perdidochas

8 minutes ago, desertrat77 said:

Excellent!

I thought so.  We almost never cancelled a campout for weather. We camped in some pretty miserably wet conditions, though.  

15 minutes ago, desertrat77 said:

 

I've noticed a trend lately, urban or rural:  if it's raining, life stops and everyone is huddled under something.  Immobile.  Life goes on and so do hikes.   Don the poncho and keep hiking.  Exception:  lightning. 

Well, with the old Troop, we never had that happen.  Rain meant get out the ponchos and play.  

7 hours ago, mrkstvns said:

Thank you, perdidochas.  I looked at the reviews on that Sawyer Mini and am impressed.  While it looks a bit more complicated than the Lifestraw, the increased flexibility of the device coupled with a significantly longer lifespan looks like a winner to me.

I see that REI sells the Sawyer Mini as well as Lifestraw, both for the same price.  I'll be buying the Sawyer filter....

You are welcome. I've researched it some, and came to that conclusion.  I have two Minis (bought for me as gifts, never used, but sometimes carried), and a Sawyer 3-in-1, which is an older model (pre-Squeeze) that I got on sale at the Scout shop. I've had good luck with the Sawyer.  

On 9/16/2019 at 9:48 PM, T2Eagle said:

In our troop, one member of the patrol acts as "grubmaster" and picks up the food for the menu the patrol decided upon.  Usually this person is working on either rank or Mb requirements, if no one in the patrol is then it's just a volunteer.  

We reimburse the costs from the fee for the campout.  We don't have a specific budget for the weekend, but it averages out across the year.

We used to have the scouts get reimbursement direct from their fellow scouts, but it was very uneven in its success rate so we switched to the current system.

In our old Troop, the grubmaster was usually either somebody that needs rank/MB requirements, or it usually ended up being a leader's son. Why? We could usually say "yes/no" at the time, and the answer was rarely no. 

On 9/16/2019 at 4:32 PM, sierracharliescouter said:

Our troop budgets an average of $4 per meal per scout (or adult). One person in each patrol is usually responsible for buying for the entire campout, based on a (hopefully) detailed menu agreed to by the Patrol.  Scout or adult submits to the treasurer for reimbursement based on actual costs. Seems to average out pretty well. Patrols share some common items, like condiments, or will share something like a head of lettuce to cover 2 or 3 patrols for sandwiches, so there isn't as much waste.

 

We kept the leftover condiments (ketchup, mustard, etc.) in the fridge we have in our Scout hut.  Saved a lot by not having to rebuy.  

1 hour ago, mrkstvns said:

Any of you folks have knowledge and experience using Lifestraw ?

I've heard a lot of good things about it, but when I look at the specs for it on the REI web site, it only talks about filtering out biological contaminants (like bacteria or parasites).

That's great, but how does it do in waters that may have chemical contaminants or heavy metals?  I do most of my camping and hiking in Texas where quite a few of the waterways where I like to play are listed by the state's environmental quality commission as contaminated with appropriate health advisories against eating fish caught in those waterways.  If the fish can be contaminated with PCB, dioxin, mercury etc., then I assume I don't want to be drinking the water there myself, even with a Lifestraw.

Is there a filtration device that can handle chemical contamination?

Very few filtration devices can handle chemical contamination or viruses.  I wouldn't worry too much about occasionally drinking that water with the fish advisories. Why? Biomagnification.  The fish have high concentrations of those chemicals because they are towards the top of the food chain. The concentration of the chemicals goes up each level of the food chain that the creature is on.  The water itself probably doesn't have high levels of those contaminants.  

That said, for biological filtering I would recommend the Sawyer mini over the Lifestraw.  They are about the same price, but the Mini can filter much more water, and has much more versatility. In addition, it has a smaller pore size than the Lifestraw (which means it can filter out smaller biologicals).  

https://alloutdoorsguide.com/sawyer-mini-vs-lifestraw-comparison/

12 minutes ago, my_three_sons said:

The scout needed another Eagle-required meritbadge to rank up to Star so I am sure this is part of the motivation to get this meritbadge. He didn't want to go to summer camp this year so all of the other scouts in his grade have already ranked up except for him.  Yes, he seemed to think he did enough to earn the meritbadge but I don't think he fully understood all of the requirements. 

If this was a regular meritbadge I would let it go but we have a group of scouts that have been working on the Communications meritbadge for close to 3 months.  The scouts made a list of who planned past COH and fire programs so it won't take them long to question why this scout received this meritbadge so rather than having one angry parent I might have a handful.

It's a tough merit badge. If I were the SM, and I knew he didn't do it (and he admitted that), I wouldn't sign it either.  

32 minutes ago, Jameson76 said:

When I was in my 20's and working on a second degree I worked with my home troop, was an Eagle Scout there, was my home church, so parents saw the connection.  Did not get any awkward questions.

My son is now a Senior in College and 4 years removed from the troop I have been working with 10+ years.  He worked at our council camp, so even those Scouts that did not know him from the troop days, met him there, etc.  We are a smaller community in a large urban area, so I have actual Scouts that live on my street.  I suspect as a few more years roll by, that connection will get more faint.  Then I'll just be the old Scout guy who hangs around.

Dad was Eagle and a long-term council Scouter, my brother is an Eagle, long-term council Scouter, so I guess I have Scout street cred.  That being said, with all the press about past issues, we need to have the elevator speech about why we still are involved at the ready.

I think there is less wariness of leaders without kids in Boy Scouts than in Cub Scouts.  I will be honest, being a Tiger and Bear Den leader was tough. I didn't particularly enjoy it much, but I did it cheerfully (at least to everybody else involved) because the Pack needed it.  I did enjoy being a Webelos and Boy Scout leader.  I cannot imagine how anyone without kids in a Pack would be a Cub leader, but that's just my personal taste. I can imagine being a Boy Scout leader without a boy in the Troop. 

The Troop my boys were in had a budget for food for every campout. That budget was a certain fixed amount per scout (and was part of the campout fee) per patrol.  One Scout per patrol had to volunteer to buy the food, and they had to provide a receipt to the treasurer and were reimbursed. Generally speaking, unless a scout's overindulgent parent (usually mother) did the actual shopping, we found this worked well over a period of a year.  Sometimes the food cost was a bit high, sometimes a bit low, but unless the food cost was way out of line, it worked well.  

On 11/28/2013 at 5:44 PM, frankpalazzi said:

On 11/28/2013 at 4:27 PM, Sentinel947 said:

Frankscout, lets not tivilize one of the most destructive idelogies of violence in the history of mankind, Nazism to people who want to ban cigarettes.

 

 

 

Because it's a controversial thing, I'd say no, but the issue has never come up in my unit.

You'll see my point when the coffee pot is viewed as just as evil as the Marlboro pack. Mark my words, it WILL happen.

Doubtful, as there are reportedly health benefits to moderate coffee drinking.  

2 hours ago, 5thGenTexan said:

I need a First Aid Kit for the Pack.  I am not talking about the little things that you buy to put in a pack for a hike or the activity we do for Cubs to built a first aid kit to carry as part of their Six Essentials.  Our ASM from last year has for all intents and purposes moved on to another Pack closer to where they live.  He brought much of the Pack camping equipment from his personal stash.  Our CM from last year that moved up to CC this year and I am not even sure if he is going to show again in my mind is just about gone as well.  

So I need a real First Aid Kit.  Do I put something together from scratch or is there something really useful and affordable we can look at buying?

I would start with a commercial kit, then as I saw it's usage, I would start to change it. You will probably want to get a wider variety (and number) of band-aids than the commercial kits.  You should also make sure you add stuff like antacids, analgesics (aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen), pepto bismol and Benadryl to it (if it doesn't already have it). 

Something like this might make a good start, and it advertises that it has extra room for customization.  It might have more than you need, but if you have medical people who are parents in the Pack, it might be useful.  I would definitely have whatever first aid kit you have in some kind of brightly colored container.  

https://www.amazon.com/MFASCO-Complete-Emergency-Response-Disasters/dp/B07B9L7P8G/ref=asc_df_B07B9L7P8G/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=242002247899&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18269166686985522621&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007695&hvtargid=pla-571833126235&psc=1

On 8/14/2019 at 6:49 PM, nkaye said:

What is the best app for my Scout to track everything??? I feel like we’ve had a couple good ones over the years and then at some point it’s recommended we switch to something else. We are trying to reach Eagle sooner than later and the only thing holding my ADD kid back is tracking/organization and he gets overwhelmed I would love to hear what others are using.  Personal use. Not troop... Thank you!!

I’m sure this is out there somewhere but I didn’t find anything recent after a couple searches. 

The best app is the Scout handbook. 

2 hours ago, Double Eagle said:

From the sounds of this thread (pun intended), we need a 139th merit badge of "Sewing", and make it a required one.

As Treflienne says, it would be politically impossible to do so. Should have been a Tenderfoot or Second Class requirement years ago, though.  

31 minutes ago, Scouter4Family said:

Our SM’s last son in scouts is now HS age and I think the SM is on his way out after his son eagles, I do not know his plan because he will not communicate plans with anyone. My issue is that the SM has been organizing Merit badges classes for only his son and friends which is 5-6 scouts out of 40 in the troop. He is making high adventure plans with only that same group of scouts, then tells the rest of the troop they can go to the same base but choose a different adventure (1 week vs 2 week trek) on a separate itinerary.  I feel like since the SM is on his way out (unconfirmed) he doesn’t care as much about the rest of troop. There has been a huge division in the troop the last year from all of this among other things.  I guess I am looking for some opinions on the situation because I don’t want to overreact. Should I just sit back and let it all continue and not raise tensions more or should I take some things into my own hands and help the younger scouts pursue merit badges and rank via other routes?  Should we “tag along” on these high adventure camps or should I get a vote from the rest of the eligible scouts in the troop on where they would like to go and help them get there?  I wish I could offer more input on SM plans but he is very bad about not responding to texts and emails, if you engage in person he will dance around the question and then eventually just walk away. 

 

Thanks in advance for input. 

That SM needs to start a Venturing Crew.

21 hours ago, mrkstvns said:

In another thread, a discussion of GPS and dementia got me thinking about that GPS "Navigation" requirement for First Class....how the heck are we supposed to test the boys on 4b? 

It looks to me like the requirement was probably written back when handheld GPS units were still the rage and people had a clue how latitude and longitude coordinates looked. Now that GPS seems to have become an infrastructure item that enables nav apps, the scouts have no idea what GPS is or what coordinates are. Had a scout come to me recently with Waze on his smartphone.  I asked him if he could have the app show the coordinates for our current location. Nope. The best he could muster was a street address. He could then enter another address and have the speaker tell me, "turn left in 500 feet..." etc. Is that really "using GPS"?  Given the changes in technology, I'm inclined to say "yeah, it is" since the point is really to understand how to navigate, not necessarily to use coordinate systems.

Any thoughts?

Just an FYI, the iPhone Compass app has the GPS latitude/longitude coordinates.  

On 7/24/2019 at 5:18 PM, RainShine said:

Our Pack activity schedule tracks with the school year, starts in September and ends in June. So the Webelo Scouts completing fifth grade in June are welcome to join the local Scout troop. My son crossed over last year in June with his den buddies.

But the Scouts were backpacking and going to five-day summer camp. It was a big leap for my son, especially summer camp. Its okay, he got through it. They all did. Learning more, the Troop was doing much easier car camping and hikes in March, April and May. Surely would have been an easier transition. Plus when we arrived in June, it was summer, so troop families were on vacation and stuff, so there is much more variation in attendance.

My observation is that most Packs in our city crossover in March or April. I don't know why ours does June. I suppose crossing over in June gives the Webelo Arrow of Light Den Leader more time to help his Scouts achieve their AoL goal.

I suppose the Scouts could cross over onsey-twosey as they achieve AoL. Then the guys that for whatever reason dont complete AoL would cross in June. That would make the Den kind of skimpy and awkward as guys get left behind.

I know the man that will be Webelo II Den Leader at the Pack and he will soon start considering his program and calendaring the activities. I feel like urging him to tighten that stuff up so his guys can crossover earlier. 

What does everyone else do?

Generally, the BSA plan is to crossover the Webelos into Boy Scouts in the early Spring.  That gives the Troop the chance to camp with the new scouts a few times before summer camp.  Talk to the Troop that most go over, and see what they would like.

The Scouts often don't look beyond the places that they have already gone to.  I suggest that you talk up different sites with the senior boys.  

On 8/17/2019 at 5:29 PM, SubSM said:

I appreciate your thoughts. It is good to hear a different perspective. 

My original point had less to do with parents attitudes towards sports (or scouts for that matter), and more to do with the bigger push for competing in sports over participation in scouts. I too have seen very aggressive parents in scouting. 

The question I am really looking for an answer to, is how do we as scouters help facilitate a program that draws the interest of more of today’s youth?

 

Mike

Adventure.  We have to be brave enough to go on out of the ordinary adventures with the Scouts.  We have to be willing to go into the back country backpacking or canoeing/kayaking.  We have to be willing to climb through the cave.  We have to be willing to set up camp in the monsoon.  

5 hours ago, mrkstvns said:

I read an article today about a Boy Scout whose Eagle project proposal was turned down, because it didn't seem to involve leadership of others. The project was to advocate for a local ordinance involving plastic handling. (Despite not getting it approved as an Eagle project, he believed in the concept and did it anyway.)

His proposed project was certainly a lot different in focus than the vast majority of Eagle projects I've seen.  I wonder what I would advise a scout who wanted to do something like that....What would you tell the scout?  If you were that scout's Scoutmaster or Committee Chair, would you approve his project proposal, or would you advise him to find something more traditional?

Here's the story...
https://buffalonews.com/2019/08/18/east-aurora-teen-on-his-proposed-plastic-ban-facing-public-hearing-monday-how-could-i-stop-people-from-polluting-the-earth/ 

 

I would tell him that BSA was supposed to be apolitical.  A better project would be an education campaign about plastics, or about plastic recycling.  Wish I could read the linked article.  

20 hours ago, Owls_are_cool said:

I managed a Little League baseball team for one year. A year later, I wonder at times what if I ran that team like I did as scoutmaster of my troop? Baseball players would pick a captain to make the final decisions, then the captain would figure out a process to determine which player would play which position, batting lineups, who would man the 1st and 3rd base coach spots, when to practice, etc. All I would have to do is make sure they follow the rules and secure practice fields and transportation. 

Scouts certainly benefit from running their own program, especially if it is messy.

And the above, IMHO, is why Scouting builds men better than most sports.  Almost no sports are actually led by the players. They simply do what the coach says, and cooperate to accomplish the coach's plan.  

21 hours ago, Eagledad said:

Because the scouting experience doesn't have the value of the sports. Our troop had a reputation as welcoming athletes, but in truth most troops really don't mind. What made us more attractive was our program. Oh yes, we were willing to let scouts arrive to Camp Saturday morning after friday's nights football or band.  But, those scouts could of easily not bothered to camp that weekend at all. Program, program. program.

Barry

Well, I would disagree. The Scouting experience has more value than sports.  That said, my oldest was a freshman/JV football player, and lettered three years in Lacrosse, two in swim, and became an Eagle during the football years. (youngest played tuba in marching band for 4 years), Only band practice he missed was for his Eagle BOR. Scouts can afford flexibility more than the sports teams/band. Part of that is that, at least in most Troops, Scouting is year round, and doesn't require 90%+ attendance.

23 hours ago, fred8033 said:

Until they see the scout.  

Question is a little like "when did you stop beating your wife?".  It's hard to answer because you shouldn't be doing that.  The blue card should either be in the hands of the scout or the counselor.  When done, the scout hands in the troop's portion for the troop to keep.  The scout keeps his part.  The counselor keeps his part.  

3 hours ago, mrkstvns said:

Ummm.  Yeahhhhhh....

I sincerely doubt there are many counselors who actually DO keep their parts of the blue card (and even fewer who could actually lay hands on it if ever asked).  Expecting counselors to do so is a quaint fantasy.

I do keep the blue cards as a counselor. I kept them in a section of the binder I have for Scout business.  I have actually given them to the Troop Advancement person, when that person lost the troop copy of the card, and the scout misplaced his copy.

On 8/14/2019 at 1:11 PM, NationalTrailEagle said:

How long should a Troop hold on to Blue Cards?

At least until the boy ages out of Scouting.  

55 minutes ago, RainShine said:

Second class nature requirement

First class nature requirement

So I'm kinda new to Scouting but I'm all trained up and now I'm a position to sign off requirements. When I first read the Second Class requirement I read it like the boys could see or hear an animal, record it in the handbook, and when they get ten animals I would sign the requirement. And I think that's what they said at IOLS. Great.

But now I'm reading First Class. 'you may show evidence by..' Hmmm... So, for Second Class, does this mean they have to show me the evidence? Like a plaster cast of a track or a photo of a deer?

If they hear a call of a bald eagle and can identify it by sound, does that count? Or do they have to record the sound and play it back to me? In spring we heard hundreds of frogs in the marsh near camp and the boys busily wrote it down. But no-one recorded the sound of it. (wish I had, that would be cool, but I digress).

I might be making this too hard but its just that I want to get this stuff right.

I had the boys keep a list.  What the "show evidence" is for, is that the boys can show you a bird nest as evidence of a bird, etc.  I've signed off this requirement in three different ways:

1) On a nature hike with the boys, have them show me the evidence as we're walking.  

2) Photographs  

3) direct evidence, like sea shells, feathers, etc.  

1 hour ago, askyourspl said:

What should I wear to my son's Eagle Court of Honor? My uniform? Or do I go dressed as Dad? 

Uniform, if you were a Scout leader while he was a Scout.