Nike

Usually for "cubs first night out" we tend to do foil wraps in the coals of the fire.

The kids get to cut up, clean all the veggies n stuff themselves, works good with hamburger or minced meat,

I and think that "I wrapped it myself" thingo is pretty cool for the small ones.

 

Another nice thing is "eggs in a bag"

just have a "buffet" with grated cheese, bacon, ham, mushrooms whatever and each kid gets a couple

of eggs, cracked into a ziplock bag raw and mixed with what they want,

then each scout writes their name on their bag and all the bags go in a big pot of boiling water and - voila - scrambled eggs and

you dont even need to do dishes (spoon right out of the bag like an MRE LOL)

 

Oh and I love Dutch Ovens. I need to get myself one. Mmmmh peach cobbler nom nom...

The only people who need to be on a Webelos campout are the Webs and their den leaders. Webs (Wolves and Bears too) are perfectly able to sleep in a tent on their own with some adults across the way.

Quite honestly, I'm not going to be asking for the marital status of couples co-parenting kids. If Uncle Bob or Aunt Sue or Cousin Pat is the only one available to bring Cub Scout Johnny for the weekend, I'd smile, collect their YPT certificate and health form, then see if they preferred to supervise dinner prep, camp fire prep, or breakfast prep.

It's not an option. Jewish law prohibits establishing a new structure during the Sabbath. So the tent needs to be up before Shabbat starts. Can't cook on the Sabbath, food has to be cooked before hand (or started just before and left to cook overnight, which is how our lunch is made. We have the gear to do it, and the plans on how to do it. The Jewish Committee is planning adult training to take place during our Kinnus (Jewish Campout, Hebrew for gathering), so we can get people trained during Sunday (and some training that is more discussion based can take place on Saturday).

 

The rule is pretty unbendable in Jewish law. So you have to get the sites up. It also meant we couldn't repair guy lines that kids tripped on, so we got docked points at camporee, oh well.

Wow. Thanks for all the great responses!

 

I think I am leaning toward stainless. As much as I like the idea of cast iron, I think stainless might be a little more foolproof, and a lot easier to care for in the long periods between campouts.

 

Most of our meals have a grilled meat component that we do over charcoal or wood. Simple enough. Often we will have a big pot meal, like spaghetti. We definitely need a new giant pot or two for this. Another pot or two for heating sauce and meatballs.

 

And then there is the fried stuff- pancakes, sausage, eggs, etc. This is the most challenging. We typically do this on a regular household range, which is what is installed in the camps that we go to, so we don't have a choice. We have been using these two battered teflon griddles that we put over the burners, and that is what I am trying to get away from. I'm leaning toward a couple big stainless saute pans. A big stainless griddle would be great, but they seem hard to find, except for the ones that go on an outdoor grill. Maybe one of those would work. I'll have to do more research.

 

Keep the ideas coming!

 

David

Many high schools now require students to do community service hours for graduation. Maybe you can advertise at the local high school. And, bring a sack dinner for heaven's sake.

Stainless steel is easy to clean if you pack SOS/Brillo pads. Also, while the pan is still very hot and the stove is still on, deglaze with water and scrape with a spatula to get off a lot of burnt on crud.

Speaking from the committee position, the CC needs to know what's going on. I don't think the CC needs to be in on every issue or have some kind of veto authourity, but he needs to be aware of what's going on, especially if a boy is disruptive. The only time the CC needs to really be standing shoulder to shoulder with SM, as opposed to behind him nodding, is when something happens that is serious enough to warrant police and/or legal intervention. I've been in troops that run the gamut, but in all of them the committee has taken seriously its responsibility to support the program and run interference with anxious, hovering parents.

It sounds like you're all really close together geographically. Why don't you just combine into one or two packs? You could have a Tuesday pack and a Wednesday pack. Trying to keep a pack in each ward sounds like it is simply not working out for the boys.

Excellent idea.

Do we want neat and tidy as well as lacking in the risque and vulgar? To me, it's two different qualities that should be differentiated.

Are you asking about the Scout Law? I can't find the word 'clean' in the Scout Oath.

So what does "clean" really mean? A search for the word in this forum is almost 100% references to "not dirty with dirt or grime" as opposed to "pure or innocent." Biden got in a whole lot of trouble when he described Obama as "clean," which I took to mean "without known scandal" and not "neat and tidy," as others did, given the political context.

The implementation guidelines for the new membership standards refers to "clean" in this context: “Your relationships with others should be honest and open. Respect and defend the rights of all people. Be clean in your speech and actions and faithful in your religious beliefs. Values you practice as a Scout will help you shape a life of virtue and self-reliance.†Even here the word is used nebulously.

Does "clean" need to be replaced with a word that has a clearer meaning in our modern language?

Edit: Yes, I messed up with Oath and Law. Once you press the button, there's only so much time I guess you can edit your title.

Bullying and teasing, no matter why, should not be tolerated. Therefore, teasing a kid who has a gym locker next to another kid known to be gay should simply not be tolerated by adults or other youth, especially the older youth in a group. The guidelines clearly state that preferences in sleeping arrangements should be respected, youth with greater than 3 years age difference should not tent together, and that sexual conduct of any kind is absolutely not permitted within the context of Scouting.

We get the behaviour we expect, for the most part.

I know that as a mom, this doesn't look very difficult, but that many of you have had different experiences as both youth and adults.

I find it humourous that the silhouette on the patch looks like Iron Mike in front of Bldg 4 at Ft. Benning.

I think you're on the right track with using discipline as a teaching moment and not a purely punitive one. Most Scouts don't think. The last thing you want to do is create a legalistic environment. If you're going to put a policy like this in place, then be ready to also have a sergeant at arms with a clipboard and spreadsheet at the ready at all times.

Boys will better respond to a behaviour policy if they are given examples of what behaviour has occurred that shouldn't have--personal examples go along way here, why it is wrong (see Scout Law/G2SS) and then have input into both the guidelines and discipline/repercussions as well as implementation of same. Have a general troop meeting, break into patrols to brainstorm solutions, then come back together. Let the PLC have next to Final Say with the SM/CC and CO approving. Quite honestly, I've seen kids write up really punitive policies, much more so than the adults were thinking. They do want boundaries and consequences that are leveled fairly.

This is also a place where the PLs and SPL need to be given responsibility and guidance. Sometimes PLs need to get their guys back in line. Disciplining one's mates is a very difficult part of leadership. Don't excuse them from this. KP can be therapeutic.

Obviously, if there's a severe infraction, safety and welfare or criminal act, it needs to be handled by the SM or responsible adult immediately. In this case, the Scout simply needs to be removed from the group and sent home (unless police involvement is appropriate) and the issue dealt with after the meeting/event is over. A scout who maliciously endangers another needs to be removed from the troop for at least awhile, in my opinion. But, accidents happen, sometimes with the best of intentions. Even the law doesn't punish people as harshly for accidents as it does for intended crimes.

If you only want the boys to have knives of such length or such blade type, simply tell them that "This is our troop's rule. Bring something outside the norm, and we'll hold on to it until we can give it back to your parents." Same if you have to confiscate a phone or iPod. Kid gets caught with porn, fireworks, etc, same thing. If it's a habit or things pile up, then involve a wider group to assess why the kid can't or won't follow the rules.

Not sure where you would get the idea there is no standard. That is pretty much what the Uniform and Insignia Guide is all about I think. It is on line, so you do not have to have a hard copy.

I just looked at a Knot Ninja site and frankly found it ridiculous for older boys, right up there with still awarding beads for everything.

I still don't understand why your group can't be combined with a larger pack drawing from the same neighborhood.

No Bibles,.......Just Thoreau, Abbey, the Tao and a canoe........

I think that as the Advancement Coordinator you need to tell the Cubmaster and Committee Chair what you need for advancement software to do your job. It's not a maybe, it's yes or no. I'm betting they won't say no. Set deadlines that you need to have, not what others think they should get. It's a big paperwork slog the first couple of months, especially if you have to recreate advancement in ScoutNet, but you can do it.

You should definitely and calmly speak to the leaders about the bullying behaviour of those girls as well as their own insensitive discussion of a party to earn a badge to which not everyone was invited. Point out he distress it caused uninvited girls. This was not friendly and helpful, considerate or caring, or an example of being a sister to every Girl Scout. You need to ask the leaders that they be responsible for what they say and do, be respectful of others, and help to make the world a better place by keeping private things private.

Girl Scouts, as an organization, does not tolerate bullying and if the leaders aren't at least apologetic, you should bring this to the attention of your local area coordinator. This person can be found by calling your local Girl Scout Council.

Eagle is but one measure. It is a step that say i did something. It is not much different than a high shcoold kid that make state championship football.

I actually started to wear my fish to scout meetings to keep the eagles quiet.

I think we are over valuing an award won by teenagers for essentially completing a task list. It's an award, not sainthood.

Maintaining copyright and trade mark is why BSA and GSUSA have become a lot more litigious in the last five years.

If you are looking for something craft related, how about macrame? Square, larks head, and half hitch, knots are the basic knots used in macrame.

 

Keep in mind that 6-12 years is a big difference in ages. The kids will all have different attention spans, and dexterity. I would use very basic patterns for the youngest, and get a bit more complicated for the older ones. Also keep in mind how experienced at knot tying the girls are. You might want to have some patterns/materials on hand for the few girls that are more experienced.

 

Take a look at this site -

 

http://www.free-macrame-patterns.com/macrame-patterns.html

 

http://www.free-macrame-patterns.com/macrame-for-kids.html

Girls can make the same pioneering projects as boys. Isn't the big complaint that GS is too crafty and not Scouty enough?