mom2scouts

My son is finishing up his eagel project paper work. It's So close to being ready to turn in it's not even funny...

We came across a stumbling block. He's building a bench to go with his project and he called Lowes for prices of lumber. They suggested treated lumber ... Is it OK to use Treated lumber for a scout project? I hear so many bad things about the arsenic or something that treated lumber has in it? Would hate him to be turned down for just that... Thanks!

WOAH anarchist! I NEVER said I wanted it dumbed down to fit my kid! MY CHILD is in the GIFTED AND CHALLENGE program and has a very high IQ SO NO he does NOT need it dumbed down to him! I'll tell you this I do NOT fight everything the SM says or does and there is alot I do NOT agree with. BUT at the same time he is the SM! I DO NOT want the job!

I just think it's silly to make the kid do it again when he already did it... he did a job that he thought and I thought was adequate... YES he could have done a better job... but it wasn't like he did nothing or it was NOT up to par... but yet it was NOT up to par for his abilities... but for another child it may have been just fine. I DO NOT want it dumbed down for my kid... My oldest son is sitting at turning 15 in a few short weeks and is beginning the trail of eagle. Ready to get his project underway! He has been a CIT at summer camp and is currently holding the position of sr. patrol leader... so my kids are not ones who need it dumbed down to them... I take great offense that you would even think or type such a thing!

What ticks me off is the fact that the week before these posters speaches were due they had a drug/alcohol seminar at the troop with a local representative. So they fulfilled this requirement. My feeling on the poster/speach wasn't so much that they were asked to do it but that they were "judged" on how good it was. YES my son could have done a better job... but he did do it and he did take the time to draw it etc. You can't compare a drawn poster to a cut and pasted one! But that is what I think the scoutmaster did. Had this other boy not done his the way he did my son would have been fine. His poster was no different than my oldest son's was a few years ago...

I think these advancements are enough and the kids have a hard time getting alot of it done especially during the school year and our troop is not big on "lighting fires" under the kids...

No where in the requirement does it say "be judged and pass the scoutmaster's approval". HECK for that matter any of the leaders could turn it away right?

Also, I'm not planning on "fighting" it...I was just asking a question here. I would NOT fight it because we need leadership and I do not want to make enemies or make it harder on my son. The scoutmaster is a nice guy and I truly think he means no harm.... he's just for lack of a better word "fickle". HECK, when our older son went through this he was the ONLY boy who made a poster or did the speech yet EVERY boy his age has passed second class... go figure?

SORRY! Iknow it's scoutmaster... why I said troop master is beyond me... I think this just had me so fired up that I wasn't thinking!

Thanks for your support... I didn't think they were allowed to do this. My husband was angry too when he looked at the requirement. He's a leader and was angried that the scoutmaster would try this. He is going to hopefully bring it up at the next meeting...

I've questioned this before but have always been "shut down" and not really given an answer. I'm thinking we could fight it if we truly wanted to..

On second class the requirement that states about having to participate in a drug alcohol program with your troop, school etc. and discuss with your family.

My Youngest son is working on this level and was told (him and all the boys that were at this level) that they not onlyhad to do this but also make a poster and write a 5 minute speach and present it to the troop during one of the next two meetings.

My Oldest son did this also and I questioned it then but were too new to the troop to want to cause waves.

Last night after working ON HIS OWN doing his poster and writing his speech with little help from the internet and NO help from me or my husband etc. He comes home from the meeting saying his poster was NOT good enough and the troop master told him to do it again! While another little boy (who I know very much and know this to be true) had three posters all collages of pics that he just had to cut and paste (my son's was completely hand drawn by him) and then this kid also did his speech and could NOT pronounce the words and had to ask for help... so tells me MOm or Dad did it for him. I know the family and they constantly do this kids work for him!

Can we fight this?... NO not that the other kid didn't do his own work but that this is not truly a requirement...

Also, I think really that if the other kid had NOT done his at the same time they would have been fine with my son's work!

ideas???

My NOW question is this... from the last poster trevorum... I've been told because he's doing his eagle project for a church the scouts have nothing to do with the fundraising. Like if he goes and asks at home depot or whereever he has to have church letter head and NOT scout letter head as it's not a donation to scouts but to the church. Is this correct?

He has sent out his letters and has calls/emails in to our church so we're hoping to finalize exactly where the project is going to go... church or cemetary then we will know for sure what size the garden can be and what exact tools/supplies he will need.

So do you think he should put a letter in the bulletin or not? I'd hate for him to do something he shouldn't do...

Well, I'll give you my perspective. I am a woman and I LOVE to hunt! I have to say it's in your blood. My Dad hunted and his dad hunted and I'm sure his dad hunted. Both my boys hunt. I hadn't hunted in years probably since I was 15 and I won't tell you how old I am now... but when our youngest son was able to hunt this year I went too! I didn't realize how much I had missed the thrill of the hunt... sorry just had to use it!

There is nothing like it. For those of you who think we sit out there with a high powered rifle and the deer just walk up and say "kill me" you are sorely mistaken. We sat out there for 3 days (monday first day and two saturdays) ALL DAY! COLD! We saw 28 deer the first day and only 6 the next Saturday and ONE the last day! Only one was a buck and it was too far to shoot at!

I did not have any coming up to me saying shoot me please...

Now the boys and my husband go goose hunting, rabbit hunting and squirrel hunting... coyote hunting, duck hunting and I'm sure there is more...

YES we own a beagle. SNOOPY! He's a good dog. He's an outside dog. We do not beat him. We feed him and he is loved! His purpose though is to hunt rabbits. He loves it and the boys love it. I can think of worse things two country boys can be doing then going out in the woods with their guns and dog!

As for the deer population... don't ever worry there is plenty! Our crops show the damage every year!(This message has been edited by mom2scouts)

THank you for the warm welcome. I had heard of the grants through a lady at our council. I didn't press the issue as it seemed she wanted him to find this info on his own or I'd have thought she would have just told me where to go. I never thought about Knights of Columbus that is a great place to start! He had first planned on asking like a Lowes/home depot to donate the wood for the bench but then heard that sometimes those stores do not want to donate to church organizations? I dont' know if that's true or not as we have never done this before.

I thought about the bricks and mentioned that to my son when we all sat down as a family to help him plan etc. my Husband immediately thought that it may be too expensive to do something like that? Not sure.

trevorum you say about "christmas card list" do you mean ours? I know his grandparents and family members would be more than willing to help him out but not sure if that is ok either? It seems there are alot of "unwritten" rules to these things and it takes sometime to sort through it all.

My son wrote a letter to our nun and hoping she will be ok with him putting a letter in the church bulletin asking for help with donations or even physical help too.

I just am amazed that this is more difficult than I had anticipated...

My son is going to be 15 in Feb. He is life and is ready to start an eagle project. He's been life for about a year. (was trying to finish up those last merit badges!)

His project (the one he wants to do) is building a memorial/serenity garden for our church/cemetary. We are trying to gather information on how to pay for this. I spoke with our local council today and they said NO a family can not fund it. Like we can't just hand him 500 dollars (or whatever it will cost) and tell him to go to it.

Who pays for it? How do we do fund it? I have heard that there are grants available but can't find information on line about them? Anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you so much...