MarkS

result1 said, "Last Night they had the CC come to the center of the room, every one (Pledge alliance to the Flag) that was on her uniform." I've been lurking in your threads and am kind of wondering just what kind of role does the CC fulfill at troop meetings? Apparently, she's already the Treasurer too but I would hope she's letting the youth leaders, Scoutmasters, and Asst. Scoutmasters do their job delivering the program and training the boys during troop meetings (unless called upon to help out). If not, sounds like she feels the need to assume the responsiblities of others or wants t

We're making sure that all our outings are down hill both ways so we can turn off our engines and coast. If it's not, we're going to have the boys regrade road as a service project so it is.

My troop chose a new SM this year. Our committee prepared a score sheet (just like any other trade study) to rate the SM candidates. The score sheet identified qualities to rate for each candidate and provided a weighting muliplier for each quality (so we could decide if one quality was more important than another). The committee assigned a score for each quality and used a spreadsheet to factor in our weighting and tallied the results for us. We used the following qualities... Commitment to the ideals of scouting High moral standards Ability to relate to boys Ability to relate

Was Billy one of the four that crossed over? If so, rather than focusing on the Cammping MB, focus on something with more immediate impact. Work with the SPL, TG and the PL to make sure that all of the boys complete their Tederfoot requiremenst ASAP. If they can complete everything before the next campout, recognize them immediately. Billy, will realize hd didn't get recognized with his buddies because he did not sleep in a tent he helped pitch. Mom will realize she held him back and everything will correct itself the next time Billy participates in a campout. In other words, let the way your

We had our rainoree in April. We had 1.75-inches of rain in two days with an overnight low of 28 and a high of 44. Nearly the entire rainoree field had ankle deep standing water. If you didn't have good quality high-top hiking boots, your feet were soaked. Our theme was Orienteering, Not the best theme or activities for the rain. The Saturday evening campfire activities and Sunday morning closing were canceled.(This message has been edited by MarkS)

I think my point was if the Scoutmaster can't make the PLC, reschedule the PLC so he can. The Scoutmaster is required in order to have a quorum.

I don't think it is right to hold back a boy because of his parents. If Johnny's parents are not allowing him to camp, should he be held back? You should definitely encourage him to go camping and press his parents to allow him to go, but you can not force them. We are trying to build better boys and to hold one back because his parents are over protective seems to go against the BSA way. Suggest looking at allowing the boy to complete alternative requirements in place of camping for Tenderfoot, Second Class, or First Class as is done with some physically or mentally challenged boys. That

I see three mistakes that were made: 1. The SPL with support of the PLC and Scoutmaster can make this kind of decision but should have discussed this with the Scoutmaster first to see if the Scoutmaster had any advice or recommendations--they should have a good working relationship overall too; 2. The PLC meeting is the right place to make decisions on patrol organization but should only be held with a Scoutmaster and an Asst. Scoutmaster (two-deep) in attendance; 3. There were Committee Members at the PLC. There shouldn't of been. They don't belong there and as long time Scouters should know

Our patrols use a grubmaster to buy food too. The patrols try to figure out who is most able to do the shopping keeping in mind that they should be fair and try take turns. If they can't figure it out, the PL assigns the job like any other duty roster job. No budget is set. Patrols decide on their menus and figure out about how much it will cost. If necessary they settle up shortages or surpluses after the campout but usually they're pretty accurate. Money never passes through the hands of anyone outside the patrol (well, maybe the grubmaster's parents, but he's still supposed to do the s

Thanks for the note Crew... The young staffer was perfectly polite and simply seemed to be enforcing what he believed to be correct policy. He was very convincing in explaining the policy and had me thinking I had forgotten a key detail in my training. That's for sure. However, we were on an orienteering course when he asked for my Totin' Chip that was in my daypack which I decided to leave at our troop campsite because it was raining cats and dogs (large ones). I offered to escort him to our campsite to retrieve the card but he declined and let me off with a warning because I was an adul

Well, everyone is saying the things I expected to be said. Most of which I already know. What I have is a lockback knife with a single 3.75-inch blade of which the sharpened edge accounts for 3.25-inches. It's a Craftsman that I bought at the local Sears hardware years ago before I was involved as a scouter. I'd like to thank kenk for the link to the web site on state laws. While the length is okay in my state, it's a quarter inch too long for where my troop is going to summer camp. I'm glad I started this thread. Guess I'll leave it at home when we leave for summer camp.(This message has

I was at a camporee this past weekend where a young staffer noticed my pocket knife and wanted to cut a corner off my Totin' Chip because the blade was too long. He claimed that the rules say it should be no longer than the width of your palm. The blade of my pocket knife is about a half inch longer (including spine and cutting edge). I thought I might have forgotten the rule from my training so I checked. The Totin' Chip says to follow the rules outlined in the "Second Class Scout" chapter of the Boy Scout Handbook. Neither the card nor the chapter list any blade length restrictions. I a

Well, I view Asperger's and ADHD as significantly different in the behaviors exhibited--we deal with both in our Troop. Not bascially the same. However, I agree totally, no medication holidays on Troop activities. That's the policy of our Troop.

Gonzo1 said, "Asperger's Syndrome is the "new" ADD by the way. So,don't be fooled if some parent says that their kid has Asperger's. It's basically the same thing with a different name." This is an incorrect statement. While there are some common traits, there are several behavioral issues of Asperger's that are significantly different than that of ADHD. Simply put the symptoms of ADHD are inattentiveness, impulsiveness and hyperactivity to a point that are detrimental to a child's ability to function in a social setting. Asperger's includes inappropriate social interaction, poor or the l

Keep track of the incursions... write them down... and make it a policy to use this behavior as one criteria for determining whether or not a Scout has demonstrated the appropriate Scout spirit by living the Scout Oath (Promise) and Scout Law in his everyday life. If in the judgement of your Scoutmaster the Scout has passed the threshold of failing to demonstrate the appropriate Scout spirit, he can choose to not sign off on that advancement requirement for the Scout (recall that every rank has this requirement except Tenderfoot). That's why he's paid the big bucks. The members of the BOR

As everyone said, rules are local. For example, in my old pack... solid axles were prohibited and BSA wheels and axles were required for fairness, precut blocks from kits were permitted to simplify the build (because the shape of the car doesn't matter in terms of performance--except for how it affects the center-of-gravity), and the slots in the blocks didn't have to be used (to make the kids think and use their ingenuity). If done right, extending the wheelbase of a car will improve stability and permit the to roll straighter down the track (less rubbing means less friction and more spe

OM, If you think about it, achieving Scout rank is an advancement from Webelos so the boys crossing over can advance right away. What's different about Boy Scouts is advancemnts are presented at COHs which occur on a Troop defined schedule but are typically about one every three months. Rather than immediately or at the very next opportunity as they should be done in Cub Scouts. Our Troop has a COH in March because the local Packs tend to bridge their boys at their B&Gs in February. At bridging they get their handbooks and red loops (our boys elected not to have a neckerchief) fr

Working with the youngest lads in the program can be a challenge. The KISMIF method is the way to go. Just remember that S also stands for short. Tiger Cub lads won't have a long attention span. Be prepared (where'd I hear that before) and keep things moving in your meetings. Lack of idle time equates to lack of problems. Also remember that a Tiger Den Leader works with a different boy/adult partner team each month to plan the den meetings, the Go See It, and the dens part in the pack meeting. The emphasis is on shared leadership. You're trying to build a foundation of cooperation that he

It's an undocumented feature of your software. Who says you don't get anything for free anymore?

I hate those clutch mechanisms on pins. Don't like them poking my chest. If they're optional, I don't wear them.(This message has been edited by MarkS)

I recently went to REI to get a pair of the Vasque Sundowner. I really wanted the full-grain leather because it's the easiest to waterproof--using sno-seal. Don't trust the gortex liner as your waterproofing. It may work great when the boots are new but I wonder what will happen as they age and the liner becomes worn. Alas, I had trouble getting a decent fit with the Vasque boots. Turns out I needed a wide fit with them. I could have ordered the wide fit at an additional shipping cost but ended up buying Montrail Torre GTX. They have a nubuck leather upper which will require additional ca

If the camp kitchen drains are not in service or are otherwise unavailable, strain the dishwater and put the food particles in your trash and dispose of properly or a sealable plastic bag and pack them out. Broadcast the strained dishwater over a wide area at least 200 feet from the nearest water source, campsite, or trail. Scattering dishwater in a sunny area will cause the water to evaporate quickly. If you have separate buckets for washing and sanitizing, be sure to dispose of the dishwater first and pour the sanitizing water into the dishwashing bucket before disposing of it--to sanit

Our Boy Scout/Webelos Fall Encampment was based on a Pirate theme. Check out our manual on our district web site. Maybe some of the games will be age appropriate for Cubs. http://www.stlbsa.org/NR/rdonlyres/6667F750-7084-4288-80CE-70CB361C1D8C/0/Resource_PiratesCamporeeManual2006.pdf

ScoutNut, Fair enough. Maybe councils do have some discretion on defining the rechartering requirements for their units. Based on the recharter packages I received, it doesn't seem to be a paperwork or a forgetfullness issue on the part of my council. For small units such as DenZero's, I would agree that the requirement of just one den leader should be sufficient for rechartering the unit. However, DenZero did say they only had two "official" leaders and if "official" equates to chartered leadership, I don't think that would be sufficient for a quality program. Anyway, given the

When I rechartered my pack in 2005 and helped transfer that responsibility to someone else in 2006, I recall the paperwork saying that a den leader for each level of boys was required. Not a single den leader for the entire pack. I didn't find any list of recharter requirements from the National web site, but I did find some information dated October of this year from the Transatlantic Council that lists the adult leadership requirements I recall. See http://www.tac-bsa.org/how_to_recharter.rtf for details. Is this accurate?(This message has been edited by MarkS)