SMT224

About a year ago the Troop purchased a Dutch Oven for each of our 5 Patrols. We encourage them to make as many meals as possible in the DO, and they usually do Saturday breakfast and dinner, and sometimes cake. they have cranked out some really good meals. We marked all the DO's with fire resistant paint so everyone knows which DO belongs to which Patrol. However, the main problem for the Scouts is cleaning the DO. We instruct them to get water in the DO as soon as they are done eating, and let it soak for 30 minutes to an hour, scrape out the crud with a plastic scraper, add more

Hey there ghayes! Did you go?? How was it? I'm really curious about the firebuilding competition without fire... what was that like?? Thanks!

Me thinks you correct moosetracker. Here we are, tossing another log on the fire, long after the OP has crawled in to her tent. Nothing like beating a dead horse to death. :-)

So, nwasness... have the voices around this virtual campfire addressed your query? Did you find another Troop? What say ye now?

A couple more thoughts on this issue... 1. nwasness - you should know that it's ok to move to another Troop. We've seen it happen several times - either a Scout comes from another Troop and joins ours, or a Scout & his parents do not like our way of doing things and they leave. It's ok. If a parent comes to me and starts in on dislikes of what our Troop does and how we do it, the stock answer is "find another Troop". It's not a bad thing, just finding the best fit for both Scout & parent. 2. Having seen both male and female ASM and supporting Committee members in action,

When our Scouts started a new Patrol, I printed out patches from these two non-BSA companies: -- ClassB, http://store.classb.com/patches -- Patch town, http://www.patchtown.com/boyscoutpatr.html They picked out several patches they liked and after much discussion decided on a name and patch they liked. BTW, they are the "Dancing Banana Patrol" (http://www.patchtown.com/dancingbanan.html), and do this dance where they are all bananas and peel themselves and then bash into each other. It's actually not as strange as it sounds - very wholesome and no clothing is removed.

Wow. I'm glad our CO has no such policy. While we currently have no female ASM, we have in the past, and they've brought an excellent skill set to the Scouts - one that the male ASM did not have. To make such a restriction seems to me to miss out on valuable knowledge, skills, and abilities they otherwise would not have. I see no negative influence they have had on the Scouts - quite the opposite in fact. I would highly recommend you find another Troop - this CO has some real fear of women it would seem to me - would they be a bad influence on the Scouts, or just the old guys in

Thanks for all the responses! Sounds like it might be a fun campy film knowing that is it has some reality issues. If it comes up on Netflix I might grab it just so the Scouts can find all the mistakes and have a good laugh. But who knows we might like it! Thanks for the suggestions on summer camp - but no worries there, we have 99% attendance this year, only one Scout not going. I thought a summer camp film might be fun to get the Scouts psyched about it. But it does make me wonder why such a film couldn't be accurate and good as well. Scout camp is a blast - the highlight

Summer camp is just around the corner, and I just saw an ad for that movie, "Scout Camp". Has anyone seen it? Any good? Is it at all like a real Boy Scout Camp? Would viewing it in Troop meeting excite Scouts about going to camp? Thanks!!

"Firebuilding competition without fire?" How??? I wouldn't want to go! And I don't think the Scouts in our Troop would want to go either. They like to go camping so they can play with fire... & knives!

Does one of those little bottles of "5-hour" or "Red Bull" meet that requirement?

Thanks OldGrey! That is very powerful. We'll have to try it! Sometimes the full Vespers is very nice, especially if parents are attending the campfire. You will have to pass out copies of the lyrics, as it's a rare Scout or Scouter that knows the whole thing - most only sing the first verse. Softly falls the light of day, As our campfire fades away. Silently, each Scout should ask Have I done my daily task? Have I kept my honor bright? Can I guiltless sleep tonight? Oh, have I done and have I dared Everything to be prepared? Listen Lord, O Listen Lord,

If it's raining.... Softly falls the rain today As our camp site floats away Silently each scout should ask Did I pack my scuba mask Did I tie my tent flaps down Learn to swim so I don't drown Have I done and Have I tried Everything to keep me dry

We pulled out some old walkie-talkies the Troop had in our storeroom and the Scouts played man-hunt with them on our camping trip this weekend. They loved it! They developed code names and tried to figure out what channel the other team was on. We adults love the game because after an evening of non-stop voices, it's suddenly very quiet around the campfire! We were working on geocaching during the day, but did not integrate into man-hunt. Adding radios was enough! Maybe next time!!

Not everyone can be a Scout. Some kids just don't like camping, or doing outdoor activities. Maybe it was fun in Cubs, but once they crossover they miss mom too much, or hate bugs, or something else. Or maybe they discover they like playing sports, or band, or other things better than Scouts. And that's just fine. Scouting is not for everyone. The worst behavioral problems I've seen in our Troop have consistently come from boys who do not want to be there. Usually their parents really want them to make Eagle or hope that participation will give them "character". If a Scout clea

There is a real difference between a trained female or male Assistant Scoutmaster & a "mommy" or "daddy" who feels compelled to intervene and take care of their child (like they did in Cubs or on family camping trips). We have trained all our ASM to treat all Scouts on any Troop activity the same - no favoritism or parental intervention in any shape or form. The standard answer to a request for help is the same no matter the gender of the leader - "Go ask your PL or the SPL." On camping trips or at summer camp, adults stay as far away as possible from the Scouts and let them do

" If we are going to ban open toed shoes let's ban shorts, too, for the same reason - because something might happen." No. It's not the same thing. The probability of a serious injury to the foot while wearing a shoe or sandal that exposes the toes is far different that a leg injury when exposed to common trail conditions. I've worn shorts doing all kinds of outdoor activities - hiking, scrambling, rock climbing, bouldering, bushwhacking, and orienteering, and have come home or back to camp with all kinds of cuts and bruises on my legs, but have been just fine to enjoy the res

Same thing happened to me!! I was on a week-long river trip in southern Utah and put a stick right between my toes while walking around our camp in the evening in bare feet. Ouch!! And I've seen family members smash open toes when hitting a sharp rock in flip-flops. Lots of blood and wailing! The incidents above would have been completely prevented with closed toe sandals or shoes. So, yes, I'm a believer! Our summer camp has closed-toe rule, as does our Troop. Needless to say, I fully support these rules.

Sorry E61, but I really have to disagree with you on your last statement... "I don't believe that peer pressure IS EVER GOOD. Forsaking individuality takes away our greatest potential." Peer Pressure is the expectation of the group. In Scouting, the expectation of the Troop is that Scouts will follow the Scout Law on any Scout activity. The expectation is that the Scout will clean his own mess kit and do his duty according to the posted KP schedule. The expectation is that the Scout will do his best. And it's not the adult leaders that enforce these expectations, but the Sco

As others have said, BSA does not prohibit female leadership. Moms are welcome to serve the Troop in any leadership capacity. When I first joined our Troop back in 99, women were absolutely banned from any leadership position. A few years later, after I had become the SM, our Treasurer retired and I suggested a mom who was a CPA and had been very active in the Cubs. Her son had recently crossed over, she was very interested in becoming an active leader, and so it seemed like a good fit. The old guys who had been with the Troop since the 50's & 60's had an absolute meltdown and ref

There's always peer pressure... Our current leadership team is really into activity participation and not only sets the example by attending themselves, but also by having a very high expectation that all other Scouts will attend as well. And we have seen excellent (95%) attendance recently. Very different from a few years ago when the leadership team planned all kinds fun activities but then didn't end up going because they were so involved in other things - sports, band, girls, etc. And the rest of the Troop followed suit, with 25%-75% attendance on activities. We also have

Ok Beavah, I'll give you the full medical form, all parts filled out and signed by appropriate parties. I still maintain these forms should have been done and ready, especially for a camping trip like this one. If the Troop in question went to summer camp in 2009, the forms should have been done and ready for any camping trip fall of 2009 and a good part of early 2010. Yea, sometimes medicals can take a while to get together, but my experience has shown that if a medical is required to be on a sports team, parents can get in to a doctor or clinic somewhere mighty quick. It all has to d

It really isn't that hard Beavah, at a minimum Part A will suffice for a camping trip.

Our Troop: The SPL reports to and discusses issues at PLC. The SM attends PLC, listens, and discusses issues with PLC with regard to Troop activities and Committee support. The SM then attends Committee meetings and reports on Troop activities, needs, and any PLC issues. SPL does not attend Committee meetings. Seems to work fine.

OMG! Doing a Tour Permit is not that hard! 10 to 15 minutes at most. And medical forms should be current and up-to-date at all times! My goodness! These parents and leaders need to get it together. This is a clear case of outright laziness! Kids are punished on a regular basis by parental decisions, why should this be any different? If it was not a Scout trip then it was not a Scout trip - nothing done by the boys (not Scouts) should count. If you go ahead and count and credit activities as if it were a Scout trip, then why should anyone do anything different next time? They