Lynda J

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 wanted to simply do the map hike it was $5.00 a day.

We always have money left over from food but this goes to buy fuel for the stoves and lanterns. And characol for the troop. Any additional money goes into a special fund that helps replace things like lanterns and stoves. We are getting ready to have to buy at least two new stoves. They cost money.

But I do agree that the fiancial records should be made public

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

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 did a map and compass time trials. After the boys went to bed I was walking camp. Guess what I heard as I walked by all but one tent. Boys were talking map and compass. They do bring games. This weekend we had three chess boards, a cribbage board and some dominos. They never even came out.

So like I have said before, If you have a good program plan and are teaching what should be taught you boys won't have time for cards.

Kevin my foster gets 12 hours of TV a week. He has to pick and choose what is really important to him to use that time. Guess what he seldom used all of his time. We do board games. We read do word search games. He read 6 books last month.

If you give kids things that challenge them they will begin to challenge themselves. If you allow them to "simply hang" then that is what they will want to do.

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 folder of camp recipes and they use then. The other patrol did orange cake. Cake cooked in scooped out oranges.

Challange your boys to try different types of cooking, We did box oven cakes this time. Last camp out one patrol used the cajen microwave and roasted a turkey breast. But challenge them and make they learn different things. Not just PBJ or taco soup.

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.

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.

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 of the SM, and ASMs. Her son is going and will be sleeping with his patrol. And she will be rudely suprised when she finds out she can't go on the map and compass hike. It is run by the Orientating Association and unless you register as part of the team you don't go on the trail.

My Kevin is a foster that I got when he was 4. I have raised two kids who are both in their mid 30's

When we moved up into the troop and I was made ASM I requested that I not work with Kevin's patrol. It is important that he learn to do things on his own without depending on me. He made 1st class in 11 months. Elected to OA Has earned 12 merit badges 4 of which are Eagle required. He has been APL and PL. Was ask to run for SPL this last elections but said no that he needed more experience. Oh BTW he will be 12 in April.

My wonderfully wise Gran always said we should raise our children like the birds. Hatch them, feed and nurture them, teach them to fly, then push them out of the nest and make the use their own wings.

Anarchist is right. Over the years the scouts that seem to have done best are the ones whose

1 Parents are involved but not to the point that the boy can't set his own path

2 Parents that are trained.

Right now Kevin has three badges that he is working on. One has been sitting on his desk for 2 weeks without being touched. All he lacks is doing the paperwork. It is his responsibility.

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 scout is honest" But we all know that things disappear. Also at campouts it can really rain and it simply isn't the place for this type of collection.

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.

Think it is great. Like my Gran use to say

"We should raise our kids like the birds. Hatch them, feed and nurture them, teach them to fly and then boot them out of the nest and make them use their own wings."

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

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.

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.

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 name)

Last camp out I had one new boys came up and ask me about something, I said "I don't know. What did your PL say?" He said he hadn't ask. I suggested that he go and ask the person he should.

We just got 4 new boys two months ago. Two have now been on 2 camping trips and a third is tomorrow. They are beginning to gel into the patrol

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 working. THe older ones aren't getting bored and the younger ones aren't getting left behind.

I would suggest that you step back and let your son make his place in the patrol. When we have new scouts come up one of the hardest things is for parents to understand that the boys have to make the decissions. And the adults are there to supervise and guide but not control. Had a dad come and ask for a blue card last week for his son. I explained our policy on badge work and that only his son could request a blue card.

They will both learn. It is an adjustment moving from Pack to Troop. Our last camping trip when the boys headed off for one of the activites the SPL round them up, got the patrols and their flags and headed off. One new parent ask if we were going with them. We said NO. We know where they are going and the SPL is in charge. The only activity we have an adult go with them are the shooting ones.

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.

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.

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.

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 talking "at" them. That doesn't show the fun.

They didn't even do a power point presentation of camping or hiking. Just talked.

Smallest group of boys we have had since I have been involved with this unit 7.5 years.

The the troops and packs have to have programs that keep their interest.

One short coming I see is with the recruitement of

Hispanic boys. Our Council is heavely Hispanic and there isn't one Spanish language hand book in the Scout Shop. When I ask for a parent I was told they had to be special ordered through National. I contacted National and was told 6-8 weeks. The boy ended up dropping out. Sad.

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?

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.