kenk

A fun one that is electrical but using a safe type of current (12 VDC) is replacing a doorbell switch. Any house could do with a new switch and it involves a pliars and a screwdriver. Patch a wall dent w/ spackle. Uses spatula, sandpaper, paint & brush. Fasten "raised" nails on a wooden deck. Use a hammer to drive the nail back down, then use a drill/screwdriver to put in a deck screw such that it overlaps the nail head.

Is there anything that fits well in most car trunks other than duffle bags????

I said it before and I'll say it again... My 9 year old daughter, who has been in Girl Scouts from Daisies through Brownies and now in Jr. Girl Scouts, has spent a fair about of time attending her brother's Cub Scout den meetings, pack meetings, and quite a few outings as well. She says she can't wait to leave Girl Scouts and join a Venturing crew.

GernBlansten, The Guide to Safe Scouting is available on-line at http://www.scouting.org/pubs/gss/index.html Isn't the internet wonder. Thanks Al Gore!!

The biggest "walk-aways" from my Scouting experience came from the fun, the skills and the experiences (memories) and not any ranks, though I was far more aware of wanting to make First Class than worrying about making Eagle. As I mentioned, most of my merit badges came "free" with the experiences I was enjoying. Right now that is how I approach things with my son. If it is fun and new, he enjoys most anything. I'm pretty sure he'll let me know if he's boarded or uninterested.

Here is a link to some nice free beginner's guides in from Garmin (they make GPS's) that can be downloaded: http://www.garmin.com/aboutGPS/manual.html

This topic is often on my mind. My son will be crossing over from Webelos to Boy Scouts next February, and I find myself thinking ahead, wondering how much I should emphasize rank achievement vs. just enjoying the experience. I figure that the "non-merit-badge" ranks will come on their own, with the help of the troop, but I really wonder about merit badges. When I was a kid (Life scout) It seems I only got those that came to me (camping, those that were done at summer camp, etc...). I don't ever recall working on one on my own. Was I lazy or just didn't understand how the system worked?

I'm not sure how GPS-bashing came into popular culture, but it is unfortunately there. I think it has something to do with the batteries. GPS's do one thing - they tell you where you currently are, and they do that remarkably well considering the size of the Earth and the technologies involved (though they give VERY accurate time too). Today the accuracy is usually accurate enough to get you within a baseball's throw. Amazing. Yes, batteries can run out and electronics can fail, but today's GPS's are extremely reliable and extra batteries are easy to carry along. Smart GPS users do

The Age Appropriate Guidelines for Scouting Activities and the Guide to Safe Scouting lists kayaking and canoing as appropriate for Boy Scout age boys. The Guide to Safe Scouting specifies very clearly: "Handgun use is limited to the Venturing program only." and "All participants must complete a basic pistol marksmanship course prior to range firing." Boy Scouts who are not in the Venturing Crew should not use handguns.

... an slightly off topic ... Don't forget to take lots of pictures of your boys. Now that my den is in Webelos 2, I really enjoy seeing and sharing pictures of them as Tigers, Wolves, .... The boys and parents get a real kick out of it. They will grow sooo fast.

"Or, even though outings & den activities should be done with the den, you can have the family do it on their own if need be." That is what I did. I just asked the parent to do the same activity, preferably with the entire family (to get the group effect). As I recall (dont' have it here in front of me and my Tiger Cub years were 4 years ago) the Tiger Cub Handbook says something to the affect that that we shouldn't be too strict on the requirements - that the idea is for the boy to enjoy the activity and learn about the topics and not so much that they dot every "t" and cross ev

Sounds like a great class. For some reason I find myself having to keep relearning how to read UTM coordinates over and over. I'm not sure why they don't stick in my all too old brain. Here is a link to a great sight regardng use of UTM coordinates: http://www.maptools.com/ . I purchased their UTM grid tool and like it. Another interesting site, though not as useful: http://www.kifaru.net/forums.htm My favorite book for GPS use is "GPS Land Navigation" by Michael Ferguson. The section on selecting GPS's is certainly dated, but the rest of the book is excellent. I do

By the way, last Friday while wandering around our local Target I found a nice little River Rock 1.5W LED Lantern. It cost around $20 and even my wife likes it. I found this review: http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/riverrock_lantern.htm I also bought their 1.5W 2C LED Flashlight. It is nice - seems well made. It puts out a very bright focused distinct circle of light - reminds me of a theatrical spotlight. It is very bright at a distance, but too small a circle of light at 10-12 feet for lighting the ground ahead while walking at night. I still like my Princeton-Tec Impact XL

After reading this thread and the specifics of the dietary restrictions ... with all due respect, I'm going to take a different stance. If I had a troop that consisted of boys from two faiths, and one of the faiths would not allow consumption of something, then I'd ask the boys of the other faith to respect the religious restrictions and do what they could to facilitate that requirement, especially if it is fairly simple thing to do and doesn't really cause too much grief. It is simply a matter of respect for others' religion. When I was a boy at the 1973 National Jamboree we invite

... and by the way, Lashingguy, thanks for at least being forward and telling us that you are the person selling the kits. I hate when people try to make us think they "found them on the internet and thought we should know about them", when they are actually trying to sell them.

Though your e-mail would certainly be considered spam, and thus would be against the regulations of most forums, the kits are interesting.

There are only one thing that are worse than having your fiberglass poles snap while setting up a tent: Realizing you forgot to pack the poles. I've had that happen to me mostly because for long-term storage I tend to store the poles open and separate from the tent in order to ease the tension on the shock-cord. Thank goodness I had lots of rope and there were well-located tall trees in the area. It is embarassing though.

I meant to say that I got the prices from http://www.arkatents.com . I've purchased the last three tents from them. They have good prices and have delivered fast. ... and I just purchased the Backcountry Outfitter 4 for my son. It is a great price. I already know that the troop he'll be joining has the boys bring their own tents. Boy will he be surprized at Christmas. Here are comments from people who have owned the tent: http://www.thebackpacker.com/gear/tents/eureka_backcountry_4.php

I'll tell you up front that I am a real fan of Eureka tents. I have quite a few of them - all different shapes/sizes - and none of them has ever let me down. Even in winter you need very good ventilation so that moisture doesn't turn into a thick layer of frost on the inside of the tent. I tend to recommend that boys have a great sleeping bag and wear a hat at night so that they can open up the tent's ventilation. Good ventilation doesn't mean that the wind has to rip through the tent though, but the tent itself shouldn't be expected to retain any heat. You'll have to leave that to hard-w

I'll take your Hank Aaron, Bill Bradley, Merlin Olson, Bruce Jenner, Neil Armstrong, Gerald Ford and Bill Gates, .... And raise you: Bill Alexander, U.S. Representative from Arkansas (Eagle Scout) Gary Anderson, U.S. Representative from New York (Eagle Scout) Charles Bennett, U.S. Representative from Florida (Eagle Scout) William Bennett, Former Secretary of Education (Eagle Scout) (Eagle Scout) James Brady, Former Press Secretary to President Reagan (Eagle Scout) Milton Caniff, Comic Strip Artist "Steve Canyon" (Eagle Scout) Bill Clinton, U.S. President (Cub Sc

My son, currently a Webelos 2, has Aspergers Syndrome (AS). He was diagnosed in 1st grade, though we knew things were different much earlier than that. Yes, and yes, he has many sensory issues. He hates uncontrolled motion (rides), touching wet stuff (though he loves to swim), loud noises, 3D movies, .... Somewhere I read that if we picture all of our senses turned up 3 or 4 times normal then we might have some idea what AS is like. Yes, he is VERY intellegent. He can repeat lines from entire movies. When he was young we thought he could read very early, but it turned out he was just memo

Excellent advice has already been given. I have few additional pieces of advice: (1) Identify an Assistant Webelos Den Leader. They will make your job much easier. (2) Ask a local Boy Scout Troop if they can provide a Den Chief - a Boy Scout who will attend you den meetings and help/teach/lead as appropriate. (3) Get your den's parents as involved as possible. Find out who they are, what they do for a living, what their hobbies are, and if they have any Scouting background. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience for your den to tap into. I am a WDL also. In ou

I miss Bob.

Clearly the most influential Americans are ... ... PARENTS.

The Guide to Safe Scouting at http://www.scouting.org/pubs/gss/index.html discusses archery and BB gun shooting for Cub Scouts: "... archery, bb gun range (well supervised by trained scouter) ..." GTSS: Archery and BB gun shooting are restricted to day camps, Cub Scout/Webelos Scout resident camps, council-managed family camping programs, or to council activities where there are properly trained supervisors and all standards for BSA shooting sports are enforced. Archery and BB gun shooting are not to be done at the pack level. I would interpret this to mean that archery and B