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Star Rank, Req 6 So, Luddites get a pass. Anyone reading this, not so much.

Lol. Son #1 and I once tried to rig a floating BB gun/archery course on a great lake. (Think summertime biathlon.) Never got past the planning/testing stages. A submerged orienteering course is an awesome challenge. Controls are numbered bouys suspended just below the surface. You can either use a map, or the heading to each control from a land mark can be used. Fishing contest. Floating campfire. You figure it out. (Okay with metal canoes. With others, you may want to pass.) Merry go round. Rope boats end to end with about 6' lead. See how fast you all can go in a circle without bumping! (You may want spare life jackets on the bows and sterns as fenders for this one.) Remember to study up on safety afloat. Have a qualified supervisor and a lookout. SM minute on the water, all boats nose to nose!

That's a good thing. Not all MC's need to be decision makers. Some just want to be contributors to the troop in a special way (e.g. giving free access to their club/business for fundraisers, service projects, and MB instruction). Six MCs + four SM/ASMs makes for a very reasonable working group of adults. You might want to ask if some of those 20 haven't met training requirements (https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/idg/Position_Trained_Courses.pdf) , you might suggest that they take on the role unit scouter reserve. I would definitely want those "core 6-8" to be trained in their position. At least one of them should have read the advancement guide cover to cover, and be subscribing to advancement news. Another should have read the Guide to Safe Scouting and subscribe to the safety updates. The treasurer should stay up-do-date about non-profit financial stuff and BSA's fundraising policies. It's nice when a couple of them are pillars of the community because, they often can suggest really meaningful opportunities for the boys. Our BoRs work best when they can be offered at the boys' convenience. That means we have at least two MC's (preferably the CC being one of them) available to run them during or just after meetings. In addition, they invite one parent or a guest from another troop or crew (not related to the scout) to join them. This is usually feasible at most meetings because several adults other than the SM/ASM like to stick around and actually seem to enjoy watching the boys in action. As far as making sure boards proceed fairly, that's a function of getting leaders to roundtables regularly. And your RT commissioner making sure that there is time for discussion about questions MC's may have.

Corollary: Stupid happens fast. Get smart, slow it down.

As long as we're talking about variations ... Like NJ, our SPLs use "Great Master", but say "May the" instead of "Oh" and drop "true". I think this comes from paralleling the liturgical benediction which among most protestant churches around here opens with "May the Lord ..." So, yes, like NJ's troop we are trying to keep it clear that we are calling on the Divine, not some former or current SM who, like us, awaits resurrection. "of all scouts"? No idea why we dropped "true." But it makes sense to me. By virtue of point one of the Scout Law, if one is not true, then one is not a scout. And the Master is lord of lapsed scouts as well as upright ones. I think that's also the sense of leaving a break where two scouts don't hold hands and make room for one more. It hearkens back to the Appalachian hymn "Will the circle be unbroken, bye and bye?" Now, we have folks missing. We're looking forward to the day when all are present and accounted for.

What Fred said (thus my upvote). Furthermore, the NOA's are not advancement ... so there is no reason to expect consistency. However, MBC's are district positions; therefore, I would consider a boy hiking (or whatever) for the sake of earning an MB to be doing so under the auspices of the district - for the purposes of the NOA, but probably not for liability purposes. I say probably because I don't know if BSA's insurance has ever approved the claim of a boy injured or property damaged in the process of earning an MB. Bottom line: if the scout's all about hiking/camping/canoeing and it is in some way related to the BSA program, give him the credit. I would even go so far as to say that if there were some kind of family outing, but he touched based with his SM to go over the plan and to help him prepare - but not for a badge - if those nights/miles are the only thing keeping him from the NOA, count them. But first ask the scout to read the requirements and decide for himself what should and shouldn't be counted. If the boys are doing this as a patrol, ask them what they think is fair. This is a youth led movement, I'm told.

So interesting that rain checks his schedule to see when he's camping!

I thought that was the quote! Then I realized "1 per day" was the instruction. You mean I have to wait until tomorrow (or the next day, if someone beats me to it) to post something inspiring?

@DuctTape is right. A well-trained crew/patrol can do this for pennies on the dollar. The trade-off, however, is spending time getting trained. Thorough enjoyment of this kind of terrain without a guide does mean monthly shake-downs and conditioning trips and weekly research and practice drills. Some scouts will need daily physical fitness. Others will need to learn how to hold their own with land navigation, tarpology, first-aid. And when it comes to costs, even when well contained, some scouts will need financial help from the others. But, shelling out extra $ is a lot easier to do if you know your bringing aboard a buddy who has earned your trust. The average scout and his/her patrol are not there, yet. That's why these district/council contingents exist ... so the above-average scouts can join up with leaders who are good on-the-fly team builders and the group can hire a trusted guide. Cheap? No. Convenient? Yes.

@Hawkwin, do you know if the boys were in the same patrol? It looks like it from the patches that we can see.

You say bug, I say feature.

So let me get this straight. You crossed over as a patrol of five, then nobody quit until they got their bird? We've had entire dens of boys earn Eagle, but they did so in different patrols and different troops.

If you follow here very often, you will see my phrase "the concept, not the patch." Usually that's in reference to a first class scout. But it also applies here. If one is upset about how one's SM does something, one is an usurper, not an assistant scoutmaster no matter how much badge magic was used to solder the patch on one's sleeve. So, how many do you really need? All of the helpful ones and none of the others! Who defines what's helpful? The SM. Period. (Hopefully he's listening to the boys while he does this, but that's the point of conferences.) The CC should back the SM on this. Independent patrol outings? Consider with weekends where different patrols have different hike plans, maybe being dropped off at different trail heads, but rendezvous at the same location. The SM/ASM's would shadow the least skilled patrol. Needless to say, this requires some readiness evaluations on the SM's part. The rendezvous should have ample space for patrols to set up camp at some distance from one another.

Depends on the troop. I prefer that ASM have no roles, but rather are available at different times to coach a variety of activities. The SM and one other dad are aces with guns. I'm all about land navigation (comes from getting lost a lot) and aquatics. Others are good mechanics. As boys get to know us and become leaders they learn who to call on to set up an activity. This may include, at times, helping a QM manage an influx of gear, but not being an uber-QM.

It really depends on your flexibility. 40 boys = 5 patrols. If there was a weekend where each patrol wanted to overnight in a different location, you would need two adult chaperons for each. 2 x 5 =10 adult leaders. Ten ASMs gives you that level of flexibility all the time. If you have dads who complete training (including IOLS) that's half that equation. The other half is the first word on the patch. If they are actually assisting you instead of running their own little fiefdom, it's great. If not, they need to find their own CO and start their own troop. Or ... if they really want a job, have them team up with a mom or two recruit some sisters and girlfriends and start a BSA4G troop next year.

Based on where they it appears on the list on Bryan's blog post, I take bottle rocket in that context to mean fireworks for which one would use a bottle as a launch "pad." I think we all can agree that large groups of scouts igniting such combustion propellants is fraught with risk. Not so cub-scout bottle rockets - as in rockets made of plastic soda bottles -- with the typical pressure relief that a home water system with duct-taped stays would have, and the correspondingly low mass of the returning lofted projectile. IMHO, stomp rockets are more fun for the boys. However, the challenge of building and launching model rockets (with the proper solid-fuel engines) is very rewarding. I did it when I was a cub, and made sure my kids gave it a try when they were Webelos age. As for as I know, these continue to be approved activities when following manufacturer guidlines and common sense as outlined on the oft-ignored page 1 of the Guide to Safe Scouting . Per my rule #1 (Never ask for a rule, or someone will fabricate one for you, and you'll eventually regret it.) I've never asked about more than what BSA has published under the G2SS pages, and although we may disagree about what should be in or out, this is one instance where they keep your hands from being tied.

Because the line would end with "... you could serve a troop, master those skills, and be awarded that next rank." I'm not picking on @Eagledad in particular. I'm just using a quote that he used to make to help us find a way forward for someone who feels "pushed to the side," so to speak. I've seen more scouts and scouters encouraged rather than discouraged by enthusiastic female youth. We don't want to spend so much time on negatives (be they hypothetical or real) from an emptied cup that we miss a deep drink from a well of positives!

If only I had a dollar for every time a man said to me "I only made it to (insert rank here). Now I wish I earned Eagle." No, scratch that. If only I were permitted to reply, "Hey, if you are are serious ... Have I got an opportunity for you! For the low low price of just one hour a week ..." As far as @Eagledad is concerned, we need one, just one, 11 year old in a BSA4G troop to run up to him and say, "I love this scouting stuff."

Important data point: when you visited each troop, in which one(s) did the SPL come and introduce himself to you the parent? Second important point: which troop are your son's friends interested in going to? Third inportant point: when you went camping with each troop, which one had boys who smiled the most, sang the loudest, and were the most cheerful and friendly? These rise to the top. I agree with @ItsBrian, distance matters. Well, commute time matters. In some parts, roads are straight, limits are high, folks think little of such drives. Post modern nomadism actually encourages life in metal rolling projectiles. I find health in bucking that trend. Making friends with such a troop, however - even if you don't join it, may provide a provisional summer camp opportunity with familiar scouts.

On e list should be: Learn great ideas from other units. Invites on outings to fill every weekend. Take the spouse out on fundraiser dinners and B&Gs. No need to waste time figuring out what to do with that one hour a week.

Unless, we are adding grains that should have never been taken off!

@Pselb, membership decline isn't the problem, it's a symptom. It is the effect of policies and procedures, culture, and economy. As individual scouters, we can manage some of those things more than others. But, by reading about each other and sharing what we learn with others (at multiple levels of responsibility, from the troop librarian to the chief scout executive) we hope to help everyone. So, don't expect a consensus statement from these forums. Do expect what you have to say to be taken seriously. BTW, as a kid, I was all about bugs (and building a computer- 4 bit processor- manual switches). Sounds like your son's on he right track.

We do ask around about those "some nobodies" be they boyfriends, girlfriends, etc ... One divorced mom was especially grateful that we did. Another dad had to carefully explain to us how an ex who was not in the picture suddenly was. We also are painfully aware that sometimes a bio-parent can make a kid's scouting career impossible. So your bf may be singled out, but in the grand scheme of things he's not alone.

I dunno, I was able to improve a friend's opinion after a he reposted the first story on his FB page. As much as someone would like to believe that BSA is a heartless beurarcracy, they are more willing to believe ambulance chasers will make a media stink if they see themselves losing in civil court. Tell your friends "Utah Law Firm Preys on Downs Syndrome Scout and His Family"

If you're certain of that, then you should let the COR that you'll move on and will encourage your boys to do so. It's no hard feelings. You two have very different leadership styles and you'll only aggravate him if he's SM. This ain't congress. What to move to? Well, see if someone wants to have a crack at a linked BSA4G troop. When life throws you sass, sip sarsaparilla.