ScoutNut

Today we went to a water treatment facility that uses microorganisms to treat the water to make it irrigation compliant water. It was fascinating! Next we've got wooden crafts to make and I still need to find an artist willing to talk to the boys. In asking around, I have possibly found a woodworker. Would someone, who does woodworking count as an artist?

Are there any little tourist shops in your area that sell any kind of hand made stuff? Get contact info for their artisans.

Hit local flea markets. You can usually find someone who makes their own stuff.

"All I want is to be sure the BSA is disclosing that some units may have additional fees on top of the BSA registration."

Well it is clear that your council is not planning on communicating that little piece of info until AFTER they have the completed, and paid, applications in hand. Since your council head is trying to make himself look good for promotion purposes, he is doing all of this so he can toot his own horn on the number/increase of registrations in his council.

​Personally, I would not go along with his agenda. You are there for the boys, not to get him a promotion. I suggest being upfront with your prospective members. Lay out the total cost of being a member of BSA, AND a member of your unit. You might loose some folks, but then you might also loose them, plus piss them off big time, when you drop the rest of the bill on their heads six months down the line.

As for the analogies in the article, I found nothing "disingenuous" about any part of it. He clearly states - "What does your $24 buy?", and then goes on to state that it covers program materials and support for the LOCAL COUNCILS.. He also clearly states about his comparisons to other organizations - "it's not always comparing apples to apples". - and - "Note: The costs in bold are just the fee to join and don't include equipment, travel costs, uniforms, etc." Now I may be wrong, but isn't that EXACTLY what the $24 national BSA registration fee is? So, while he might not be comparing apples to apples, he is comparing the initial cost of simply REGISTERING in the different organizations.

Picture frames do not have to be fancy, or expensive. Get some cardboard boxes from your local grocery. Cut out squares of cardboard for your base. The square should be big enough to glue a picture inside with about 1-2 inches of room all around it. The "frame" gets glued onto the cardboard base around the picture. Craft sticks are great for this (and for a lot of other craft stuff), and are pretty cheap ($3.99 for a box of 1000 at S & S Worldwide online). You can have the scouts decorate them however they want. You can also get the boys outside to pick up old twigs. Twigs make a great rustic looking frame. Hot glue on some pine cones, or seed pods, and there you are.

You mentioned that you have a a Home Depot nearby. Both Home Depot, and Lowes, have FREE kids workshops once a month. Home Depot is the first Saturday, Lowes the second I believe. You need to register in advance, and you might have to have parents present, but the store provides all materials and instruction.

Also check out local craft stores. With the holidays coming up many will offer Kids Clinics that are either free, or low cost.

One issue about summer BALOO training is where would it be held?

 

BALOO should NOT be done indoors. It should be held in an outdoor camp setting. Ideally in a campground that the Cub Packs will be using. Just how easy do you think that would be in Summer - the busiest camping season?

 

All of our local BSA Cub camps are booked solid for Summer weekends. The same goes for Boy Scout camps. County/state campgrounds are usually booked up too. I don't know about you, but I am not volunteering my backyard for BALOO training. Not that a city backyard would be a very good camp experience!

 

As a BALOO Course Director, I can tell you that there are a LOT of things that go into putting together a training course. We don't just roll out of bed the morning of with every little thing done for us in advance by Training Gnomes! One of the BIGGEST problems is finding staff! BALOO is not a 1 man show.

 

On time/place - we have to find a place that has a Saturday opening. We have to find a Course Director that has that Saturday available. We have to find 3-5 other volunteers that have that Saturday available to serve as staff for the course. So then you want us to what? Poll all the Cub leaders in the council to find a Saturday that is convenient for ALL of THEM!

 

So, now you have a weekend that is convenient for YOU. However, there are no trainers available that day to run the thing. What happens then?

 

There were a number of times that I had to tap family members to help staff because many of my regular trainers were busy elsewhere. My son, luckily enough, loved working BALOO. He would often get roped into doing segments.

 

Paid council staff do not have the time to run BSA training. They do not just sit around their desks all day sipping coffee (even though it sometimes seems that way!). They are busy. They often work 10-12 hours a day, and often 6-7 days per week. Many have families of their own that they would like to spend an hour or two with. Many have volunteer service of their own in other organizations. Even with all of that, many DE's will show up at at a training session, even if only for a little while, to check in with the Course Director, and answer any questions.

 

BSA councils do not have the money to hire professional trainers. Or professional anything else either. Some councils are lucky to have enough money to keep the lights on.

 

BALOO, like most other BSA training is done using a NATIONAL course syllabus. This means that, other than local rules/regs, the course you take in Spokane, WA, is the same as the course you take in Orlando, FL. If you can not find a date in your district that works for you, check out other districts, and other councils. Pay attention to WHERE the training is being held. The next council over might be holding their BALOO at a camp 15 minutes away from you.

 

Bottom line, like BD stated, put your time/energy where your mouth is. At the end of the BALOO course, when they pass out the feedback sheets, put a very big X on the box that asks if you would be willing to help staff future courses. Then follow thru.

My council usually does two BALOO trainings. One in Fall, and one in late Spring.

I doubt that we would have a decent location, the staff, or even enough participants, to field a Summer BALOO course.

Some resources for you -

http://pinterest.com/lrumburg/webelos-craftsman/

http://kevindevin.com/?p=2883

http://pack152.net/Webelos/craftsman.html

http://www.cubroundtable.com/assets/pdf-documents/Craftsman-Activity-Badge.pdf

A simple internet search for - webelos craftsman wood projects - brought up these, and more. Have fun!

One issue about summer BALOO training is where would it be held?

BALOO should NOT be done indoors. It should be held in an outdoor camp setting. Ideally in a campground that the Cub Packs will be using. Just how easy do you think that would be in Summer - the busiest camping season?

All of our local BSA Cub camps are booked solid for Summer weekends. The same goes for Boy Scout camps. County/state campgrounds are usually booked up too. I don't know about you, but I am not volunteering my backyard for BALOO training. Not that a city backyard would be a very good camp experience!

As a BALOO Course Director, I can tell you that there are a LOT of things that go into putting together a training course. We don't just roll out of bed the morning of with every little thing done for us in advance by Training Gnomes! One of the BIGGEST problems is finding staff! BALOO is not a 1 man show.

On time/place - we have to find a place that has a Saturday opening. We have to find a Course Director that has that Saturday available. We have to find 3-5 other volunteers that have that Saturday available to serve as staff for the course. So then you want us to what? Poll all the Cub leaders in the council to find a Saturday that is convenient for ALL of THEM!

So, now you have a weekend that is convenient for YOU. However, there are no trainers available that day to run the thing. What happens then?

There were a number of times that I had to tap family members to help staff because many of my regular trainers were busy elsewhere. My son, luckily enough, loved working BALOO. He would often get roped into doing segments.

Paid council staff do not have the time to run BSA training. They do not just sit around their desks all day sipping coffee (even though it sometimes seems that way!). They are busy. They often work 10-12 hours a day, and often 6-7 days per week. Many have families of their own that they would like to spend an hour or two with. Many have volunteer service of their own in other organizations. Even with all of that, many DE's will show up at at a training session, even if only for a little while, to check in with the Course Director, and answer any questions.

BSA councils do not have the money to hire professional trainers. Or professional anything else either. Some councils are lucky to have enough money to keep the lights on.

BALOO, like most other BSA training is done using a NATIONAL course syllabus. This means that, other than local rules/regs, the course you take in Spokane, WA, is the same as the course you take in Orlando, FL. If you can not find a date in your district that works for you, check out other districts, and other councils. Pay attention to WHERE the training is being held. The next council over might be holding their BALOO at a camp 15 minutes away from you.

Bottom line, like BD stated, put your time/energy where your mouth is. At the end of the BALOO course, when they pass out the feedback sheets, put a very big X on the box that asks if you would be willing to help staff future courses. Then follow thru.

So, what this boy effectively wants to do is to work in 2 Cub levels at the same time.

Sorry, not going to happen. It has to be one or the other, and since the Scout has has his Bear paraphernalia already, he is a Bear Cub Scout.

One question - where is he registered? Your LDS Pack, or the non-LDS Pack? If he is doing everything with the other Pack, you should contact your council registrar and make sure that is where his primary registration is.

If anyone comments about his early graduation to Bear, simply tell them that he is not a registered LDS Cub Scout.

While a Committee Chair can DO any number of various different jobs in a single unit, they can only be REGISTERED with BSA, as Committee Chair, and the Charter Organization Representative.

After playing all day on Saturday (and Friday evening for some), our boys, and their families, were hungry enough Saturday evening to eat anything that did not move out of their way fast enough!

We did a substantial breakfast on Saturday so that everyone had the energy for the long day. This was often bacon/sausages, dutch oven egg scramble mess, fruit, and bagels. Lunch was usually light. Just fruit and a sandwich that could be done on the fly. Saturday dinner was when all stops were pulled out. Meat main course, fruit/salad/veggies, starchy/potato thing, and of course, dessert.

Sunday morning was a quick clean-up meal. We never did any poptarts. However we were big on fruit, cold/dry cereal w/milk, hard boiled eggs, and ready cooked, heat/eat sausages..

We did not want to spend a lot of time cooking, and cleaning for that one meal when we had the entire campsite to clean up, and pack up.

After Scouts Own service, breakfast, and clean up, we were ready to do our Sunday activities (leave early for home, or stick around the camp area for a while doing planned, or impromptu activities) without worrying about hitting our check-out time.

As for what activities to do on the campout, a lot depends on what is available to you at your camp area. Utilize all of your resources. Big field - do wide games, sports, kite fly, or rocket shoot. River - fishing derby. Trails - hiking. Nature Center - guided tours. Bike Trails - biking. We even did an excursion to visit a Scout museum that was near to one camp spot!

Check out the materials you got when you took your BALOO training. There are lots of ideas in there.

On whether to do campouts strictly for fun, or strictly for achievements, BSA's view (as taught in BALOO) is that you should NOT focus on advancement, and achievements. Focus on the outdoors, and having fun. If you do fun things in the outdoors, you will end up naturally completing some requirements at the same time.

If you are looking for something craft related, how about macrame? Square, larks head, and half hitch, knots are the basic knots used in macrame.

 

Keep in mind that 6-12 years is a big difference in ages. The kids will all have different attention spans, and dexterity. I would use very basic patterns for the youngest, and get a bit more complicated for the older ones. Also keep in mind how experienced at knot tying the girls are. You might want to have some patterns/materials on hand for the few girls that are more experienced.

 

Take a look at this site -

 

http://www.free-macrame-patterns.com/macrame-patterns.html

 

http://www.free-macrame-patterns.com/macrame-for-kids.html

My girls made woven/knotted hair scrunchies on one of their campouts. I believe this was for one of their badges, and all that was required was to make one to fulfill the requirement. These girls made these things all night long. They made them while sitting around the campfire. They made them while laying and chatting in their tents. They each went home with 5-8 of the things!

They did the same thing with God's Eye's on another campout.

Pioneering is fine, but why make a plain old tripod when you can make a hammock chair! Or a necklace, bracelet, key chain, belt, vase, hat, dog leash, guitar strap, plant hanger, bag (throw in a bit of regular pioneering and lash sticks together for the handle) bookmark, table, and more.

Since when is tying knots in rope not "Scouty enough"?

If you are looking for something craft related, how about macrame? Square, larks head, and half hitch, knots are the basic knots used in macrame.

Keep in mind that 6-12 years is a big difference in ages. The kids will all have different attention spans, and dexterity. I would use very basic patterns for the youngest, and get a bit more complicated for the older ones. Also keep in mind how experienced at knot tying the girls are. You might want to have some patterns/materials on hand for the few girls that are more experienced.

Take a look at this site -

http://www.free-macrame-patterns.com/macrame-patterns.html

http://www.free-macrame-patterns.com/macrame-for-kids.html

We usually do the big breakfast on Saturday morning. Sunday is a simple, minimal clean up morning.

Wow.

You have "researched" all (you feel) there is to know about Venturing, and yet have no knowledge of the basic rules and reg of your own Scouting program?

Somehow I thought an Eagle, even an immature 15 year old Eagle, would be, at least vaguely, concerned about following the rules.

Guess not.

However, not to let him off the hook, but it seems that this is the kind of thing that has been modeled, and encouraged, by his Troop. What a shame.

why re-invent the wheel... just another division amoungst scouts... No Reason to exclude them from OA...No Reason not to except Venture Crews as Boy Scouts..Simply Because They Have Females..It is Time to Allow Youth Females into OA.

However you stated - " But why should Venturers be allowed into the OA when they have their own society that Boy Scouts/Varsity Scouts aren't allowed into? If Venturers are allowed into the OA then Boy Scouts will want to know why they aren't allowed into the Corps of Discovery? Then we would have 2 societies that let both Venturers and Boy Scouts join."

What I said was it is a want-to-be organization that is under 1 year old. There is no way that you can say that Venturing CURRENTLY has "their own society". It might be true 10-20 years down the road, but CURRENTLY that statement is simply NOT accurate.

why re-invent the wheel... just another division amoungst scouts... No Reason to exclude them from OA...No Reason not to except Venture Crews as Boy Scouts..Simply Because They Have Females..It is Time to Allow Youth Females into OA.

It is currently considered a "grassroots movement" that was started in 1999 by a Crew in the BSA Northwest Suburban Council in Illinois. It faded out, and then was restarted last year, in 2012.

So, I would not paint this as "their own society that Boy Scouts/Varsity Scouts aren't allowed into". I would call this a struggling start-up with a long, long, way to go to prove itself as a viable organization.

It's sad that a lot of Venturers don't want to earn the awards. Who wouldn't like to have a nice shiny medal hanging on their uniform? Apparently, a lot of Venturers don't.

I guess most Boy Scouts are so tired of working on rank requirements that by the time they go to Venturing they just don't care about them anymore. Of course, ranks are, to an extent, required in the Boy Scouts. Comparing percentages between Boy Scout ranks and Venturing awards isn't really fair, they should be comparing percentages of the Boy Scout Hornaday and National Outdoor awards with the Venturing awards.

Yes, he is a bit of a fanatic about Venturing, and does spout off quite a bit on a program he has no first hand knowledge of, however - keep in mind - he is 15.

Per BSA you can be REGISTERED as only EITHER Cubmaster (CM) - OR - Den Leader (DL), but NOT BOTH.

 

This means you can REGISTER as CM, but do the jobs of BOTH CM, and DL. Unfortunately, even with a very small Pack such as yours, burnout on your part is a very real possibility if doing both the CM, and DL job.

 

FYI - Your Pack MUST have a registered Cubmaster to be able to re-charter. For den leaders, all that is needed for re-charter, is ONE REGISTERED den leader in the entire Pack.

 

So, the boys in your den are Wolf Cubs?

 

Since you were the Tiger.and Wolf den leader, you should know these parents pretty well by now. Which parents seem the most able to handle the responsibilities of a den leader? Which seem the most committed to SCouting? Which have/had the most fun at meetings?

 

Find the 2 parents in your den who YOU think would make the BEST POSSIBLE den leaders. Then have a face-to-face, heart-to-heart, talk with them, and convince them to take on the den leader positions. Offer as much mentoring/support as you are able to give (be honest, and actually be there for them). If they both refuse, then take a deep breath, and go down the list (YES, you SHOULD have a list) to your next best candidates, and ask them.

 

So on - and so on - down the list of qualified adults, until you have the leadership in your den covered!

 

Good luck!

Simply a bad editing job.

When BSA first introduced the "Scout Parent", and "Parent Coordinator", nonsense a number of years back they seemed to slap it on the Adult Application at the last minute without a proper proofread. So, instead of simply adding PC as another option for the CR to be able to double as, they added that rather awkward last comment instead.

Of course BSA could simply drop the whole silly "Parent Coordinator" title altogether. I don't think that there are that many folks out there that need a separate, "snazzy", registered title, in order to do their job as a Committee Member.

Per BSA you can be REGISTERED as only EITHER Cubmaster (CM) - OR - Den Leader (DL), but NOT BOTH.

 

This means you can REGISTER as CM, but do the jobs of BOTH CM, and DL. Unfortunately, even with a very small Pack such as yours, burnout on your part is a very real possibility if doing both the CM, and DL job.

 

FYI - Your Pack MUST have a registered Cubmaster to be able to re-charter. For den leaders, all that is needed for re-charter, is ONE REGISTERED den leader in the entire Pack.

 

So, the boys in your den are Wolf Cubs?

 

Since you were the Tiger.and Wolf den leader, you should know these parents pretty well by now. Which parents seem the most able to handle the responsibilities of a den leader? Which seem the most committed to SCouting? Which have/had the most fun at meetings?

 

Find the 2 parents in your den who YOU think would make the BEST POSSIBLE den leaders. Then have a face-to-face, heart-to-heart, talk with them, and convince them to take on the den leader positions. Offer as much mentoring/support as you are able to give (be honest, and actually be there for them). If they both refuse, then take a deep breath, and go down the list (YES, you SHOULD have a list) to your next best candidates, and ask them.

 

So on - and so on - down the list of qualified adults, until you have the leadership in your den covered!

 

Good luck!

"No one may register in more than one position in the same unit, except the chartered organization representative (CR) (who can multiple only as the committee chairman (CC) or a committee member (MC)), and the parent coordinator (PC), who may multiple as chartered organization representative."

Your Pack's Cubmaster (CM) was registered in only that position. Same goes for your Committee Chair (CC). They can both do as many other jobs as they want to, however, they can only be REGISTERED with BSA, in your Pack, as CM, and CC.

Per BSA you can be REGISTERED as only EITHER Cubmaster (CM) - OR - Den Leader (DL), but NOT BOTH.

This means you can REGISTER as CM, but do the jobs of BOTH CM, and DL. Unfortunately, even with a very small Pack such as yours, burnout on your part is a very real possibility if doing both the CM, and DL job.

FYI - Your Pack MUST have a registered Cubmaster to be able to re-charter. For den leaders, all that is needed for re-charter, is ONE REGISTERED den leader in the entire Pack.

So, the boys in your den are Wolf Cubs?

Since you were the Tiger.and Wolf den leader, you should know these parents pretty well by now. Which parents seem the most able to handle the responsibilities of a den leader? Which seem the most committed to SCouting? Which have/had the most fun at meetings?

Find the 2 parents in your den who YOU think would make the BEST POSSIBLE den leaders. Then have a face-to-face, heart-to-heart, talk with them, and convince them to take on the den leader positions. Offer as much mentoring/support as you are able to give (be honest, and actually be there for them). If they both refuse, then take a deep breath, and go down the list (YES, you SHOULD have a list) to your next best candidates, and ask them.

So on - and so on - down the list of qualified adults, until you have the leadership in your den covered!

Good luck!

Our Pack would like to setup a PayPal account to start collecting dues' date=' and also to be able to accept credit cards at our popcorn Show and Sell. During the registration, it asks for a Federal Tax ID #. Can anyone tell me what Tax ID # they are looking for? Is there an overall Tax ID # for Scouts, or something at our Council level, or is it even something at our chartering organization (elementary school) level?[/quote']

Check with your council re: credit cards for popcorn. My council is loaning out CC scanners this year for booth sales.All of the costs, and liability, is held by the council. The unit simply scans the card, and they are done.

......

x. Make the world a better place using your obsession with knots.

Tie up all of the crazy, semi-crazy, and act like they are crazy, politicians. Lash them to a pole. Stage a giant BBQ.

Is THAT what you mean by making the world a "better place"?

From the Guide to Safe Scouting -

"Adults and youths of the same gender may occupy dormitory or single-room accommodations, provided there is a minimum of two adults and four youths. A minimum of one of the adults is required to be Youth Protection–trained. Adults must establish separation barriers or privacy zones such as a temporary blanket or a sheet wall in order to keep their sleeping area and dressing area separated from the youth area."

Per BSA, in a Boy Scout Troop, a YOUTH is defined as anyone under 18 years of age.

I am not sure why you keep separating out the Eagle Scouts. If they are registered with BSA, and under 18, they are considered youth members.

As for the "3 adult leaders" the Guide to Safe Scouting states the MINIMUM required for all trips/outings is -

Two registered adult leaders, or one registered leader and a parent of a participating Scout or other adult, one of whom must be 21 years of age or older

28 Tigers! Yowza! That's 56 folks at every Tiger meeting! That's not a den meeting, that is a convention!

Seriously, requiring Cubs (or the Cub's parents) to purchase new den numbers every year, not to mention the hassle of tearing off the old, and sewing on the new, is just plain silly. Also, if you get a family that uses the fabric glue instead of sewing, you could be talking about buying a new shirt every year.

Our dens keep their number until they finish Webelos (or change to a Webelos den emblem). Then the "old" Webelos den number becomes the "new" Tiger den number. If we need to split a den, the new den becomes den 6, 7, etc.

Tim, per your council, Tidewater Council, they require all TOP UNIT LEADERS, and COMMITTEE CHAIRS, to be fully trained for the 2014 charter year. A top unit leader for Venturing is defined as the Crew Advisor. This does not include Crew Associate Advisors, or Committee Members (although having all adult members trained would certainly be a very good thing for the program).

To be considered trained for a Venturing Crew, Tidewater Council council requires Venturing Youth Specific Training, and Position Specific Training.

Please note that Committee Training can be done online, and there is a different Youth Protection training for Venturing (also online).

Personally, I feel that, although it is not required by BSA National, or (apparently) by Tidewater Council, it is a very GOOD thing if the Charter Organization Representative (COR) is trained for their position. Many COR's have no clue what they are responsible (and not responsible) for, and many could care less. When starting a brand new unit it is a good thing to start it out on the right foot with the COR knowing about the program THEY are responsible for.

Tidewater has Venturing Specific Training coming up 08/24, and COR training coming up on 10/22.

For clarification, and more information, I would contact your District Commissioner (who should be included in the unit formation process anyway), and your District Training Chair.

Also, see the following -

http://www.tidewaterbsa.com/training/index.html#FULLY_TRAINED

http://www.tidewaterbsa.com/training/TrainingPolicyFAQs.pdf

Our Pack spends the money we make on popcorn to fund our Pack program for the year. We do not charge any Pack dues at all.

We include the council incentives in our popcorn sale. The boys love them, so why not? We also give the top 10 sellers the opportunity to toss a "cream pie" (foam plate filled with whipped topping) at the leader of their choice. This is a highly anticipated part of our December Pack meeting!