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One of our scouts built a boy-size hamster wheel! It looked more impressive than it worked. My suggestion is you start with a scale model using dowel rods (or even 1/4" sticks) and string. Improvize a lot and go through a number of prototypes. Test it using 4 oz sinkers for passengers! Keep in mind that there's a reason why those things are made out of steel!

Gunny And yet somehow I feel I will have failed him if he chooses not to complete his Scouting career without that esteemed award... even though I know parents who would love to know how we got him to be who he is - as he is. The opposite is true. Parental success is having provided opportunities. My daughter is not going to earn a single venturing award. She is definitely Silver material, but from outside of scouting, opportunities are being handed to her because she's bright and hard working. They are to good to pass up. Awards aside, she is area/regional/maybe even national c

I would like to point out that Kudu's way of instructing is 1. Deconstruct our presupposed existing models. 2. Give us a reference. 3. Challenge us to apply it. 4. Trust that we will refer to it as needed. The reference he gave us follows roughly the same model. (Its references are the Patrol Leader's HB and Boys Life.) It's very clear that the method is not a one-shot deal. It needs to be implemented repeatedly (about 12 times a year). New trainers (i.e. patrol leaders) will be continuously cycled into the process. It will require constant monitoring. But, it sure sounds

Ours is titled by an individual. (Not me, thank goodness.) I think the SM is the current holder.

Seems a monumental waste of time better spent helping boys. I use EDGE with my boys, I teach my boys to use EDGE, the have grown because of it. In doing so I believe I'm also teaching them how to be law abiding citizens instead of throwing out those laws/rules/requirements they don't agree with. The ability to repeal needless laws is a foundation of our constitution. I think my boys will be better citizens if they learn what EDGE lacks, rise to authority in the national cabinet, and strike down these requirements. I'll change my mind if the youngn's taught by your EDGEers ar

Either way, as CC, you'll have your hands full. I see some practical things need to be done. Hopefully keeping busy with these will take your mind of politics: Troop which was on the verge of collapsing until we showed up (i.e. it had -zero- boys and the equipment seems to have been taken by a Venturing crew). Do you know the Venturing crew advisor or president (youth leader)? They may be clueless about your equipment needs and happy to return or at least share some gear. Moreover, some of them might be more than willing to support your program by providing training. (Teaching s

Maybe snake oil is too harsh. Placebo may be more appropriate. You can use the term to make you feel like you're doing something standard and novel. That gives you the confidence to know what your doing is "right", you press forward, apply some creative juices, add a few steps, lather rinse repeat, and success!!! It's the stone in the stone soup. Maybe someone observed that the villagers were starving for no good reason, and said "If I plop an acronym in the pot the villagers (scouts & scouters) will bring out their veggies and stock (raw talent) and this soup'll get cooked fa

put simply, the higher the profile, the more likely you will have a parasail than a tent. You'll need put out extra lines to anchor the thing on windy days. I carry aluminum poles from a retired dining fly to reinforce our rectangular dome tents against the wind when we camp on the beach. A pole goes diagonally across the front of the fly, leaning into the wind. A variety of stakes is also essential. Sand vs sod vs rock require different style and types of steel. The harsh reality is there's no one-size-fits-all. If all of that complexity is overwhelming, you may want to jus

Don't let the swagger of Eagles fool you. Most of us know that there was a bit of good timing, grace, and positive reinforcement that went into getting us our birds. The best scout I ever knew aged out at 2nd class. When I was 12, he invited me to come join his troop.

99.9% of the time, a person will use EDGE in one form or fashion without even knowing it. So why require one to follow it? What are the ill effects on someone who is taught by the one scout in 1,000 who doesn't intuitively use it? In other words, why waste the ink? The text-message answer to those questions is a resounding IDK. Counter example: More than 50% of the time, I'd wager, the intuitive instinct when seeing a distressed swimmer is to "Go (unsupported)". It's probably what humans have done since prehistory -- to deadly effect (maybe 20% of the time). Imparting "Reach, Th

Well, by your description they used the EDG method, but I think with the Webelos being somewhat out of their environment, they did it right. Before even joining your troop, these potential cross-overs know where there's a troop of creative older boys to help them. Here's hoping that translate into a bunch of new scouts ready for summer camp!

jam, My oldest son was camping with his buddies after his wolf year at cub camp. So the transition wasn't too hard. His friend's dad and I just pitch are tent a little futher away from the boys. This actually made it easier for us to get to meet the older boys, some of whom would be his mentors in other school activities. My second son crossed over and I was already ASM. There was one cold evening when I was 300' away, and in the wee hours he was standing outside my tent complaining about not being able to sleep. I let him come in and hunker down. Three years later, he's an inde

Macmom, Congratulations, and you have every right to be proud. Restating what the posters said, all badges earned at any rank count for the total of 21. Although I'm against pushing Life scouts to knock off their rank requirements in 6 months (unless, they're 17 1/2!), if a boy likes earning MB's let him have at it! One thing I encourage boys to do is start on Personal Management and Personal Fitness before camp. Why? Because camp can cause unique challenges for fitness of body and wallet! When they meet with their counselor at the end of summer they can evaluate how things w

There's no standard formal process. The troop may have one, but I doubt it. Just let the SM know if your DC is showing up at the den and pack meetings or calling you in a timely fashion if he can't make it. If some real positive synergism is happening between the DC and your boys, let the SM know that too. It might help determine the lad's next position of responsibility. Oh, and as a former den chief, it really meant a lot when the DL came up many years later and thanked me for helping her boys.

Hey Doc, cut us a break! Some of us our too busy making a living to be famous (yet)! For a contemporary panoply of Eagles, I suggest Legacy of Honor, by Alvin Townley. Sheer numbers dictate that there are more public figures who are Eagles now than ever before. Townley's research makes that very clear. I would suggest that the closing show montage tells more about the folks who made it than about numbers of Eagles in the public eye.

Cart before the horse. YPT and other Saftey principles don't gain their importance because they are in G2SS. Rather, G2SS is important because these common-sense concepts are in one place. When my coeds talk (jokingly, thank goodness) about sleeping arrangements, I tell them it's a YPT violation, not "the G2SS tells me so." If a youth life guard is operating in my aquatics area, I refer to safe-swim and safety afloat, not G2SS. Heck, at that moment I really don't care if the kid gets YPT or gun safety at all. I do care that he/she knows how to prevent the death or injury of the s

Okay, here's an excersise for former scouts or older scouts. It might be a fun reflection and fire the brain cells in a different direction. (But, it may mean leaving your terminal for a bit.) 1. Go find your merit badge sash (or blue cards if you were really that much of a pack rat). 2. Look over each badge and try to recall your MBC and how he/she instructed you. 3. Post some of your memories (methods you liked/didn't like, what worked/failed). 4. I'm trying to think of a fourth step, but it wouldn't spell anything anyway. That's it. Have fun.

emv - How is this [asking for a book to start an MB] a problem? A Scout is thrifty. It's not a big problem, but sometimes my scouts come off with the impression that you won't learn if you don't have the book before you even phone the counselor. I'm not sure if that's because of my "start with the Handbook" approach. But truth is MBC's have varying opinions of the BSA materials. They have varying teaching models. My 1st aid MBC was an "Explain", "Enable" kinda guy. I sat on his porch being told what to do, doing it, being told what not to do the next time, doing it again. All the

Ya Skep and Sherm, I don't have any problem with EDGE or any other method being in the book under a heading "How to teach a scout skill." Sort of like the chapter on different kinds of fires. I would much rather the requirement be "Teach a friend how to tie a square knot. Tell a leader how you did taught him." I would phrase the Life requirement similarly. Maybe including, "Explain why you chose the teaching method you used." Should this happen naturally with positions of responsibility? Well, if you and your scout parents have bought into the boy-led stuff, yes. If your

For the record (I've said it elswhere) the best thing we can give our youth: Read the Handbook, Have them Read the Handbook, Do the Handbook, Have them do the Handbook. That way, when they don't have you, they have the handbook. My problem: I have a bunch of boys who when they want to start a merit badge, ask me if we have the merit badge book in our library.

Skeptic, I would be with you up until ... Once they have the ability, then make sure they know what EDGE means in case someone gets "technical" with them in a review (though that might be retesting?). If upon review a boy tells me "Sir, I forgot what it stands for, but I taught all the kids in my NSP how to secure the ropes on the trebuchet that launched a nalgene from our patrol site into SM Kudu's tent." Guess who's advancing to the next rank with no further questions? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm setting up the kid for a life of failure. But I don't think Kudu's moving his tent

First, this is entirely up to the SM. Second, have them fill out a tour plan. If the SM and CC/COR approve it, it becomes a sanctioned scouting activity. If it's a bad plan (the parents haven't got trained, the troop frowns on video watching, location of campsite is too tame) in the SM's opinions (not ours, not yours) he doesn't sign it. The boys venture into their backyard on their own. Worst case scenario: no accidents happen, they boys actually perform some act of heroism, and the BSA doesn't get credit for it.

Our CO is a church, but they are very aware that young men and women from all over the community are part of thier units. So, they don't impose much. We make it very simple: 1. Say grace before meals. 2. If we're out on a Sunday, have devotions. (5 - 15 minutes) 3. Discourage cussing. (Not only because it is discourteous, but because folks consider that an offense against their God.) Usually it's the chaiplain's aide who picks the devotion in the troop. In the crew, we find a youth volunteer. The goal is to bring each youth's religious sensibilities to the table. (Rather th

I think it'd be a shame to drop "patrol" just because venturers are in the room. Part of my personal expectation of leadership training is that it expose me to different management models. Most crews don't get beyond "patrol" size anyway. Mine does, but I've found that they split out into different functional groups, (e.g. climbing, backpacking, council area events). No matter what title you give the youth in charge (Activity Chair, Patrol Leader of Hiking, Czar of Ropes), learning how to manage these groups is their immediate proving ground. I can also see how our SPL could b

JiKC, OGE, peri,Sr540 - You have provided some really great examples. I'm not entirely sold that packaging them in an acronym like EDGE get's our boys up to speed any faster. To all of them, I would have added, "have the boys read the relevant section of the handbook ..." Or because tents vary so much, "look for instructions in the tent bag, find a language you can understand, read it." Why? Because because our learners need to have resources for when the teacher isn't there! Shoot, our teachers need to have resources to peek at on a good day!