mtm25653

OUr troop sings Scout Vespers at the end of every meeting (and have for at least the past 15 years) - I think that makes the idea of singing more acceptable. They sing all sorts of songs at campouts and my 16yo son says they do skits even more often.

Do you have anyone who plays guitar/mandolin/banjo/fiddle who can play at the campfire for the scouts to sing along?

My sons sing on the trail while backpacking, the millions of folk songs/sea shanties their dad taught them, and they have taught many of them to the other boys in the troop.

The SM and a scout wrote a song when they were at PHilmont, and sang it for the troop at the next court of honor.

So how do you get the boys to sing? By singing.

I am in a pack that split off last year from an established pack. A third pack has started up in this area this year. We do recruiting together at 3 area schools and at a Saturday event.

The point is to get boys into scouting, and to make all the scouting units successful - I don''t care if they are in my pack or someone else''s.

So by all means, work with the struggling packs - is there a whole den in your pack that could move to one of those packs? That way you would be providing the pack with a functioning group with leaders, not just a bunch of new boys that require time and resources to organize into a den.

If you have a Methodist church, try them - they church on a national level supports scouting, and some church districts have committees to support/expand scouting in their area.

I still in cub scouts, though my youngest is 16.

Our troops' SM has sons 25 (ASM in troop) and 21. The COR's sons are 26 and 27. The recent past CC's son is 22 (he is also district training chair). The popcorn/fundraising person's son is 27. Current CC expects to stay active in troop when youngest leaves (16 and 19). Current registration is something like 40 boys and 50 adults - maybe half the adults have boys in the troop, the rest have stayed on to help after their boys have grown.

Den leaders submit advancement info to the Advancement person (chair). Advancement person fills out and submits paperwork (or computer records) to council, picks up awards, and has the awards in order for the cubmaster to present them at the pack meeting.

One year we had an inspirational speaker who was on a super bowl winning team (don't remember the team or the man's name) - he passed his VERY LARGE DIAMOND super bowl ring around for the boys to hold, and they seemed to enjoy it.

High Knoll Trail (5 day backpacking trip) or Voyager (5 day canoe trek) at Camp Ottari in Virginia - they also have a sailing/boating program, a fishing program, a living history program, and a great regular (merit badge) program.

Maybe my sons and their friends are atypical, but all the boys I know WANT to prove how strong they are. They want to show that they can do "hard" things, whether that is carrying a heavy bag or splitting wood or making it to the top of the mountain on a backpacking trip (yes, our troop calls it backpacking). Sometimes we have 2 trips combined- one short trip to the campsite (where there is something cool to see or do) and back, and a longer one around the mountain to the campsite and around the mountain back. The younger boys get a taste of the challenge and get to see/do the cool thing, and know that the harder challenge is waiting for them when they are a little older or bigger.

Make it a challenge - "I know this is hard, but I know you can make it."

But, DON'T tell a boy he is doing a great job hiking or backpacking when he is struggling - he knows he's not doing a great job. Just tell him that you are with him, and you will help him make it. (This from my 16 yo who once was that boy, and now has done 500+ miles including Philmont and 200 miles on the AT.)

My 16 yo son highly suggests Camp Ottari in Virginia - it is outside of your 5 hour boundary, but it is a great camp with unique programs. Mountain Man is a living history program - blackpowder shooting, blacksmithing, cook all your meals over an open fire, eat buffalo tongue. High Knoll Trail is a 5 day backpacking trip (you plan your route) with programs available at various places. Voyageur is a 5 day canoe trek. Fish camp is fishing all day.

Bush was a cub scout, but not a boy scout.

Oldest son used lay youth group leader, but second son used a member of our church (and scout leader in a different troop). Third son will likely get Eagle in the next year, and he will likely use the chaplain from our troop.

We do belong and go to a church (somewhat irregularly), but the boys have not talked about religion/beliefs with our recent pastors.

I do correct other kids when they say something inappropriate.

On the way to a basketball game, I asked everyone how their day had been. One boy said "it sucked". I told him I knew he had a better vocabulary than that, and he proceeded to give me an eloquent 5 minutes, including numerous SAT vocabulary words, on why his day had been bad, laughing the whole time.

In July, all 7 of the Harry Potter books (plus I've reread the last one in August.)

Several mysteries a month.

Currently working my way through Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam and a history of the French and Indian War.

A BS Field Book from the 1950s and a BS Handbook from the late 1940s.

I probably average 2-3 books a week.

Is there any way to find out where Living History/Reenactment crews are located?

I find it interesting that in the "Some Common Traits of Successful Troops" over in Working with Kids, no one (except me) has mentioned having leaders skilled/trained/competent to take boys on high adventure or back county outings. Also, none of the same people (except me) have posted. Are we missing the big picture?

fotoscout said:

When was the last time BSA offered a program like "Hug a Tree".

We did Hug a Tree as part of Outdoor Webelos Leader training 8 years ago. I have done it for the cubs in my pack and my district at least once a year since then, plus at another district's event this spring. I'd estimate I've given out 1000+ whistles (though a lot of boys, and their siblings, went through it several times).

The troop has leaders skilled in outdoor/high adventure activities.

We had a one dog stay for the spring campout - single father, one child, well-behaved dog. A couple of other (two-parent)families (with only one parent staying the night) then brought their dogs during the day Sat - not well-behaved. They decided on their own to take the dogs home - if they hadn't I would have asked them to.

The bigger problem (that I have yet to address before the fall campout) was the new den leader who brought a dvd player - I wondered why it was so quiet after the campfire Sat night, and I discovered over half the kids in the pack sitting in front of their tent watching a movie. I think I am going to propose a "no electronics outside your tent" rule (someone had a BopIt that went off as we were lighting the campfire).

All 3 of my sons were awarded 2 ranks at one COH - for all of them, it was 2nd class and 1st class at the same time. Since boys work on the requirements for Tenderfoot, 2nd and 1st all at the same time, this is probably a frequent ocurrence - my youngest finished 2nd class the week before summer camp and 1st class at summer camp (all he needed was the additional troop activity.)

I came across this list, aimed at 12-13 yo boys, by a teacher http://literarycompass.blogspot.com/2007/05/literary-testosterone-30-must-read.html

I second his suggestions for The Killer Angels, The Once and Future King and Ender's Game.

Fantasy/Horror

Anything by Ray Bradbury: I think of Ray Bradbury as a modern-day Edgar Allen Poe, and his books are perfect for teenage boys. There's always something to talk about after reading Ray Bradbury.

Something Wicked This Way Comes - Every boy should read this book, and every father, too. It can be frightening, but it is well worth reading.

Dandelion Wine - Scary, funny and tender.

The Martian Chronicles - Great sci-fi.

Fahrenheit 451 - Perfect for talking about the value of books and reading.

The Illustrated Man - Thought-provoking stories.

Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs - Along with Treasure Island, probably the perfect action/adventure story.

The Belgariad by David Eddings - Lord of the Rings lite; lots of fairly innocent fun; not much depth, but a good read.

Animal Farm by George Orwell - An excellent introduction to talking about political systems.

The Once and Future King by T.H. White - Classic story of King Arthur.

The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin, Jr. - This book is a hidden gem--important spiritual themes, connections to Chaucer and the middle ages. I once had the opportunity to interview the author with my eighth graders after we finished studying it - they loved the interview and the book. Don't miss it.

Science Fiction

Flatland by Edwin Abbott - A brief fairytale-ish book that explores mathematical concepts like the fourth dimension. Fun and educational.

The Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov - A sort of Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire set in space; great plot twists. A true classic of the genre and very accessible to teens. The first book in the series is Foundation.

The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov - A great murder mystery set in the future. Combines elements of science fiction and classic mystery stories into one.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - I hesitated to put this on the list because it contains some profanity and a few disturbing elements, but every single student of mine who has read this has loved it. Without exception. Read this with your kids so you can talk about it with them.

The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Before Michael Crichton's version, the author of Sherlock Holmes had already written about a lost island of dinosaurs.

Time and Again by Jack Finney - A terrific time travel story; the amount of historical detail in this book is mind-boggling. Part mystery, part romance, part sci-fi, it really defies categories.

Historical

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara - Pulitzer winning novel of the battle of Gettysburg; would be great to read in conjunction with an American History class. After they finish, show them the movie Gettysburg.

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas - Look up swashbuckle in the dictionary and you'll find this book. Young readers may need help understanding church politics.

Mr. Midshipman Easy by Captain Frederick Marryat - a great precursor to Forester's Hornblower series or Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander series. Fun and easy to read.

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott - Classic medieval adventure.

Mysteries

The Father Brown stories by G. K. Chesterton - The gentle, intelligent Father Brown makes a great role model for boys, and gives them a healthy portrayal of a priest.

Anything by Agatha Christie - Her books are continual favorites of my students, especially the novels featuring Hercule Poirot. Make sure they read Curtain (but only after reading four or five other Hercule Poirot mysteries first).

The Brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters - Brother Cadfael is a monk in the thirteenth century who always seems to end up in the middle of murder investigations. The first book is A Morbid Taste for Bones.

Assorted other titles:

Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling - Terrific coming of age story set at sea.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Explores many issues, but one key issue is the definition of courage.

The Ox-bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark - Not only a great Western, but an insightful exploration of justice and vigilantism. Perfect for discussing over the dinner table.

Hondo - Every boy should read at least one Louis L'Amour novel in his life, and Hondo is one of the best.

Shane by Jack Schaefer- The all-time greatest Western ever written (in my humble opinion). Another must-read for pre-teen or teenage boys.

Hiroshima by John Hersey - A nonfiction account of survivors of the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima. This can be a frightening book for young readers, so use your own judgement.

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot - Nonfiction account of a rural veterinarian; another perfect book for boys.

Intereseting question - my oldest waited to do his project till January of senior year after all his applications were in, because "I don't want to get my Eagle just so it will look good on my college applications."

ScoutNut - the person SUPERVISING the campout by signing the tour permit and being onsite during the campout must be BALOO trained (4 leaders in our pack). The person ORGANIZING the campout (getting volunteers to do various jobs, reserving the preapproved campsite, buying the needed materials) does not necessarily have to be BALOO trained, as long as the activities conform to what is allowed. I do not believe that defeats the purpose of BALOO. It does spread the load, and allow a role for parents who may hesitate to take on a long-term commitment.

The former den leader taking the lead role in the fall is BALOO trained - with any luck, we'll be able to get the parent volunteer who helps at the fall campout trained before the spring campout (no BALOO training available this fall).

I would consider attending a meeting that was held outdoors and focused on outdoors activities to meet the requirement - an outdoor campfire/program on firebuilding, a hike or map reading, lashing or building pioneering projects, learning to use a bow saw. Play a wide game (like capture the flag) with a troop. If a troop camps locally, visit for dinner (and have the Webs help cook) or visit for the day's program. Visit a camporee. Go on a day bike trip with a troop. Work on a conservation project with a troop. Go on a ski trip with a troop. Go fishing with a troop. Have a cookout with the troop. Climb and outdoor climbing wall. Go horseback riding with a troop.

I (CC) am going to meet with parents at the August pack meeting while the boys play a game. Our roundup isn't until Sept, so all the parents at the August meeting have boys who have been in cub scouts at least one year. In other words, they have participated in our regular events at least once, so they can't say (like a new parent) that they don't know what to do. We have a number of event positions to fill (Popcorn, fall campout, PWD, B&G, etc), all of which are for a defined (1-3 month) period of time. I have been pretty successful at recruiting help from groups in the past (10+ years), even though the BSA recommendation is that you ask a particular person to do a particular job.

For all of the jobs, we have people (mostly uniformed leaders) who have done the job before and can help/advise, but the goal is to have all/most of the events lead by parents who are not already den leaders/committee members. For the biggest events, campouts, I've talked to a former den leaders with a younger boy - she will probably run the fall campout, with another parent helping - that parent will then lead the spring campout, with another parent helping.

My son got home Sunday from working at a living history program at scout camp. He also was crew chief for his troop's trip to Philmont. I asked him today if he had a good summer, and he said yes, but not as good as last year. He said hiking on the Appalachian Trail with his brother was even better.