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madkins007

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Everything posted by madkins007

  1. The 'Rules and Regulations' can be tricky to get, but I had a copy and they were pretty unhelpful. For example, all uniform stuff you need to know is in the Insignia Guide. Just FYI- I like the hat idea, but would not support it since I don't wear hats. I agree that the 'Trained' strip is not the greatest motivator, but perhaps a great temproary patch would work in its place.
  2. Scriptures: 1. The bit about the money changers is TOTALLY out of line and a very non-Scriptural application, as has been pointed out. 2. You are trying to pay your own way- this is covered by several Scriptures: Deut. 25:4- "You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing." Matt. 10:10- "or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support" (Jesus' disciples were to go out with literally nothing and let the people support their work- kinda like what you are trying to do.) How about the ages old practice of alm
  3. If it was slightly curved, it could be the patrol award (Baden Powell Patrol Award?)
  4. In our pack, we had dues of $45/Scout (part was for registration, part were den dues, part was pack funds). You paid them up front, then could earn money in fundraising to help pay them for next year, or pay for camp, etc. This way, families that did not participate did not reap the benefits of the labor of others, and people could make their own choice. By the way- this policy was voted on by the entire pack every couple years and passed easily each year. We also were an inner-city, low-income pack. It IS a good idea, though, to keep a careful eye on fundraising too. It can run away
  5. Just FYI: You can store patches in a way that keeps them flat, dry, and safe, and lets you file them away until you think of a use for them. The easiest/cheapest way I think is to use those disposable baby bottle liners. Take a liner, drop a 3x5 card in it with the pertinent info writen on the card (ideally in pencil), drop the patch on the blank side of the card (so the inks or pencil don't touch the patch), then fold the flap over and tape it down. Most liners have places on the outside to write stuff as well, which you can use instead of the card, but the card still helps ke
  6. Badges, pins, etc.- I'd sell back to the Scout Shop and put the money in the account. 'Garage sellable' stuff- track, uniforms, etc.- with the COs permission, sell to other Scouters. Put money in account. Money- turn over to the CO after repaying reciepts, debts, etc. Pack supplies (books, etc. that the CO might not want, are not garage sellable, and cannot be returned) can be donated to the district/council or another pack with the CO's permission. Rule of thumb- it is easier to store money than supplies and 'old' materials become dated or damaged easily. They are more us
  7. Sometimes, the unit's finances can be a window into the very heart of a unit. A troop I was somewhat associated with for a while had several thousand dollars in the bank, but was a very small unit (under 10 boys). Troop leadership refused to use the money to pay for things like camp, routine expenses, etc. Why? Because the money was raised several years ago by other boys, and since these boys did not earn it, the leadership would not use it for them. This makes me wonder exactly what the plan for the money IS- those original boys are long gone- do they indeed plan on NEVER spending t
  8. Interesting situation! I doubt your Ship needs $20,000 a year from the three combined fundraisers, and I can see where the club might not be real hot on doing the thing for the District without you. I think I would offer up the golf bit to the District- 'suggesting' to them that the current club may no longer be able to host the program- that is really the club's decision to make, I would assume. Otherwise, I'd offer up my notes, planning chart, some of my contacts that would work well for them, etc. and focus on the needs of the Ship.
  9. Antelope- mostly via eBay... -Stuffed mini keychains- 3 animals in 2 designs (Wall Drug, SD and Jackalope Junction) -Stuffed animals- 6 different designs -Plastic 'toys'- 1 big Beyers model, 3 differnet small plastic versions from 'wild animal' assortments, another large one from an old Olympia beer ad thingie -Statues- 2 -Weirdest critter- 'Flatalope'- a Cabelas hunting decoy designed to camoflague a bow or something- it has a sculpted face and flat cloth body -Several patches, pins, keychains, 'spirit rocks', etc. -Some cool 'beads'/charms from an artist on eBay PLAN to
  10. www.campmor.com is also good and offers Scouts a discount. Eureka tents are usually a rock-solid value- the Timberline Outfitters 4-man is a perennial troop favorite for good reason.
  11. On a Cub pack-level overnighter, the parents are in charge of their own youth. If the outline in the Leader Book was followed, each family was taught the basics of YPT and other do's and don'ts beforehand- and that may have been the big missing step.
  12. I am not a fan of 'co-leaders'. Why are you not the den leader? Is she reluctant to give it up, are you reluctant to take it all on? I think my take would be to talk to her about how excited you are about the chance to run the den for a while, and that this is her big chance to follow her dream of (committee work, sitting back, fill-in-the-blank). I WOULD NOT make ANY noises about trying new things or changing stuff, just about trying to fulfill your life-long dream of den leadership.
  13. Yeah, what he said! As much as I am a BIG believer in making stuff yourself, these stoves are more of a novelty than a real tool. This version, however, is more robust and a fast cooker: http://www.hikingwebsite.com/gear/homemade/rrstove.htm I can't find it anymore, but somewhere I saw a 'make your own Sierra Stove' plan that used an old can, a 'toy' personal fan, and a few other parts. It ran on pine cones, twigs, etc. and generated heat by blowing the air just so. Several similar stoves are here: http://zenstoves.net/Wood.htm. The www.zenstoves.net site is pretty cool as well!
  14. We have always gone with the 'official field uniform' standard for Scout salutes. Admittedly, I cannot find anything in print, but the BSA 'activity' uniform is not really 'THE' BSA uniform, as described in the Insignia Guide and elsewhere.
  15. Our job as Scout leaders is to provide a quality Scout program to any and all boys we can. Sometimes, there is a boy or family that makes this job nearly impossible. In these cases, it is our DUTY to the unit to remove the family if other methods of intervention and correction do not work. I had to do this once, and the guidelines I came up with were: 1.) Every key unit leader (ESPECIALLY COR, CC, and CM) on the same page and in support of the decision. 2.) A 'heads-up' to the DE to let them know the situation, get their input, and to head off any complaints in that direction. 3.
  16. You really should not be doing a campfire anywhere but a fire ring or other designated fire place- and if you can do a campfire there, you should to be able to do charcoal there as well. (I think the bit with the foil was that they were either not using a designated fire ring or they wanted an easier clean-up.) If you DO use a campfire, get a good bed of coals and cook on those. You can rake some coals over to the side and have a fire in one part of the pit and coals on the other. Regular soft wood coals do not last long, though, so we always add some charcoal to the mix to help them last
  17. Heck, lets just make one up! THE RESCUE SONG Tune: Pop Goes The Weasel Emergencies can happen any old time, They can be quite a sca-are, Just remember the 'Action Plan' steps, Check, Call, and Ca-are! Check to be sure that you will be safe, Make sure there is no be-ar,, Check to see if they're awake or asleep, Check, Call and Ca-are! Call for help as soon as you can, There's no time to sp-are, 9-1-1's the number to call, Check, Call, and Ca-are! Look, listen and feel for bre-e-e-thing See if they're moving a-ir, If they are not give 2 Rescue Bre
  18. Just another thought, after your revelations... We need to pick our battles sometimes, and the battle over Cub rank details may not be worth fighting- it sounds like you have other, bigger issues. If a boy or two gets a rank or two he did not really earn at this stage of his career, it will not be the end of Earth or the BSA... but bad den leaders ARE a big issue. I think I'd be looking for a new ADL for the Bears and have the CM/CC 'suggest' that the ADL focus more on his troop duties- you know, to avoid burning him out (because you are just EVER so concerned about him!) "You've ser
  19. Great point and timing! I did a Minute from the other side of the Motto once- "As we work to Be Prepared, I notice that most of our focus is on being prepared for bad things- fire safety, first aid, emergency preparedness, and so on. I just want to remind you to Be Prepared for good things as well! Be Prepared for unforeseen recognition at school. Be Prepared for a great opportunity when it happens. Be Prepared to take advantage of a chance to do something wonderful for someone else. Be Prepared for new friendships. be Prepared, in general, for all
  20. No. it does not count. The year before, the boy was either a Wolf or not a Cub Scout. If not a Cub Scout, nothing he did counts. If a Wolf, it would have counted for soemthing towards Wolf or an Arrow but may not be carried over to Bear. Points of order: 1. The Cub program is age/grade specific. Cubs do not 'go back' to work on items from previous years. [Leader Book, p.20-6 "After the boy earns Bobcat, he then begins working on the rank for his age or grade."] 2. If we allowed items done before joining, then ANYONE could count ANYTHING and get all badges and arrows in
  21. I am coming to believe that some CO's (or hosts, or locations, whatever) are just accursed for some reason. There is a local school that SHOULD be a good host for Scouting- decent class size, good income mix, most kids are locals, good community support, etc. but in the last 15+ years, our district has tried to get units going there with rarely any results beyond a few preliminary meetings. I worked with the place for a while. We would get several youth signing up as interested, but far too few showing up for a meeting. Follow-up phone calls showed no real pattern or reasons for the
  22. Gee, ScoutNut- I wanna move to your council- someplace where the CO's actually do what they are supposed to do and forming troops already have CCs and stuff! My concern- being SM and being a pack leader are WORLDS apart from one another in how you do what you do. I am not sure you could remain sane and do them both right. again. Keep in mind- with a small, new troop, it is not uncommon for the SM and the boys to grow into their roles together! While it is still an important job, part of the difficulty in the job is in the logistics dealing with a larger group of boys. As yo
  23. Isn't the new requirement about the same basic thought process as the Webelos requirement for visting troops, etc.? I don't have a big problem with this other than that I wish it was part fo the Quality Unit Award or a new Unit Growers Program or something rather than a rank thing. I'm trying to imagine how my own son would have felt about it. Probably mildly grumbly and then carry it out in a minimalistic way. With our pack's sister troop, there would have been a LOT of ex-Scouts to talk to!
  24. Our Catholic school/church has an annual fair with beer garden as well. Our pack and troop provide man-power, clean-up crews (not table busing, though), and run booths as requested. They are not in uniform, and the pack and troop earn a share of the profits. This has been approved by our Council- yet the boys are working in and around the beer booth (which is also the pop stand), and while the adult leaders do not partake whilst on the job, we have never had a guideline to control their behavior during other times at the fair when they are with friends and family but still in full view of the
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