asmmike

In my troop, it is sufficient to record the animal's name on the page provided in the Scout Handbook. The book recommends (not require) research of the animals or signs that are observed. It appears that your troop is enforcing this, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Requiring a reference for the research, however, is technically adding a requirement because this is not directly asked for. Why should this practice continue in your troop? The research requirement will allow the scout to better identify the animal when observed (barn owl versus just any owl, for example) or allow him to

Recruitment is an ongoing process and can be time consuming. Our best results come from four approaches. 1. Den Chiefs. This is the easiest method of recruitment and needs to be used effectively. Just the mere presence of Boy Scouts at the Cub Scout level will bring few boys into the Troop. Using the Den Chiefs to inform the Cubs, Dens, and the Pack about the Troops activities can dramatically increase interest if you involve the younger boys. 2. Involvement. Many Troops do an annual pin college for the Webelos dens in their area. We dont do this because we find that the Cu

Kids these days do not have much unstructured time. They are in sports, band, clubs, and various activities at each level. The 16-17 year olds have jobs and cars, and perhaps you have noticed the 2-3 hours of homework every night. Scouting is not so much a demanding activity; just one night a week and one weekend a month. Many parents provide their kids with balance to include all of these opportunities. It is stressful, but doable. The activities and time pressures are the excuse, not the reason to quit or avoid scouting. The real reason as I see it: just the look on the parents'

A boy may become a Boy Scout at age 11, Grade 5 Completion, or earned the Arrow of Light. Almost all cubs earn the AoL by February and most of them are ready to join at that point. My own Webelos den completed all 20 pins in October and spent the time until February visiting Troops, going on campouts and completing all of the AoL requirements. They were all excited and ready to bridge when the time came. These boys could certainly have completed the AoL requirements during the summer and bridged in September. There is nothing wrong with this approach, however, the boys would n