurting themselves with a fixed blade knife while it is in its sheath? If so, please share with us what happened!

To LauraMO: Creating a requirement that a boy earn his Bear rank BEFORE he is allowed to earn his Whittlin' Chip Card means he cannot choose to do the Shavings and Chips Achievement. Is it appropriate for a Pack/District/Council to tell a Scout that he cannot do a particular Achievement listed in the respective handbook? I don't think so. I DO think a parent has that authority though.

I'm a big big fan of Eureka tents. For most camping I tent toward the 4 person tents rather than the 2 person tents. A 2 person tent just doesn't have much room for gear. I'd probably put 2-3 boys in a 4 person tent. I had a hybrid version of the 4-person Timberline (it was called an Aurora and had fiberglass poles that pushed the sides out for more room) for the last 15+ years and loved it. These days the fly's coating is starting to age and has gotten sticky. I recently purchased a 4-person Eureka Assault Outfitter, which is relatively new. It is a commericalized version of th

... and if they can't follow the rules, extinguish the fire. Better safe than sorry, and besides, it pollutes the air. Many campers who care about the environment are moving toward no-fire camping. They uses clean-burning gas stoves for cooking, and spend the day enjoying the out-of-doors rather than sitting around a smoking stinky firepit. This is certainly not the case in family campgrounds though (non-Scout related). There you'll find campfires smoldering away nearly 24 hours a day, usually unattended. I find the air quality around most public campgrounds to be equivalent to the w

My wife & I will vote after picking up our 8 & 9 year old kids from after-school Taekwondo. They are almost as excited to see us vote as we are to cast our votes. My wife and I try to do our homework on local elections that most local people know little, if nothing, about. We've had lots of discussions at home, including the kids, about the candidates, what they represent, and why we're voting for each one. Ignoring specifics about candidates and national issues, our biggest local concerns are: ROADS (very nasty traffic congestion seemingly ignored by those who can im

ozemu, He sees your wife and kids just fine ... and he can hear you. Don't stop talking to your Dad just because you can't see him. Eamonn, I don't have much more advice than already given. OJ will have to make his decision - with your guidance. Unfortunately, rebels are attractive to a 17 year old. Make sure he knows what the right thing to do is.

I can picture sporting events where beer might be served to the public in the presence of scouts, BUT I think I would ask the scouts' parents to refrain from drinking these beverages in front of the boys. A few weeks ago someone has suggested that leaders (and interested parents) have the Guide to Safe Scouting (GTSS) with them at all events, if nothing else just to be able to point to the rules. That was excellent advice. The GTSS can be purchased at scout stores and on-line at http://www.scoutstuff.org . Of course, it is also available on-line at http://www.scouting.org/pubs/gss/i

mn_scout, I like your list a lot! Now that my boys are in Webelos I, I've tried to increase the amount of leadership they are asked to show. While the parents are still very much involved and hands-on, the boys are leading small sections of meetings and, as a group, becoming very involved in making decisions for field trips/activities. They thrive on it.

You can also focus on age-appropriate precursors to common Boy Scout skills, such as compass use, first aid, and camp cooking. We've been doing that in our den since Tiger Cubs - increasing complexities as the boys aged/matured. For compass, we play a pin the tail on the donkey game where we first teach them how to point the compass at the donkey and "box" the needle. Then we put a sheet over them, gently spin them, and help them learn to "rebox" the needle and then follow the compass to the donkey. By their Bear year (last year) I had them following a simple triangle course where I gave

I am no expert in backpacking at Philmont. The only time I was there was as a young Scout - too young to go backpacking - more of a summer camp-like experience. Here is a link to many Philmont related recommendations (backpack section is about 1/3 of the way down): http://www.troop1188.com/docs/Philmont%20Advisors%20Guide%201999.doc

Want maps, then your choices are the Legend or the Vista. If you want to stuff lots of maps on at one time, then the Vista has LOTS more memory (24MB vs 1MB). One MB of memory isn't much.

Is it even possible to get two or more badges of rank per scout? My advancement coordinator tells me that he has to fill out paperwork for each badge of rank purchased. Does he just tell the council that the boy is getting two - one for each uniform?

Plus, per the GTSS, since you are not his parent nor his legal guardian, you cannot sleep in the same tent as your nephew. I feel sorry for your nephew. I feel sorry for any boy whose parents cannot "find the time" for such an important thing to a young Cub Scout as a scout campout. It is very very sad. I had a boy in my den whose parents were almost always too busy to attend den meetings or other den activities. Most of the time it was because they had to attend their daughter's dance activities. This fall they dropped him from Cub Scouts altogether. I wonder if he will ever tell hi

A wealth of info is available at http://gpsinformation.net/ What specifically are you looking to do with the GPS? Do you need to have maps on your GPS? How important is this feature to you? Do you want to have an electronic compass on your GPS? Are you planning to carry the GPS hiking? On a vehicle dashboard? Would you want (need) to attach an external antenna? (required if located away from vehicle windows) How important is size and weight to you? Is a color display a feature you are willing to pay for (+$200 or so)? Any simple, inexpensive GPS can provide UTM coordi

I asked at last night's district roundtable meeting. They were quick and clear to specify "Legal" guardian. They said notes from parents were not acceptable with regard to an adult sleeping in the same tent as youth. After that I noticed that regarding Webelos adult supervision, the GTSS refers to "parent approved adult". It seems to me they are being careful to distinguish between a guarian (legal guardian) and a parent approved adult. I asked about the situation when you have a very large tent (teepee) and have several unrelated adult leaders and youth sleeping in the same large te