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rkfrance

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Everything posted by rkfrance

  1. Go to discovery.com and read the posts on their forum about the show. The show is maybe 10% practical for survival situations. Most of the stuff the guy does is stuff you should never do, but he does it for entertainment. This guy isn't even the survival expert he claims to be. Watch the credits at the end. They have a survival expert on staff to cue this guy. I watch Survivorman. I like the show. I don't agree with everything he does, but it's much closer to reality in dealing with survival situations, but it's still entertainment. I've seen episodes of I Shouldn't Be Alive t
  2. Are there established guidelines on the death of a Scout or leader? I imagine there's a lot a flying by the seat of your pants in these situations. No where in any of my trainings has it ever been mentioned. Our situation - the Institutional Head of our CO passed unexpectedly a couple of days ago. We're trying to put together the proper course of action.
  3. TV for the purpose of entertainment with a little learning in there too. I can live without it, but this is what I like right now. Survivorman. Discovery Channel. My kids and I are hooked on it. My older two are boy scouts, the youngest is a tiger. From a practical point, Survivorman does some stupid stuff, ie - drink unfiltered jungle water. But he helped spark an interest in wilderness survival and outdoor skills that is helping all of us to become better scouts. I Shouldn't Be Alive. Discovery Channel. I've only caught a couple of episodes. I don't care for the re-enactme
  4. We just had our fall camporee. We were allowed only above ground fires. Several units chose not to have fires because they didn't have an above ground fire pit. Simple solution, use an old gas grill. Take out the guts, line the bottom with some grating, cut the legs down, lid optional. We have two of these, small and large. They stand about 1' above the ground. We had a lot of leaders comment that they would've never thought of that. The funny thing is we used the same fire pit at our spring camporee.
  5. Sorry, I should have said recommended, not required.
  6. Who is the CO? If it's a church or an organization like American Legion, they are required to comply with ADA. As an entity of such, the scout troop would also.
  7. The more correct answer would be yes if the district you're going to for training is in your council. Yes, they use the same syllabus, but each council sets its own policies for cub scout camping - baloo and webelos outdoor are affected. If it is out of council, you have to check with your council office to make sure you are made aware of any differences in policy. It still can be done and most councils from what I've seen would rather see you trained.
  8. We collected den dues. The amount can vary ($.50 - $1) and is usually determined by the den leader. The den leader could use that money toward expenses for crafts, etc. At the end of the year, any money left would go into the pack general fund, or with committee approval, be carried over for the next year.
  9. The double bag option is good. Remember a Sharpie for names on each as yellow hammer said. Tongs are good to stir, but not always to pick up. We use silicone oven mitts, good to 500 degrees and waterproof.
  10. I'm reminded of the phrase "Character is what you have when no one is looking." Most politicians could care less who's looking, or that they lack any character at all, with the simple exception of just being CHARACTERS.
  11. They need to know they're not alone when they move into Boy Scouts. When they cross over or just come straight in to Boy Scouts, there's all kinds of people wanting to see them succeed. For a while, they'll probably be overwhelmed and not sure what to do because the safety nets might seem to have been taken away. Boy led vs adult led is something they need to get an idea of and see in action. Interaction with a troop on several different occasions can help releave most concerns they (or their parents) might have. But let them be Webelos. Focus on "DO YOUR BEST". Get them to unde
  12. Glad to hear it. I love the show. It keeps the attention of all 3 of my boys. They like to see the different meals being created. It keeps my oldest wondering what we can cook on our next campout.
  13. Effective May 1st in my council. I just got the info today. It's been on our council's website for a couple of weeks. You can still do the 3 part form (if you'd like). You can't do Eagle rank or meritorious awards. Summaries are available, and you have current records on all youth in your unit.
  14. Delaware is just north of Columbus. Westerville is on the north-east side. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Simon Kenton Council Council # 441 Location: 1901 E. Dublin-Granville Rd. Columbus, OH 43229-0207 Phone 614-436-7200 Camp Lazarus is the home of the council's Cub Scout summer resident and day camp and is located in Delaware County off State Route 23, approximately 9 miles north of Columbus, Ohio. The camp features easy access to Columbus and Delaware, cabins, a large amphitheater and accessibility for the phys
  15. Are you looking for a Scout camp or just a campground?
  16. Has he been tested by a doctor? Does he have an IEP at school? These would provide documentation to support autistic tendency (more likely autistic spectrum disorders) and any modifications he goes through for school. It also would indicate if you should consider getting the paperwork going for a Scout with a disability. How has he done before? Were there any issues at previous BORs?
  17. I too use charcoal chimneys to start my charcoal. I've found them at Walmart (about $9) and Home Depot (about $12). They hold about 4-5 pounds of charcoal respectively, more than enough for most cooking, etc. Two pieces of paper, one match, NO lighter fluid. Takes about 15-20 minutes for your coals to be ready.
  18. I would look at it from the point of who's paying. If it is the Scout or family that continues to pay the fee, the Scout should be on the charter and considered "active". Yeah, they should let you know what is going on or why he's not coming. If the unit or CO pays, then we come into a question of padding numbers. If it is done out of good faith because Scout or family couldn't afford it at the time is another consideration. At recharter, our District has taken a position to call all dropped boys and those not advancing. We've come across several units that chose to pay for boy
  19. Committee Chair Maintain a close relationship with the Chartered Organization Representative, keeping this key person informed of the needs of the pack which must be brought to the attention of the district and council. Report to the chartered organization to cultivate harmonious relations. Confer with the Cubmaster on policy matters relating to Cub Scouting and the chartered organization. Supervise pack committee operation by: A. Calling and presiding at pack leaders mtgs. B. Assigning duties to and training committee members. C. Planning for pack charter revi
  20. I really think it's more = or & on one side and + or - on the other
  21. Wingnut makes a great point. Cub Scout leaders do a great job preparing boys that choose to move on to Boy Scouts. But, if they've been in for several years already, how much longer will they stay with the program? Very few boy scouts I've seen end up staying active after 8th grade. That means on top of their Cub Scout career, the boys generally might be around for another 3-4 years. Put it together from Tigers and you have 8-9 years of Scouts by that point. The bigger point of retention needs to be addressed with parents. They need to be aware from the beginning that this progr
  22. Our council would say the first thing to be looked at is splitting the unit. National's recommendation for the size of a Pack is 60, Troop is 40. Too much beyond these amounts creates chaos and an impersonable atmosphere. I won't say your unit is too big. I don't feel 40% is a high number. In our area, most units run 30-35%. The bigger units run around 40%. I just know from recent discussions with our DE and commissioners what our council is focussed on. They are really looking hard at the numbers I gave above to keep as norms.
  23. When is the best time to start a new Troop, Pack, Crew? Is there ever a good time to start a new unit? Would you start a unit with just 1 patrol or den? Would it be better to feed them into an existing unit? All good questions to consider. Here's my take. I am involved in many areas of the District I serve. I am also one of the members directly responsible for starting new units. We started a Pack 2 years ago. We went from 7 boys to start to 31 boys with a full compliment of Den leaders and proper level of Committee members in a little over a year and a half. How? My wife and I
  24. Try this link to Horizon District of National Capitol Area Council http://www.boyscouts-ncac.org/documents.cfm?documentID=1482
  25. Thanks for the input so far. We will have a combination of cross-over Webelos and several experienced Boy Scouts plus we are expecting to have a Spring roundup. (We have several very unhappy parents of Scouts from the Troop our Pack feeds (will be transferring). (Too many issue there, and that's not on topic).) I'm looking for input from those more experienced in this area. I'm not going shopping tomorrow, but I would like as many ideas as possible. Funding right now is going to be as we go. That's how we're going to have to get equipment. I just really need to know the pri
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