mtm25653

Several of the special programs at the Blue Ridge Mountain Camps (Ottari and Powhatan) in Virginia, feature patrol cooking - Mountain Man (late 18th century living history, cook over open fires using cast iron), High Knoll Trails (5 day backpacking with several program outposts), Voyageur (4 day canoeing trek plus 1 day rafting trip).

Am I the only one who has ever noticed a teenage boy standing a little straighter and looking more confidant when they put on a scout uniform, because he is identifying with being a scout? Am I the only one who has seen cubs be better behaved when they button and tuck in their uniform shirts?

SSScout said: Still, there ain't no more Blacksmithing MB, and some might mourn the loss of the Rabbit Raising MB. There is a Blacksmithing badge, sort of - it is one of the options for metalworking - I can't speak to the differences in requirements to the old badge, but I can see the logic of combining similar, rarely earned badges into one book. I treasure the twisted hook my son made for me. (Can't help you with Rabbit Raising, maybe you could lobby to get it added to Animal Science - there is a avian option now.)

There is a lot of bamboo in our area, and landowners are usually very happy for our troop to cut it. Lightweight, strong, easy to handle (the biggest I've seen is 4-5" in diameter.)

I don't think it's that my boys are/were overcommitted, just that advancement to Eagle isn't their only goal. Remember Advancement is only one of the methods of scouting. They have put more energy/time into the methods of Outdoor Programs, Personal Growth, and Leadership Development and they live the Ideals of scouting in their everyday lives. Why do you consider the lessons they have learned from those less important than earning advancement to Eagle by a certain age?

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GernBlansten said: "Yeah, every one of our "death bed" Eagle scouts weren't dedicated to the program. They were when they were 14, but lost it along the way. I'm coming to the conclusion that if you ain't Eagle by 16, you've lost the spark. " I have 2 of those "death bed" Eagles, and potentially a third, and I take issue with your statement. My oldest son was least interested in scouts, but he went on every campout except in the fall when he had a conflict with football. Due to summer academic programs, he missed going to summer camp with his troop for 3 years, but he went on his o

What did B-P say that is relevent to this discussion? Longing for peace after three years of war, in 1917 B-P wrote "The roots of Scouting have grown among young people of all civilised countries and are developing more each day. It might be thought that if in years to come, a considerable proportion of the future citizens of each nation forms part of this brotherhood, they will be joined by a bond of personal friendship and mutual understanding such as has never existed before, which will help to find a solution to terrible international conflicts." http://www.scout.org/en/about_scout

What did B-P say that is relevent to this discussion? Longing for peace after three years of war, in 1917 B-P wrote "The roots of Scouting have grown among young people of all civilised countries and are developing more each day. It might be thought that if in years to come, a considerable proportion of the future citizens of each nation forms part of this brotherhood, they will be joined by a bond of personal friendship and mutual understanding such as has never existed before, which will help to find a solution to terrible international conflicts." http://www.scout.org/en/about_scout

We don't have pack meetings in June and July, and replace them with pack summer activities. Then the August pack meeting has all the awards from day camps. Also, our May pack meeting is a campout for graduation from one level to another. We don't actually call the monthly pack gathering a meeting, because meetings are boring to boys. We call them powwows, and try to have something different/exciting at each one so the boys want to participate.

Several people have mistakenly said that some charter schools are private. This is not true and is one of the biggest misunderstandings about charter schools. Some charter schools are run by school systems or colleges, other are run by private organizations (either non-profits or for profit companies), but the definition of a charter school is that it is public. (I have been involved with charter schools for 9 years - my husband has been on the board of our sons' school for most of that time.) From the NEA (teacher's union) website: Charter schools are publicly funded elementary or

We always have a section where leaders/other scouts tell stories/memories of the Eagle scout. Also, how about a slide show of pictures from his scouting career?

Anyone can lead songs - it doesn't have to be the Cubmaster. My song book is my fallback activity - I've lead songs for an hour, twice, at campouts during thunderstorms, and once when the forest service (Smokey the Bear) was late. Some suggestions - - you can't sing sitting down - everyone (including parents) has to stand up - since you're already standing, do an action song (like Grand Old Duke of York) - try a call and response song (so you don't need songsheets), like The Bear Song (the other day...I met a bear..) - ask a den to sing a song instead of doing a skit - they can p

Our CM has started putting a question in our newsletter (the answer is also in the newsletter) - boys have to call him with the answer, and leave their name. At the next pack meeting, there is a reverse drawing of all the boys who called in the answer - with the winner getting a prize for his den - this month a special campfire meeting. This gets the boys to actually read the newsletter, teaches them to make a polite phone call (to the CM) and the whole den (1 out of 4 or 5, not just one boy) earns the prize.

If you have anyone going to Mountain Man, my son is working there this summer after attending the last 2 years. Great program - they wear their own uniform of a pullover (linen-like) hunting shirt, cook all their meals over a campfire using cast-iron pots, make a knife, shoot black-powder rifles, blacksmith, and learn stories and lore of old west mountain men.

My troop and packs (2 packs) have informal uniform closets - if you outgrow something, bring it in and put it in the closet - if you have new boys, see if something in the closet fits them. To some extent, it's first come, first served, but if there is a new family with more than one boy, the leaders point them to the closet first, since they are going to have the biggest expense. Remember, if the cost is a hardship, ask your local scout store to help - we've gotten uniforms for a few boys that way.

My troop and packs (2 packs) have informal uniform closets - if you outgrow something, bring it in and put it in the closet - if you have new boys, see if something in the closet fits them. To some extent, it's first come, first served, but if there is a new family with more than one boy, the leaders point them to the closet first, since they are going to have the biggest expense. Remember, if the cost is a hardship, ask your local scout store to help - we've gotten uniforms for a few boys that way.

As a child (a girl), I preferred the Hardy Boys to Nancy Drew. I was a tomboy who hated dolls and frilly things. If my brother had had the Dangerous book, I probably would have avidly read it, but he would have been more likely to build/do the things in it. As the mom of 3 boys, I understand that boys are fundamentally different than girls - my boys have done things that would never have occured to me, or appealed to me, as a girl, even a tomboy. They had the American Boys Handy book, and a few other books of pranks/tricks/building (not crafts). But mostly, they just did things, figuring

Vocational counselling is just another part of adult association. My older sons both asked scout leaders to write college recommendations. One ASM encouraged my middle son to apply to a 6-week summer academic program, for which he was accepted. That same son chose his college double-major after discussions with another ASM on a 2 week trip on the Appalachian Trail. My youngest is considering a career after the SM and an ASM suggested that he would be good at it. Our troop does a number of merit badges as a group - not the ideal based on opinions on this board, but it does give boys ideas/

When my youngest (of 3 boys) moved up to boy scouts, he asked me to not be as involved (I was Tiger Leader, Committee Chair and Webelos Den Leader when he was ages 4-11). He said "This is boy scouts, not mommy scouts," so I stayed in cub scouts, with limited involvement in the troop (Webelos to Scout transition for a couple years, one summer camp when the troop had another big trip, committee member). We have women very involved in our troop, including one who camps (including backpacking) on most troops (she was tapped out for OA earlier this month), but boys, even boys with fathers in the ho

In 2000, Robert Putnam wrote a book called "Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community". From the Amazon.com editorial review: In a nutshell, he argued that civil society was breaking down as Americans became more disconnected from their families, neighbors, communities, and the republic itself. The organizations that gave life to democracy were fraying. Bowling became his driving metaphor. Years ago, he wrote, thousands of people belonged to bowling leagues. Today, however, they're more likely to bowl alone: "Television, two-career families, suburban sprawl,

What about teaching/demonstrating boating knots for the kids not racing/tired of watching?

Years ago, my son's troop had a boy from Puerto Rico go to camp with them several times, when he was staying with an uncle each summer. For three years, my oldest son had a conflict with the troop's summer camp, an academic summer program and football practice, so he went to the local camp provisional (his troop went to different camps). It was an OK experience, but I think it would be best for him to develop a relationship with the troop in the area - if he's a 2nd year scout, he has a lot of years of summer camp ahead of him.

"My son will be 11 at the end of this upcoming August which is the beginning of 5th grade for him. He will be an "old" 5th grader. My understanding is that he could join BS in the fall and skip his entire Webelos II year. Which would be tough for him to do with me being the DL " My youngest moved up to the troop in Sept of 5th grade, after earning his AOL in August. I remained the den leader of his Webelos den (and his older brother remained the den chief of that den) until they crossed over in February. I didn't think it was right for me to either hold back my son (the youngest of

When our troop went to Halliburton, we limited it to 1st class scouts and above. We combined it with some site-seeing (day in Gettysburg on the way up and Wash DC on the way back, plus overnights in Niagara Falls.) My youngest was inspired by the program on trapping and other old-time skills, which led to him attending the Mountain Man program at Ottari for 2 years (and working there this summer). There wasn't a lot of emphasis on completing merit badges, mostly they just enjoyed the swimming, fishing and boating, but we did have a merit badge program in the evening put on by one leader, a law