shortridge

A general query ... What does it take to get Scouts, especially younger ones, to keep food and other smellables out of their tents? What techniques does your unit use to reinforce that rule? Any good food-in-tent stories (or bad ones!) that you'd like to share?

What are the reasons he's giving for changing the dates? Were there conflicts with other, "more important" events? Were facilities or sites not booked by the volunteers who were in charge? Seems to me there'd have to be a pretty good reason for changing stuff that close to an event. Especially if this fellow's young and inexperienced, he just may not realize just how much he's undermining your plans and programs. That sounds silly, but it's possible. Canceling or rescheduling a district event, absent a huge unrealized conflict, death or weather event, affects probably hundreds of Cubs and families in your area. That's not a good way to create and strengthen relationships. Has anyone sat this guy down and told him this, in polite, simple, clear language?

"Also isn't there somewhere else in scouting that you spend the nite alone?" Yeah... when your tentmate gets upset with your snoring and drags your sleeping bag out under the stars. ;-)

I picked up a couple of those arrow strips - never heard the term "pocket rocket" before - at a regional conclave back in the '90s. They were white-on-black, and looked really sharp. A conversation starter, if nothing else. And they're worn as temp patches, so I don't see the problem.

Just an observation on the watering-bushes argument... if you're in the backcountry with no latrine, and if you're following Leave No Trace rules, the Scouts should be doing their business at a cathole about 200 feet away. Especially in an unfamiliar area, I could see the benefit of waking up a buddy in the middle of the night for that. Urinating close to your tent can attract animals interested in the salt.

When attending summer camp, district camporees, the council jamboree or big out-of-council events (like the weekend MB event at the U.S. Naval Academy), uniforms were generally required. To a regular camping trip, just our troop in attendance, no.

We've all heard (and told) horror stories about summer camps that seem to tear down, rather than strengthen, the patrol method. Let's flip it around. What could your local summer camp do to support patrols? What does your camp do presently that works? Kicking it off with one item: - Patrol cooking. Let's hear some more...

The original topic of this thread - independent patrol outings without adult leadership - doesn't really have anything to do with youth protection. YP guidelines don't prevent a group of Scouts from adventuring on its own.

Also recall this bit of doggerel: The Cub Scout helps the pack go. The pack helps the Cub Scout grow. Make sure your pack has what it needs, plus a little bit extra, before you even start talking about individual accounts.

While there's no official uniform to wear for an Eagle BOR, some local councils or districts may have their own informal rules or expectations. Your SM would be the best person to speak with. That said, a few observations... You don't need a new "Centennial" uniform. Your current one is fine. Ditto for your Philmont patch hanging on the temporary patch pocket. As for the Philmont belt, this is what the online Insignia Guide says: "Leather camp, high-adventure base, or Wood Badge belts with official BSA buckles also may be worn with the youth or adult uniform. Personally, I'd ditch the pins and go for simplicity. If the board asks you to explain each of the items on your uniform, you might be best served to select elements that have significant personal meaning to you. Philmont would probably be one of those; your parents' donation pin, maybe not. But that's just my opinion. Good luck, and have fun!

BadenP, I'm not judging the online modules themselves, just noting it takes a substantial outlay to get such a thing running and maintained.

I had the same question as Twocubdad. Basementdweller - If I read the QU requirements correctly, units are not penalized by dropping members. The requirements say nothing about net increases or decreases in membership. There is a youth retention goal, set by the unit, and a numerical goal of recruiting new members, also set by the unit. In no way should a unit be penalized for having a Scout move out of town or drop off the grid. I agree with you about the importance of the award and patch, however.

RememberSchiff, Are you really saying that anything that's not car camping is high adventure?

Just as an observation ... the online training, etc., requires a substantial investment at the start and for system maintenance later. You can't just launch one of these systems with no support. That said, that's an increase of nearly $20 million a year in revenue. Not chump change, no matter how you look at it.

There's nothing wrong with taking two years to reach First Class - absolutely nothing at all. It's far better, IMHO, for a Scout to *master* the skills through plenty of practice than to rush through them. Speed of advancement is not a good judge of a good program. That said, if you're camping 10 times a year, a Scout should have no problem with reaching First Class within a year's time.

That's a very, very interesting take on the principle of negligence in the outdoors. I'd never seen it expressed quite like that before. What seems reasonable for a Tenderfoot wouldn't be reasonable for an Eagle Scout or a NOLS-trained instructor...

A trailer could be used for storing non-camp equipment, especially if the CO doesn't provide much space (or any space) for storing flags, posters, ceremonial stuff, etc. It'd be much easier to have a trailer at the edge of the parking lot than hauling stuff from different homes once a month.

Eagle92, That happened around these parts a while back. The camp had been known as Nanticoke Scout Reservation, but was renamed after a large gift from a noted philanthropist, Richard A. Henson. The new name is Henson Scout Reservation, Camp Nanticoke ... despite the fact that there's only one camp, and no need to differentiate. The original plan in the 1960s was to develop two camps on the reservation, Nanticoke and Choptank, but that's not happening any time soon. Nowadays, it gets called everything from "Camp Henson" (the newbies) to just "Nanticoke" (by the old-timers). I assure you the Bonner name will remain for years and decades to come. How is "Boddie" pronounced, btw? I can imagine a lot of really bad (some foul) "Camp Body" jokes... Edited to add: As further proof of the principle that name changes take a long time to sink in, I referred above to the "new name" of Henson Scout Reservation. In the interest of accuracy, that's been the name since 1987, right around the time I started visiting there for Cub chariot races. < sheepish grin > I have on occasion daydreamed about winning the lottery and using part of my winnings as a donation with the proviso that the name be changed back.(This message has been edited by shortridge)

Maalox, Pepto, Rogaine and an extra (secret backup) roll of TP.

Looking solely at this example -- "For example, he was really riding the SPL about getting the campsite cleaned for the day, after he had previously stated that he was going to let the boys be responsible and if the site didn't pass the daily visitation from staff, so be it. I quietly asked him to let the boy boy do his job, and he got in my face about how he was in charge when he was in the site & I should stay out of it." -- it sounds as though the SM may have gotten some ragging from his fellow leaders from other units about the state of the campsite, embarassing him and making him reverse course. Might that be true, and a possible cause for this fellow's behavior - he was trying to look strong in front of his "colleagues? Maybe feeling like he had something to prove to his peers as a brand-new SM? I'm not excusing his behavior, just exploring the motivations and circumstances a little bit more.

CalicoPenn, At my local camp, you have to complete two qualification swims to be allowed to do the mile. There's a quarter-mile on Tuesday night and a half-mile on Wednesday night, followed by the mile on Thursday. It's a way of weeding out Scouts who may have just barely made swimmer and are overly developed in their self-confidence, but don't really have the stamina or endurance to do the full thing. There's always next year...

Definitely the right choice. Doing the Mile Swim puts you a step above everyone else. Others may be able tos swim faster, do the strokes with more precision, or hold their breath longer - but the Mile Swim, especially as a young Scout, shows you can endure and outlast, far beyond what you think your ordinary limits are. I was almost the last one left in the pool when I did mine at age 11 - but I finished the darn thing! Is Fingerprinting really able to be *earned* in one hour, with no previous research or study on the part of the Scout? Really?(This message has been edited by shortridge)

Ah, sorry - I misunderstood. I interpreted that as referring to a $50 expense for the custom caps, prorated over 4.5 years. Instead, it's $12 for each cap, which last 4.5 years, versus one $13 cap every year. Gotcha.

Last-minute planning always scares me, too! Sounds like you're on the right track. A few additional suggestions: - Take a new look at the schedule, and determine how many different activities you'll need at each level during the course of the week. Then add a few more "indoor"-type activities for rainy or stormy days that can be done under tarps and pavilions, to keep in reserve. That will give you a concrete goal to shoot for. - I'd start looking with the basic requirements - those give you a good sense of what types of activities are appropriate for each level. Tigers doing the same thing as Webelos? Oof, I agree, not good. - But that said, try not to copy the requirements too much, unless it's something that's been requested. If the Webelos spent the spring learning how to tie knots, they're not going to be too excited by a knot-tying program at day camp... unless it's really interesting and presented in a new, exciting way. Such things are possible! - Do some basic brainstorming for a few weeks. Check out books in the kids' nonfiction section of your local library - crafts, nature activities, environmental activities, even science fair projects - and start photocopying and taking notes. - Talk with local teachers about interesting, off-the-wall activities, particularly in the sciences - they may have some hands-on activities to recommend that lend themselves especially well to Webelos programs. - Check out some older Cub program guides for ideas. I have a 1963 printing of the "How Book of Cub Scouting" that has tons of activities, stunts, games, etc., that aren't in current materials. - As Nike mentioned, state agencies can often provide experts and other "neat stuff" - helicopter landings, K-9 units, etc. Also check with nonprofit groups - nature societies, local museums, arts groups - and see if they could provide an instructor for a special program session or two. - It sounds like you and the CD will need to focus on recruiting some more staff. Your parents and leaders shouldn't have to be instant nature/craft/sports experts. Plus, oftentimes the Cubs will listen better to a "staff member" than to their own leaders. Make a big pitch to your local OA lodge and nearby Venturing crews for staff. There are plenty of young men and women out there who can't commit to an entire summer of working on a resident camp staff, but might have a week - or at least a day or two - free to volunteer at your camp. Teaching is a key component of Venturing, so you ought to have some people who are experienced in that arena as well. - If your family or significant other will permit it, start hoarding "stuff" now. You can re-use paper towel and TP tubes, egg cartons, old file folders and yogurt cups in a wide variety of crafts and projects. By the time the summer rolls around, you'll have a very nice stockpile, and it's all free.

Uz2bnowl's example wouldn't be that much of a money-saver compared to the current system. With the Cub hat costing $12.99 each, that's only $4-5 to be saved over the course of the program. However, I imagine the custom nature of those pack caps - with individual names printed on them - jacked the price up substantially. One way to bring the cost down would be to buy the hats in bulk, plain, forgo names, and have parents sew on the logo/patch and pack numbers. Recalling my Cub years, most of the kids and parents never bothered with the hats, for the precise reason they were always falling off and getting lost / trampled on / dirty. And I've never found a baseball cap that looks right on my head - my skull either looks lumpy or stretched.