Nike

Directly: Almost always parents Indirectly: Absolutely always parents

Is it stirring the pot to point out that an Eagle applicant has to earn Swimming, Hiking, or Cycling MB as one of the required eleven? If swimming isn't important enough to be Eagle required, no, ifs, ands, or buts about it, then why the insistence at 2nd class? Why only pass the swim test once and not for every rank, "Within the last year have demonstrated...." Note: I heartily agree that swimming is a vital skill and also worked with several near phobic beginning swimmers back in the day. Some kids will not learn to swim until they are adults and can really will themselves to overcome thier fears.

There are two reasons the Girl Scout cookie sale has been an 80 year success: 1)tradition and, more importantly, 2)product pricing Almost anyone will buy a box of cookies for less than $5 from a GS because the cookies don't seem abnormally expensive. They are. We all know that, but it's only $3.50 or $4, depending on your council. You havne't broken a psychological barrier, unless you remember when they were $1.25. Plus, men rarely want their change back! Sometimes they'll ask it be put in the Cookies for Soldiers jar or just tell the girls to keep the change and have fun. Boy Scouts needs a cheaper, entry level product, especially now that people are carrying less and less cash. If you ask my husband to buy a $25 tin of popcorn, that's likely all the cash he has since he uses his debit card for everything. Ask him to buy a $1-$4 envelope of popcorn, and he is way more likely to do it. He won't even ask for his change. We need a cheaper product for booth sales. Why can't we have a three pack of microwave popcorn for $4? It's only about a dollar more than what's on sale inside the Wal-mart. People are willing to spend that extra dollar because of the place that Scouting has in our national culture and memories.

When does my Scout stay home? When I say he is. Usually it's been because of previous family plans or illness (swollen spleen and liver) that he's willing to ignore but I'm not. Now, if my son really wants to do something and I feel wishy-washy about it, I ask the SM or ASM who works with him what they think. Usually I get a, "Of course he's ready for this. He'll make it." I suck it up and sign the permission slip. If the SM/ASMs are iffy on my son's ability, I respect thier assessment. The only time I've ever put my foot down absolutely to the point of threatening to drag my oldest away, creating untold amounts of acute embarassment, was when the SM/ASMs planned to do something I knew was absolutely forbidden by G2SS. In that case I brought it to the CC who intervened and cancelled the activity.

Well, I've had my eyes opened. I would have never thought of testicular cancer as a danger for my teen. And, if breast and reproductive health is part of a teen girl's education, testicular health should be just as much a part of a boy's.

Children respect chance. Draw slips of paper out of a hat with number pairs to designate buddies/tent mates for the weekend. (This message has been edited by Nike)

I feel like the entire Cub program has become writing-centric. I would have requirements apportioned as 25% or less read&write, 25% experiment or make, and 50% or more go see or do outside.

When our troop goes sailing here, the boats are basically American kayaks with sails. Weirdness. I thought maybe they left out kayaking becuase there isn't a kayaking specific MB.

Some missing activities for the activity badges: 1) Kayaking isn't listed as an aquatic activity. 2) Cross country skiing and snowshoeing to get somewhere aren't listed either. Seeing as these are all very popular activities, where possible, I'm surprised they weren't included.

Make sure you have a campout planned! We did an Outdoor Skills Day for our Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors. Three hours, six stations, 80 girls and 30 or so adults. Tent Wrangling Help I've fallen and I can't get up (FA) Follow the Red Arrow (Map and Compass) Knots and Knives Fire, Fire, Fire (Daisies were resticted to candy campfires. Brownies built the fire and the adult lit it. Juniors built and lit fires in little hibatchis) Dishwashing Relay with other games and songs thrown in. They had a blast and so will your boys even if it's fewer stations and less time.

Our pack charges $50 a year that includes recharter, Boys' Life, necker, slide, hat, book, and awards. We apply for grants from community groups that makes up another $30 or so per boy. Our fundraising options are limited on post, however, we also have a lot of post facilities that cost much less to use than they would on the economy or in the States. Twilight and Cub Resident Camp are extra and run by district and council. Our troop charges $15 a year for recharter, extra for BL. That's it. We fundraise with an annual tree sale and quarterly brat burns. Plus we also get grants from community welfare groups. Our boys pay for each campout/outing as they come. Summer camp is extra.

"Well, my pack/troop/crew is doing great. But, there's that bunch over at XYZ place, and they are completely screwed up." Could the problem be that some people are too much in other people's business?

I hated sports. I wear glasses but becuase I was afaid of breaking my glasses I didn't wear them outside. Thus I could never see the ball coming or accurately judge the distance between me and the hurdles.

We were in three packs during #1 son's Cub years and will be in at least two for #2 son. I've noticed that military heavy packs seem to do better at keeping a program varied since you have such rapid turnover and get fresh blood and ideas at a pretty heavy pace. The packs we were in that had WEB 2 leaders going through the motions were the ones where that poor DL had been there since Tigers. Knowing someone has to leave at a designated time gives everyone a light at the end of a tunnel. You will not count on Mrs. Smith being Den 5's DL from tigers to W2, and Mrs. Smith knows that. You also don't find yourself asking, "Barb/Bob hates the outdoors. How do we take the den away?" If packs would recruit fresh blood for the Web years, I think everyone would be happier. Now, I'm going to pick a bone. Tigers and Daisies are not toddlers. They are excited, enthusiastic, non-readers who will go the distance until their little legs fall off. Calling them toddlers shows a complete disrepect for them as children and the future of Scouting. GS has dispensed with Daisy partners. Daisy troops are just like every other troop but with a higher girl:adult ratio than Brownies which has a higher ratio than Juniors, etc. Daisies last two years, K-1. Anyone want to ask parents to sign on for a two year Tiger team event? Even I wouldn't do it.

If Scoutnet is going to allow submission of the MBs until a certain date in 2011, then on the day after National Supply needs to make a final order. At least, that's what I would do.

I see a fundraising opportunity.

My favorite speed trap is the Principality of Lichtenstein. One road in and out, basically a country on a cul-de-sac. We were driving to Italy from Germany and going the same speed as everyone else exiting the Principality when we passed a lovely young woman holding the orange speed camera then got waved down by one of Lichtenstein's finest. He immediately fined us 200 CH. Well, we didn't have CH, having spent it all in the PoL and offered Italian Lire instead. Could have offered him poop on a stick and the response would have been better. Didn't we have CH or DM or US$$? No, my husband replied. We played with the cool Cambio machine that took any coin or bill from Western Europe and turned it into CH, which we then spent in your lovely principality. The fine collector settled for $60 and 20 DM, less than half the fine, gave us no receipt, and sent us on our way. As we pulled out of the very busy fine-collection zone, I noticed 0 cars with Swiss or Lichtenstein plates. Just lots of Germans, Austrians, and French, and us with our weird looking US Army plates. I half suspect we helped finance one hell of a party.

OK, I love training classes. I love getting to meet new people, trade ideas, not hear anyone yelling, "Mom, I hate my (insert sibling.)" But, I detest being read to from a script and spoken to like I'm in kindergarten. (At one GS training, both the trainers were retired Kindergarten teachers and 30-year leaders. Old habits, I guess.) I hate it when the trainer says, "But I know y'all already know that, so we won't cover that." Hello, some of us do and some of us don't. And, don't get me started on trainers who can't stick to a reasonable timeline or spend more time than Adam talking about some esoteric occurence from three years ago when Jim was there and it was hilarious. My time is valuable: please treat it that way.

Our pack has a monster sized Tiger Den. The DL loves it since she's an elementary ed teacher. 15 Tiger teams in spot doesn't phase her. And the time works for everyone. However, she is splitting the den into activity groups for each meeting and ferreting out the parents she can depend on to be her de facto ADLs. Next year, we will split that den and hopefully the new parents will realize they can do it as a DL/ADL. Not according to the book, but we're making it work this year.

If you're concerned the Troop isn't outdoorsy enough, raid your state and neighboring state travel offices for brochures about cool places to hike, boat, bike, cave, etc. Weed out to where you can reasonably drive to and tell the boys to get creative. Also, use the new Medal for Outdoor Acheivement to challenge them to plan camping weekends or expedition trips that would fulfill the requirements.(This message has been edited by Nike)

Depends on what kind of unit you're taking over, but: 1) Have a long talk with your adult program leader and get on the same page. 2) Do you have a budget and are you ready for recharter? If not, get hopping. 3) Is there a calendar through June? For packs I really believe in having your pack meetings themes and activities laid out 6 months in advance so you can get volunteers and gear. 4) Mentally inventory your volunteers and parents. Get to know them and see how they work together before deciding on anything but urgently needed change. 5) Resign yourself to everyone having your e-mail and phone number and establish reasonable expectations of how long it will take you to get back on a call or issue. I really like it when the CC takes care of the adult problems and the CM/SM deals with the boys.

If they only count activities that occur from this day forward, then the medal won't be given out for years. Also, the award it replaces isn't currently listed on scouting.org on the BSA Youth Awards page. To be extra sure, call your DE or Council Office.

I made a thread covered one for #1 son. We used translucent yellow nocks, turkey feathers, authentic stone arrowheads, and sinew. What a mathematical nightmare adding all those fractions for rank badges and activity badges. But, he's still got it hanging in his room. (He says, "It was really cool and is still thankful.") The plaque is wooden with the AoL badge routed in with a "primitive" look and a brass nameplate. I think one of the dads made them in his wood shop.

Oh, for the want of a comma. I'm going to show this to the ASPL in the house and see what he thinks they could do in the next two years.

If you haven't been doing a detailed budget, start. Give your fundraising chair a goal (says the Eternal Fundraising chair.)