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? Maybe some of both.

Now that we are looking at troops, the question of merit badge councelor availability comes up and I wonder how hard it will be for my son to work on the merit badges.

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 don't leave the units on all the time. Instead they turn them on occasionally to assess current position and obtain a bearing and then use a compass to follow the bearing, so batteries can last a very very long time.

Using waypoints, they can also tell you where you've been, or they can be pre-loaded with places you might want to go (or at least know where they are). Knowing these bits of information, GPS's can tell you the direction from where you are to where you have been or want to go. Extend this to many waypoints and draw lines/shading around them and you have a GPS map that can show you where you are relative to nearby landmarks (key waypoints).

At typical walking speeds they do only a mediocre job of telling you current direction and speed. At faster speeds they do a pretty darn good job of telling direction and speed (based upon relative location/time going from where you were to where you are now).

Compasses, on the other hand, do a very good job of telling you directions, but that is all they do. They, by themselves, do absolutely nothing to tell you where you are or where you want to go.

Maps provide several ways of telling you where you are, but they require you to be able to distinguish some kinds of landmarks. Have you ever tried to find landmarks in the middle of a fairly dense forest? Good luck! Without landmarks - as is common in dense forests, seas/oceans, or deserts - a map does nothing to tell you direction or location.

I see these three tools: GPS, compass, and map, as each being essential tools to modern navigation. All have weakness, all have strengths, and none can really be used alone.

GPS & Compass - It is pretty easy for most to take a GPS bearing and use it with a compass. This is what I do most of the time. It is usually unwise to rely on a compass to know your current direction - at least while walking. If you don't know the coordinates of your destination, your are stuck - neither the GPS nor the compass will help.

GPS & Map - GPS's and Maps talk to each other using coordinates. These days the preferred coordinate system for working with GPS and maps seems to be UTM coordinates. Failure to understand how to use UTM coordinates makes it very difficult to relate GPS informatioin to Map information - and vise versa. If you know how to use UTM coordinates, you can take your current location from the GPS and readily transfer that information to a map. You can also take a coordinate from the map and create a waypoint in the GPS. Its all done with coordinates. If you don't know which way is North (or south or ...) - this all falls apart - the GPS and Map won't help.

Map & Compass - This is the combination that Scouting has been teaching for years. Use the compass to orient the map, assess your current position from landmarks (either purely visually or by triangulation), determine the bearing needed to go from where you are to where you want to go, and then follow the bearing. If you don't have landmarks, you don't know where you currently are - and this too falls apart.

Learn to use all three well - and more importantly how to use them with each other - and you have a powerful combination of navigation tools.

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 every "i". (was that in Willey Wonka?).

Ken K.

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 wish the USGS topo map for my area came with UTM grids pre-printed. As I understand as maps are revised the grids are added, but that hasn't happened for those in my area yet.

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 better - it has a softer and slightly more spread light.

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 invited a LDS troop to join our non-LDS troop for a cracker barrel. We were careful to provide food/beverages that met the demands of all.

Avoiding having meat & dairy in the same meal, eliminating pork & shelfish, and even buying new cook gear, seems like a small price to pay in order to meet the religious needs of some of the boys and make sure that they feel welcome.

I just can't imagine ignoring their religious needs, and I also can't see patrols having to cook different foods for different boys at each meal. I lean more toward saying that if a boy or his parents are unwilling to honor the religious dietary needs of fellow scouts, then they may need to find another troop.

Question: Excuse my ignorance, but are eggs considered as dairy? I'm thinking of a turkey bacon & egg breakfast. Having a son who is mildly allergic to dairy & wheat, we have been surprised at how much is available without these foods - if you search a bit.

... 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-walled RVs with furnaces.

Just about any high quality 3-season tent that doesn't use netting on the tent roof (as opposed to the tarp) should do fine. 4-season tents have more poles in order to handle the snow-load, but that also makes them substantially heavier. I don't think Scouts need to worry about snow-load, so I'd stick with the 3-season tents. Because of the cold temperatures I'd recommend avoiding fiberglass poles, since they are at greatest risk of breaking in the cold. My specific biased recommendations would include:

>>Eureka Timberline Outfitter 4 - $187.50 - An older modified A-frame tent, but a solid time-tested tent for which it is easy to obtain replacement parts (a rare thing for tents). Has big beefy aluminum poles that can take a lot of abuse. Comes in 2 and 4 person sizes. I'd go with the 4-person size for car/trailer camping. Used by thousands of Scout troops across the country.

>>Eureka Backcountry Outfitter 4 - $197.77, currently on sale for $145.00 - This is the tent I will likely buy for my son. This is a modern aluminum-framed dome tent. I read somewhere that it is campmor.com's best seller. Though the poles are sturdy, they are much narrower and longer than the Timerline, and therefore more prone to damage, BUT it has Eurka's EXO frame, which means you don't have to run poles through sleeves, you just stretch the poles from corner to corner and then clip the tent to the frame - pretty cool. Much easier setup for a young boy. It also comes in 2 and 4 person sizes.

>>Eureka Assault Outfitter 4 - $245 - This is a true 4-season aluminum-framed dome tent that is the commerical version of the tent Eureka supplies to the U.S. Marine Corps. It has Eurekas latest ventilation system with popup exterior vent hoods, full to-ground fly, and built-in vestibules. It is built to withstand heavy rain and very strong winds. I own this tent and really like it, but it uses pole sleeves (for strength) and I feel that the Backcountry will suit the needs of a young Scout much better fine.

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 Scout)

Walter Cronkite - Journalist, T.V. commentator

Willaim Dannemeyer, U.S. Representative from California (Eagle Scout)

William C. DeVries, M.D., Transplanted first artificial heart (Eagle Scout)

Daniel J. Evans, Former US Senator and Governor from the state of Washington (Eagle Scout)

Harrison Ford, Actor (Life Scout)

Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Governor of Louisiana (Eagle Scout)

Richard Gere - Actor

David Hartman, Actor (Life Scout)

John F. Kennedy, U.S. President (Star Scout)

Gary Locke, Governor of Washington State (Eagle Scout)

James Lovell - Astronaut (Eagle Scout)

Richard Lugar, U.S. Senator from Indiana (Eagle Scout)

J. Willard Marriott, Jr., President, Marriott Corporation (Eagle Scout)

Branford Marsalis, Jazz musician (Life Scout)

William McCool, Space Shuttle Columbia Pilot (Eagle Scout)

Jim Morrison - Rock Legend (Boy Scout)

Sam Nunn, U.S. Senator from Georgia (Eagle Scout)

Ellison Onizuka, Challenger Astronaut (Eagle Scout)

H. Ross Perot, Self Made Billionaire and Presidential Candidate (Eagle Scout)

J.J. Pickle, U.S. Representative from Texas (Eagle Scout)

Samuel Pierce, Former Secreatry of Housing & Urban Development (Eagle Scout)

Eddie Rabbitt, Country/Western singer (Boy Scout)

John Ritter, Actor

Richard Roundtree, Actor (Boy Scout)

Nolan Ryan, Pro Baseball Player

Alberto Salazar, 3-time winner, NYC Marathon (Life Scout)

Harrison Salisbury, Pulizer Prize winning Author (Eagle Scout)

John Schneider, Actor/Singer (Cub Scout)

Willaim Sessions, Former FBI Director (Eagle Scout)

Howard K. Smith, Former ABC-TV commentator (Boy Scout)

Steven Spielberg, Film Director/Producer (Eagle Scout)

Mark Spitz - Olympic Gold Medal Swimmer (Cub Scout)

James Stewart - Actor (Boy Scout)

Wallace Stegner, Pulitzer Prize winning Author (Eagle Scout)

James Stewart, Actor

George Strait - Country/Western Singer (Cub Scout)

Percy Sutton, Chairman of CBS (Eagle Scout)

John Tesh, TV Celebrity (Eagle Scout)

Joe Theisman, Sportscaster, former NFL player (Life Scout)

Peter Ueberroth, Former Commissioner of Baseball (Cub Scout)

Paul Winfield, Actor (Cub Scout)

I also saw a figure somewhere that said of something like 300 astronauts, 200 were involved in Scouting at one time in their lives.

Scouting made my father great, it made me better than I would have been, and I have very high hopes for what it will do for my son and daughter. I never dated a cheerleader, but I found the women of my dreams.

Scouting teaches boys how to show respect for themselves and others, how to lead, how to tie knots that work, how to handle knives and axes, how to identify poisonous plants, how to build and cook on fires, how to show respect to the country's flag, how to show reverence to God, how to navigate with just a map and compass, how to camp outdoors and feed themselves, how to hike for miles and miles safely and comfortably, how to provide first aid to those in need, how to build big cool structures out of logs and rope, and how to donate services to their community. What is nerdy about any of this?

Football players learn how to carry a little funny-shaped ball something less than 300 feet on a grassy field. Baseball players, well, play catch and hit balls with a stick - and spit. Yes, it can be fun to watch, but are these real life-long lessons?

Scouting makes the kind of men that a mother wishes her son would be and hopes that her daughter will marry. After all, Fleetfootedfox's wife married a Boy Scout.

I think Mrs. Fleetfootedfox needs to get past the uniforms and become more involved with her son's troop - and Boy Scouts - so she can see how wonderful a program it is.

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 memorizing the words from entire books.

He is what I would characterize as a "nice" boy (not mean or agressive) but he tends to be irritating to others since he doesn't know when he is bothering them and he gets very frustrated and has melt-downs when things don't go right (typcical AS).

Your father needs to take some control over the hair-cutting issue and find out exactly why he doesn't want his hair cut. My son finds hair cuts extremely uncomfortable, though he has always tolerated them (but when younger he would cry up a storm). He wants hair cuts to go as fast as possible and doesn't like electric clippers (sound and vibration).

Can you be more specific about what he doesn't like about the uniform? My guess is that it doesn't feel right to him and he just wants to wear something that feels comfortable. Have you asked him? Can you blame him? My son much prefers the softer feel of kakhi (sp?) pants over blue jeans. He much prefers t-shirts over dress shirts. He likes hoods - I think he likes his head covered.

AS is a tough thing for kids since other people can't see it, and we for the most part can't understand the reasons for behaviors. I've often said that my son might be better off if he were blind - at least people would understand his issue and could deal with it. AS is just too subtle.

Have you, or your father, asked why he hates Scouting? Does he feel he has friends in the Troop? Everything I've read says that Boy Scouts is just about the best thing available for AS kids, BUT the entire troop has to be aware of the boy's AS, they have to know what it is and how to help the AS boy when needed.

You father might suggest to the SM that she swallow her pride and take some time to learn about AS and to deal with it like a trained adult Scout Leader.

At the same time, your brother needs to know in no uncertain terms that foul language and bad behavior will not be tolerated, and he should be punished by his father as appropriate for a 16 year old with AS - maybe lose privileges or computer/TV time. He should indeed be made to apologize to those offended and take his punishment.

I have another boy in my Webelos 2 den whose father has told me that his son is suspected of having AS (I know he does, but it is not my place to diagnose). This boy is very poorly behaved and quite aggressive to others, but his parents do almost nothing to correct him. It is ashame. This boy will not be well recieved as he gets older. He has told me that his is not going on to Boy Scouts.

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 our den each den meeting is assigned to a parent. They don't lead the den meeting - I do that - but with my help (amount varies) they put together the main activity-based portion of the meeting. I keep in contact with them during the weeks leading up to their respective den meeting to make sure they are covering what needs to be done. It has worked out well and has kept the parents involved - they like that.

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 BB gun shooting involving Webelos cannot be done at the unit level (troop or pack), unless approved/managed by the council.

"A 20ft.roped off circle where the young Webelos (and many older Scouts) throw hatchets at a stump or log target."

The GTSS doesn't mention hatchet throwing or anything that is similar. A Google search did find example of scouts participating in hatchet & knife throwing - even at Philmont. My advice is to use the same GTSS guidance as for archery and BB gun shooting and get an OK from the council before holding such activity.

I also found on-line a scout-related description for an axe throwing setup. It is at http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/skills/axe/axe_throwing.htm . They recommend a target at least 72" high x 20" wide made of 3" thick pine boards. They recommend a safety corridor that is 4' on either side of the centerline and extending 20' back from the target.

I myself would probably prefer a hatchet throwing range more like that of an archery range, where people are essentially kept behind the thrower.

Though the hatchet seems heavy & dangerous, remember that most second year Webelos are only 6-9 months away from becoming Boy Scout, and that Boy Scouts can shoot shotguns and rifles "under the direction of a certified instructor, 21 years of age or older, within the standards outlined in current Scouting literature and bulletins."