LauraT7

lots of good input - and i was trying to not be too long winded (I know I AM - but I try not to!) with the long version - posted earlier this summer. Bubba - you're right - we SHOULDN'T be divided into two camps - we WERE a bigger troop, and the encouragement to split was made by ADULTS that wanted to revisit a childhood memory(and admitedly AWESOME camp). and boys who would not be swayed to leave the old camp we'd gone to for years. Then, due to an upset that couldn't be resolved, a large group of those adults and their boys left the troop - AFTER the reservations were made. Monday nigh

Another $.02 worth.... I have a bad back - therefore i don't go on backpacking trips..... But... some of the campsites at camp are pretty far back on some pretty rough paths, and you can't always get our troop's bus - or even a van or truck, back there. So I always bring my "big wheel" two wheel dolly. Once my stuff is back at camp, the boys are welcome to use it to haul water jugs, equipment, etc. After our first week at summer camp this summer - with our new (and heavy!) 7 gallon water jugs - I left the dolly on the bus for the next week of camp after ours. The boys real

I posted this on another part of the board, so if you caught it there, please pass on this one - but we need some help! Our troop just came back from camp - this year we actually went to 2 camps - 5 boys went to a new camp and 15 went to the traditional camp we've gone to for years. (2 of those went to both camps) One thing became painfully clear at both camps - our troop no longer works as a team. there are a few strong individualists in the troop, who seem to have an individual agenda - and they either walk over the boys that want to work as a group, or try to sway the younger boy

Our troop just came back from camp - this year we actually went to 2 camps - 5 boys went to a new camp and 15 went to the traditional camp we've gone to for years. (2 of those went to both camps) One thing became painfully clear at both camps - our troop no longer works as a team. there are a few strong individualists in the troop, who seem to have an individual agenda - and they either walk over the boys that want to work as a group, or try to sway the younger boys to teasing cliques and meaness. For example - the smaller group at camp had an opportunity to earn the Baden Powell

As the parent of an ADD/gifted 12 yr old scout - these are all some very good suggestions! One thing to keep in mind, though - ADD/ ADHD is different for every child - for example, my son IS hyperactive - he wiggles, taps, hums and whistles his way through a day - making him be still is sheer torture for him. But he HATES sports. his lack of physical coordination makes him think of any of the suggestions for running, sit-ups, ets as a punishment, rather than a release. So we give him other outlets for his excess energy - Two of our ASM's have a "chemistry" with my son - i think becau

As a camper in the 70's, we once had a tornado / windstorm that picked up a platform tent and moved it about 20 feet, blew out all 4 beds and gave the girls in it a wild ride - but all ended up safe and got into shelter - and it now makes for a wild campfire story - the stuff memories are made of. however, i wouldn't advocate PLANNING on camping in a tornado - hard to keep track of your stuff... But other than severe weather - which NOBODY plans on - any weather is good camping if you are prepared. I particularly like winter camping - no mosquitoes!

Some people look on obesity as a medical problem, but the majority still think of weight and other "invisible" disabilities as a character flaw and lack of discipline and excercise; despite the "PC" lip service otherwise. They may SAY one thing - they BELIEVE otherwise. I'm 5' 10" and a good 80 to 100 lbs overweight. Depite my weight (or in spite of it) and it's attendant problems, (bad back, knees, less energy, etc) I still camp, fish, swim, walk, bike, canoe etc. with my son. I just do it more carefully and slowly - may not get as far on a hike or bike ride - but i am working and tryin

Thanks for your reply - It is a flat water pond/ lake - no motor boats allowed - in a county conservation site - But we are not a council or district. Still.... gives me some ideas, if not for this time, maybe a good district event for a day of water sports - with webelos and scouts - I'll have to mention it to our district people....

Can a BS troop that is planning a overnight campout and some canoe training on a small lake, invite a webelos den(s) to join them for one night or for the day? We have our own canoes and equipment, and some newer boys in our troop who are strong swimmers, but have really not had much experience in a canoe. This is a tiny lake (pond, really) shallow and calm, and we want to teach the boys paddling skills, how to manuver, steer through obstacles, how to right and empty a capsized canoe, etc. we were thinking of making it a water sports day, canoe tug of war, and obstacle course, a relay r

Our troop T's are pretty sad - heather grey, 95% cotton, hot and heavy (I suppose somebody once thought they would be absorbent or something) and our troop logo is silk screened ( patch size) where the left brest pocket would be (if they had one) The heather grey isn't bad - They hide light dirt and stains well, and wash up nice. The light color reflects light, and isn't supposed to attract the bees and bugs - light color means good visibility of the boys at night and dusk. But they are so .... blah! The logo is so small, and on the adults and boys who like their shirts big an

We require our boys to wear uniforms while traveling. If a boy "forgets" his uniform, well then, we have a few outgrown, hand-me down uniforms with troop insignia and no rank patches in the store-room at the church - ALL troop members, including ADULT members (not parents, but all registered troop members)MUST wear a class A uniform. I'll tell you, that storeroom is an effective tool - only twice has somone "forgotten" his shirt, and had to wear one from the storeroom - the shirts in the storeroom aren't bad - but nobody wants to wear them! At camp, non-BSA approved fundraisers, su

Most scout camps have a fallback for "picky eaters" - maybe you should, too - At every resident camp I have ever been to - as a kid or adult the mess hall always had bread, butter, peanut butter (protein), sometimes jelly, out. A kid never starved. In addition, most meals had at least one item, SOMETHING most kids would eat - carrot sticks, fruit, etc. Breakfast's fallback was plain cold cereal (Rice krispies or something unsweetened) or oatmeal. As I LOVED oatmeal - it was sometimes hard to choose! I would make it clear that special food is not allowed (unless she can come up w

I still remember the "unfairness" of never being allowed in the canoes at girl scout camp - because I could not finish the red cross swimmers class. (required by our GS council camps to canoe and sail) I could swim well - and my family were avid canoers. I probably knew more than most of my counselors about handling a canoe - but every time I signed up for a red cross course - I got an ear infection and had to drop out - so I never got past intermediate level, and I never got to canoe at camp. It wasn't until I became a counselor, and they let us take a 1 time swimmers test, that I was allowe

Lots of good advice - We do have the COR involved - She is the Mom of our new/acting/temp Scoutmaster. Like I said, they are a scouting family from way back. I have no idea how many hats she has worn in the district, but they are many, and she is a terrific resource. We have only 2 arrowmen in our troop - one boy working on his Eagle, and our new scoutmaster to be. Unfortunately, OA in not very active in our area - wish it was. We did just have an OA election, (first in years) and some of our boys will be "tapped out" at camp this summer. We also just sent five boys to JL

Just my 2 cents worth- I don't like the idea of using clean up or latrine duty for punishiment - because it's hard enough to get the boys to willingly do these jobs anyway, without the stigma of them being "punishment" jobs. I agree that a scout should do latrines when it is his turn, because it has to be done and as part of the community, everyone does their part. Today your part might be latrines - tomorrow, it might be cooking, or fire duty. I do like the idea of getting the SPL and the PL in on quieting the boys - there's nothing better than peer pressure! (And why should I

We have a very old troop-strong and with some old traditions and lots of community support - chartered for over 80 years. That's good? right? But our troop is in a state of transition, due to some adults who want to act like kids. First, in 2000, we had a group of boys and fathers come into the troop from a pack that allowed these fathers to run things - well, not in the Scout way. Scout rules say that cubs are to be family campouts - 1 parent 1 scout - their pack would allow boys to camp without a parent. they allowed the boys to use knives without earning the tote'em chip - th

please excuse my 'still wet behind the ears training'; but in our committee members training this spring - i thought it was emphasised that the CC and any CM's would be welcomed on a board of review. Only a SM or ASM would not, and that is because they sign off on a different part of a boy's advancement - the individual requirements. it would not be fair to have them approve or deny a boy from both directions. the SM and ASM make sure the boy knows and meets the criteria of the rank - the knots, safety requirements, service hours and other technicalities required. The board of review's

excuse my ignorance - but.... I have seen these "square knots" on peoples (adults mostly, some kids) uniforms - many colors, etc - what they heck are they? what are their meanings?

Bumping this up - but also posting my many questions - For troops that have a website - How much did the boys do? How did you get it started? how do free sites ( like Scouter.com) compare to inexpensive pay sites? does a free site "do the job?" We want to post lots of pictures, hopefully a calendar of events, and maybe even some commonly used documents(or links to them on the BSA site and others.) Do you have real computer-savvy leaders in your troop? or did you do this all on your own? Can it be done by computer literate, but not web-designer people?

looks great! How much did the boys do? How did you get it started? Do you have real computer-savvy leaders in your troop? or did you do this all on your own? Some of our boys and leaders want to do a troop website - but none of us have any web-creation experience. I'm probably the most computer-literate - but have never built a website. Any suggestions for us?

we try to do it this way - At our meeting location (a church) we have a main meeting room, with a couple of other rooms off the main one. one room in particular is used for boards of review, merit badge meetings, scoutmaster conferences. It is real easy to grab another passing leader, committee member or parent at a meeting and have them "sit in" on whatever is going on. We stay within line of sight of the door, and keep the door open whenever one of the boys is in there. if a boy is to meet with a merit badge counselor elsewhere, a parent or adult troop member usually

this thread has my head whirling - alot of wrong ideas that I have been taught.... and just recently, too! And Julia, we have a council list - on CD no less! but members of our troop have had a terrible time getting many MB counselors on the list to answer their calls - much less actually meet with them. We have been trying to build up our troop counselor list, too - and been trying to duplicate counselors, because we thought that a couselor could not sign off on their own child. Can anyone tell me where, exactly, I can find the regs on MB counselors and who they can counsel?

Our troop has come across a great fundraiser - low cost - high profit - very low (pester the neighbors and family) annoyance factor - WATER! yup - plain old bottles of drinking water - the 16 oz size. We buy them from Sam's club (tax exempt, too!) at about $.17 each and sell them for $1 each at fairs, parades, community events. Anything we don't sell is easy to store and non-perishable. (and even if the boys drink some of the profits, it doesn't matter! - we're still way ahead!) We usually freeze about half the bottles (yup - frozen solid) because it keeps the others cold,

I agree with "A situation like this just screams for a Den Chief to work with these boys." and Bob's "continue to work with them in a Webelos two program until the appropriate time to advance. OR make sure they go to a troop that uses the NEW SCOUT PATROL method religiously with these boys. If you mainstream them into a regular patrol they will not last a year." From experience, we had a Webelos leader in our pack, who has a son ("joe")who is Gifted, extrememly high IQ, about 6mos older than his classmates, and has alot of experience, knowledge and support from his "hig

I can only answer this one from personal experience; as a parent and as an adult leader in my son's pack and troop. I don't use grounding at all - as someone above pointed out - that is as much a punishment for me as it is for my son - especially as a single parent! If he's grounded, effectively, I am too! I prefer to take away priviledges appropriate to the indescretion - losing TV, Computer, Playstation or play time, or assigning additional chores. Scouts, church, school events may be fun - but they are also a responsibility. You have a group depending on you, whether you