Momleader

Gimme a break! There is a push for Cub Scout & Boy Scout resident camping to have flush toilets. It's stupid, they wiz all over the bathroom if it's a pit latrine, porta-potty, of flush toilet. I've camped in all styles with my family and scouts. Pit latrines are fine! Until cub scouts get earn a patch for perfect aim the communal bathrooms are just going to be on the yucky side. Hold your breath, do your business quick and get out of there. Or dray at the residence inn

Can you all weigh in on this, there has been discussion about this in our troop. Our troop had several Star rank boys earn this in the summer and fall 2014, now they are Life and talking about getting going on their eagle projects while they have summer break. Will they have to re-earn the Cooking Merit Badge? One parent says this means they will since they didn't earn Eagle before the end of 2013 but the SM & ASMs & CC say if the boys earned it, they earned it and don't have to re-earn it. "Cooking merit badge became required for the Eagle Scout rank starting on January 1, 2014. All Scouts who did not earn Eagle by the end of 2013 must complete the Cooking merit badge for Eagle, no matter when they started working on that rank. During 2014, Scouts may use either set of requirements shown below - the ones which were effective from 2007 through 2013, or the revised requirements which became effective in 2014.."

When I took a bear den to summer camp I let the parents know they would only hear from the nurse if something was bad and I would be texting a group photo midweek. Which I did, as the den was doing a tug of war and laughing.

It's either legal or it isn't for recreational use. If it's medically needed and legal in your state it would need to be turned in at the health lodge. In my state the sherif or police would be escorting the scout from camp, just like they do at school. The fact it was offered to another scout isn't very trustworthy. I would be curious what the council take on it is.

YPT doesn't allow second chances with adults who take advantage of youth. Why should youth get second chances when they take advantage of youth? YPT spells it out UP FRONT' date=' not after the fact. It's time units deal with these problems before they become an issue. Youth of this age know how to push the envelop. They are in the break-out stage of life where they test the limits of social norms. They have yet to learn to restrain themselves and need a program to explicitly spell that out in no uncertain terms. Well, we're so worried about being politically correct that we don't deal with the issue in straight forward discussions. Rule #1 - Safety First. If you don't feel safe, tell someone immediately. End of discussion. Stosh[/quote'] I completely agree ! Boys will be boys but they don't need to be mean to each other to have fun.

I think the Ethan character is kinda creepy looking. Faux Toy Story-esque... Maybe they could make him more like the scouts in action drawings in the back of Boys Life

GA Mom, you and other parents who don't want the FOS presentation at your B & G should let the pack leadership know. There is no rule that it must occur then. Suggest another time, most are done at award nights because that's when there are the most parents in the room feeling good about all that scouting has done with their kiddos

DCsimmons, I've never seen that with sports. Good point though. I wasn't allowed to play on my brothers' hockey or soccer teams because they were boy teams. Even though my pop was the coach and I could practice with them.

Our council just started selling camp cards this spring. The pack committee opted not to sell them since the local HS baseball team was selling a similar card to help have new dugouts built. They are talking about doing a tag sale next year. Years ago - The pack started buying belt loops as an instant recognition because they were in a financial position to do so and the cubs at all levels kept coming to earn something. Now they still come and earn just the $ pond is drying up.

Has anyone seen a file from national about the potential costs for awards associated with the new Cub ScoutProgram roll out? I've been asked by our church (CO for Pack) & the Pack to help them with budgeting for the next 2 years. This last year was tight money wise with the national increase in fee. We have one night of awards left and we are hoping we have $$ to cover the belt loops earned. The Pack leadership knows we need to raise fees for next year, but would like to raise it once for a couple years - not increase $5-10 each year. They would rather increase it $20 and keep that price for 2-3 years One way we thought of was to take the base fee and add the potential cost if a Cub was to earn all the blingy awards they could in a year. It would average out since not all earn everything they can. Since the new program for 2015-16 looks like there's more expensive looking Beltloop like instant recognitions that is going to affect the finances of packs. Popcorn sales have dried up in our town & when we offered the 'buy out' like sports teams parents didn't sell or buy out...that's what hurt the finances.

What happened to this program. They piloted it, but have lost track of it and the results. Is this part of the new program roll out? Is it going to be co-Ed or boys only?

DuctTape. Large group merit badge sessions can be well run, takes planning and counselors who don't let kids 'slide' through. There are several great merit badges that can be earned on the way to becoming First Class, several can be done at camp even. Electricity is one; so are Art, Disability Awareness, Music and Pet Care all great for new crossovers to work on

As a mom of only boys, I would have to beg for no to girls in the cub program. Young boys need the chance to 'run free as boys', play with sticks and rocks. They are tactile creatures and love to see cause and effect. When I was a Cub Scout leader I did my best to let them be little boys, as loud and messy and sometimes silly & gross as they could be. To explore and learn in hands on ways. In my part of the country, Public education has taken that away from them, everyone is expected to sit with hands folded and use quiet sweet voices all the time, not to show displeasure or heaven forbid get actually angry. Everyone gets a trophy for showing up. Little boys can still grow up to be sensitive and respectful young men if allowed to get some of this "foolery" out of their system with their peers (other boys) when they are youngsters. Adding girls will change the group dynamic. We used to hold a reptile pack meeting, one year invited brownies (helped share costs and many families requested). The boys didn't get a chance to ask many questions as the girls were a little more assertive, several seemed to get bored fast (acted naughty) & after that one den of parents asked we don't do that kind of shared event since their kids didn't have as much fun as the year before. I heard it from a single mom in the den a long time ago - she signed her son up so he could be with lots of boys his age to do boy things she had no clue about.

Look at the CT Rivers Camps. They have very well run programs & troops from other states go to them.

Be prepared for fun. Take your camera. We did Parent & Cub camp with our boys when they first started out & they were totally hooked on going to camp after that. Find out if there is fishing too & if so grab a box of worms (those can be tough to locate at camps). In all the years of Cub Residence camping I've done with other leaders we have learned a few tricks to make it easier. The most helpful one we used was to stop at Walmart and buy 2-4 solar stake lights - fill 2 empty water or soda bottles with dirt or sand and stick the lights in them. Put at the front corners of your tent - that way if there are any Cubs that get up in the middle of the night & get lost on the way back from the latrine, upset stomachs(happens) or scared...they know where the leaders are at 2-3am and don't wake up all the campers...plus it helps the camp staff know which tents are leader tents if there is an emergency in the middle of the night. Also consider a small hard sided cooler (the kind the handle doubles as lock) for granola bars. Critters have a tougher time with those & a this can double as a nite stand for your phone or glasses too (the little things make is go smooth) unless you are in bear country - then skip snacks in your tenting area all together.

Could the scoutmaster have been having an off day? If it seems to be a pattern (meaning more than one scout reports this kind of verbal confrontation - or this scout has several of these kinds of incidents) it could be scoutmaster is getting burned out and needs a break or that adult just doesn't like those scouts. If it's a like/dislike thing, maybe the scoutmaster has to take a step back and realize that he as scoutmaster doesn't have to like kids for them to advance - the kids need to hit the benchmarks set by BSA.

Wolf Dens are great for spreading mulch. Birdhouse building is a great idea - so are bat houses, especially when you have them find out how many Mosquitos a bat can eat in one night. Check with your local Department of a Environmental Protection, they might have a list of ideas waiting for volunteers. Post back about what your group did

To those that had constructive comments -thank you. You answered the question that I asked about how youth are selected and provided some insight on how my son could do better fir next round of elections - some if it was what we tell him such as offer to help before being asked. The Scoutmaster in our troop makes a point of talking to each boy and their parents individually about the outcome of the election - must be the teacher in him. After our son left the conversation HE shared the observations I shared here. My son is learning to self advocate for himself in all kinds of situations (he has permanent hearing loss) and usually does quite well with it for a young teen. As a Mom I didn't have the opportunity to live through the OA process and gain any first hand knowledge. Which is why I asked questions about it. When I'm on Woodbadge staff next year that might be a good ticket item if there is a patrol member that is stuck for a diversity item. "The Mom's book of Boy Scouts - all the things you should be afraid to ask"

Congrats! I'm a MBC for 5 MB, I learned its good to start with a smallish number of scouts so 5 sounds good in my opinion. Cooking has lots of info to cover. Get your Dutch oven & accessories ready you are going go have fun! There us more to trail cooking than tuna in a pouch and ramen noodles (and dehydrated foods - although mountain house has some tasty ones). Remember to explain and guide them - it's ok for them to make mistakes, trying again and getting it right after a goof up is when kids learn best.

Thanks for your advice. I can't see him running around asking for advice on how to get elected. His first year in scouts he did 2 weeks of summer camp and the older kids rode him for earning a lot of badges. Particularly swimming, he used to be on a swim team so this wasn't hard for him. We didn't care he earned a lot since he had fun and enjoyed it. His cousin was at camp with him and pushed him to earn a lot, rather than loafing around. He also advance in rank fast because he goes to the meetings and works hard. He just made life and there are boys in the troop 2 school years older that just made star. But they don't always participate in every event too. Since his school doesn't have a swim team he has a lot of time for scouts

He has been in the troop for 4 years. Life scout and has only missed 2 camp outs and 1 week of summer camp with the troop. One Campout because he had a confirmation retreat, the other was in exam week for him and he didn't go to summer camp with the troop because of Jambo last summer - he did with some other kids from the troop to a specialty camp week after Jambo though. Part of his problem is he is shy and very academic,and only has one eagle required badge left to complete and will have it done by the end of summer. He does them all year round and enjoys it. His older cousins are all members and he wanted to follow in their footsteps. He did tell us, he wasn't sure why the others don't vote for him - SM says anytime he is asked by another scout or an adult for assistance he does it without grumbling. I was just wondering how it works.

Is the only way into the OA being booted in by the scouts in your troop? I only ask because my son was denied last year, yet attends every troop meeting (unless really sick), cleans up & helps the younger scouts, helps on eagle projects when asked, attends eagle ceremonies and is assistant patrol leader. His biggest problem is he doesn't attend the same school as 95% of the troop so a lot of the kids don't know him well from that well. Scoutmaster said he doesn't understand why - other than they pick kids they know well. Son was very depressed last year after elections (he was the only one on the ballot not elected in). Can the adults recommend a candidate?

Scout Law plain and simple was what most agreed....just trying to get a larger opinion. We were discussing the example that as leaders we need to be aware we set. About holding ourselves to the high standards of the Law. That's all. Some shared how the snarky inter pack/inter top email chains (reply all) gets abused etc... Thankfully the adults in my kids troop act like adults and I haven't seen that happen.

Packsaddles - it was a question at Roundtable. We were discussing cyber bullying and how schools are cracking down on it even with staff members. We know leaders should never bully scouts and scouts shouldn't bully each other - but cyber adult against adult is something I've seen. Wondered what everyone's take on leader v leader is

Just something to discuss...