rollie67

On 1/16/2018 at 8:47 PM, Sentinel947 said:

Our Troop does not offer Merit Badges as part of the troop meeting. We have tried it, it is boring and a logistics problem. (What do the Scouts who already have the badge do?)

Scouts, buddies, or patrols can work on a badge during our Troop Meeting if they'd like, or schedule time before the meeting to meet with the MBC. 

Warning rant ahead:

Many of our Scouts do the local merit badge college. I no longer counsel merit badges at merit badge colleges, because frankly, the pass rates for the badge I counseled (Communications) was abysmal, and I have more entertaining things to do on three Saturday mornings than having scouts sit in my merit badge class and come out with partials because they don't do the prework or prepare the presentations they need for the badge. Badges should be a individual or small group thing. Rant over. 

Some badges and counselors do well in the Merit badge college format, but I finding it lacking vs a buddy pair of scouts working with a counselor. 

 I agree with your thoughts about the clinics if pertaining to Eagle required are offered, and in many cases, based on the size of group if not run well, at summer camp too.  I don’t agree with a requirement that might have 6 or 7 answers to list, 6 or 7 scouts give an answer, and all 15 there get credit for it.  Now if it’s a clinic for non required for badges scouts may not always experience, I’m good with that, as it may generate interest in a new hobby or even a new vocation that they normally would never experience.

As it should be, boys in our troop have been choosing what they enjoy doing....so some of each. A few boys are actually close to completing all 3....they are planning to do their 20 mile hike Saturday through the parks in Milwaukee. The interesting thing is that the 1st and 2nd year scouts also signed up for the 20 miler instead of doing the 10 mile option. We asked them about it, concerned that they may not realize what they are getting into, but they said they wanted to try it with the older boys. My son and 4 of his friends have been working on their cycling merit badge since last summer and have completed their 6 shorter rides and are ready to plan their 50 miler, before it gets too hot during the summer. Then my son and a friend both have signed up for the swimming badge at summer camp. I asked if the knew that it wouldn't count towards Eagle (they already have enough non-required badges too) because they already should have the other 2 and they said that's fine...they just want to get it. I thought good for them. So in the end, I think it still comes down to what the boys want to do.

Wow, I never really thought of it like that. When I read your post about singing for fogetting something, it snapped me right back to 1982 to Pine Tree leadership training here in Wisconsin. One of the less enthused scouts in my patrol forgot our patrol flag at the daily leadership meeting which meant that our whole patrol had to do something to earn it back....I think we had to do push-ups....maybe sing while we were doing it....and I hated every second of it. Until this moment I never considered it as I was being "hazed". Thinking about it now, with today's "new" definition, I guess it was....but I think it actually helped us develop into a stronger patrol for the week, because we learned that we were in it together. Thanks for the memories!

As you can see, I don't post much, but I do check out the forum often. I do have to thank all of you for your various viewpoints and often great ideas. I've seen where some of you have run into the same issues I see and it's interesting to see how you or your units approached them. Not saying that I used the same solutions, but it helped me consider things. I would agree with those that say this is probably not the first place someone should learn about scouts, but it is a great spot to get a feel for the passion....if you agree with someones idea or not or how they express it. I keep my focus on the boys as most of you do and I think that is the right way to go. I try to help out where I can, even at the district and council level, but still with my focus on the program for the boys and try to stay out of the political games....my time just isn't worth it. I think if kept in right perspective, this is a great program that I'm proud to be part of. Thanks to all of you, even if you didn't realize it.

We had the cake...a big cake with past and present pictures of our Webelos that were crossing over that exact night, but no ice cream. I'm pretty proud that my son and 10 of his friends all crossed over to a troop on the evening of the 100th. Bring on summer camp!

Good luck with it....while I didn't pick up any clues that you are doing this, we hold a cake auction and give the proceeds to a charity, such as backpacks of supplies for wounded soldiers. We also ask for donations from local businesses and also hold raffles and silent auctions. It's a blast seeing grandpa outbid his daughter-in-law for little Johhny's cake. Even had a wife/husband going at it up to $100, but he was a Marine and knew what a good cause it was for, so they just had fun with it.

We brought back the previous Webelos 2 den leader that did the voting and had no kids in the comepetion, and yes, the names were hidden. The only rule we had for the Pack favorite was that they could not vote for their own...didn't want a 35 way tie.

For my use and if a parent asks me about a certain belt loop's requirements, I use this site to email them the requirements. http://www.usscouts.org/usscouts/advance/cubscout/intro.asp

I agree that they are expensive and you will have the parents who sign off on everything. When that happens I require the work done and I will talk to the boys about what they did. Because a number of the Webelo badges require or at least have the option to earn a belt loop as one of the requirements, and the requirement states if earned before becoming a Webelo, they must earn it again, I did not push belt loops hard before Webelos, unless I needed something to base a meeting around.

As for tracking, I found tracking spreadsheets on the internet that worked well for me at http://www.geocities.com/~pack215/cub-tracker.html.(This message has been edited by rollie67)(This message has been edited by rollie67)(This message has been edited by rollie67)

AIFansome, thank you for the response....you pretty much nailed the situations with the family circumstance part....a couple of families that are asking about other projects counting are the same families that consistantly "forget" about our standing meetings, so thier sons are the ones consistantly behind. While I do my best to keep those boys on pace by working on requirements at camps and before or after meetings, it's tough. Then I have a 3rd family that outright told me that they don't do anything at home for scouts with their son....that makes passing off requirements like tracking a chore chart or logging what he eats for a week difficult to complete.

Nicely said thoover, and congratulations by the way. I basically had the same question back in April as AKdenldr has, concerning the Craftsman badge for my 11 Webelo scouts. In my posting I asked if there is a clear cut answer if certain projects done for 1 badge can be counted for the Craftsman badge. Personally, I don't like counting a project for more than 1 achievement, and I don't allow my son to do it. He is fine with that as he enjoys working on the different things with me. Because of whatever reasons, some of the boys have missed various projects, therefore are behind the rest of the boys, so I now have parents asking me if the catapult or pinewood derby car, or whatever can be used for the badge requirement. Instead of just giving them my opinion, I would like to give them an answer based on a written down rule. Adding to the confusion is some of the badges like the Scholar badge specifically says if the Mathematics belt loop satisfied a requirement for another badge, it can not be used for the Scholar badge. I have not seen the same statement made for other badge requirements such as the Craftsman badge, which would lead me to believe you possibly could...if you can't, then every badge should state so or there should be one encompassing rule at the start of the book saying so. In my example with the catapult, I could argue that it could be....for the engineering badge, the boys are learning the skill of physics and motion, no matter if they made it out of metal, wood or plastic. For the Craftsman badge, since they made the project out of wood, that could count because it really doesn't matter if it was a catapult or bird house...they made a project out of wood, instead of the plastic or metal. I had already planned out projects for this badge and communicated the plans to my scout's parents, including a visit to the Home Depot Saturday morning craft clinic, which I mentioned in my posting. By no way do I believe I was LAZY in any of my efforts. I would just like to find an answer that is concrete to give to my parents, beside my opinion....but in response to my April posting, the 1st 2 responders offered more project ideas, and the last 3 gave me various forms of their opinion or the way they do it, which I appreciate and will consider in my decision making, but it's still not the concrete, clear cut answer I was looking for.

For responders to posts, please answer the question that is asked....if I would be looking for project ideas, I would state so. If I would like to be berated as some of you think some posters of questions are looking for, I don't need to come here for that....I have enough cub parents for that, so keep your personal opinions to yourself. Learning how you do things is okay, but I don't need to be accused of 'double dipping' or taking short cuts....I don't do that, and that's why I (and others like AKdenldr) come here looking for answers, so I don't give a "short cut" answer to my parents.

I've been searching the topics for this answer but haven't found anything clearcut yet. My Webelos den took part in the Home Depot craft clinic this past weekend, but families were only notified when everyone planned on showing up, we didn't attend as a den. It must have been a very popular project because the store ran out of kits by the time some boys got there (yes, we had contacted the store telling them our numbers, but they don't reserve the kits, they just try to have enough kits available for the number of kids they think are coming). I'm now being asked if catapults we built at camp last fall for the engineering badge, can also count towards this. I see for some requirements for other badges that if something is used for one badge it can't be used for another, such as certain belt loops. I have not seen a restriction like this for the Craftsman badge. Also, can the pinewood derby car be counted as another project? I would think so (as long as the boy did the work of course...wink!)