LauraT7

Our troop, among others, is having a hard time 'letting go' and letting the boys do what they are being trained to do - run their own troop. there were a couple of good articles in scouter magazine in Oct about exactly that - realizing that these boys are growing up and CAN actually do more than we (as parents and leaders) let them. Anybody else see these? It is my thoery, that despite the temporary pain of mistakes learned the "hard way" - that these Mistakes turn out to be the best lessons learned and the most memorable stories that our boys will be telling future boys around a

With volunteers you need to use their skills - not force them into something they don't feel they can handle. Some "chores" lend thmemselves to being assigned on a task basis for example, in our troop, I am "Activities Chair" - which means it is my responsibility to make sure we have permits, reservations, a driver for the bus and any trailers we plan to use, maps on how to get there, etc. on every trip - even if I or my son are not going. Sometimes another adult will volunteer to "run" an event - and that adult will handle the entire event. For example, we have an ASM (& badg

We have antiquated patrol boxes and are looking to build new ones. Most troops around us either use big plastic tubs, or the typical 2 shelf / 1 door/work area long box on legs. I have pulled some interesting 2 door and taller patrol box designs. We're thinking of building one for the "adult" patrol to give the boys ideas - they may choose a different one, but we gotta get them motivated- anybody have any good designs to share? What do your troops use? do you keep just cooking stuff in them? or hatchets and stuff, too? do your troops boxes have plates and silverware, or do th

We have antiquated patrol boxes and are looking to build new ones. Most troops around us either use big plastic tubs, or the typical 2 shelf / 1 door -work area long box on legs. I have pulled some interesting 2 door and taller patrol box designs. We're thinking of building one for the "adult" patrol to give the boys ideas - they may choose a different one, but we gotta get them motivated- anybody have any good designs to share? What do your troops use? do you keep just cooking stuff in them? or hatchets and stuff, too? do your troops have plates ans silverware, or do the bo

Why can't we all get along? Because diversity is the spice of life? I dunno - but I like a good, intense, but friendly argument, anytime. ( with an emphasis on "friendly" - I can disagree with your opinion, hopefully without atacking YOU personally) Like Yaworski, I like to poke and prod at rules that exist for silly reasons "because we've ALWAYS done it that way" - them's fightn' words to me! I always wanna know WHY - and if WHY no longer exists, or doesn't apply, then I may re-think the rules. But Bob's rules are NOT "Bob's" rules - they are the BSA's ru

At one of my training sessions, another scouter gave me a great idea which we incorporated into our troop. we call it the "troop essentials" book It is a 3 ring binder with medical forms for every scout and scouter in the troop in clear page protectors. Originals with 2-3 copies to give out to camps, etc. It also has our local and annual tour permits, A current troop roster, with home, work & cell phone #'s of families. Also copies of our vehicle registrations & licence info(we own a varitey of trailers & a bus) ins & liscense info on all our adults who drive

our boys have gone caving every year for 3-4 yrs now. I have a feeling it wasn't done "by the book" - esp since they were told this year that the cave system they had always gone to was "off limits" because parts of it went underground on someone else's property - and the person who allowed them to use the caves had NOT gotten permision to let others use those parts of the caves. (he ran a private cave exploration /campground at the cave entrances, which WERE on his property.) the acting SM is trying to find out if we can get permission to use parts of those caves, or a different place

Ok - so i looked in the book and it didn't say much! It says "scouts who have entered 7th grade or who hold the rank of 1st class or higher" may join and 'experienced scout' patrol - on the page regarding the national honor patrol award it mentions "have 8 members or increase the patrol membership..." but it doesn't say how. In a perfect world, the patrols would be set up properly in the first place - you would have nice little groups of 6 - 8 friends who could become a patrol and happily work together for the duration. Sounds like most of us are dealing with messes we

Eagle; THANK YOU! Somebody cut thru the fog and made it clear! I think some of the forum comes down hard on Bob because he DOES know the book, but "the book" is often vague and seemingly conflicting with itself. then when people "interpret" the "book" each reads slightly different things into it. I think we have to remember the BSA is a volunteer organization, and that the "rules" are neccesarily lax in some areas because some leeway is needed to make things work. And if your troop / pack does things a little differently - and it works for you, and espcially, THE BO

Loki- Do you know of any websites that list songbooks, lyrics and E-A-S-Y guitar chords (my fingers never were strong enough to do bar chords and I'm WAY out of practice) But a few adults and some boys in my troop are starting to really get into campfire singing - and we have made lots of new friends in other troops with our music, too! Problem is, I have limited skill and repertoire on my guitar - i need commonly known folk songs, 60's and 70's tunes (can you tell the age of our scouters? ;-) ) and as i am female and don't know the old "boy scout" songs - any si

I took the "troop committe challenge" in March 2001 - but my book is a little skimpy - more of an outline. It is not the "committee handbook" I think I gotta get one of those. But that's what I thought - the the committee is supposed to support the troop's decisions - not decide FOR them. Granted, our boys have not had older boys or adults to teach them how to plan and their "program" is simply repitition of prior years' - but that's where the scoutmaster is supposed to gently prod them into trying new things, guide them at the PLC? But our scoutmasters don't go to PLC - w

I'm a night owl in a troop full of early birds. Midnight is my absolute limit though - unless we're all staying up for a meteor shower or something - I know the boys will be up, and cooking - around 6 - at least by 7! I don't even get up for WORK that early! we have one boy who likes to stay up all night and can sleep until noon - if the other boys let him! - if he stays in bed too long, they will go drag him out of the tent in his sleeping bag - which usually does the trick! he often ends up doing the dishes and packing up, because others have already done the cooking, and he gets t

Poket knife apple pie utensils Dutch oven pocket knife charcoal ingredients 2 pre-made pie shells in aluminum foil tins 4-7 apples sugar cinnamon butter peel apples and slice into 1 pie shell - sprinkling in layers apples, pats of butter, cinnamon sugar, apples, pats of butter, cinnamon sugar, etc. Turn 2nd pie shell over first to make top of pie crust. Cut 3-5 holes in crust for escaping steam and pinch edges to bottom crust to seal. Take empty pie tin and place upside down in center of dutch oven. (if you're afraid of drips, you can line ove

our boys tried this and loved it! muffins in an orange take a med orange and cut off top 1/3rd. hollow out shell without breaking the rind "bowl" and "lid" - eat the orange pieces, or put them in a baggie and squish 'em for orange juice. put muffin mix in baggie, add wet ingredients mix up and pour/ sqeeze into hollowed out orange (about 1/2 the orange full) place cap on top and place in fire coals to bake. (can wrap in foil if you want, but not necessary. about 15 min - depends on heat - pull out and peel your muffin. The muffin takes on the orange flavor - and t

our troop uses two metal oil-drip pans for "no ground fires" camping - you get them at an auto supply store - they are about 18-22' across and about 4-5" deep. - and they nest/ stack together for storage. you can put a dutch oven comfortably in one - even build a small log fire for warmth in them and cook over them - a camfire grill fits very nicely over them, too. last weekend, we turned one upside down on the end of a picnic table and set the other on top and started our coals in it - right on the table! We had the most delicious apple pie! and the table was unmarked!

I don't get it - if you're doing the bleach last - hot or cold - why do you need the middle bucket at all? I always thought it should be the bleach in the middle....soak awhile and rinse the bleach off last. unless the middle rinse is just to get the soap and the remaining food particles off and keep your bleachwater clean longer...

you also have to be aware of laws differing from state to state - most camps will tell you of their requirements. We had our first time at a new summer camp in Wisconsin this year, and State law requires all medication to be stored and distributed by a nurse at camp. I had forgotten this, but this was true even when I was a girl scout 30 yrs ago in Wis. We were used to Illinois camps - where the rules were set by our council - at our camps, they require that medications be registered with the camp office, but kept and distributed by 1 adult in each unit. Boys were not allowed to

Ok, I can't run over to the council office - it's 50 miles away and we have a comittee meeting tomorrow night - so HELP! Our troop committe is going way overboard ( I think ) on making decisions for our troop. We are trying to get back to boy-leadership after a SM that "did it MY way" and a group of younger boys who do not have older boys to teach them the proper "patrol method" etc. They are doing great with getting back into the program - but the adults all have different ideas and aren't willing to "let go" our PLC came up with a plan of events for the upcoming year. Granted - m

Our Unit commisioner is also our Chartered Org rep ( I KNOW she is the COR & I think she is the unit commisioner as well, she has also started sitting in on and voicing stong opinions at committee meetings) I know volunteers are hard to come by, but isn't that a conflict of interest? Esp as we are having trouble right now finding and keeping a good SM and leadership? anybody have an answer?

Ok Bob - question for you - the boys (PLC) decided they wanted to go caving in Nov. at the same cave we have gone to for 3 - 4 yrs running. (We are trying to convince them to try new things, but they REALLY LOVE this trip - it is attended by a majority of the troop from Scout to Life) our only 2 older boys, age 17, approached the committee about doing a 3-4 day climbing/hiking high adventure trip in Early Nov (teacher conferences - 4 day weekend) to the Shawnee National forest in southern IL. This trip would appeal to those two and possibly 4 other scouts in our troop of 1st class

Ok, I can't run over to the council office - it's 50 mile away and we have a comittee meeting tomorrow night - so HELP! Our troop committe is going way overboard ( I think ) on making decisions for our troop. WE are trying to get back to boy-leadership after a SM that "did it MY way" and a group of younger boys who do not have older boys to teach them the proper "patrol method" etc. They are doing great with getting back into the program - but the adults all have different ideas and aren't willing to "let go" our PLC came up with a plan of events for the upcoming year. Granted -

I forgot one - this past summer we did a canoe skill weekend at a local park. A new scout dad went with us. he spent most of his time away from the troop, fishing, alone. at one point, the boys left their canoes and pulled them well up on the beach and came back to the main shelter to meet up with the group. There had been a lone fisherman hanging around all day - a young man, about 20, who thought that it would be funny to push all of our canoes adrift as soon as our boys were out of sight. the Dad saw this and confronted him. Got into an argument with him, picked up t

PARENTS! the ones who want their boy in scouts (and want him to advance)but refuse to let him go on campouts because he might get hurt or sick from all the plants / dirt/ germs. The boy who used up all his trading post money ($50!!!) in the first three days buying pizza, candy and pop and then wouldn't eat at the dining hall - and when his Dad arrived Wed to finish out the week with us - he gave the kid another $50!! (or more) to spend on more candy, etc. the ASM mom who wants you to pass her kid on a Merit badge requirement that he started elswhere, you haven't seen and he c

Boy, I LOVE a good argument! - but I think this is getting way off the track, and I may have missed some points, too. Youngblood - I think what you are saying is that whether the moms are there to "look over" you guys or not - you'd rather they not come 'cause you're trying to figure out who and where you are NOW and the moms kind of put a damper on things? Am I anywhere near close to your meaning? I wonder if you and your friends ALWAYS felt this way - of if it was something that grew - from you and your friends growing older and testing your independance (and I'm not ta

ok - here' one for the bicycling badge - the 50 miler requirement. it says "After fulfilling requirement 8, lay out on a road map a 50-mile trip. Stay away from main highways. Using your map, make this ride in 8 hours." With "rails to trails" routes in Illinois, this is pretty easy to do - and lots of options, too. but does the 50 miles all have to be done in one day? It only says "8 hours" not "one day" to me that means at least a certain speed /pace needs to be kept. our troop did a 27 mile trip last may and a 32 + mile trip in august - and even the most fit boys were pret