mlg0171

$50 Annual dues including BSA registration $200 Summer Camp Weekend campouts free (paid by troop funds via fundraisers.) One or two campouts a year may have special activities requiring fees. All profits from popcorn sales go to the scout's account to pay for any fees, equipment, uniforms, etc. The troop has a hardship fund so nobody is excluded due to $.

We tent camp eleven months per year, so when we see the splitting-hairs approach, it is with scouts who are not very active. It's pretty easy for an average scout to get to 20 nights over a few years if not in one year. But we always have a few scouts in 7 sports who show up once a year and want to bend the definitions because they are being pushed to Eagle by Mom and Dad. So this is a symptom of that larger problem. The sad thing is that if a scout comes to summer camp one time, and a weekend campout once per year, he can earn this requirement before he is 18, yet some still want to s

We recently started using Google Documents (docs.google.com) to help plan and communicate. I thought others might be interested. Note that all troops have different circumstances and this may not be everyone's cup of tea. E.g. we have a large troop and our SPL's are usually computer literate high schoolers with internet access. Google docs are online word processor and spreadsheet documents (think Word and Excel) that multiple users can use. Note there are also "Presentations" which I suspect is like PowerPoint, but I haven't played with it. We've found two uses so far.

cubdadinnj, I run my troop's website. It is a great resource, but you are right about there being pitfalls. I'll leave behind the security concerns that have dominated the posts so far and give you some other advice. 1. Start small. Add later. 2. Think hard about what you need there. Just because you can put something there doesn't mean you should. Assuming you have other forms of communication (patrol leaders making phone calls to their members, announcements at meetings, troop emails) you don't need everything at the website. 3. Some content on your site will be "st

cubdadinnj, Like all of us, you've had a person or group of people volunteer to take on a task and now it is getting nowhere, but I gather from your email that they haven't actually quit. If they quit, then you could at least pick up the ball and run with it yourself or hand it off to someone else. So, my first advice is to deal with the fact that you have a couple of volunteers who aren't making it happen. Until then, the rest is moot. Security sounds like an excuse. You can make one, some, or all pages password protected. It doesn't take two years. Be polite but upfron

Most browsers (I use FireFox) will remember your username and password and load it for you, if you have that option set up.

A few years ago, I had an older scout leading the younger scouts in a meal planning session for the next campout. He was fielding ideas from the group and making a written plan on a white board. When they thought they were done, I suggested they go through the menu again and add some fruits and vegetables. The older scout, very sincerely concerned about wasting money, looked at me and said "no one eats that stuff."

ASM915, The troop considered all BSA camps within Ohio and many outside the state. Seven Ranges would, of course, be on that list. I believe it made it to the short list and was also highly recommended by one of our Eagles. (He went to Seven Ranges years ago with another troop.) Our selection was based on many factors including space availability for our large troop, distance, etc. and shouldn't reflect negatively on the camps we did not select.

Yeah, Beavah, but it's the exception, not the rule, so I don't think it's a big deal. The alternative (two or three BOR's close together) just seems like jumping through hoops to satisfy our sense of order. Interesting, though, your use of the term "stranger". I realize you are exaggerating, but our committee members aren't strangers. It's common to see some of them on campouts and at meetings. Maybe we're lucky to have that level of involvement.

At the SM conference, our SM instructs the scout to call the CC and schedule a BOR. Puts the responsibility on the scout.

So Beavah makes a good point about artificial time hurdles to slow down boys who tore through the ranks fast. As he acknowledged, it is not clear that this is the reason for Kansascity53's situation (the scout may have been in for a long time, but had one Tenderfoot requirement holding him back), so I spun it off. I came across a troop that uses only quarterly BOR's. If a scout finishes a rank one week after a BOR, he's on hold for three months till the next one. This quarterly system is meant to slow the scouts down because they were advancing faster than the adults preferred. I thou

When we have a boy complete two ranks at once (or even three) I don't think the BOR is much longer than a normal one, if at all. We're not re-testing the material. We're having a conversation to find out more about him, what he enjoys about the program, what he'd change, what meaningful experiences he's had so far, whether the SM helped him set goals for the future, whether he's aware of how the whole system works... None of that changes in a BOR for two ranks. I can't imagine how the scout would benefit from doing that three times in one night or one month.

Believe it or not, the search committee (from which I distanced myself because I have enough on my plate) started with a list of 50(!) camps, got info on all of them, and whittled down from there.

This is a common occurrence (finishing two at once is more common) and should not be held against the boy. Star, Life, and Eagle intentionally have requirements that keep those ranks in a progressive order, but such requirements are glaringly absent from Tenderfoot - First Class and it is not our place to add them.

Funny you should mention it...we booked there. Thanks.

Yeah, sorry, let me clarify. We'd like to get a little farther from Columbus but not too far. For example, Friedlander near Cincinnati or Heritage in PA.

Can anyone strongly recommend a BSA summer camp w/in 4 hours of Columbus Ohio? Looking for - well run New Scout program (not run by a 14 year old who would rather be working at the waterfront) - not a MB factory - decent high adventure options for older scouts. Thanks

Took an NRA Certified Instructor course.

Make it part of a "MacGyvor" style merit badge that also includes duct tape and it will be a hit. (After the duct tape section) "Describe the limitations of duct tape and when it is proper to use strand-based products instead." "Demonstrate how to place a repair patch using a strand-based product."

Yeah, Gold Winger, that brings up another point. If a scout couldn't finish a MB during that week, it is easy for him to continue at home because the MB Counselor is in the troop, not some random person he'll never see again. In fact you met with your counselor a month BEFORE camp at a troop meeting to get things kicked off.

As for patrols, we WERE able to use the patrols more than you typically see at a BSA-run camp. Did patrols go to MB sessions together? Of course not, but so what? How is that harming the Patrol Method? Compare it to a typical campout. At a recent campout, about half the scouts wanted to go fishing Saturday morning. The lake was a 20 minute hike from the campsite. From each patrol, some scouts went and others did not. Did we abandon the Patrol Method by not forcing all scouts to go fishing together? Doubt it. What patrols did do at our self-run summer camp: - Tented together.

As I previously posted, my troop ran its own camp twice. Yes, the daily schedule was similar to a BSA-run camp. If a scout wants to earn Rifle Shooting MB, Lifesaving MB, etc., you can't just "happen to earn a merit badge along the way" from a practical standpoint. Splashing around in the lake doesn't get you Swimming or Lifesaving MB. Plinking cans does not get you Rifle Shooting MB. Even if we take a canoe trip and the scout learns how to steer a canoe along the way, there are still knowledge requirements to deal with. When I think of my scouting experience as a youth, I have f

Jhubb, I'm confused. If it was Parent #1 who was loud and abusive, why was Parent #2's behavior addressed at a sit-down? Beavah, is it just me or did you get tripped up on that too? I think you've got the troop apologizing to the abuser.

Well, let me be the first to answer, since you spun it off of me. 1) Be sure you know what you are talking about. When you first walk into a troop everything will look different. 2) The pace of change will vary based on your interpersonal skills and how much effort you put into it. Leaders are wary of sharpshooting parents who don't have the time to contribute. For the record, I didn't spend "years" toiling before making suggestions. Sorry if I left that impression. Thanks for the spin off.

We run into this with First Class Cooking and a similar Camping MB requirement. Don't get caught up in the legalese. Is it asking too much for a scout to plan and cook meals for a campout? Why consider it a negative? Sounds like fun and learning to me. There are reasons we see some things more than once. - The scout gets better. - He relearns things he forgot. - Two requirements that seem the same, really aren't. Many (most?) MBs start with first aid related to that MB. Should we skip it because the scout earned the First Aid MB three years ago? NO! We do it again to