LauraT7

I got it! that is great, it helped alot. It was one of those "duh" moments - I knew it couldn't be that hard, but for some reason, the answer was just not coming. So we've canibalized some parts form some broken electronic toys (the battery packs and wiring) and the light hook up from a flashlight we don't use anyway, (too big) and I have a ton of scrap electrical wire. I'm printing the photos and Jon is wiring the board. This should work GREAT for our plant identification for our first year scouts! Thanks! laura

I wanted to be a Professional Scout ( Girl Scout) and a teacher - I even wrote a paper on being a professional Scout in High School - But I wasn't a great student - struggled to be 'average' - they didn't recognise Attention Deficit Disorder in girls in the 60's and 70's. My family thought I was too disorganized and not smart enough to teach, despite having a high IQ. They pushed me to 'learn a skill' to support myself, and I never found one that stuck. After my son was diagnosed as ADD and I recognised it in myself, I started to listen to what I knew to be right. I considered g

It is clear - except for one thing; how do you make it so there are multiple choices that DON'T complete the circuit? if we have 6 plant photos and 6 names, I want the boys to be able to match only ONE 'correct' answer. If I run a wire to all the photos off the negative end of the battery and wires off the positive end of the battery to all the names, than ANY combination of photo and name will complete the circuit, wouldn't it? Not just the RIGHT match? I know this is simple, but for some reason my mind is drawing a blank here. thanks for the help. Laura

I don't know what else to call it - I'm sure you've seen them at camps and nature centers, etc - my son and i want to take the pics of all the plants we photographed on a recent hike, post them on a board with a list of plant names, and then the board is wired in the back to a light or bell. when you touch a wire to the plant photo and the other end to the name that matches the plant photo, the light or bell would go off. I'm sure it's a very simple electrical connection - battery run, and i know I've seen them - but I have no idea where to find the instructions or materials(thou

I guess the real question becomes then - is it just you that is unhappy with the troop as it is? or are there other like-minded parents/boys that want changes made? I have seen troops like this that are very happy to STAY that way. there are parents who are very happy to send their boys off with the 'big boys club' and they never bother their heads about what scouting REALLY is supposed to be. If the troop has a strong group leading and you don't want to lead yourself, or don't have a group of like-minded people with you - then you'd be hitting your head against a brick wall trying to c

Foil packets are GREAT - but for a change, instead of hamburger (dull and tasteless) do them with HAM or Spam - sliced thick. Potatoes, slice thin, with butter, salt & pepper. Or chicken breasts - salt and pepper BAnnana boats - lay the bannana on it's side, so it doesn't roll. cut/ peel away the top strip of bannana skin - slice the bannana inside the skin, lengthwise - and stuff the crack and between the bannana and the skin with choc chips (or choc cunks from hershey bars) & mini-marshmallows. place the skin 'flap' over the opening, wrap in tinfoil and heat

on a canoe trip last summer - we 'forgot' some of the cooking pots - so we had only one dutch oven and individual mess kits. We were supposed to have breakfast burritos for breakfast - but the bacon and sausage was supposed to be "on the side" for those who didn't want/ like everything. It did help that for expediency and packing - the boys had chopped all the veggies at home ahead of time and had them in baggies. Instead - the bacon and sausage were cooked up together in one big dutch oven - we poured off the grease, added the eggs and peppers, onions, tomatoes, etc all into

I'm a single mom of a 13 yr old scout, too - welcome to the board! I have to say that being a part of Boy Scouting with my son and his friends has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I've been active in girl scouting all my life, and was active with my son's cub scout pack when he started in as a tiger cub. I, too, joined the troop committee when he joined the troop, and for awhile, i sat back, listened, learned, attended roundtables and got training. As I became more and more aware that our troop, while a great 'boys club' was not the ideal of scout structure, I beca

Our troop tried having a NSP last year, and blew it big time. We didn't follow the plan - didn't have a troop guide, a specific advisor for the patrol, didn't change PL's, etc. this year we are trying again - we have 14 new 5th graders and are heading out on our first patrol campout this weekend. - Just a local one nighter - Sat to Sun - learn how to set up camp, put up the tents, do some cooking, basic stuff. We have a Troop guide this time, and I am the adult advisor for the patrol. I have been trained and have 4 yrs experience as a BS ASM and/ or committee member, as well as a

We have similar policies in our troop - We encourage boys to invite friends and siblings on trips and outing that are appropriate for the friend's interests, abilities and ages. On thing we stick to, however, is that the 'friend' must meet all the requirements that the scout must meet - for example, if we are canoeing, they must have previously passed a BSA swim test and meet any other posted requirements for the trip - such as preparational packing / training meetings. Any activity outside of a troop meeting, the 'friend' must have a BSA health form completed and any other permiss

in our troop the JASM, SPL, ASPL generally eat with the adults, but camp with the boys. They are still under 18, and Youth Protection applies. they usually choose to eat with the adults, because the adults choose more interesting meals (and we always make extra for the boys who want to try a taste) to encourage the boys to try more interesting or challenging cooking. However, sometimes they will choose to eat and cook with the older boys (venture) patrol. We find that this 'duality' of being included in the adults circle AND the boys circle is helpful on many levels - it creates

Don't i wish! I recently had a post on the board about something similar - we were having a Merit Badge college starting in Feb, and I was to be teaching/ counseling Communications MB - Our MB classes run every other Sat for 6 weeks - Feb 7, 21 and Mar 6. A week or so before the class started, end of Jan 2004, they published the new badge requirements! Of course, the new version MB books are not out yet - not in our council office or anywhere. Communications hadn't changed much, but Personal Management and Emergency Prep had. Luckily, I think Pers Management had been c

That's what i like about this board - I come here for comraderie,ideas, a little info, and somebody slaps me upside the head with something, and I have one of those "DUH!" moments! LOL! OF course! I think you're right about including G2SS in JLT and the PLC - I'm going to mention it to our SPL and our JASM's tonite. If we truly want boy-lead troops and events, THEY have to know the guides as well as the adults. Yes, the adults have 'veto' power in regards to safety, but the safety guides shouldn't be some big secret used to keep the boys in the dark and hold them back, as they so

I haven't been around much lately one the board - Been too busy job hunting and scouting almost every weekend!but it's always great to get back among friends - as I feel so many of you are... I do tend to ignore the 'issues' board - I'm not in scouting for the arguments - but for my son, the boys I love and my own sanity. Despite some of the headaches involved in working with a volunteer organization (mostly created by the adults! ;-) NOT the boys! ) I always find my reward in just being with the boys in whatever they are doing. Being along for the ride while they grow and learn and ma

I also got my copy this week - and my son has watched it twice already! I also thought the boys would think it kinda corny - but it does have a timelessness to it - a continuity that follows thru. Jon got a real kick out of the part where the boys 'captured' an army tank... and I overheard him telling another scout about the movie at Monday's meeting.... The boys have talked about having some 'family' events - i guess the troop used to have family get-togethers for pizza, etc. So I have offered to bring my DVD player to the church and I think we might have a family movie,

Hi Midwest Mom! I'm another scout mom from the midwest - Illinois! Welcome, and drop me a line anytime you want to compare notes! I was 'almost' a girl scout dropout - like many, girls and boys - the shift between grade-school and Jr high was a real strain. it wasn't 'cool' to be in scouts - not that I was ever considered 'cool' anyway.... I had been really gung-ho in Junior scouts (grades 3 - 6)and had practically every badge there was, participated in everything, never missed a campout or event. But when I hit Jr high and 7th grade, a whole lot of things conspired t

Bob - its this "The couselor, and the available resources, determine which version the scout starts with." that is giving me problems. the people (adv chair, othe MB counselors) in my district are telling me that because the requirements aren't commonly known yet, and because the BOOKS aren't available yet, that they don't feel they should have to change yet and do the new requiremnts. ( the major impression I'm getting is that for this event, it's too much work to change at this late date - one of the inherant problems of doing a MB college) What I am getting out of yo

It also strikes me that this can't be a 'new' problem - which could be very easily solved.... I know BSA is working on revising ALL the badges over time. They obviously have SOME kind of plan or schedule - why can't they simply TELL us a few months in advance - "we are working on these Merit Badges and expect to have revisions out by June, 2004" If they don't make the goal, fine. But at least Badge couselors can have a 'heads up' and WATCH for expected changes in their areas - and not be surprised by sudden revisions - instead of having them filter slowly into councils as o

Once again - my scouter friends have pointed the way and given me direction for my answers. I found this information origially by going to merit Badge.com and then confirmed it with the Scouter site - both of which showed revisions for Jan 2004. The 'workbooks' on the site, naturally, have NOT been updated, because they are written by volunteers like you and me - so when someone updates one for a class and submits it, they'll adopt it, I'm sure. I went to the council office today - the revised merit badge pamphlets are not out yet, but the 2004 requirement books are - and the chan

PS - i don't know if it matters - I forgot to mention that the classes are running three saturdays - over 6 wks - Feb 7, Feb 21, Mar 6. so the books 'might' be out by the time we finish - or not.

I have a quandary - I know that if there is a "new" and an "old" version of a badge out there, that a boy should 1 - use the new badge requirements if he has not already started the badge and 2 - if he HAS already started the badge, he may finish under the old requirements OR choose to follow the new, but he can't 'mix & match' requirements. OK - so here's my problem. Sat, Feb 7, I am supposed to teach/ lead the 'Communications' badge for a merit badge college our district is running. As I am looking on the internet for worksheets, I discover that the badge

ok FOG - brace yourself - I agree with you! ;-) I have gotten alot of good information from this board - but I realize that much of it is OPINION and not necessarily FACT - and I cross reference any 'BSA' Guidelines or rules given here with material from BSA literature, my council or district before I pass it on to my troop or others. I advise the boys and adults in my troop to do the same - use the net as a terrific resource for ideas and information, but ALWAYS cross check with official BSA literature before quoting anything as 'official'. laura

But no one is answering his question - "Does anyone KNOW (not guess) why martial arts is not allowed?" and/ or who or where do you contact in BSA to find out why or how it might be suggested to change the rule on the sports badge? It just plain doesn't make sense that they would allow Judo and Football and Wrestling, but not allow other martial arts. besides - who teaches Judo anymore?

I think the point you are trying to make is that if there is a problem, it should be addressed long before the 6 months come to a close...... We have put clear expectations of boys taking and office for advancement - actually for all the boys. If a boy is not going to make a meeting, he needs to call his PL, the SPL or ASPL, or the SM and let someone know that he isn't going to be there and why. A PL need to let the SPL or SM know. Not that we would tell someone, "no, that's not a good enough excuse, you gotta show up" - but requiring the boys to call someone, usually

We have a local (our town only) weekly paper that will pretty much print anything we send them. We also have an area-wide (county plus) daily paper that will take articles, but they edit them alot, or may only print the photo. The trick is to get someone from the troop to put something together and SEND it. the daily paper 'might' send someone out to an event if we call ahead and if it sounds interesting enough. I and my son take alot of photos for the troop - I also counsel photography so the boys are allowed to use my cameras after they have gotten their badge. I have a digital camer