ozemu

Sorry BW. Wasn't trying to link It's Me with BSA arrangements. I was trying (probably hamfistedly) to help with applying the Patrol method.

From my side of the fence you're on the right track Its Me. The calender. Fix it so that weekends are put in there for Patrol activities. If they are new at it the activity is a day thing. If they have experience it's a camp. All Patrols out on the same weekend or over a couple and at different venues is the Patrol Method bubbling along nicely. Over here if the Parol Activity is more than 10 hours long it counts toward advancement. They need one per level. That helps too. We aimed for one every quarter. Didn't always get that but mostly did. Can you change the calender to

I haven't been a Patrol Leader for a very long time but I use the leadership skills that I learned and used every day. Not that the Patrol Method is the only way to learn this but by heck it works well and is pretty simple. Is there some confusion in BSA about the Patrol Method (PL, APL and a few Scouts) and the Troop Method (SPL, ASPL, Scribe, CoH, Troop Council etc)? Certainly is over here.

We have a lot of experience with small Troops. You did the right thing dropping to two Patrols. I suggest that you resist the temptation to create another Patrol until the existingones are absolutely full strength. I'd even recommend going for up to 10 per Patrol. Why? Because you have an unique opportunity to train your junior leaders for the next few years as a small and manageable group. You can give this training period all of your attention. And you want it to be successful. Imagine arranging a camp to find that a key member of one Patrol can't make it and that makes anot

Imagine his pleased surpirse if he said his words and then on her turn she opens with 'On my honour....'

Eamonn really! We Scouters should be great gardeners. You just have to follow the same processes that we do with Scouts. Listen to the vocabulary. Chop off the tall poppies. Pull out the weeds. Nip them in the bud. Cut out the dead wood. Let fallow ground lie. Not too much sun. Reap what you sow. Plant (your tent) for the morning sun. Companion plant. Prune viciously. Be careful about fungus. Put down some roots. hmmm Green thumbs? Needs antibiotics. Maybe that one doesn't work very well. Oh come on - you're not tryin

Paracetemol asprin antihistamine ventalin inhaler and spacer ibuprofen (more for me - never administered any, have yet to have a need that my training indicated it should be used) codeine (for me in case back stops working - script is for me alone) brand - travel calm, over the counter med, kit isn't at home so can't quote the drug in a separate box with specific protocol laminated and folded inside; antihistamine, cortizone, adrenalin, sharps for same Now Beavah this is my personal kit. I do not allow others to use it - not access drugs anyway. The Scout kit is in woe

One of our tests for a required badge for advancement is to make a personal first aid kit. I require that it contains one dose of an over the counter pain relief used at home. It comes from home. They buy and provide it. I advise them when to take it and watch it happening. I do not force the issue. Would that work with you guys?

Needing to assist someone with adrenaline we also thought to be unlikely. Yes I have had kids turn up who I found out were anaphylactic after we had left base for a few days. But it generally takes some time to come on. People who have never had a reaction generally build up the condition over several exposures to the sing etc. The instant reaction types are not common. BW's % goes way down. Miniscule. Having to use adrenalin unexpectadly is quite remote. So are we. What is the worst case I could think of? Watching someone die and trying to ease that passing with 17 of their

WildernesStudent, Laws may be different down under but here is what we do. All of our staff are seven day FA trained. That includes epipen. But -we operate in places that definitive med care may be some hours from. Not far - just a thick canopy so no helo assistance gauranteed. An epipen may only last 5-15 minutes. Then you need a second. + 20 minutes and a third etc etc. How many to carry? We carry syringes and 3 vial(2 shots per vial = 6 shots) of adrenalin, Also cortizone and antihistamine. While adrenalin is working get the others in. They build up slowly but by the

Has anyone read the Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens? Would seem to have some application here. Habits 4-6. Particularly the Win-Win bit. I agree that competition is good - its being determined to win that is the problem. What is the PL team like? Are they a team? If they are a team how can the Patrols compete to the point of being obnoxious? So maybe start working on developing the PLC into a PL's Patrol with the SM as PL. I have at times held PL camps with me as PL. No big agenda - just developing the team and some specific skills for them.

I think that Kudu's weblink explains the difficulty of citing to an individual. Seems the phrase was first used as a caption. Who edited? Probably that person should be credited in joining two phrases by someone else in the preceeding page when they were explaining the theory originated by others. Kudo cites the text. The rest might be impossible. However I care enough to suggest credit (using Kudu's www) to Harcourt et al, fourth and fifth editions of the Boy Scouts of America's Handbook for Scoutmasters, "Scouting is a Game" on page 12 , referring to Harcourt et al, "Chat 2,"

WildernesStudent I manage an Outdoor Ed Centre near Byron Bay in Australia. Let me know if you venture down under for work or play. May be able to get you some bush experience. Welcome to the inductry - it's great fun but the pay is rotten!

allangr1024 may I suggest you get that brochure stapled to school newsletters if possible. Parents read those - in fact look for them and ask for them. Way more effective than a letter box drop, more widespread than handing them to the converted at a display and cheaper than newspaper ads - more effective too. In my experience they recruit Cubs but not Scouts. In my system that eventually pays dividends anyway - you've just got to wait a few years. Kudu, I care. And again thanks for your work.

I just got a phone call from an ex Scout of mine. He wanted to know what time to be at the memorial tomorrow for the dawn service. 25 April is our national version of remembrance day (which we also observe - WW1 was pretty big for this country so we do it twice - 63% casualty rate does that I suppose). Why bother you with this trivia? I am proud of him and of the spirit that grew amongst the members of our Troop. This young man was a discipline problem, a low achiever and irregular attender. He has some psych/medical-behavioural issues and is generally cheerful despite his ro

Maybe not but it would be pretty cool if they did.

As I recall Scout uniform in 1908 was basically a copy of a military field uniform that was invented in the field and adapted by BP complete with his own badges etc. A few years later there were heaps of surplus mil uniforms and they were encouraged as Scout uniform - cut down to fit for youth members. Heck I've seen photo's of Scouters wearing Sam Brown belts (which were designed for one armed swordsmen). Does BSA encourage the wearing of military medal ribbons with Scout uniform? We do. By the way - over here they have changed the Scout uniform. There are no required trous

I was in a tearing hurry once getting to the weekly meeting. Was already late and they were expecting me to do something so I attended in military uniform. Oddly there was a Scout who had lots of issues with conformity and just plain getting along with others. He was on the verge of being asked to stop coming to give us a chance of progressing along a little. He responded to me being in a military uniform. Asked a few questions etc. A few weeks later we realised that he had turned the corner on his disruptive behaviour. Looking back it seemed to coincide with my wearing of Arm

Laws are good too. I remember a few laws by Murphy. It's a preventative thing. By catering for the Murphy law that applies we rarely find it occurs but that one time we do not plan with the Murphy law in mind reinforces their importance. Every time.

I feel humbled RememberShiff. What a response. Big thumbs up from here. That is the opposite to what we do at work. I work at a school camp site. We have many schools use us and we do expeditions up to 12 days long. Lots of on base stuff too. But out in teh National Park the helicopter is alomost gaunteed NOT to come. Rainforest, wind etc. So one epipen will not do. The benefit may only last 15-30 minutes. Two epipens will not do. Definitive medical help may need to walk in some distance and they have been known to get lost too! It might take some hours for the antihistami

or Pack378, were you refering to the camo pattern rather than the neckerchief/scarf?

Fair enough. I don't know about the specific requirments for Eagle but he is right about Scouting lining up with other distractions (is my bias evident?). Good on him for not doing the '7 miles in the snow to Scouts and 8 miles back' type of yarn too. Keep trotting out snippets like these dan. Keeps it real in here.

Fun can also be in retrospect. How many have laughed many times over and retold the tale about how they forgot something and improvised, got lost or even had an accident? At the time it may not have been fun at all. It's all in the rememberies. So I prefer to think about successful programming in terms of memorable moments. Every meeting must have something that is memorable - something that will (might) be remembered in a years time. At the end of every year we sit eating pizza etc and every Scout tells what they are proudest of and what they will remember the most from the th

I'm in

Thanks CalicoPenn I love history but to my last days I will mourn the fact that my teacher over four years knew a lot about ancient China and all I ever wanted to study was Rome and the middle ages. I now read historical fiction constantly but I have not read much about the Vikings since I was a boy. Time to go there. You've sparked a flame - thanks for the Christmas present. And Merry Yule Tide.