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Lynda J

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Everything posted by Lynda J

  1. I have directed the past 4 Summer Day Camps for our district. And the policy for day camp is that all medication, except inhalers, be turned over to the camp medical officer. Our troop has 4 boys on meds ADHD and we take them up and make sure the boys take them. Believe me if they don't they are soon out of control. So we want to make darn sure they take them. The kids that take allergy pills we let them take care of them themselves.
  2. My late husband designed a timing light for diesel engine, only to have Snap On Tools steal it. He showed it to our tool man to see if he thought they might be interested. Then came back a month later and said no they weren't. 6 months later they came out with one of almost the exact design and the tool man retired. He was 41 years old.
  3. This past camp out 3 of our 4 new scouts attended. They are in my son's patrol for now and he taught them about fire safety including how to light the camp stoves and how to start a fire with flint and steel and a magnifing glass. He is almost to Star and like anarchist the older boys should be giving back to the younger ones and teaching.
  4. I would count them. The boys probably contributed much more to the campground that it would have cost to stay there. Our troop has swaped services with the Y camp close to us. We have cleaned fences to use the canoe lake.
  5. Show them how to start a fire using a magnifing glass and dry grass. Also if you will take real cotton balls and rub a little vasiline on then they make great fire starters. Which ever way you do it make sure to go over the fire safety rules several times before you start. Had a boy at our last camp out lost the corner of his firem'n chip. He cried. But guess what. This camping trip is was one of the safest ones around the fire. Also be aware that the big push now is of the "leave no trace" rule on fire building.
  6. On two night camp outs our adults pay $10.00 for food. This is for sites that we do not have to pay for a rental on. It isn't fair for the boys to have to foot the bill for adult food. I will say that when it is only two or 3 adults we lump our food into the troops. This past weekend we had 14 boys and 8 adults and two little sisters. I am normally quartermaster. I feed good. I spent $68 of food for the "Wise ole owls" patrol This camp out was an orienteering camp and the camp fee was $18.00. If the adults wanted to take part they paid their fee. If they want
  7. Rank Requirements for Second Class and First Class are pretty clear that they are to be troop or patrol activities. Requirements for Camping Merit Badge are a little less clear. But the Merit Badge Counselor MUST sign of on any of it. So if that counselor is not confortable with what the scout has done he should not sign off of the requirement. I honestly thing the nature of the requirement is that the scout camp with the troop or patrol
  8. The cards were given back but to the Boy Scout. When the mother ask about the cards she was told that the SM did have them and as soon as the scout came to him and ask for them they would be returned. This scout has been in the troop 3 years so he knows what the rules are. The troop has a list of things that are not allowed on our camp trips. Each and every boy has a copy of that list. We don't allow a parent to request a blue card for a boy it was the BOYS responsibility to get the cards. The SM gave them back to the boy as soon as HE ask for them. This weekend we camped and di
  9. Like most we collect $10 per 2 night campout for food. We are lucky there is a small store near us that has chicken leg/thigh sections in 10lb bags that cost $1.90 per bag. This weekend our boys did Rescue Chicken, rice,and green beans for 8 Satuday dinner and it cost them $3.65 for all of them. The bags will have from 11-14 pieces depending on the size. We also require them to cook something new each camp out. The only then that can be redone each campout is breakfast and they all like egg/sausage scramble. There are some great sites for camp cooking. I printed our boys off a fold
  10. Demand a complete list of all registered scouts in your District. Contact each and every person on that list. As far as moving to another district. YOU CAN with the approvan of your CO we had a Den that when they moved up from Webs to Troop went with a troop out of our district. But I would demand a total accounting of what they say you owe.
  11. OUr rule is that the only thing a scout may bring to camp that requires a battery is a flashlight. Since cell phones require batteries they are on the banned list. There are at least 2 cell phones at camp with adults. If something happens then parents can reach one of us. Kids simply don't need phones at camp. To much other stuff going on. If a scout does bring one any way an adult takes it and keeps it until we return home from camp at that point it is returned to the parent and they are told that it does not come back to camp.
  12. Kittle. Don't get me wrong. But I have been in scouting as an adult for close to 40 years. And have seen parents that "want to help" that simply have a hard time turning lose of their son or daughter. Had a mother last night as we were loading our trailer for camp today that said her son was sleeping with her. Our rule is that all scouts sleep in their patrols and adults sleep in a seperate area away from the boys. Thought she was going to explode. Her baby simply could not sleep without her outside, that he had never spent the night away from her. Our PLC set the rules on suggestion
  13. These cards are not allowed on camping trips with our troop. After being told this one boy brought his. The SM took them and held them for almost a month. When the mother came and ask for them back she was told that her son could get them back by coming to him and requesting them and they would then have a talk about bringing things to camp that have been banned. We haven't had a problem since. The main reason for these card collections being banned from camp is the fact that some of these cards are valuable. If one gets taken then a scout is upset. Yes I know that one law is "a
  14. I made a comment that I might not go on the camping trip we are leaving for tomorrow. Thought there was going to be a war. The response was "NO you have to come. You are the one that brings all the books to identify things we find." So I will go. I carry a box with all kind of field books. Birds,rocks, bugs, snakes, etc. I grew up with my parents being leaders and the chaperons for everything I did, Church, Riding Club, Scouts, both proms. I thought it was great. One thing when we are camping many times Kevin will go to either the SM or one of the other ASM before he comes to me
  15. I think visiting other troops and packs is a great idea. I have taked New Leader Training several times simply because I like the exchange of ideas. We are talking about seeing if a troop from another district would like to do a camp exchange and join us on a camp out. Think it would be fun. And it would give the boys to meet scouts from another district
  16. If as adults we have an idea for a troop activity we sit down with the SPL and discuss it. He then takes it to he PLC for discussion. Sometimes they like it sometimes they don't. You might also talk to another troop that has a strong PLC and see if you could come and observe. So any time with boys seeing teaches them better that telling.
  17. We ask our boys to call us Mr./Mrs and our first name. Even our sons. Adding the Mr. is simply a form of respect. Now if they forget they aren't jumped on. But the funny thing is that many time one will start to say Dad/Mom and half way through change. When I was in scouts as a kid, my parents were the leaders and I always called the Mr./Mrs. I think we do need to teach a little more respect. I have watched schools go from kids calling teachers Mr./Mrs to their first names. And as this has been have seen a reduction in the formality of respect.
  18. When our new scouts camp for the first time we normally make it so it is a "family camp" Some parents don't know us well and may be uncomfortable letting little Johnny out on his own with us. The only thing we require is that they do not sleep with their son. That he sleeps in his patrol with his partner. And that they not interfer with the boys working in their patrols. It has worked well. The parent sees how the patrol method works and realized their son can do much more than they thought. We ask our sons not to call us Mom or Dad. We ask all the boys to call us Mrs. (first
  19. We hold elections twice a year. Our new scouts come into the newest patrol. We are starting to break our boys up a little differently for meetings. We have our troop meeting and cover anything related to troop. Then we break out and the boys that are 1st class or above meet and the boys 2nd and below meet. The 1st class group works on badge work and 2nd class group works of rank advancement and skills. Last week 3 of our 4 new boys got about half of tenderfood completed. This camping trip will help them get more. The older boys come and help with skills. It seems to be workin
  20. Our troop would be is lots of trouble. Our SM is wonderful and just received SM of the Year for our District. But his work schedule makes it where he can't always go camping with us. The last two camporees it was the boys, me, another mother who is CC and the SMs wife who is also an ASM. I can camp with the best of them. And I think that the boys are far beyond needing help goig to the bathroom. I have no problem with control. They respect me and know they won't push my buttons. I personally thing that SMs that ban women are cutting off their noses to spite their faces.
  21. Recently at a Round Table we had a dad comment that Scouting needs to market itself like sports. But to the point that there is "No Second String in Scouting and that no one sits on the bench." Many kids in sports never get to play. I know one kid that went through 4 seasons of soccer and played in one game. He wasn't good and the coach simply didn't want him on the field. He is in scouts and is very active and a great kid. Good leader. Just don't ask him to walk and chew gum at the same time. But he can hike, camp, canoe, swim. Everything.
  22. I am not against card games. I am against gambling. The last time we camped and it rained so hard we couldn't do our hike we did skills. I guess maybe we plan differently. But I have been with the troop almost two years. And lots of camping trips and I don't remember ever having any of our boys break out the cards for poker. UNO maybe. They also bring chess sets on camping trips. But normally by the time clean up is over they are as ready for bed as the adults, sometimes more.
  23. I think it is about 50/50. The councils aren't doing a good job recruiting. The last recruitement that the pack had was a bust. The DE came to the school. We had about 50 kids there. The council didn't want any other Boy Scouts of Cubs there. No displays of crafts of pictures of what they had done. He stood up and talked, just like kids sitting in class with a teacher. We had 7 boys sign up. Two years ago we did a recuitement and had a like a mini Scout Show. Got almost 30 boys. Kids need to see what fun things they can be doing. They don't respond to an adult standing up there t
  24. Anarchist. One you forgot. Obedient; A Scout is Obiedient. A scout follows the rules of his family, school, and troop. He obeys the laws of his community and country. If he thinks these rules and laws are unfair he tries to hve them changed in an orderly manner, rather than disobeying the. BSA policy is that gambling of any type is not allowed. So which other Scout Law would you like to teach the boys to break?
  25. My thing is If you have a good Scouting program plan why would you have time for card games. Our troop meeting is 1.5 hours. We push it getting things done in that amount of time. No time for card games. When we are camping there are things to do related to camping. So if someone is having 2 hours to play poker who is planning the program? There are simply more productive and creative things that the boys can be doing other than a total waste of time gambling.
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