OzarksOsage

Sorry if I'm repeating someone else's post -- I haven't read all ten thousand messages in this thread. . . It's not an accident that the Scout Oath begins with a pledge to "do my duty to God," and the Scout Law ends with "a Scout is reverent." All the ideals of Scouting are neatly bookended by those. In our pack and troop, we're not shy about promoting God. Some who see Scouting as simply a camping club (typically the same ones who don't bother to crack open a Cub or Scout manual) are a bit surprized, at least at first. We're certainly not overbearing about it, but we do ask a ble

I agree that "Father and Scout" isn't a great movie. The part we liked best was the treasure hunt/mine rescue at the end, and then of course everyone ends up friends. Definately B-movie stuff, but fun. They'd never meet national camping standards, though!

Just thought of two more movies of Scout interest. *Flame Trees of Thika -- A series from BBC, filmed on location in Kenya, in an area familiar to B-P, as it is a stone's throw from Nyeri, where B-P spent his last years. *King Solomon's Mines -- The version with Stewart Granger. In the part of the movie where Quartermain's group treks through uncharted Africa, a group of warriors is summoned by a man blowing a kudu horn! . . .more when I think of them. OzarksOsage

My list of Scouting-related movies is a bit broader in nature. Of course "Follow Me, Boys" is at or near the top of the list, along with "Mr. Scoutmaster" with Clifton Webb from 1953 (I may actually like it better than FMB, but I only have it on VHS.) Others are: *Down and Derby -- better than I expected it would be - DVD *Scouts to the Rescue -- the serial with Jackie Cooper - VHS *Young Eagles -- another serial - VHS *A History of Scouting -- from the National Scouting Museum - DVD *The Jungle Book -- The live action one - DVD *Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild! -- "Lak

With so many of our Scouting insignia being deliberately designed, I have to wonder why it is that on the emblem for the National Camping School (which I always felt is one of the all-time coolest emblems) that instead of 12 antler points, as one would typically expect for the 12 points of the Scout Law, there are 13. Is there a story from NCS that I missed? When I look at photos of the old patches I see that the oldest ones also have 13 antler points, so it's not a recent mistake in manufacture. Any ideas? Ozarks Osage

Hi, all. I was Field Sports Director at our day camp last year, and Camp Director this year. Many valid observations have been given in this discussion. I take issue with awards being "given away" as they should all be earned. When the list of achievements/electives is sent to the Cubmasters, it contains the following disclaimer: Attached is a list of achievements and electives your Cub had the opportunity to earn at Day Camp. Please discuss this list with your Cub before signing his handbook. Not everyone who attends camp completes all the requirements for all activities off

This recipe works great, but remember not to ham it, SPAM it! Ozarks Osage

Thanks for the lively discussion. I also agree that the current neckerchiefs seem a tad small (short) at least when worn under a collar. Or maybe it's my neck that's bigger. The current standard issue neckerchief slides are almost useless--each boy in my den has lost his at least once, and some poor little guys seems to lose theirs each and every week. When I compared a new slide with a vintage slide, I discovered that they literally "don't make them like they used to." The leather arrowhead neckerchief slide kits do result in slides that don't fall off. Around here (St. Louis) neckerchiefs

I've always thought that the neckerchief is the coolest piece of the uniform, and rarely wear my uniform without one. Neckerchiefs work best without a collar, but turning a collar under doesn't work very well, or look very good. Back in the day, my uniform shirts didn't have a collar, and neckerchiefs always looked great. Here's what I'm thinking: Why not have my wife remove the collars from my uniform shirts and convert them into an approximation of the V-neck shirts I wore as a scout? OzarksOsage

What an interesting thread. . . When I've participated in catch and release fishing, I've always used barbless hooks--they're still pointy, to be sure, but they practically fall out of the fish's mouth. I see catch and release in a different way, and that is as practice for when I catch and eat, and as a way to teach others to fish for when they need to catch and eat as well. I see that as being prepared (sounds vaguely familiar). On a related note, I once witnessed a competition where a greased pig was chased by a bunch of people, and the person who caught the pig got a nice ham fo

Back in the day when I was a Scout, the only guys in my troop who looked like dorks wearing red berets were same ones who looked like dorks with or without the beret, in or out of uniform. Next to the campaign hat, which is the all-time classic, the red beret is the best looking piece of headgear the BSA ever came up with. While I'm sharing my opinions: The current shorts are far too long, and we need to bring back the solid-color knee socks and the garters with colored tabs! 8-)> Ozarks Osage

In our pack, the adults are known as "Mr. Lastname" or "Mrs. Lastname." When adults make reference to other adults in front of the scouts, the "Mr./Mrs." form is always used. That keeps things simple, and simple is good. It's out of common courtesy that we do that--there is no formal rule. Ozarks Osage

The dad is registered as assistant den leader (we have two) and although he sometimes wears a uniform, will not actually participate in running the den. He also, without notice, will not show up when expected to pack and den events, even when he's previously confirmed he'll be attending. He's not there to keep up with current events, as information on activities, requirements, etc. is well communicated via e-mail. He's pretty much only hanging out, with no clear purpose, with a son who is registered but doesn't come. If he actually assisted in some fashion, i.e. ran a game or conduc

Is it just me, or is this a bit unusual: My Wolf den is quite active, with a great group of scouts and parents, fun meetings, etc. The father of a wolf who is seemingly waffling on whether or not stay in scouting (he reportedly enjoys the camping and outdoor activities, but finds the meetings "boring") attends more activities than his son. Junior will stay at home, but dad shows up to the den meetings (although often arrives 20 to 30 minutes late). To have a parent stay is not uncommon--although they've been told many times that parent attendance is not required past the Tiger year, most

As a youth member back in the 70's, I was fortunate to attend Brownsea Double Two, which was the Ozarks Council's choice for youth leader training during the time of "All Out for Scouting." I attended Wood Badge early last summer (which was a great experience) and at that time started reading the posts regarding Wood Badge and adult leader training. Brownsea Double Two was based upon Baden Powell's Brownsea Island camp, and focused on scoutcraft skills, the patrol method, leadership and the like, and even included the overnight camp away from camp. Brownsea was a week-long program that, whil

My Tiger den has 12 boys in it, and we did consider splitting it into two dens. However, after nearly completing the year we've reconsidered and we're not going to split. If it grows to 15 or 16 we'll split then, but not yet. The boys and families all work really well together, and I have two eager assistant den leaders lined up. After the initial shock of having 12 Tigers, at least 12 parents (often 15 or 16) and two or three younger siblings in our house at the same time, we all got used to being a bit cramped and even enjoyed it. One thing we discovered was that with everyone, including th

The Ozarks Council's Camp Arrowhead, near Marshfield, Missouri--the oldest camp west of the Mississippi River. 1974-1976 Camper 1976 CIT 1977-1979 Staff 1978 Philmont Working on camp staff is STILL the best job I ever had!

The phrase "partial uniform" is an oxymoron. Either a Scout(er) is in uniform, meaning the entire uniform, or he is not. IMHO, it's better to not wear any uniform parts at all than to wear some without the others. Growing up in rural Missouri, there was never a question about "how much" of the uniform to wear. We wore it all. Even at summer camp, no one without the full uniform got into the dining hall for the evening meal. But, it wasn't a big deal--we were Scouts, proud to wear our uniforms. If a Scout came from a family that felt they couldn't afford the uniform, (or at least couldn't af

All: Thanks for the advice--to not count it was the way I was leaning, I just wanted some more opinions. Some of our parents wanted a Go See It to a monster truck rally, and to count that as a sport. When I advised against it, the reason was that there was no actual competition. In the PWD, there is actually competition, so that's what raised the question. What we plan to do for #3 is go to a basketball game where some of the Tigers are team members. There are a couple of reasons the Tigers aren't racing in the PWD. At their age, the Pack committee felt they'd not have much chanc

In my Pack, the Tiger Cubs are not going to be participants in the Pinewood Derby this year, instead, the Tigers are going to participate in the Rocket Derby (Space Derby?) at the April Pack meeting. The entire Den will be attending to watch the Pinewood Derby races. Would it be too much of a stretch to count the derby as "an amateur sporting event" to fulfill Achievement 3G? Many folks around here consider stock car racing a "professional sporting event," so shouldn't the derby qualify as an "amateur" event? Thanks for the input.

Thanks to everyone for the advice and support. A dialog has begun with the parents, and it looks like we'll be able to get the situation resolved, or at least under control. The Tiger has been looking forward to Scouting "for as long as he can remember" and I don't want him pushed out, just as I don't want his behavior to push the well-behaved Scouts out, either. And, having the boys develop their own den rules is an excellent idea, which we will most definately do. Thanks again.

I lead a Tiger Cub den of 11 scouts, one of which has been reportedly diagnosed as ADHD. The Tiger is a discipline problem, but his actions go farther than youthful enthusiasm. This Tiger has difficulty keeping his hands and feet to himself. He frequently hits, and/or kicks, and/or tackles the other Scouts. His parents are little to no help. Other parents are becoming frustrated and angry. Our Pack has no bylaws to which I can refer for policy or guidance. Already the ADHD Tigers parents are in the early stages of a major snit, because its not Johnnys fault. Heres my plan: 1

Let me know when you're ready to sell. Thanks!