LauraT7

nope, going co-ed would never work - the girls could never survive at BSA camps with the guys - no electricity for their hairdryers and curling irons! LOL!

sorry - couldn't resist.

I grew up in Girl Scouts - from Brownies (we didn't have daisies then) all the way through college as a camp counselor. 17 or 18 years. they must have changed the program, though, as we did LOTS of outdoor things. Summer Camp, of course, but we also did whitewater rafting on the Colorado river, lots of canoeing, locally and in the boundary waters, backpacking - etc. I also loved folk music and went on a "Wider Opportunity" to Berea, KY for their folk arts festival - do they still have "Wider Opportunities"? and also went to "flight school" and learned about flying small planes. I was President of the Senior Planning Board, and Director of a Summer camp for underpriveledged kids in our council/county area. and so much more.

I feel that Girl Scouts offered me as many opportunities as the BSA now offers my son. maybe they have changed the program - but I think in both the GSA and the BSA, scouting is what the individual, troop, district and council make of it. My GSA troop loved to camp - and our leaders and council provided the means. Some troops and councils are run by duds. and some fire the imagination of their kids and they run with it.

But keeping them separate is best for the kids - I feel it gives them more opportunity to develope their sense of "self".

When I would go on "campouts" with Church groups and such - the girls were always trying to impress the boys,(and came with tons of makeup, appliances and accesories) and the boys were always showing off for the girls. It was like school all over again - a popularity contest. the girls were cattier with the other girls - and played horrible tricks on each other, and the boys would refuse to do much (if any) of the planning, cooking and cleaning up. Granted this is from a girls perspective, only - but I doubt the boys got much out of those outings, either.

I'd vote for keeping 'em separate. Meeting at an event or Jamboree is great - but keep the troops all boy or all girl!

LauraT

Well, better late than never....

Our area did one on Air and the dynamics of air -- "the Sky's the Limit"

it was great - everything having to do with air - from ham radio to airplanes, the event started with a parachutist dropping in and ended with two hot air ballons taking off - AWESOME!

One of the stations was having the kids tie a message on a helium balloon and sending them off - the hot air balloonists took a few with them to spread further -

another had them build balsa planes, one for rockets, one for paper airplanes, there was a lashed "monkey bridge" (UP in the air!), a competition for distance for a water-balloon catapult, a chemistry station about light and heavy gases, Frisbee football, we had some military pilots involved in a youth flight program, and many others....

It was a blast for the boys! and open to both cubs and scouts.

But the topper was those hot air balloons - up close and personal, looming right over your head, like a house floating above you - swaying in the light breeze. i'm sure the boys will NEVER forget it!

Depending on how much camping you do - you could put them on your backpack, day pack, tote bag, or even your sleeping bag - (although I'd put them on the lighter summer bag, not an expensive winter/ down one!)

or start another jacket and trade off wearing them! Maybe different weights or colors?

I do like the blanket idea - it sure would be easier to sew the patches on a flat blanket than a lined jacket! - hey, what about making one of the scout "blankets" into a poncho? you could wear it or use it as a blanket? Sure would have LOADS of room!

I have my old Girl Scout patch jacket - completely covered - body, sleeves, even the collar - and discovered as I sewed the patches on that the lining did NOT match the outer jacket and had to be cut loose at the bottom!

Whoa!

If those boys have their Arrow of Light they are ALREADY scout rank! All of those requirements are required for their Arrow of light with the purpoase of making a smooth transition to Boy Scouts.

other than that - sounds like a great idea! Why not start off their tenderfoot that way ?

Thanks for all your help -

we went on our winter campout at Lowden BSA camp on the rock river in Illinois last weekend - we did have a really cool cabin with a fireplace, and most of the boys elected to sleep in the cabin - and NONE of the adults did! LOL ! Only a few of the boys slept out (including my son) - which was a real shame, as it was a beautiful night - Crisp and clear with stars you could practically touch!

I was really dissapointed we didn't have any SNOW! but it did get down to about 10 degrees, and we were TOASTY WARM in our new sleeping bags.

I took all the advice and pieced it together; clean dry light, sleeping clothes, and we had fleece liners to keep the bags clean inside. I was so warm I didn't need the hat I brought or to pull the hood in around my bag-

I used the closed cell foam pad under a colman self-inflating pad (like a cheapie thermorest) and while the ground was padded, that's about all I can say for it. I was real uncomfortable - my old bones need more padding than that! I did eventually roll up my coat and put it under my knees, to raise them and put my clothes for the next day under me and this gave my back a little more support and made my clothes warmer to put on in the morning.

I'm going to have to do some thinking on the padding problem -

but all in all - the trip was such a success, It's got me thinking about going on our own in the winter... I sure did like not having to fight the bugs!!!!

laura

It's funny you should mention these, as we just came across a box full of these old belt-loop "skill awards" in our troop storage last night(we have a very old troop!) The boys were all very interested in them and we found them mentioned in a 1972 BSA handbook. Maybe I can find the requirements for you....

I agree that they look interesting - wonder why they got rid of them? One of our ASM's remembered that there was a plaque you could mount them on if you got all 12 - anybody remember whet it looked like?

I was a girl scout back then - so I wouldn't have any idea! LOL!

I just got two new winter sleeping bags - one a "mummy bag" for my son and one a "modified mummy" for me - a tapered, rectangular bag with a hood. Both are the fluffy thermal fiber that expands as soon as they are released from their compression sacks. They came with special "compression" sacks - basically a bag with a drawstring top, with a "cap" with 4 straps that tighten lengthwise and squeeze smaller - but I had a real tough time getting them back into those sacks.

Is there a trick to it? should they be rolled first like our regular bags? or just stuffed in?

What is the best way to store these bags when at home? We probably won't use them much in the summer - and it doesn't seem like keeping them compressed all the time would be a good thing.

lauraT

PS - I'm not sure about this site's policy on posting links, so if the management needs to delete this, I'm posting it separately -

This site gave us a 10% discount on our gear, for mentioning we were with a scout troop. They were extrememly helpful, answered questions I had promptly via e-mail, and processed my order with speed. In addition, their prices on bags i was looking at were as good or better than most sites.

If anyone else would like to check them out - here's the link

http://www.commercemarketplace.com/estore/Rockiesports/index.html

Well, our new sleeping bags arrived yesterday - and they look so comfy I can hardly wait to try them out! Mine is a "modified mummy" (with foot room) and Jon's is a regular mummy bag. Jon HAD to test his - so he took a tarp out and laid it on the snow in the backyard, got his closed cell pad and his new bag and was quite comfy out there watching the stars for awhile!

I have always made liners for our bags out of old sheets, to keep them clean inside and for a light cover in summer when the bag is too hot - so for these bags I got liners of blanket fleece - they can be used in both our summer and winter bags as needed. I also got us each an inexpensive closed cell pad, and got an extra Coleman self-inflating pad like the one Jon already has, for me.

Tho I'm still tempted to try the closed cell pad ON TOP of the air mattress - seems to me like it should insulate well enough, while the air mattress gives extra padding... gotta think on it some more...

We do have a building with a fireplace - only the brave are going to sleep outside in tents - I do at least have a place to retreat to if it gets too cold...

by the way, we got out new bags from a site called "Rockiesports" and their service was great - they even gave us a 10% discount for being with a scout troop - if anyone is interested.

The Mafeking Man

One day in Mafeking a man

Besieged by Boers thought of a plan

To help the Nations youths lead better lives

"I'll teach them how to hunt and track

And all the parts of the Union Jack

And how to whittle wood with big sheath knives".

CHORUS

He collected kids from the corner of the streets

Little gutter rats

He collected kids from the upper class

Young aristocrats

And he taught them that they could

All live in Brotherhood

Wearing baggy shorts and a funny cowboy hats.

He wrote a book, did old B.P.

And very soon found that he

Had little time to spare in a day

So he left the army and began

To work upon his Scouting plan

And get things organized in his own way.

-- Thanks to Carol Smith

EVERYONE likes to have their contributions, experience and skills recognized - Child or adult, and that is the purpose of many of the patches on the uniform. The "Trained" patch, in particular, is often the first or the only additonal patch many adults wear - although you don't have to wear it.

To someone with quite a few titles in the BSA, and many years of experience, the "trained" patch may seem redundant - but to the newbies, it is a mark that they care enough to take their saturdays and weekends, in addition to meeting times and outings with their troop, to make sure they are giving the boys a good program.

I think that deserves a bigger recognition than a little 1/2" by 2" patch!

On a different "fix the uniform" note -

I'd like to see the cloth "Boy Scouts of America" over the pocket made into an embroidered patch instead. On uniforms that see alot of use, the cloth corners of these get tattered and torn.

And Keep the Flag!

Thanks for your input -

I think I'll pass for now on the thermarest - as the one I really like is over $100 and I'm not really sure I would use it that much - With my bad back, I'll never be backpacking, so I don't mind the weight of hauling my full size airmattress - and I prefer 6" of lift to a mere 21/2"! LOL! if Jon gets into the High adventure stuff later - I may get him one - then.

for now, I think I'll take my big airmattress and a foam pad - I wonder if the "egg crate" foam from a regular bed matress pad would insulate enough - as long as it's above the ground - I've done that before in Early may, and was warm enough - with the new bags we got, we should be nice and toasty!

The boy scout merit badges are confusing - and are way too varied in their pattern of requirements - I mean, Basketry takes making up 2 simple kits, and Lifesaving takes up 4 pages in the requirement book!

I'm not saying they don't need all that to be lifesavers - but that they should be broken down into more manageable pieces and for things like the swimming and lifesaving, made into a series, dependant on one another, and in a manner that they can be completed in a reasonable time period.

We had boys at camp last summer that worked every day on their swimming and lifesaving, to the exclusion of all else, and still were unable to complete the badges in the week, and left camp with partials. They will probably have to wait til the following year to complete them, as our area does not have badge counselors who are willing, and able to finish up with them, or a place to do so.

And so many of the badges ARE geared toward the older boys - i like the idea of different levels on the same subject for different ages and abilities.

We have a couple of scouts in our troop that while not noticably handicapped, nevertheless have disabilities that will probably keep them from ever reaching the higher ranks, and many of the badges as well, because one or two requirements in each one require almost professional level work or abilities.

My son (age 11) and I are about to go on our first winter campout - we have good bags - rated to -10or so, but I am concerned about sleeping pads -

Jon has a self-inflating pad that he used last summer for camp and did not find very comfortable. When we camp on our own, or when I go with the scouts in the summer, I usually use a full- size air mattress, as I have a bad back and want to be able to move the next day. I am a large person, and a thin mat is just not enough. But a regular air mattress will be too cold.

are we better of going for one of the expensive 3" self inflatables? or a combination of a closed cell mat and a thinner inflatable? Are the expensive mats really worth the $? or is there something I can put on my thick air mattress to insulate between me and the mattress?