Knight

I learned lots, made great friends and had a true "mountain top" experience.

Sign up for it - you won't regret it!

Our troop does not have much money, so no, they did not pay for WB. Some companies pay the fee and/or give paid time off - the training is applicable to work as well as Scouting (Ok, my boss does frown on me singing "Back to Gilwell").

I was at a different employer when I took Wood Badge. It was a disappointment when I presented the course to my bosses, what with all of the extremely good leadership training and the application of concepts leanred by putting into usage in ticket items - and I was turned down for reimbursement and had to take vacation days to go to the two Fridays. But that really did not matter - the course has been invaluable to me.

(This message has been edited by Knight)

I had the exact same questions you are asking before I took Wood Badge. As I progressed through each of the days of the course, the answers to my questions were answered by the course content.

As you go through the course, you'll see ideal troops (packs) and you'll naturally think - hey, that is something we could do at our troop/pack. Jot it down - that could be a ticket item. You might get ideas / suggestions from other participants or staffers - jot them down. You might see ideas for how your adults interact and do - or don't do things. Write down your notes and observations and how it might possibly apply to your troop/pack.

Our course's list of things to bring to the WB course included "a small notebook." I still have my litte 20 cent notebook from Walmart. In it, I scribbled down ideas for possible ticket items as I went through the course. In the notebook are my ideas that became my ticket items. I whittled down my thoughts to five projects that were all a cohesive set of significant items that really did support my "personal vision of success."

As for finishing the ticket - you've got 18 months - as long as you keep pressing forward on your projects, you'll finish your ticket.

ScoutNut - That video is great - I just emailed it (again) to a Beaver friend of mine who is still working his ticket. He's got seven month left... He's on track. I'm email it to him every month or so now just to keep reminding him.

"Bring peace the to Middle East - not done!"

I used to be an Antelope, a good ole Antelope too...(This message has been edited by Knight)

A ticket item is simply one of the five goals you have to complete to finsh your ticket.

You "work your ticket" by accomplishing your ticket items.

By the way, Bob White, I'm just offering this as a light-hearted item with your name because people seem to like to give you a hard time for being able to correctly follow the rules. Hopefully, it provides a few chuckles to you and others.

I highly value all of the great insights and advice I receive from the information provided by you and others here. It is immensely helpful.

"Damn the Rules! Call it an experiment!"

- Lord Baden-Powell

Quoted from "Footsteps of the Founder" page 147.(This message has been edited by Knight)

I dredged up this old topic becuase I'm sure many folks are having crossovers soon. We built the very nice, and easily transportable bridge (it breaks down into pieces) shown in the link below. We have a crossover ceremony that is based, in part, upon the script in that link. Look for the sketch about 2/3 the way down the page. The ceremony is above the sketch. Thank you York Adama area council - we used your idea!

http://usscouts.org/bbugle/bb0301/bbad.html

Building the bridge was partly Webelos Craftsman projects.

A couple of more observations:

AOL - Yes, if boys earn AOL early, have them keep going in the Webelos program. Again, I think if the program is being done correctly, you will naturally end up with the boys completing all 20 in 1 1/2 years.

Cross over / Troops - The Webelos program should involve visits to several troops. If you are doing that, you should end up with more than one troop at your crossover. If every single Webelos cross over to the same troop, it may be that the leaders have not really provided the boys with good introductions to different troops (assuming there are several troops in your local area). Every troop has its own features, plusses and minuses.

I've seen that, if the Webelos program is done well, the program will be a full first year of activity badges for the boys and then the second year is doing a some more activity badges but increasingly doing Boy Scout-related activities. In order for the boys to earn all 20, they must go above and beyond by doing some activity badges with their family, over the summer, etc. Traveler is the most obvious choice for that.

Our Webelos II den just had their final den meeting tonight. This weekend is the B&G, then next week's pack meeting will have AOL and crossover.

If we could do it over again, we might have planned it to get the AOL sooner - but that's Ok.

We had one pack that finished their boys up in November - I think that's cheatingthe boys out of their Webelos time and hurrying them along too soon. More importantly, I don't think you can provide a quality program and really do the activity badges properly in a big hurry.

Craftsman, for example, should take several meetings, if done correctly. I've had people tell me their son earned Craftsman at a two hour course at a day camp. Physically impossible, in my humble opinion.

Remember, the point of the program is the journey, not the destination.

As far as how to cross them over - do it as a group. You may have a few exceptions, but deal with those with a special plan of action - for example working with Webelos I to make up mandatory activity badges that were missed/not completed in the first year.

As an ASM - yes, it is better to get small groups of boys at at time instead of one or two at a time. It helps build patrol friendships when several start out together.

Here is the hot south, Frbruary is the ideal time to cross over. Campout weather is perfect and the boys have time to get practice camping without Mom and Dad for a few times before they head out for a week-long summer camp.

I was talking with my Wood Badge course director the other night. He has one of the older WB neckers that are small. I did not realize that some WB neckers were of the smaller size. I like the large size much better.

Gulf Stream Council is planning a big camporee and also some sort of Scout reunion.

At our Roman Catholic Mass we did the following:

Troop and Pack flags at church entrances.

"A Scout is Reverent" foam display boards with Scout Sunday and various religious patches at each entrance.

Scouts wore Class A uniforms, including merit bade sash.

Scouts and Scouters greeted people at entrances and held open the doors.

Prayer for Scouts worldwide during prayer of the faithful.

Scouts brought up the gifts.

Just before the end of the Mass, the Pastor called up all Scouts and Scouters to state the Scout Oath and Scout Law before the congregation.

Very simple and reverent.

Every six months when the boys change offices, we do like SSScout describes. The SM gives the oath to the SPL, the SPL then does it for the ASPL and then the PLs. It was adapted from

the Wood Badge course. Examples:

SPL:

I promise to do my best

to be worthy of the office of Senior Patrol Leader

for the sake of my fellow Scouts

in Troop 999

and in the World Brotherhood of Scouting.

PL:

I promise to do my best

to be worthy of the office of Patrol Leader

for the sake of my fellow Scouts

in my patrol and Troop 999

and in the World Brotherhood of Scouting.

I'm sure this issue is happening acros the country:

Almost all of the the boys and parents here think that the black belt that comes with the new pants is a permanent part of the pants (and cannot be removed). They don't realize that there are two temporary stitches in the back of the pants that are holding the belt in place.

Has anyone else figured this out?(This message has been edited by Knight)

What are your groups doing for Scout Sunday or Scout Shabbat?

If you have the interest in going as far as northern Georgia, there are outstanding state parks there that are extremely good for families. Our family has gone many times camping in cabins and tents.

The picture shows the boys at the entrance to Camp Sawyer today. We try to imagine what it must be like to go camping in the snow.

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn32/BayOfThePirates/CampSawyer011809.jpg

This year's January camp (this weekend) is at Camp Sawyer in the Florida Keys.

High 72, low 60, small chance of rain.

No chance of freezing here.

Our Scouts down here in south Florida talk about how they wish they could go camping in the snow.

The campout that still gets the most discussion is one from one year ago - Fort Clinch, Florida - on the border of FL and GA. We had snow flurries. It rained like crazy the first night and day - heaviest during the set up of the camp - but they did everything well and got things set up despite the cold and the rain.

Now they look back on it as the greatest campout ever.

We had a Webelos den visit us tonight - and our troop did great.

They did not plan a special meeting - the boys just planned and carried out a regular meeting but with a focus on things the Webelos might be interested in. They did some map and compass skills things, etc. The ASPL and SPL had an agenda written out and had done a little planning with the PLs also.

What was really good was Scouts planned and ran the whole thing.

It started great: The SPL and ASPL standing silently at the front of the room with their Scout signs up while the Webelos, Boy Scouts and parents were talking and milling about. The Boy Scouts quickly caught on - silently, of course - and the Webelos eventually figured it out too - no "signs up" calls or anything like that. The Webelos parents were quite impressed - after years of herding cats, their boys were finally "doing it right."

The SPL and ASPL did an opening a welcome, the Pledge of Allegiance and Scout Oath and then broke out into patrols, with Webelos joining them. Some older scouts (Troop Guides) were extremely good in making things happpen and easing the way for the Webelos.

In parallel, extra scouts not with the Webelos were learning "storming, forming, norming, performing" from a Scout who recently completed NYLT.

Meanwhile, I was in the next room (we have adjoining classrooms, one for parents, one for Scouts), giving a New Parents orientation to new Troop parents and to the visiting Webelos parents (I developed it as part of one of my Wood Badge ticket items). The Webelos parents seemed anxious at first that the adults were in one room and the Scouts in another - but we looked in on the Scouts and saw everything was going Ok. I asked a parent of a new Scout who had recently crossed over to our troop to give his perspective. He commented how he was impressed how the boys had held a meeting to plan their six month calendar and also how it was nice to have the boys prepare and serve him food on a campout (after years of him preparing food for Cub Scouts).

And by chance a very well-respected Scouter and his son happened to be visiting that night too (they are considering making a change of troops). His comment to me: This is how a Troop is supposed to work!

Each meeting the Scouts do some sort of outdoor activity. For this night, another Scout who also just completed NYLT had the Webelos teamed up with Scouts doing the "flip over the tarp without stepping off of the tarp" thing. After the teams all got it done, they then did it again but with only one person per team speaking. The Webelos parents walked outside to watch part of it and, judging by their reactions, were very pleased that their boys were spontaneously showing team work.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Troop was getting the duty rosters finalized for this weekend's campout.

The meeting was reassembled for final announcements - at which time, the other ASM and I gave some info about upcoming camps and events - with assistance from the PLs and ASPL.

The SPL lead the group in a perfect rendition of Scout Law, motto, slogan and Outdoor Code.

Finally, the SM gave a heartfelt Scoutmaster's minute (time 1:14 - per the ASPL)

The SPL lead the Scoutmaster's benediction and adjourned the meeting.

A brief and informative mini-PLC followed.

The Webelos and their parents really got to see a troop being run by boys. The SM and ASMs helped out - we talked with parents and consulted with the various Troop youth leaders throughout the evening - but we were all on the sidelines. The boys ran their meeting.

I know many of the parents visiting us had seen Troops where the SM runs the show - but not in our Troop.

No, we are not perfect and we have a long way to go, but tonight was one of those great nights.

I almost joined the society - but being a thrifty Scot, I decided to postpone it...

Two words:

Popcorn sales

Thank you for your info.

As far as the limit on patrol size, I can tell you for a fact that whoever at BSA national handles this does make exceptions. My course had got approval for eight patrols of up to eight members each (ie, 64). We ended up with 57 or 58.

My son worked very long and very hard last year to collect, mount and correctly classify / name 50 insects along with all of the other requirements.

He saw the new requirements and said he was glad he completed his insect study merit badge under the old requirements.

How does a Raven patrol come about? Obviously, it is not part of the "usual" eight patrols. Where does it fit in in the standard Gilwell order of patrols?

..I've always wondered...