resqman

We hold our B&G in February. We have our graduation and crossover ceremony the first weekend of April. We just had a successful campout and graduation ceremony this past weekend. The boys recieved their AOL at the February B&G. They then have the formal graduation to troops the first weekend of April. They are allowed to participate in the March Pack meeting if they choose. I don't believe they hold any den meetings betweent B&G and Graduation.

I would say to stop by www.equipped.org and review some of the ideas for survival kits. It is an excellent source for ideas about what needs to be in a survival kit as well as superior equipment reviews. He designs kits as small as an Altoids candy tin up to suitcase sizes for lifeboats. Check out the 7 essentials list. From there add to fill your shoe boxes. I would recommend: - Poncho, military(Tent, tarp, sleeping bag, rain protection) - Space blanket - Duct Tape - Firestarter (Disposable lighter, BSA Hot Spark, tinder) - Knife - LED Headlight or flashlight

What's the most important? I think it should be the time the boy and parents spend working on a common project. It is a way to force parents to spend time with their own kid. Second is to plan and execute a project. Some people just start cutting until it looks like a car. Some build elaborate paper templates. Either way, you shape a car, paint and decorate a car, attach the wheels, adjust the weight and race it. The boy did something instead of watching it on TV. Third is also about entering your work and comparing it against others on a level playing field. Yes, some p

In the late 70's our troop had a leadership corp. Red patch in a boxy shape. Kind of inverted pyramid with the point cut off. In my troop, the rule was you had to be an Eagle to be in the Leadership Corps. It operated basically as a Patrol and group of ASPL "on demand". We had a large troop of 5 or 6 patrols along with the Leadership Corp. We also had enough Eagles to form a patrol. The Corps was looked upon with envy and admiration. Here was a group of Eagle scouts. They knew all the answers and were able to do all the skills. Eventually we formed an Explorer Post

I believe I read in the OA forum recently that you are only OA if you have paid your current membership. If you don't pay, in theory you are no longer a member and are supposed to remove the patch from your uniform. I am in another state, in a different council, 25 years later and do not pay my dues to the local chapter or any chapter. I don't wear my OA flap on my uniform. I figure when my boy moves on to Boy Scouts, I will renew my membership when he is elected and goes through the ordeal. Now we return you to your primary topic, adult training and why they don't attend.

Uncleguinea said... Resq -- I understand what you're saying. I happen to be of the opinion that going to training will help you discover the resources to take your ratio of 2-3 hours of planning for 1 hour meeting time down to a ratio of 45 minutes planning (max) to 1 hour of meeting time. I say this to be helpful -- from what I've seen, untrained leaders work very hard to have a good program for the kids they serve. However, much of their hard work has already been done and they just don't know it. ***** I spend most of my time making sure I have the materials to do project

Well, I finally got around to taking New Leader Orientation training last week. I have been a Den Leader for 2 years. I have already signed up for Webelos Leader training in two weeks. My primary excuse for not taking BSA training was because I was already training 2 evenings and 1 weekend day a week for job. It seems BSA training always bumped against work. New Leader Orientation did not teach ME anything. I can see where if you were new to the program, it would be reassuring to know others also feel overwhelmed. I am taking the Webelo Leader training with the hope it will prep

In 1986 I drove to close to a guardrail and caused a flat tire on my car. A fella stopped and offered to change the tire for me. I explained I was capable but he insisted. I offered him a cold drink or some cash but he refused. He did ask that I return the favor some day. I though that would be easy. For the next 20 years I looked at cars on the side of the road for an opportunity to return the favor. Occasionally I saw an opportunity here or there but felt I could not afford the time. Last year, I happened upon a driver on the side of the road with a flat. I could make the ti

I sent some email to the fella in our Pack that arranged the purchase of the new track etc. This is the information he returned. Here are three links to what we bought: http://www.pinewoodderbytrack.com/ (Piantedosi 4-lane, 40 foot aluminum track, $750 + shipping) http://www.etekgadget.com/ (SmartLine 4-lane timer, $289 + shipping) http://grandprix-software-central.com/ (GrandPrix race management software, $60 + shipping) Total cost: $1240 (this includes some incidental costs and a separate computer extension cable I bought for $20 which some people might not

Maybe its that "1hr a week" slogan. Just like in college you are supposed to study for 2-3 hours for every classroom hr, it seems I have to spend 2-3 hrs a week for every 1hr of face-to-face time with the boys. I understand that the training may help me. I understand that the pack/troop needs to have a min number of trained leaders to earn various unit awards. Scouts is a volunteer organization but quickly becomes a part time job that takes over your life. More training fills my bag of tricks but it also requires more of my time that I would also like to spend with my family

I guess my question is, Why would you want one? I had one as a boy in the 70's. I sewed patches all over the back. It was too warm to wear indoors to show off my patches. It had no ability to stop wind so was useless outdoors. The patches did provide a very minumial wind break but I was always cold wearing it outdoors. I would recommend a flannel lined windbreaker instead. It packs smaller, stops the wind, is warmer outside and cooler indoors, and costs 1/3 the price. If it gets grimey, just throw it in the washing machine and dryer. The wool jack will have to be dry cleaned

Last year we ran on a home made wooden track. It had 3 lanes. We only ran the two outside lanes because of some mystical but unknown reason handed down from previous derbys. One lane ran ran faster than the other. We used a poster board and marker to build brackets and record wins and loses. We had a laser gate at the end of the track that worked ~most~ races but kept an adult at the end just in case. We had parents complain about not getting to race enough cars, not enough runs, and all the other gripes they could think of. This year we bought a brand new 4 lane metal track, comput

I vote both dorky and uncomfortable. The military addressed this issue after WWI. They determined that military uniforms were designed primarily as dress uniforms perfect for parades and meetings but did not fair well in battle conditions. Currently the US has two uniforms for each service. A field uniform (Battle Dress Uniform, BDU) and a dress uniform. They each serve very different functions. The Dress uniform has shinny brass buttons, bright colors, and are very form fitting. The BDU's are earth tones, subdued dark buttons, and are loose cut to allow easy movement. The unif

Racist? Discrimination or prejudice based on race. I am not sure how Git R Dunn discriminates. Is it slang made popular by white southeners? Yes. Being a white southener, I don't find it offensive. That's just the way we talk. Is using Ebonoics racist?

I called my father Mr. "X" because he tended to serve the other boys requests before mine when I called him Dad. He tuned out my voice when I said Dad but when I call him by his name, I was just another boy in the troop. In our Pack, the boys call the leaders Mr. Lastname. My son calls me Dad. Things might change when we get to Boy Scouts.(This message has been edited by resqman)

My sister is a Girl Scout Leader. She explained the only official uniform anymore is basically a merit badge sash. She felt that her girls needed a uniform to make them feel special about being Girl Scouts. She wanted a way for others to recognize that it was a Girl Scout troop visiting the museum or whatever event they were participating in. She had a logo embroaderied on polo shirts. Now the girls have a shirt that matches. They can be recogonized as an organized group, not just a few friends. The uniform is a symbol. It is so those who are in your organization can rec

My scoutmaster was married but had no kids. When asked we were told his wife was unable to bear children. It was his way to have the experience of fatherhood. He ran a very active troop with high enrollment and generated his share of Eagles. We had several committee members who sons had been through the program and earned their Eagles. The adults stayed with the program. Mr. Stump was known for his Stump Stew which he made each year for the troops annual weekend hike on the Appalachian Trail. They attended troop meetings and some of the campouts. They continued to be MB counslers.

I personally use this http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=77355 (If the page is out of date, go to sportsmansguide.com and use CAMPMATE ORGANIZER in the search field) It is basically a plastic patrol box. It has divided compartments, shelves for spices, drawers for utensils, a tub for washing, and a place to store the stove. One adult can carry it loaded with supplies. The drawbacks include it requires a table or stand. The handles are on the sides as recesses and only one hand will fit in the recess. Two adults can carry the box if necessary. It might be too he

Our Explorer Post took the tall ship trip 7 or 8 times. Basically they provide a ship, a captain, and a weeks worth of food. You provide the crew. You do all the tasks including piloting the ship. You break into watches and pull shifts for all the tasks. As you can tell, we found it very enjoyable because we made it an annual trip. The captains can provide a list of activities and based on your preferences, design a trip to include those. We went to several small islands with blue holes to go swimming. John Pennecamp is one of the 5 best places in the world to snorkle. Of cou

There were several mentions of rain and rotting wood. Most boxes I have seen had a coat or two of some clear finish. I would probably use a marine varnish if I were to make one but it seems any decent exterior house paint or other exterior grade finish should prevent rotting wood. It seems that patrol box with legs could easily be covered by a BBQ grill cover to keep rain off and out of the box. Inexpensive and easy. Throw the cover over the box whenever through with cleanup. If you get liquid sunshine, then the cover keeps the box dry. Even a simple tarp tossed over the top

Do Patrol Boxes work? I guess the question really is are they worth the effort of storage, transporation, maintenance, etc? They seem big and heavy. So big you need a trailer just to get them to campsites. Once there, you need an entire patrol to carry and setup. Once back home, they need to be restocked and stored between campouts. Periodically the quartermaster needs to clean, repair, and replace lost implements. I have reviewed a variety of plans and drawings from the web. Each has a minor variation on the theme but are basically the same. When I was a Boy Scout 25 ye