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bbng

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Everything posted by bbng

  1. Carole, Please clarify. You are getting awards but don't know if you had a budget? This is a bad situation, and you need to call the treasurer immediately to get a check to cover the costs. You should never front the money. Now, I say that, but I've done it, and nothing good came of it other than the boys received their awards. Also, as for deadlines, I've been there too. If the den leaders do not let you know ON TIME, do not buy the awards. It hurts, it is SO tempting to want to this, but do not do it. Tell them that if they stop by for an advancement form, you'll have it tape
  2. Excellent idea anarchist. Another resource may be merit badge counselors as well. I'd assumed that the boys would be doing this, but I wonder if they had any input in this originally?
  3. Going by your profile, I did a quick search of some of my favorite online sources but chose the Illinois offices where available. I would encourage you to see if you can have someone with experience help out; field guides are excellent but personal help from an expert is far more helpful. http://dnr.state.il.us/ (Be sure to check the links, particularly to conservation & forestry.) http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/ (Choose bird, tree, mammal, etc and enter your zip code to get a field guide specific to your area.) http://www.il.nrcs.usda.gov/ (The Illinois Native Plant
  4. I read that a day or so ago, and what a fantastic story! I'm so glad to see Scouts lending a hand, and I hope to see more of that and to become part of it in some way. That link should be checked pretty frequently as more stories are being added to it. OXCOPS, thanks for sharing this.
  5. Cindy, welcome! Webelos is actually an 18-month program, and the first-year or fourth-grade Webelos are often referred to as Webelos I and the second-year or fifth-grade Webelos as Webelos II. There is one Webelos handbook, and in a nutshell, if a boy is new to Cub Scouts as a Webelos, the very first thing he needs to do is earn Bobcat. Then he may work on activity badges, which are detailed in the handbook. I'm assuming that you are referring to a fifth-grade Webelos? If so, if he has a goal of earning Arrow of Light, those requirements are also in the handbook. The next step in Sco
  6. I had an interesting discussion with my own son recently, not due to this thread, but I was surprised at his "take" on Scouting. He has not quit, nor is he interested in quitting. However, when I asked him if he was going to invite his best friend to come out to a troop camping trip or meeting (they've been trying to get together, but the troop is busy, and this seemed a win-win situation), he said he won't ask him because he knows he won't like Scouts. When I picked my jaw back up off the floor, I asked him if he would mind telling me his reason. He said his friend wouldn't want to wear a
  7. Thanks FScouter, and I agree that though good and helpful, often private sites do have outdated info. Those ScoutNut listed are current, and after a trip to council, I'm now in possession of all the current information. The DE was not in, but the office manager was a wonderful help and not only got the info, but also filled me in on other changes/information that will be very helpful this year.
  8. Thank you ScoutNut. The new den leader kit given to me by the DE contains items dated 2004, so I've dropped him a line to see if he can supply the newer items.
  9. I have several Cub Scouting publications that were recently received from council. However, they are dated last year. Can anyone tell me if the following items have been updated and/or if there is an easy way to check on this myself? Cub Scout Program Helps For New Den and Pack Leaders, Fall 2004 (this is definitely not helpful in respect to promoting themes) Outdoor Program Guidelines for 2004 I have not yet seen Character Connections, the spread sheet that was released last year (it seemed new anyway), and the council service centers do not carry the Boys' Life calendar. Ca
  10. Scouting Magazine came today; no Boys' Life yet but the magazines usually arrive close together if not on the same day.
  11. This troop happens to be near courses that are already in place. One is a day trip; others are used when the troop goes camping.
  12. Trail Pounder, what an excellent story! Thank you so much for sharing it, and I look forward to hearing updates.
  13. It seems to me that one is not acting Scout-like when tallying up what another says, assigning worth or lack of worth to it, and even judging when another is deserving of a response. To do that privately seems rather arrogant, but to do it publicly is unkind, particularly when any person visiting can see other posts and judge their merit on their own. It is not possible to correctly judge another's motives or depth of commitment. It may be possible to make assumptions, but assumptions tend to land one in hot water. Scout-like behavior is the willingness to listen to, try to understand, and
  14. Bob, I hope I'm misunderstanding this. Am I reading that when a poster here is offensive (not courteous, kind, etc) that is ok to be offensive in return? If that is what you are saying, and that is how I read it, then I disagree and believe that the Scout Law holds me to a higher standard than to simply strike back. I am loyal not only to the BSA but also to individual fellow Scouters. My fellow Scouters deserve my loyalty because we made the same commitment, though I often am frustrated that there are those who don't use available and necessary resources. As for those who come here simpl
  15. I can cannot ignore the attack and be scoutlike, I cannot challenge the attacker and be scoutlike. Given the choice I will choose to defend and support the BSA and its programs. If I follow you, ignoring an attack on the BSA would not be considered Scout-like. Likewise, challenging an attacker of the BSA would not be Scout-like. Please correct me if I misunderstand. You see, I agree that ignoring an attack on the BSA is not always an option. I say not always because there are times when it does seem best to ignore something posted online, though that is a judgement call and will v
  16. First, in response to the post that started all this, I personally do not believe that the BSA promotes creationism or that it necessarily should. It does promote respect for creation; think Leave No Trace, Outdoor Code, and various merit badges that support respect for the environment. Now, I happen to be what is called a creationist, though I don't care much for labels as they tend to be so limiting. At the same time, I have tremendous respect for science and actually think that the more I learn of science, the more I see how it "fits" with my faith. There is still much to learn, and
  17. Good grief. The site has changed, and unlike the national web site, which does not provide e-mail addresses, the online store does so. The site did have errors, including the class A error mentioned, and the webmaster and customer service are working to fix the problems. I know because I was in touch with the online store shortly after it opened. For those who have not yet used it, the customer service is excellent, and the order was easy to place and arrived quickly.
  18. It can be worn as soon as it is earned. See the uniform inspection sheet that National has online, for it shows the placement of the Arrow of Light insignia on the Webelos shirt: http://www.scouting.org/forms/34282.pdf The Arrow of Light insignia is the only Cub Scout insignia that may remain on the uniform once a boy joins a troop. It is not an item that may not be worn until then. Perhaps there was some confusion in that explanation.
  19. This is a toughie, in big part because it simply is not your call to make. You have explained to the dad what happened with the meds and what the boy was like off them; you then learned that the mom and dad have very different ideas of what it is needed by their son. That is not a good place to be for you, so don't get into that one. However, you do have something to talk to them about. Leave the meds and what you saw in him at camp out of this, but ask if you can meet with them to talk about their son. Explain how you see great potential in him and ask if they can help you with some tips
  20. I thought the footwear used to be addressed more specifically, but I just checked all uniform inspection sheets. For Cubs, Scouts, and male leaders, all that is listed is "Leather or canvas, neat and clean". For female leaders, it is simply "leader option". I'd agree that the footwear should fit the activity combined with the description above.
  21. I've been hoping someone would have an answer to this question. I looked up the uniform inspection sheets and there doesn't seem to be a place to put the National Summertime Award for those how have both it and th Cub Scout Outdoor Award. However, until it becomes official, I think I'd go with putting the pin as close to where it should be as possible--even if now where the Uniform Insignia suggests as this just isn't addressed. Good question. I'll run it by the Scout shop next time I'm there; they have been helpful when new items are introduced.
  22. You've asked a good question. The colors do not need to be worn all the time. In fact, since they are pinned on, they can be pulled off or lose a backing (had that happen to my own son). Also, some boys complain that the colors can feel uncomfortable. The recommendation was made to the unit I was with to consider wearing the Webelos colors for pack meetings and special events, but perhaps to forego wearing them at all den meetings or to camp.
  23. http://usscouts.org/scoutduty/sd2gc_toc.html http://usscouts.org/usscouts/reverent.asp See the topic reverent, and you should find some prayers that "fit" your troop. Hope this helps.
  24. I'm not aware of a swimming program in our sons' troop; however, there are many opportunities for scuba throughout the year. Also, any boy who expresses interest or difficulty with swimming will receive help from many strong swimmers in the troop, both youth and adult. Another troop I'm aquainted with has an annual swim night, and the focus of that night is to provide for the swim test. The other planned time to take the swim test in that troop is at summer camp. Yet another troop that I'm aquainted with requires every Scout to earn the swimming MB when attending summer camp for th
  25. Are you considering a public web site, or would this be an e-mail loop type of set up? For a public site with unit info, the big drawback is pop-up ads and news on the site. In other words, the content is not just made up of what the webmaster puts on the site, and there is no control over what else is there. For an e-mail loop type set up, this might work well. It is easy to use, but I've set these up, and there are people who just can't seem to "get it" when it comes to signing up on these. The key is to identify why you want this site, who the audience will be, and does it protect it t
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