LauraT7

i LOVE it, Sparkie! I can think of a few more "optional" requirements.... 16. Find the hidden electrical outlets in camp for your Palm Pilot, laptop and to re-charge your digital camera. 17. Move the car at least once a day to "test the A/C" 18. Setup a hammock and bring a good book. 19. float on an air mattress in the swimming area & work on your tan. 20. Take a shower or two each day to cool off - but instead of deodorant, douse yourself in bug spray. I think we'll have to make this a Napawon Tradition - lets see, what would our patch be...

Thanks, Mark & dancinfox! Boy, when I need something, someone on this board ALWAYS comes thru! You guys are GREAT! lauraT

http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/9152/adultinsignia.html http://www.usscouts.org/awards.asp Eisley, The above are two sites I have found that have most of the info I needed. Maybe they can help you find what you're looking for. lauraT

Sheesh! Sometimes it seems like BSA is TRYING to keep people in the dark! I don't know how big your councils are, but I come from one that is pretty big in geographical size, and I'm actually only about an hour from our council office - but I've never been there. (It's in a kinda bad part of town, too - they're going to be moving in the next year or so) I wish there was a library of documentation that I could go look up some of this stuff! That's why BSA has really got to come online more - and get more info into the hands of the volunteers. Most people won't bother to

does anyone have a .pdf or .doc file of the NEW 2003 Local tour permit? If so could you e-mail it to me? I have one paper copy, which I need for a trip. I have tried scanning it to save the blank for future use - but it doesn't seem to be working. All the links I can find (USSSP, Scouter.com, etc) are for the old permit. I know I can get more at roundtable, but I like to keep as many forms as possible in my computer - that way I don't misplace them, or get them all dog-eared before I use them. I'm trying to get away from keeping so much paper. thanks, LauraT

in questioning some of my district scouters - here, it is the leaders themselves that track their own progress - which is why some units have leaders with lots of awards and others have none. I came from a pack that never mentioned training, and while our cubmaster was great with the boys - organization wasn't his thing - everything was "winging it". I don't even know if the pack had a committee! LOL! the cubmaster kept track of all the advancements for the boys - how could he track adults, too?! although we are volunteers, it's nice to be recognised for the time and effort we spe

I posted this under training, so ignore this if you saw it there.... I'm frustrated - I used to have a tracking page for training - after it was completed, I could get my training square knot. It was a paper that you could fold into quarters to fit in your wallet. Can't find the durned thing! I think a number of my Troop co-horts would also qualify for this award, IF I can find it and check off the requirements for all of us. (the only place I can find it online - the link is broken) We are having a COH in a few weeks and have to get orders in early as our Advancement chair is going

I'm frustrated - I used to have a tracking page for training - after it was completed, I could get my training square knot. It was a paper that you could fold into quarters to fit in your wallet. Can't find the durned thing! I think a number of my Troop co-horts would also qualify for this award, IF I can find it and check off the requirements for all of us. (the only place I can find it online - the link is broken) We are having a COH in a few weeks and have to get orders in early as our Advancement chair is going on vacation over spring break. Anybody have an online copy of this ca

Our troop has recently gotten back into boy lead and the patrol method after years of being run by adults. The boys are doing great - but since THEY have never had a NSP, or been really lead and taught by the older boys themselves, they don't know how to do it for our new boys. For the past few years, we have had only 1 or 2 new scouts fly up. Thanks to our recruiting efforts, we are getting at least 5 and possibly up to 10 new scouts! We want to do this right! So what kind of skills should our troop guides have? what should we look for, in addition to knowledge of the scouting

hi Sparkie! 2 suggestions - on our Girl scout cook kits, my mom used to paint my name or initials on the silver, pan handles, etc with nail polish - 30 some odd years later it's still there! (except where fire directly hit the pan bottoms.) I scratched my name into the aluminum, there. nail polish works on plastic, stainless steel, glass, etc and will stay on through the dishwasher, and changing or replacing it is easy. small and cheap, too - and any color nowadays! you can even get glow-in-the dark! our troop uses a number of ways to mark equipment - but the best for pot

Glad to see you made it, Sparkie! This board has been a wonderful resource for me and for my troop - SOMEBODY here always has an answer that relates! As Scoutldr said - sometimes we can get pretty "into" our perspective on things, and sometimes "differing points of view" get heated -but that just shows the passion for scouting most of us have. But the more, the merrier! YIS LauraT

just a reminder, if anyone would like to join us tonite.... the address is: http://groups.msn.com/BoyScouts/welcome.msnw From there, click on the chat room. you might be able to go directly to the chat room - I've never tried it that way - but here is the address - http://groups.msn.com/BoyScouts/chatroom.msnw Laura

As I posted last sunday, a good scouting friend of mine was in the hospital for the removal of a brain tumor on Monday. After surgery, the doctors said they could not get all the tumor, that it was a fast growing type and would come back - eventually, terminal. They were keeping him sedated the early part of this week. however, once they awakend Scot - he seemed to come together rather quickly. I spoke to his family on Wednesday, and was told that the surgery had affected his coordination somewhat, that the left side of his face was slightly slack, and of course, his head was

Our boys are BORED with knots - but they need them for advancement! We teach and they don't retain the knowledge, they can tie a knot in front of us while we teach - but a few days/weeks later - I ask them to tie me a bowline or a taut-line hitch - and they get the names mixed up, the knot tied wrong, or close, but not quite right. I didn't have to re-learn knots when i started scouting with my son, I remembered them from my scout days. I think part of the reason I retained them well is that more of our equipment, tents and such USED those knots. I also likes crafts, and macrame was po

OGE - Lambs farm IS still going strong - it's right off the interstate, before you pass 6 flags.... It's about an hour east of me but still there. mk9750 - We DO want to get the older boys to "sign off" and test the younger ones - problem is that the "older boys" weren't properly trained in the first place and should not have been passed on many requirements. In the past, they were passed on a requirement if they DID it - doesn't mean they KNOW it. Our boys can tie a bowline if I do it first - but if I ask them again next week - most have forgotten. At our last Klondike, Our boys were to

I like CubsRgr8's reply - We just opend a 'time capsule' our troop had put in a shelter at camp in the late 70's. (the shelter is being renovated - roof damage - which is why we have the time capsule early) the boys got a real kick out of seeing the uniforms, long hair (many of the young boys in the 60's & 70's scout catalogues looked like girls to them) short shorts, the beret hats, etc. There were many photos of the eagle scout in whose honor the time capsule was created - as he had been killed in an auto accident right after college. The capsule was his personal scouting

Keep a tight rein on that committee! LOL! from personal experience; a runaway, over-power hungry committtee can be the death of a troop! is your troop new? or re-building? either way, what you do now sets the tone for the troop for years.... one thing we did for our PLC - which is just getting back into boy lead after generations of 'adult lead' is to give them a big desk calendar, with big squares, and mark out all the school holidays, school concert/band dates, known events like district camporees, klondike, local events (we work the county fair as a fundraiser, parades and s

Since joining our troop 2 years ago, I have been registered as a committee member. I told them i would serve wherever needed and took training for all positions I could. I AM the troop activities coordinator - I send the permits, make reservations, collect the health forms, register boys and adults for camp - all the "paperwork" involved in getting activities to happen. This is convenient for both me and the troop - as I participate in almost all the troop events, outings and campouts. Because I am so active - it is a little confusing to the boys - who come to me to sign off on their ad

Most midwesterner kids have snowpants, or ski/snowmobile clothes they can borrow from someone - It kind of depends on what they are doing - if they are going to be in the snow and kneeling on the ground - possibly getting wet - they need something waterproof - like snowpants or nylon/poly over insulating / wicking layers. Layers are the key - peel if they get warm - before they get soaked with snow or sweat - and a windbreaking/ waterproof outer layer. If I'm not getting wet - long Johns or sweats under jeans have been just fine for me - but then I don't play football in t

I see some new posters on the board! Welcome! This troop would signal a red flag to me, too - They MAY only be trying to get good trained leaders, and this is commendable - but my gut instinct say this may be a very authoritarian troop and NOT boy run. I would talk to some of the OTHER leaders in the troop, and some people who have boys in the troop who are active scouters - roundtable might be a good way to get some inside info on the troop. Scouting should be an open program - and the more, the merrier! Adult leaders can always be utilized - even if they don't all go

OGE - I have a version of the Abbot and Costello/ scout skit - using two scouts - but I'd love to see yours, too - could you send me a copy, too? BTW - I think somewhere on the SCOUTER site is a list of skits.... if i can find a link, I'll post it - I've saved quite a ew and have a book of them for our scouts to use - they uysually pick one and put their own twist on it or at least they give them a springboard for their own ideas - we've had some great campfire entertainment! lauraT

Cabin overnights can be ALOT of fun - esp for the comraderie they encourage - all the boys in one place instead of in separate tents, the music & conversation as they all drift off to sleep around the fireplace.... It's a great opportunity to build the team & relationships in scouting. One thing though - on our last winter campout, we chose to do "survival camping" - the boys had to build their own shelters out of tarps and whatever they could find - they did a great job, too! and were cozy warm - only thing was that because they had decided that the "rules of the game" wer

First, thank you for your prayers & kind thoughts and wishes - unfortunately, as the Dr's had said, they were not able to get all of the tumors, and the sad news is that they are a fast growing type and will come back - their expectation is that Scot has maybe 6 months left. Right now, they are keeping him heavily sedated, and the only visitors allowed are immediate family. Of course, they are in shock - his dad has been gone for a number of years, and his mom and brother are all he has. His "family" has always been scouting - the boys he cares for and understands so well. We

Hmmm - I'm sure now that we have violated ( though unintentionally) this rule - Our favorite camping spot, at a BSA camp is a small octagonal cabin with a fireplace in the center of it. NO insulation - just board walls and one bare lightbulb. There is maybe 4-5 ft walking space around the fireplace and between it and the bunk camp beds surrounding it against the walls. how the heck would you divide that? Can't hang anything without creating a fire hazard - and belive me - that cabin is so old, that it could go up FAST! what we have done is in the past is that 2 male AS

I have to laugh at this one - because the 2 yrs ago our troop went "cabin camping" & the other female leaders and I took one "breath" of the musty air in the cabin and said "well take the tent!" The cabin was so old, smokey and musty that I KNEW my allergies would have had fits! Seriously - We were much more comfortable in our tent than the boys in the cabin - as evidenced by my son and some other boys leaving in the middle of the night to join the few in the tents - because they couldn't breathe in the smoky cabin! LOL! this year, more boys opted for the tents to star