Jump to content

artjrk

Members
  • Content Count

    236
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by artjrk

  1. We have a patrol called the "Fantastic Seven" Oddly, there are eight in the patrol. Hmmm....
  2. Jet I have never seen building a website as an Eagle Project before. But as a designer and web developer I know that it is not a one man job. It takes a full team to do it right, Designer, Programmer, Writer, Editor, Photographer. A Scout doesn't have to be any of these. To show leadership he would need to assemble such team and coordinate and direct each of these parts. Actually this is similar to a Scout I just signed of his SMC where he coordinated the publication of an information booklet for the town council. He had to coordinate the interviews and writeups as well as the design and
  3. Twice in my history with the troop we have done this. Both times in conjuction with our June CoH and BBQ. The first time we had 4 boys who had progressed through the ranks together from Tiger. The each earned their Eagle at different times but wanted to celebrate together with the whole troop. In both cases we had boys who just weren't into all the fanfare and wanted to keep it simple. Both times we treated it the same as another rank with just a few additions like the Eagle oath and giving the boys a moment to speak if they desired.
  4. The two Packs I have been associated with always go to Goshen every year. I have bee three times myself. Personally I love it there. I also grew up 40 minutes away so I may be bias. The nice thing about Goshen is the reservation and lake are large enough to support 3 Scout Camps and 2 Webelos Camps, Camps PMI and Ross, with out anyone running into each other. The numerous hikes available for you to take the kids on are great. One up Viewing Rock allows a terrific overview of the entire lake. You can continue on to the next mountain top for a view of the valley for the more adventurous. Another
  5. I don't necessarily equate Being Involved with Being in OA. I know too many very involved leaders who are not in OA due to the fact they cannot take the time to spend a week at camp (an OA requirement here for adults) Heck I haven't been able to go to camp in five years due to the fact that I'm hourly and can't afford to take a week off WITH NO PAY and I am the Scoutmaster. But this doesn't keep me from being over involved every weekend and many nights a week.
  6. cleaning tip: A ball of aluminum foil works well as a scouring pad to get some minor stubborn baked-on mess. Also a wooden Spatula works well for larger messes. And neither harms the seasoned coating.
  7. Similar to the pie pans. I use a round wire cooling rack to lift items off the bottom. I personally rather use actual coals from the fire when I can especially for meals that take a long time to cook. Easier to get fresh coals than with charcoal. I personally don't like charcoal and do most my cooking by the fire. Hard wood make better coals than pine. I hadn't heard of using the DO upside down. Trying to think of potential uses for that.
  8. A simple tactic I use as a SM during Eagle Projects if I see an adult taking over. I first go up to the Scout and ask for an update on how things are going and what he has various people doing. Then I will pull the adult aside and chat him/her up, usually pointing out the good things the scout is doing and such. Hopefully the adult will see that the kid is able to do the leading on his own. Also my aim is to keep the adult occupied so that they won't be able to interfere. Many of my scouts joke that I'm just standing around yakking but I have my motives.
  9. It seems in our troop the last 4 SM have all taken office with a clear understanding how long the expect to be in the position. The two before me each served 2 years. I went in with the idea of being there for 3. I have a clear understanding with the CC. This year being my last we are both looking out for my replacement and his as well the next year. I don't think we need term limits exactly, but it is probably a good idea if the incoming SM has a tentative idea how long he expects to be there. The first year I spent figuring out what I was doing. The second I discovered what I was doi
  10. We had a scout who had to drop out of camp at the last minute due to health reasons. The camp is refunding the costs but the request has to come from the troop. Reason being is the troop is the one who actually wrote the check to the camp. The scouts paid their money to the troop. Also since the camp was out of council we need to send the troop's request through our council office to the camp's council office.
  11. I've found the most meaningful services to be ones that include prayers, readings and songs from various faiths. One's not watered down or so nondescript that they are unrecognizable. Personally I don't care for the ones that as you say "a whole mess of Scout Oath & Law as religion stuff" Currently I have asked our Chaplain's Aide to collect a variety of items to be used. I am interested to see what he comes up with.
  12. One item we keep in the Troop trailer which is very handy at camp. It's our Bag O' Gimp. Several spool of various colors with a binder of instructions for different projects. Amazingly even the older scouts find it a great way to pass the idle time. Other leaders bring their whittling knife and crank out at least one or two slides in a week. Usually the boys join in as well.
  13. Our experience was that the first time was time consuming imputing the info for all the potential leaders and drivers in the troop. After that, it has been smooth sailing. Usually we file it during a Troop meeting from a laptop. Turn around time is about a day.
  14. Personally, I would like to see Scouts advance from Scout to !st Class in 1-2 years time, about a year each for Star and Life, followed by 1-2 years for Eagle. This way the Scouts maturity level moves up with the added responsibility each rank brings. I know this is almost twice as long as the minimum time required. There are always exceptions to the rules and some kids mature faster and I don't hold any kid to my timeline. Just my opinion based on experience. I have found those kids who have taken their time and stuck with the program, to be the strongest leaders in the troop. Those that have
  15. I have them as well. I like them over the lighter weight material. I wear a 38 and they are the roomiest 38s I own. This is partly due to the expanding waist feature they have. I definitely need to wear the belt with them. My only complaint is as mentioned above, the zipper for the cut off to shorts hits right at the knee. If I need to kneel down I have to pull them up a bit. This is all due to the larger cargo pocket. They are big enough to hold the scout handbook, except I never see a kid carry one in their pocket.
  16. You know, I was thinking about these same questions when the other thread was asking about doing a BoR a day early. It does make one wonder and I don't have a perfect answer for you. This is one reason we have established in our troop that all leadership terms start either on May 1 or Nov 1. As to the problem in your troop where scouts must have BoR on exact days otherwise they won't be able to get to Eagle. A scout has 7+ years to get it all done. If he waits until the very last minute, its really NOT your problem. You can do what you can within reason, but...
  17. These days, many of the mid- to high-end sewing machines can be programmed to do custom embroidery. Some are even set up to already do letters. Take a couple of old uniform shirts and you won't even need to by fabric. (A scout is thrifty you know) There is a chance some mom or dad might have one of these machines.
  18. Cardboard would not be a good idea. I would suggest an aluminum drip pan for a water heater, elevated by rocks or bricks. I saw a 22" diameter one for around $25 in local Home Depot.
  19. My main camping shoe is a pair of old Timberland work boots. Durable and less expensive. Another leader has a pair he will be using for his second Philmont trek. My wife introduced me to Keen sandals years ago. This style of shoe does fine for me in camp, hard soul and closed toe. I have never seen an issue with the open heel. I find them invaluable as my in camp shoe. There are many other kinds of sandals that have these features as well. Another style of shoe I have seen being used as a camp shoe while backpacking is the Crocs. They are the lightest you can get. Have closed toe an
  20. Several years ago after the outgoing treasurer left, our Pack found itself with a budget surplus of around $10,000. Apparently he liked to keep a good cushion. we had a Pack of about 50-60 boys. I don't know the exact details but we decided to whittle that amount down to a level equal to 1 years budget. That way if our fund raising totally flopped we would be OK. I think that level was closer to about $5,000. I see you mentioned paying camperships for camp. That is good for some needy boys but what our Pack and Troop as well does is pay Summer camp fees for all adult leaders. As many know
  21. You may want to check the BSA's Hazardous Weather training online for some useful guidance. Don't forget, vehicles are also a good place to ride out a lightning storm as well. I would encourage you to go ahead with your places for the campout. Just prepare a emergency plan in case the possible storm is severe. For example, bring an air horn to alert all families to move to their vehicles or bathhouse. I know you are talking about a Cub Scout campout and the boys are young, but possible scattered thunderstorms should not be a deterrent to camping. Our pack has camped in complete washo
  22. How about the fact that method number 3, Advancement is repeated. Maybe with such emphasis on Advancing, its no wonder a Tiger Scout has already earned Wolf and Bear as well.
  23. I do not recall there being ANY requirements for an ordeal member to perform prior to Brotherhood. Usually there is a prep meeting in the afternoon and then the Brotherhood Walk and Ceremony that night. At least that is how it is in our Chapter. Now as Moose has indicated, being active by attending the monthly Chapter meetings and getting involved in one of the "teams" (ie Cook, health and Safety, ceremonies, inductions, elections) is always a good thing. But as your son may recall, one of the main goals of an OA member is "Servicing his Troop." As SPL, his number one priority is p
  24. Our Troop has around 45 members. Our OA chapter has well over 500 members (it may be as high as 1300 I was hearing conflicting stories this past weekend at Ordeal. 4 of the last 6 Chapter Chiefs have been from our Troop. For the last few years, there has been at least 4 Vice Chiefs from our Troop each year. We have enough boys for 3-4 Ceremonies Teams. As a SM (also a brotherhood member), I welcome the OA. It offers our boys numerous chances to learn and develop their leadership skills beyond what is available in our Troop. I used to worry that the OA was taking boys away from our unit. Y
  25. As One hour does, I use travel time to talk to the SPL as well. On some long drives we have conducted our entire monthly PLC. Another reason for having a different scout beside my own riding shotgun, my kid is clueless as a navigator. Mind you he is old enough to drive himself, but we still need to give him directions to get home even in town.
×
×
  • Create New...