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Female backpacking/wilderness consultant. More the big sister type with a few open weekends than worn out mom pulling two shifts to pay college tuition! No agism on my part. There are some retirees who could fill that big sister role. Fewer of them would clear the physical demands for wilderness activities, but some of their wisdom is just what my youth (male and female) would need.

Don't put up a stink. But encourage your son to either: 1. Respectfully tell SM he really wants to try for the badge, and ask him for help finding a different counselor, or 2. Hold on to that partial. Try again (possibly with the same counselor) at the next opportunity. Lifesaving skills come with maturity, and it's a great thing that your son has started. He'll feel a sense of pride when he arrives (even more when he identifies and properly rescues his first tired swimmer).

Btd, I would argue that your application of oath taking was out of cultural context. Swearing by the highest god around as a vouchsafe for the most trivial acts was common parlance throughout the Mediterranean The apostles were setting about to revise an entire culture starting with Christians who were to not use their newfound Lord's name to intone they were serious about keeping their promise. "Let your yea be yeah, and your nay be nay." This has nothing to do with oaths of allegiance, which only became problematic in ancient Rome when the Caesars insisted on being recognized as

we like the dark, dark for dark business. Before sunset, Just memorize where everything you'll need is. Every night becomes one big Kim's game.

Case in point: Son #1 wanted to do archery first year of summer camp. Folks told me he should focus on craft type MBs because the scoring requirements might be to hard for him. The kid wanted to do Archery so I let him, and he nailed it. It's still a hobby of his. Meanwhile I think he kept that blue card with a partial in leatherwork for seven years! Now if you boy decides he wants to earn a badge that may be a little tedious and throw off some blizzard seven year schedule, let him!

Hi KJ, It's awesome your boy wants to work on MBs, he might not have realized the social and paperwork challenge involved in earring one. In general, this is the process: Scout tells SM he's interested in earning a particular MB. SM help scout identify counselor, gives permission (usually via blue card) to work on MB. Scout calls counselor, introduces himself, makes appointment to meet, asks what he should bring to first appointment. Scout works on requirements and makes addional appointments as needed. Counselor confirms completion (usually by signing the blue card). Scou

Y'all ought a know at subterfuge gets your point across better with more fun. Every 15 minutes or so you stop and say/motion "listen!" Kid takes ear buds off, asks "what?" "Sorry, you missed it." Continue walking. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Those of you who consider that to be hazing may actually respond to real sounds of interest. If you do so on a hike with your PLC, they will soon repeat the process with their boys. For program, bring in an expert on wildlife calls the meeting before a hike. Have them play some recordings or make some calls. Explain to boys that soun

I don't think I'd bother over goggles or masks if I'm testing just one kid. Although a boy jumping in can loose them off his head. And in a lake, that may mean taking time to find them. With camp-load of kids in line to be tested, I can see where an aquatics director might prefer to avoid the hassle. "in a strong manner", but it's just a terrible test. What does that mean? How do you tell all of the leaders in your group to evaluate it in the same manner? What is the actual intent of that? A lawyer/soccer ref I know who trains new kids, sometimes refers to famous test-cases by way

but the woods are not outside the back door. Brew, let me call BS on that. There has to be some plot of land somewhere within 10 miles of you worth camping on. Pack up, walk there. Break the cycle. b430, it's really tough seeing 3 overwhelmed MC's trying to make a program happen. I would suggest this two step approach: 1. Be thankful for them. Show it in any way you can. My committee was never seen on troop outings. SM, maybe an ASM or two, and the 40 of us. But, they kept the wheels going. 2. Set the boys down and say, "Guys, whatever gets done around here, it starts wi

I don't think it's a high demand MB. If you would have pitched it to my oldest, he might have taken you up on it. He lettered in four sports in HS. But then again, he was also trying for a 5th letter in Girlfriend, so I'm not so sure how dedicated he would be to the MB! My youngest is in soccer year-round. Your council office might be able to give you overall stats. Your SM might be able to give you the name of the Sports MBCs in your district, and you can give them a call to find out how each operates and how many boys have called. I think the latter approach would give you a better

It's important to realize we aren't just testing for a pool swim. If a first class scout comes up to me and asks to take my kayak for a spin with his buddy (say, one of my female venturers who works as a life guard), I'm going to trust the swim test he did at camp and she did to get her job was good enough. I'm not going to ask, "Didja swim a real 100 yds or a watered down 99?" Now, if it's been more than a year and the guy doesn't keep in shape, I might schedule a party at the local pool and keep and eye on how willing he is to hit the lanes.

Waterfront is all lake. So, checks are a pretty practical safeguard. If a boy doesn't want to swim test, we don't make him. There's no shame in starting camp a land-shark. We're not a 1st Class First Year troop, so there's no point in rushing a kid and turning a routing safety practice into a hazing ritual. I keep my certification up to date so that we can test boys whenever they are ready. I also make a point of volunteering at camp, so aquatics staff are freed up to teach those same kids later on.

SP - Good work on the transition. This is something I am having a tough time with. It's not that adults don't care. It's that they see my job (or the job as CC) as "too involved". I get lines like "I'm a follower, not a leader." Really? You're raising four boys (five, if you count hubby), and you're not leading? You know the really sad part? The adult support of a crew is 10 times easier than that of a pack. You put in an hour here or there, and the youth will return 50 (once they catch on that you're only putting in that little bit of time and the rest of it you're off having coffee

Brew, Yes, it happens. Our troop is in that "slump." The patrol will pull together a yell to get their tenderfoots (we don't have many) to advance, but won't use it in competitions in such. It gets worse as the boys get older. Part of it was a new troop that spun off of ours. Part of that was fed by a line of SMs who "allocated" patrols. So, that's one mess to untangle. Then we'll have a sit-down with the older boys at summer camp. Maybe discuss how to build in a little tradition. Something that as adults they'll be proud to see in scouts when they return for a visit.

You may call BS on your veteran leaders. Of course the little gompers don't want to sit in sweltering heat while DL's dole out awards. But fishing, baseball games, parades, an evening at the pool, picnics, etc ... will attract a great number of boys. Anyway, I use Google Spreadsheets to generate quick surveys for venturing stuff. (I also use them for online activity sign-up.) The have a built-in form generation, and the results go straight to the spreadsheet. Just a few questions is all you need. I usually open with a silly one like "How many cookies did your family eat at the Bl

In my opinion most kids in Scouting enjoy camping. So to follow your line of thinking why count the number of nights camping as a requirement? T - 1 and Camping MB all require nights camping. Because the purpose of T - 1 is to become qualified to take your patrol hiking and camping. There's nothing wrong with a boy learning a little accountability in terms of setting aside a few hours for service. It's just IMHO not a First Class skill.

We lost that battle a couple of years ago. Now, instead of wasting energy smuggling, the boys are trying to figure out the most dependable way to maintain battery life (e.g. how to rig solar panels, dynamos, etc ...) To do that for any length of time requires teamwork because you need to know what device gets priority relative to how much juice it consumes. Of things that get in the way of us forming "real" patrols, electronic devices are way down at the bottom of the list.

We have some bad kids in our troop. One has had a parent come with him on nearly every activity. The boy is slowly growing out of his aggression, but it's a rough climb. Anyway he gets that we won't put up with his behavior because we told him "We don't put up with your behavior." He's at the point where he can usually time himself out preventatively. Another has had to be threatened to be sent home. If you've given warnings, suspend him. Tell him he'll be welcome back with a parent. If you get a chance to talk to the parent, explain that their boy unfortunately needs more supervis

We are seriously mistaken if we think this is an issue of property use. By virtue of the fact that the GSUSA has young Catholic women in its care, it asserts the right to understand (and potentially counter) any cultural influences that may be contrary to its teachings.

Leather thong is aLso great material. Stain to your preference.

Any ship in a storm! As momma (who,if pinched, bled Bible) said, always be ready to give a reason for the Hope that is in you. If you can do that in a boy friendly way, you should have the job. Most Christian COs support lay leadership! You just have to mind what your boundaries (e.g., serving communion or holding baptisms ipwould require ordination in most sects).

We have a large number of camps, which our council markets aggressively. Prices vary. Our boys love 'em, so we go. Some of them do have good hill top locations for star gazing (not so easy to find nowadays). Prices are competitive with state parks in the area. The one is in ski country, and accommodations are really nice, so our VOA holds a winter getaway weekend there. Council camporees and Area Venturing Summits are hosted there as well. Non-scouting organizations use them. My son's freshman class used the cope course at one camp. Still, IMHO, nothing beats making friends w

Unless the CO is the tail-hook society, CM is out of line. COR needs to know. Frankly, the guy's wife needs to know. She might be the only one he'll listen to. I am seeing this from the perspective of a Crew advisor who has seen capable moms demoralized by the slightest perception of the "old boys network." We want you to be more enthused about the program as your kids grow (I'm sure the GS leaders will feel the same way). Behavior like you described undermines that.

If it was five months after moving to bear, and a boy up and said "You know, there was this thing in our Wolf book that we never did ..." Guess what my den would be doing the next week? So if your boys are rarin' to get started on the Bear book tonight, move on! If parents complain just tell them these guys on the internet gave you permission! Actually if you tell everyone you'd like to start calling it the Bear den on June 1st, and listen in case there's a major issue, odds are everyone will fall in line with that.

Charter Organizations that provide equipment and funds. That sounds funny to me. Agree with SN that it's a mistake to thing that the GSUSA program does not support a vigorous outdoor program where there is demand for it, but the majority of leaders don't see the demand for it. Most of the women who I see stepping out of the woods are not GS. At most GS cookie sales, you can ask the sellers what their troop is planning to do with what they earn. I have yet to meet one whose trrop was planning to attend some radical feminist rally!