MollieDuke

All around Jamestown/Yorktown/Williamsburg are historic trails associated with the local council. They are nice trails and are historically based. We got the info on them as we are down there a lot.

There is an active archaeology dig at Jamestown, which can be used as part of the archaeology MB as I remember, too.

If you go, though, take the Jamestown Explorer cruise. It's a boat trip out onto the James River to see the local area and the Eagles that nest on the Island. It's a great trip!!! We've taken it twice and it was superb both times. You see eagles in the wild, other birds, etc, and pull crab traps and dredge for oysters and stuff too. It's a great learning experience.

I am considering getting into geocaching with my son on a fairly small scale. You know, we go on vacation, and get the cache coords before we go and try to find the cache or more likely---look locally on a Sunday afternoon.

I know about geocaching.com and it seems simple enough, although, I am not really willing to spend megabucks on such an infrequent hobby. If it turns into a real hobby, I can upgrade.

Anyone out there use GPS and have a basic opinion? I am considering Magellan eXplorist 100 or 300 (100 mostly due to $$$), and Garmin eTrex Venture. Right now, I'm considering the Magellan 100 due to the fact that it's relatively inexpensive for the small amount of use we'll have. I don't plan to use it for hiking into the wilderness or use it in Ely, MN on the Boundary Waters or whatever. Just locally with a map, compass, and coords.

Let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

MollieD.

I had this problem, sort of, in the pack I used to be CC of several years ago. We had a boy whose parents came to us and said they wanted to sign their boy up, however, he was ADHD with violence. They said they never left their son alone and he had a special "helper" with him at school. They were in the process of trying to find help for their son, and seemed like they were good with him. We made the provision that one of them had to be with him at all times, and he was admitted to the Pack. We had a few little things happen, fixed immediately by the parents of the boy. Eventually, he took to the leader like his parents, and it took the parents out of the mix for the rest of his time in cubs. In fact, he received the AOL after much much work on his part. He really wanted it so much.

I really believe that consistency is KEY in ADHD, and the research supports that, but if your boy's homelife is one big mess, then there is no consistency. In this case, I think you will have to require his parent/guardian to be in attendance for each and every function and to be basically "on top" of the situation at all times.

We are all volunteers here, and have not got the training to really accurately deal with "special" children. I don't think the boys that did the teasing should get off the hook and should be taken to task for their involvement, but for this one child, I think the parent/guardian should be present and active at all times. It worked for us.

MollieD

I think it's all about marketing. Just like everything else, our youth are very visually stimulated (video games, TV, DVDs, etc.)

I also think the best example of marketing for youth is the Mountain Dew commercials. They are high adventure, cool, edgy, and fun. If you market Venturing like this, you'd have lots of kids. If you market it like BSA, you won't have much, I don't believe. BSA just isn't "cool" enough for everyone, but Mountain Dew certainly is...........

Our crew is hobby specific, so we got our youth around that, but my son's friends are always wanting to do more edgy stuff. (like the commercials) I'd say have a recruitment in a local park or school lawn with a teenage rock band or rapper, have the Scouters dress like teens of today (no offense to the official green shirts, but just more informal, you know), rent a climbing wall, and above all.......DO the DEW! It's the Pepsi of this generation. (ha ha) Also, don't forget the college kids........Venturing does go up to age 21. What a good way to get new freshmen to know each other.

Just my humble opinion, but I think it's worth a shot.

MollieD.

I was put in charge of helping a Scout Troop type and print a guide sort of like "So you're new here------well, here's some helpful advice" type stuff for new parents/boys. Aside from the actual Troop policies, phone lists, merit badge counselor's lists, and all that........what do you wish someone had told you up front? What would you include that might not be "customary/usual/obvious"?

So far, I'm typing: phone lists, discipline/substance policy, MBs available with local counselors, uniform guidelines, meeting place/time, SM/ASM contacts, advancement guidelines, fundraising policies, camp info, and general council/district/troop stuff.

Thanks for all suggestions.

MollieD and committee

How do you preserve those really large or odd shaped patches you get over time from events, etc that are too large to fit in the baseball sleeve type of patch holder? My son currentlly uses a large ziplock bag, but it's not acid free, so I'm wondering if something in a scrapbook variety might be better. Any good ideas out there?

Thanks,

Mollie

Looking through some photographs, I saw an "instructor" patch. (just the patch--not on anyone). I read a little about it and I wanted to know what the qualifications of this are? Example: if a boy is good at first aid, what would qualify him as "instructor" status? Just wanting to know as I've never seen one.

THanks, MD

Thank you ScoutNut for the pointer on the Ranger. I had that confused in my head.....trying to relate it to Boy Scouts, I guess. It's so easy to try to relate it to what you already know, isn't it? :-)

MollieD

We have a new crew that my family advises. It's been hard on my husband to leave the Boy Scout mentality behind and do Venturing. I think I finally "got it" the other day and I just wanted to spin off the previous thread about the oddities of Venturing to display my idea of what I think it can/cannot be and see if I'm on the right track. If not, please let me know as I'm very new to all this, too.

1. Venturing is about the journey---not the destination. I don't mean this literally as in traveling to a climbing wall, but more figuratively......example: it's about teaching kids to look to their neighborhoods to see a need and "fix" it, or to plan that trip which teaches them many skills, but the reward for that hard work IS the trip--not a merit badge.

2. Venturing is flexible to communities. Example: I live in an extremely rural area. We cannot just pack up and go to a museum; there aren't any. We can, however, make a journey to one and use that as our tools.

3. Uniforming----our kids are choosing T-shirts and jeans as their "uniform" however, they are designing their own. They are learning about creativity, art, marketing, design, and cost containment through this. The uniform and T-shirt isn't the goal---it's the work going into it. We did vote to have a few official green shirts with pants for more formal functions and for meeting with officials of companies, etc. We felt the T-shirt was too informal.

4. We do, however, have a more structured program and award system inside the "Ranger" award which I've not seen mentioned much here. Ranger is the Venturing Eagle, as I see it and it's darn hard to get. It would take YEARS and a LOT of HARD work. I'd love to see the statistics on how many kids actually achieve Ranger. If you're into structure, try Ranger. It's very similar to Boy Scouts, but much more involved for older kids.

5. Rules: Have you read the Venturing book? It clearly states that if you don't "walk the walk/talk the talk" of the Venture code, that you cannot receive any awards. It is clear that your behavior is imbedded into each and every award. I liked that clear, definite line drawn in the sand. Frankly, I've seen too many boy scouts advancing ranks that are real troublemakers who are advanced to avoid conflict in the troop. This is a clear directive that says if you don't behave and follow life's rules, you don't earn awards, but we'll help you get back on track if you want.

What it doesn't do is provide a map or book of directions for each and every situation. The kids should write their own book and draw their own map--that's the point, I think. It also leaves a great deal of latitude with the advisor, which I'm not sure I agree with, because many advisors could just provide a "gimme" program for these kids. However, living in such a rural area, this could be our saving grace in many ways, so I'm reserving judgement on this for now. It also has goals that, while attainable, are a long way off from the inception. Some kids can't stay on track that long, but that's part of the whole of Venturing---learning to do just that.

Basically, this is my revelation. Am I on track?

Whew-------that's a mouthfull.....

Respects,

MollieD

My son will use a plastic storage bag (ie for storing out of season clothing) with all the air sucked out also, but it's because his first year of summer camp came with the worst rainstorm in the history of the county since the 1920s. Everything in camp was soaked including the clothes in their tents. They evacuated to the dining hall, but even with the pack's raincover, the clothes were wet. This was my son's solution to wet clothing, but it's also good for nasty smelly dirty clothes for the ride home. I can get out one plastic bag and dump it into the washer instead of a totally smelly backpack and have to have son air it out as well. (actually, son did camp laundry last summer---yeah!!!)

I'd like to see anyone after second class look over one of the original books and choose an activity they have never seen in the current book, submit it for approval, then teach it back to a patrol. The old books have lots of great stuff in them, but most boys never see them. The books from B-P days are great reading for my son.

We are actually having a training weekend this sumemr after we get all the kids out of school. We plan to have fire safety/building, hiking and foot/boot care, cooking, tentage, etc. We plan to go in on Friday night and leave Sunday afternoon. We are a new crew with at least 3 kids that are not former scouts and will be getting a couple more after school is out. We want to get some leadership going full tilt then too. Our scouts can certainly teach the non scouts and brush up themselves.

I am posting this for a friend who has no computer. He just became the Committee Chair for a really small pack. It will likely grow from here on out (long story), but they basically have just been doing "their own thing" for awhile now and some of it isn't even scouting correct. Several of the requirements in the past years weren't done, yet the boys are wearing the badges. Yes, it's complicated. Basically, this group lost a lot of leaders and untrained parents were trying to keep it together, and now it's a little messed up. Even with training from last year, it's still messed up. How can he fix it and not alienate everyone in the process? Suggestions?

My question is this: Pants----I've heard they are poor quality. Is this true? Do they hold true to size? If not, how are they different. Do they fit women differently than men? Are they really grey????? IF so, are they like "security uniform" type grey? I've obviously never seen them. Our crew will not be using the crew uniform as they have a crew specific uniform, but occasionally I could use one to wear to scouting functions. I've just heard stories.....you know?

Thanks for the help.

MollieD

I'm trying to get my mind around this. Since many boys that are "Eagle age" are into Venture Crews as well, can being active in a Venture Crew count for the "active" for Eagle Palms as long as the boy is still earning his merit badges? What if the Venture Crew is not of the same group as his Troop? I'd like to think the boy would stay in his Troop, but if he is very busy as most kids are into every sport/academic thing coming and going, it might come up.

Thanks.

MollieD

I agree that PW derby is the highlight time for most boys. That's why I want to do this well. I want the most participation/ease of racing I can get and hope that most boys go home happy and having had a good time. That said, I also think we need to realize there are "winners/losers" and that's reality. I don't think, though, that just because a car isn't fast enough to win the speed race that it couldn't win a "best paint job" title. I think that also shows that the car is an entire being----style/paint/design/etc. It's the whole enchilada.

This seems like the best way to encourage the artistically talented child into a venue he'd never thought of also.

Just my 2 cents,

Mollie

I asked my son again how he prepares for a BOR, and he told me he goes over all the requirements that have been signed off, checks his paperwork, reviews what he did and all that. When I asked him how he knew to do that, he said, he had heard an adult tell a boy this and it made sense to him. I guess that's why he never "froze" plus he is not at all nervous talking with an adult or group of adults. After asking him all this, he asked me why was I asking. I told him that this was merely a topic on this board (not that I started it) and he said that maybe they should put that into a program for the new boys. He'd talk to the SM about it. He said he'd hate to see any of his friends have that problem because it would be embarrassing. Thanks for helping as usual. You all are great!

MollieD

What about having a movie night with the adults and show "Follow Me Boys" with Fred MacMurray. It's a great entertainment film which shows each boy in a cooperative environment. Several of our friends have watched it since I've gotten it and we've asked them to "find their son" in the film. It's been interesting. Several people have watched it and said "wow, I wish our troop was like that." If nothing else, it would be a nice night out and a change. :-)

MollieD

I love beasties mom's thought of the unlimited race. I think I'm certainly going to include that one next year. That would be really fun. Do you have to get a fundraising form to do this from the council?

I also agree on a basal level with OGE, because I think we water down competition with our youth in this country even to the point that when we grow up and compete for jobs or promotions, we have no life skills to do that because it was such a "level playing field" for us as kids. However, this year we've had a lot of problems with complaints about rigging this past race to the point that we're changing the entire set up of our derby at pack level. I have nearly grown children and have no "dog in this fight" so I was asked to help set it up and probably run it next year. The person that set it up had a son in the race and the son came in first. I wasn't there and he could have honestly won, but it was still a sore spot with several people. I know there are ultra competitive moms and dads out there and these complaints may be just due to those people, but when the adults start in, the boys don't have quite as much fun.

I also like the point system so the boys (and parents) don't know if they are winning or not. Keeps the suspense going, I'd think, especially in the younger boys. I think also that racing in each and every lane is paramount to a fair race and evidently, that was not done here this year. The winning car was reported to race in the same lane each race.

The pack I'm helping with isn't very large, but it seems to grow by the day (good thing). Unfortunately, it might be huge by the next derby (bad thing--for me---grin), so I want as much efficiency and accuracy as possible so the participants are free for maximum fun.

This has been really helpful for me.....more ideas?????

Thanks,

Mollie

I spun this off my "questions" thread--sorry for so many questions. I just want maximum fun for the boys and families......

I've seen packs that do a design category like: most unusual design, most unlike a car, etc. I assume these cars race as well, but do you do any of these and if so, which are the favorites at your place? Do you encourage the boys to think outside the box to design an unusual car if they wish?

MollieD

I just got Follow Me Boys off amazon.com on DVD. It's a wonderful movie, although, we all sat around and said who we thought was who and then that we wished we had a troop like that.

I love it. My son (life scout) loved it too. The only part I didn't like was seeing Whitey "rescue" a boy that had fallen over a cliff without getting their adult leader. The adult didn't hike with the boys that day like they should have.

I think I only paid like $10 for it.

I LOVE this info. I think this would "eliminate" the problems I've seen in the past. I especially like the fact that each boy races the entire time. I hate to see the boys leave early. It also eliminates the competitiveness I've seen which certainly doesn't embody scout spirit at times.

Keep any help coming. I love it so far.

Thanks for the links, too. SUPER!

MollieD

Recently, I was on a BOR where a scout was asked this question: "What was your favorite part of the XXX merit badge you did for Star? It had been signed off very recently, so he should have been able to answer this question, I thought. Anyhow, this scout said he couldn't remember much about this badge and hedged this question. I'm rather new to this BOR stuff, so I left it up to the others although there was quite a discussion over it. The basic feeling was that since it was signed off, and we cannot retest, we had to let it go. Being a "good mommy" I went home and asked my son if he's ever not been able to answer such a question and his answer was "Well, of course not. I did the stuff, so I should know what I did, right?"

This didn't seem like an unfair question, since it just infered to the "fun" of the badge. I just wonder how you all may have handled a similar situation. I hope this child doesn't go to his Eagle BOR and "freeze" or whatever if they ask a similar question. Makes one wonder if he really "did" the badge, though and looks bad. Should we, as adult leaders, provide advice for being the child at a BOR especially for the younger set? I'm sure it's a little unnerving for some kids to be in front of a BOR sometimes.

Just a thought.

MollieD

I may be in charge of PW derby next year and I don't understand the whole "elimination" thing. Also, I've seen most derby's done in double elimination and occasionally triple elimination. Now, I don't really understand these terms, but it's just what I was told. Is there a website or published material that explains these things so I could copy/print it and keep it with the rules books? I know I can get someone to actually "do it" at the event, but I know there are other parents out there that don't really get it and this may help them on race day. Also, do you do double elim. or triple elim where you are?

Thanks,

Mollie

After much tugging and pulling and begging and crying........Our New CREW is up and ready to run. I had previously asked for and received much wonderful advice and just wanted to send a heartfelt THANK YOU to all those on this board that helped us through the quagmire we were put into during charter. I still think our locals made it more difficult than it really is, but it's done and a lot of credit goes to you all...

Thanks again,

MollieD