Scoutfish

"Yeah, I think something has to happen with the Cub Scout program, there's too much burnout by Webelos. I don't know if it's starting them as Tigers or what, but something should change. I just don't know what." One thing that would help tremendously would be to have more activity advancement with rank advancement. What I mean is trhis: as a Tiger Cub, the only shooting you can do as a scout (officially) is a bb gun at a council or district event. Usually they are Red Ryder spring/air bb guns with heavy emphasis on spring. By the time you are a second year Webelos, you can still on

"Heck when I read the G2A wording, the advancement interpretations seem pretty clear. Yet when others read it, they hear something very different. Different to the point that I really wonder where they are coming from and I want to actively protect my scouts from those leaders." I agree. WEll, I haven't been in a position ( yet) to think I need to protect my scouts from other leaders, but I do know some of those leaders that I will need to protect my scouts from ....one day! Well, if you notice , G2A is not written in a way to indicate an absolute, binding set of re

Okay, I readily admit that since this is my first year at summer camp with a troop, I may not understand things or know things nearly as much as any other adult leare in atroop. But Thursday night, we had a pre-camp leaders meeting at the camp and only 9 of us attended - including the council development director. Found out that 209 scouts are going to the first session of summer camp alone - so that does not include scouts going to the 2nd or 3rd sessions. BUT.....the meeting was for ALL leaderes of ALL sessions. Just wondering if this was a normal thing for leaders to

A couple more points to consider here: 1) Every parent looks at their own kid with a bias. If our kid is good, he is sooooo much better than your kid. Your kid is awful! If our kid is bad, he's te worst kid ever and we will get on him for doing something that we think is cute when your kid does it. 2) As a parent who is at the den meeting, you are mostly focused on/working with, handling your own child while the DL is focused on/working with/ controling everybody's child. So all the non leaders kids who's parents are trhere have a dedicated adult partner while the leaders ki

Arrgh! The dreaded double post! (This message has been edited by scoutfish)

"If the idea of only one summer camp being a qualification for the camping MB because the BSA wants a more varied camping experience for the scout..." Wait, that is my feeling of why it is, not an actual reason given by BSA. Speculation on my part only. But, to clear it up, It's not only one summer camp, but being limited to one long term camp being "allowed" to be used in teh total count. Could be your troop goes on a week long camping/hiking trip somehwre on your own. Could be you have a school teacher who is an adult leader who is off for the summer too.Maybe someone who is

"I can't require my den leaders to attend that round table for those knots." You are right, you cannot require that, but BSA can. And no doubt there are certain times that special circumstances do require us to call the scout office and explain why we thing somebody has earned the knot due to a specific sitaution not adrdressed in any book. But that's why we call the scout office. " Round table isn't useful or productive." I'll argue that one two. Ours are great. I have no doubt nor am I disillusioned to think everybody elses are great too. I have no doubt whatsoever that man

BSA24, "The standard for requirements is "do your best." It is not "meet the requirements exactly as written perfectly." That has always been the standard in scouts." No, that is the standard in CUB SCOUTS and it is for the Cub SCouts, not adult leaders. When it comes time for adult award knots, the standard is "MEET THE REQUIREMENTS " On the progress recording sheet( for Wolf/ Bear) it says : " Do 5 of the following" Not do your best at, try to do, do as much as you can, etc.... I earned the Unit Leader of Award of Merit a month or two ago. I earn

First year, I was on committee, then I was an ADL, then a DL, then the last two years, I was CM. Being CM probably helped alot with my also being an ASM _ As CM, I was involved with my son in Cub Scouts, but was not his "direct contact" leader. Although I was in the pack, my son had alot of freedom....which is still going strong in the troop setting. My son is now in te troop, and I am also in the troop, but I am also still with the Pack as an ACM. I found a great guy to take over as CM. He was a Tiger Dl years ago with his first sone, stepped back into the role afer his B

"Is the show worth the price of admission?" If you are thinking about an individual event, then no, not worth it. But when you look at the total time overall in years...yep! Definantly worth it. I am lucky in that my son and I ( yes, I joined the troop too) joined a troop right as a transition is about to take place. Instead of just driving somewhere and camping, we are about to start hiking in and out from our camps. We are planning a couple small hikes to get them condituoned, then we are looking forward to hiking in to a campsite, making a night of it, then waking up and

So I'm wondering why nobody has asked "Why" there is a limit to just one long term camping instead of just counting 20 days. I figure that it's because they want the scouts to get variety. Instead of knocking out all the camps at 3 or 4 sittings, you have to go more often. Kinda under the idea that the journey is more important than the destination. It's not that you went to a campiing spot, but that you went camping alot...at different times and places. Maybe the heat of summer, cool of fall, the chill of early winter and then winter. Maybe the flipping back and forth of spring.

So I'm wondering why nobody has asked "Why" there is a limit to just one long term camping instead of just counting 20 days. I figure that it's because they want the scouts to get variety. Instead of knocking out all the camps at 3 or 4 sittings, you have to go more often. Kinda under the idea that the journey is more important than the destination. It's not that you went to a campiing spot, but that you went camping alot...at different times and places. Maybe the heat of summer, cool of fall, the chill of early winter and then winter. Maybe the flipping back and forth of spring.

Yeah, I hate not getting responces as well. As a CM, I do have to remind myself though...not every pare4nt views scouting or puts it on the same level as I do. So heres one thing I learned over the last 4 years: Do not expect "NO / Not going " responces. You hardly ever get that answer. If they are not going, they won't tell you they are. Now as for families planning something that same weekend..well, sorry, just because you had it on the calendar for 2 monthd doesn't mean anything. We have families that get two - one week vacations a year. They usually have an annual

" I think I'll pass. No value " Just like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, value is in the mind of the consumer. Is this their first chance to go to camp? Is this something they have done many times before? Are these scouts into scoutinmg because it's something they 100% want, or is it a mom and dad impposed activity, or a combination of both? Back to the "Value" of camp. Again, it depends on who you ask as for what the value it is> For parents and/or leaders...it's about another oppertunity to learn and develop a scout. But mind you, in the scout's perspect

I don't know...If the only reason he got into scouting in the fist place was because of an objective his partents set...I don't think it would be betrayal so mush as a mission. I guess it comes down to this: The scout didn't join as a favor to me or because he owed it to me. Not personal. Maybe it's not so different than me accepting a job from another company due to better pay, optons, benefits, etc.... Am I betraying my old boss or company? Since it is work, isn't my financial welfare who I really owe my loyalty to? I mean, as a leader, it would still totally suck,

You know, I agree with SR540Beaver ........ Go talk to the principal and then the coach. Tell him you won't go around saying that football is for big dumb jocks who can't count past ten or read above Dick and Jane - as long as he stops with the wimps and gay men comments. Reminds me of the coach character John Goodman played in "Nerds". And I have felt the dissapointment you felt too. Not necessarily in scouting alone, but other places as well. Had it put into perspective by a friend who said: " You can give a homeless man money. It's a good deed regardless of where the

I am the "full week" leader for our troop when w go to summer camp. The SM is going for half a week and splitting it with the AC who will do the other half of the week. Can you find two adults to split/share the week? Nothing wrong with your wife going, it's just not something you would strive for on a regular basis.

Okay , having never had to filter /steralize water before, I may be in overkill mode. I would think I would do similar to Acco by first filtering big chunks with a necker or something similar. Then use the micron filter, then the steri pen, then drop the tablets. I have tasted water with the chem tablets. Not Iodine but whatever the other chemical was Granted, it was clean water before the tablet was dropped in, but it was part of a demonstration showing tha if you let the water sit for about 15 minutes or so, you could nottaste a diffeence. Maybe I am over thinking or ove

Thinking about the American Revolution.....I cannot think of anything that was an approach that recognized the interests and decision-making structure of the person or group we wanted to influence Apparently we failed in our attempt? Just saying, it seems like there is confudion between " his way of doing it" and "wether we agree with what he was trying to do". Eve if you don't like what he was trying to bring about doesn't actually have anything to do with what he's trying to bring about. In this particular case, is there ANYTHING he could do to change BSA's p

"I've come to believe that when you say in your posts that it's not about you, it's about you " Nah, mot me. I'm not shy or bashful at all. I am just saying that up til a few weeks ago, everything and anything I knew about swim checks came from reading about it or a 2nd person accounts. Still don't know what it's like showing up at camp and having to do it with400 other scouts right after you get there. But, knowing from my experience how some scouts tend to be more shy, timid or reserved about doing things in front of others.....well, I now know that swim checks are a big,

" Even if the scout leader is NOT at a scout event, it will be drawn up in the press!" Ain't that the truth! I could be 4 years out of scouting, get drunk, drive a car and wreck and the headlines in the newspaper would rad: " Boy scout leader gets drunk and crashes!" Everybody reading that paper will get an image of a scout leader driving around camp at 80 mph , weaving through boy scouts( who are diving away and runing for their lives) before hitting a tree which causes the vehicle to explode! Perception is a bad thing. Just the other day, I was listening to

Pack... I guess that once you wear the tu-tu..the bashfullness is long gone! My point was though...I can understand where a scout gets intimmidated not only by wether he might get ranked as a beginner or even a non-swimmer, but he also has all eyes on him. Now sure, not every person in the pool area was looking at me. And no doubt that out of all the people who were, most will be looking at and paying attention to thier own troop/unit/ groups after that. But, since I was the first one in most everybody in the pool area was indeed watching me. Again, I do not care, bu

I guess one thing that helps us is that most of our scouts are not twins or brothers. Only one set of parents ( that I know of) have two sons in scouting, in our troop. So that usually means everybody can carry at least one more scout. Being that we are in NC, about half our parents and leaders drive crew cab trucks. They have room for 5 scouts and are able to put any gear that does not go into our scout trailer, into the back of the truck, and use the full seating for scouts. I drive a regular cab, gas sucking, cranky as all get out, communist vehicle from hell that is disguis

Went to my first swim check tonight. WEll wait, let me correct that. Participated as a swimmer in a swim check tonight. This was actually the second swimcheck I attended. Of course , being a newbie, I didn't know ( during the first check) that leaders did it too, so I showed up in blue jeans and t shirt and flip flops. Anyways, went to swim check tonight to make up for my not getting checked last time. Since one of the few people who wee not immediately local to the poo( 30 miles from my house) I was lucky in that I got to go first. That did not bother me at all.

Well, maybe I should have said: That is the threat we use....so far we haven't had to cancel