SSScout

Wrap everything in Sunday paper comics. Boy's Life magazine. Ginger Snaps travel well. Pocket chess and/or checkers. I still have the deck of cards that I used as a Scout, much to my son's amazement. Batteries?

Maps?

Make it easy to write back. Stamps, envelopes, paper?

So the week went well, despite prior misgivings...

Wonderful Wacky World of Wheels, it is then.

Scout Skills( flag and knots)

Nature (fishing got 114 fish and released; poison ivy ID'ed; beaver sign shown; pealiated woodpecker heard)

Crafts (made a totem, a hat and ...)

Archery (shorter range per National rules yields many more bulls on the list, 56 pins to bestow)

The semi from the American Trucking Association couldn't fit thru the woods, so only the bobtail tractor came to look at ("I heart Trucks" pins passed out)

The off road Caterpillar dump truck (BIIIG tires. Would hold 557 CubScouts!) is a hit.

Sports car club couldn't come after all, so County Vol. Fire Truck shows up on short notice.(fire safety, turnout gear, demo equipment "OOO...AAAH")

Staffer rides his Yamaha 650 in and talks about safety and mechanics (size 8 helmet on size 6 Cub heads yields neat photos)

Bike professional comes and demos his unicycle and Penny-farthing and trick trail bike. (safety and helmets!)

Archery Pro comes and demos how to MAKE bows and arrows and wows'em at the archery range at lunch. (he was the only one we PAID. All others gratis!)

Last day is the "Water Fest" and after lunch our (nonflame) Campfire...

Woman Den Walker comes up to me during Water Fest and states, " This is the most disorganized, chaotic, seemingly random (sic) occurance I have EVER experienced. Couldn't you have done ((this and this and this)) to make it better???" I responded, "I'm sorry you feel that way. Are your Cubs having fun?" She says, "I don't know, some of them are just sitting and some are milling around..." I look over her shoulder and watch 25 or 30 having at each other with squirt guns, in another area a bunch are having Tug o' War over a kiddie pool mud pit. Another group is examining an area we roped off when we found a big turtle laying eggs in the hole she dug. A large group is running and jumping on to the Slip 'n Slide (plastic sheet, detergent and water) and the last group is having a whipped cream relay (use your imagination), donated by the local grocery. Freeezy Pops for the sitters, lunch comes next, I remember.

I smile and tell the woman we will try to do better next year.

KiS MiF YiS

Let us now turn in our text books, class, to chapter 12, "Ancient and Obsolete Language"

Johnny? Can you tell us about the Mimeograph Machine and Postage stamps, ummm?

"It's not who votes, but who counts the votes that's important."

Lessee now... we need a patch for

*Archery Range Safety Ossifer

*BBRSO

* CSDC Director

*CSDC FAEE

* Camporee Planning Chair

*Wrist Rocket RSO

* Pop Corn Wrangler

* District Training Chair

* "UC without portfolio"

* "the go to guy"

* Canoeing/camping/cinematocrafy(?)/citizenship/swimming/ fillinblank/ MB Counselor

Not a few years ago, our R/T Chair gave out beads for R/T attendance. If you attended every month for a year, you received a leather totem to string on your bead string. Seemed to work, we always had good attendance. Then too, his programs were always fun and informative.

I'm gonna make up and sell some bumper stickers that will have the Scout fleur de lis in the corner and read: "WILL WORK FOR COLORFUL SCRAPS OF CLOTH". Really I am.

Are there any other Scout activities/jobs we can recognize (("There goes one now!")) ??

KiS MiF YiS

I do not have all the requirements in front of me, but the previous discussion leads me to ask:

* Are all the above "Campy" Awards to be fulfilled with similar activities? Must a Scout fulfill the requirements for each and all at ONLY Scout events? ie., are church camps, rec department trips, 4H camps, etc., even if otherwise appropriately qualifying, NOT to be counted toward the award requirements?

Lessee now,

Not so long ago, a letter (paper) might arrive and be read and re-read after arriving days, weeks, even months after it was written (by hand) and sent. The emotional and informational impact was palpable. I still have the letters that my folks received from me from camps and school. I have theirs to me too. Surviving letters from the days of the revolutionary war and other periods are artifacts attesting to both the special wonder and ordinariness of people back then.

How is this lack of tangible evidence of love and affection and concern in years gone by going to be felt in years to come?

Camp Director used to require a written, stamped letter home before dessert was allowed on Tuesday dinner (ice cream sundaes).

One of my favorite cartoons has 'Cathy' asking a friend if she has received the email Cathy sent to find out if she got the voice mail Cathy left about the telegram she sent to ask if the friend received the letter Cathy sent? I forget the outcome...

When 14 year old son starts talking about HIS " good old days".

A Couple of "wow" factor things:

* Contact the local TV station with a Traffic 'copter. Tell'm about the camp and see if they (#1) might do a story about it on TV and (#2) do a fly over while everybody smiles and waves! HEY!! spell out "CUBSCOUTSROCK" on the ground with the campers for the copter to see and photograph (takes a fair amount of advance planning: line out the letters on the ground for the Cubs to stand on, proper proportions, one or two lines thick, think it out...

* Contact State Police and see if they can arrange a landing of the Medivac Helicopter (assuming they are the agency incharge) . Talk to them about landing zone arrangements. Ours landed and BLEW EVERYONES HAT OFF!! WoW!. The pilots and EMTs did a wonderful presentation about rescues and flight science. Guess who our heroes of the day were?

*Contact County Road Maintenance folks. Nothing a Cub likes better than a dump truck and or a road grader or excavator to get up close and personal to. Big burly men to talk about horsepower and capacity "yeah, might take 2 or 300 of you Cubs to fill up this truck".

*Start a "pass word" that all Cubs and Staff can "recognize" each other with. Question, response works well, like a riddle::Aviation Theme: Take offs are OPTIONAL, >Landings are MANDATORY. Egyptian theme: How did the Cub get down the Nile? >He PHAROAHED, PHAROAHED, PHAROAHED his boat.

Be corny. They'll remember them the next year, and in the grocery store when you see'm again.

What's a prune danish? >a buck forty seven (I think that was Monty Python).

*A SHORT living Chess game? Cubs for Pawns? Camp Director for King and Queen?

*Build cardboard horses you wear around your waist with shoulder straps and have a jousting tournament with suitably cushy lances.

* Save some Camp Patches to present to your "specials" as thank yous! Don't forget to send 'm a letter of thanks! Makes it more likely to happen the next time you ask!

KiS MiF YiS

Spouse is CSDC Director. Makes me "Assistant Everything Else".

CSDC s are very site specific: physical area restraints, Council restraints, local politics, local economics, etc. I would not expect a more rural Kansas District, for example, to cost the same as a Big City District CSDC.

We picked up a wavering program and have run the CSDC for the last 5 years to great acclaim (twist arm patting selves on back). BUT...

When we found our ideal park location (woods, picnic pavilions, lake for fishing and boat ride, open field for sports and state police helicopter landing, easyroad access and good parking but somewhat isolated for control issues, etc.), the park authority was very cooperative and the park staff continues to be so. But the higher ups decided that Scouts needed to be treated the same as anyone else in fees and charges, not-for-profit status not withstanding. So if Lockheed Martin wants a day in the park for it's staff, we now get charged the same fee, (times five days) plus extra consideration for wear and tear, etc. Our use fee has MORE THAN TRIPLED compared to the first year fee. O/A park service hours and total cleanup notwithstanding. Scout professionals negotiating and Scout letter writting hasn't worked. Council now adds a $10 extra fee per Cub to cover our camp this year. Next year we are looking for a new site, mores the pity.

To answer the questions, yes the CSDC Director has to make an accounting to Council for the expenses. So much per Cub in, so much per Cub for craft supplies, "specials", rent, etc. And yes, they know about the camp months in advance. Doesn't mean there are enough Volunteer Staff to make everthing happen as it should. But the Lord will provide.

The CSDC depends more than any other Scout activity on local volunteer work. Nothing could be done except a volunteer does it. Our DE is good and we could not do it with out him, but the CSDC Director needs all the help he/she can get. "It's for the kids" and we put out because of that. One of our stalwart CSDC staffers just changed jobs and already he says he will be looking for a new job again. Why? because his new boss will not allow that CSDC week off.

"Great job otherwise", he says.

Be charitable in your judgement of the CSDC arrangements. I think you'll see that painted rock may well be a bargain, but consider: How would you have done things differently? and then... Why not offer to do so? I decided along time ago that the grass will grow whether I cut it every week or not, the rug will eventually get vacuumed, and the car gets dirty and then gets rained on again. But the boys will only be Scouts for a short time. Let's see if I can give them something to take with them thru the next year.

KiS MiF YiS

SM Minute::

Pass around a honeydew melon from a chain store. Not as "ripe" as a "local" melon, but ready to eat. Let Scouts agree that it is firm.

Hold the melon about shoulder high and say "this HEAD does not have a helmet. When you fall off your bike, or motorcycle, or hood of a car and hit the pavement, this IS what WILL happen."

Let the melon roll off your hand.

Close the meeting.

(clean up the mess)

Try it before you "perform".

((State Police Presentation at school))

Ye-ah...

My mothah came frum Brookline and it toook fo'evah for hehr to loose hehr accent when she mooved down heah to Murlin. Course that was waay befoah Ah came along, but the accent was still theah, for me to mahvel at as Ah grewup. Then too, my Granmah had a good doze of the back bay for me to learn from...

Thank You.

Whoa, That's why we're here.

From Belief in God to Belief in Popcorn.

So, again, if one sees their "Duty to God" is to NOT believe in him/her/it, then where's the problem? The Scout Promise and Law are the Scout's basis of behavior, as we have seen noted before here.

I agree that the Adult Scouters need to note, encourage and model the following of those life guides. It is very sad when they do not, but the ideals are still there for the Scout to aspire to.

Belief is personal, and (thank God) the rules under which our fore fathers agreed we should all live include a proviso to worship as we wish, be it an active worship, an inactive type or none. Why?

If a Scout is "not sure about this God stuff" ( I like that phrase), I say that is his/her privilege. I encourage that seeking. Only problem is, some are afraid (unconsciously?) they might actually find that of which they seek...

Me, I HAVE to believe. I found some time ago that there was a gap, a hole, a chasm even, that needed filling in my life. That was the religion cubbyhole in my psche, I guess. If I had decided to not find the proper "filler" for that cubby, I now know that my life would be much less... lively? successful? All I know is it works... "Come and see.."

To get Christian about it ( I tend to do so), "behold, I stand out side the door and knock". but even Jesus' knuckles may get tired. This does not prevent the door owner from saying, "hey, what happened to that noise?" and going to open the door, to find out.

Avery: Keep your eyes and ears and mind and heart open. You'll find what speaks to your condition. Be willing to accept it when it appears.

Science can tell us HOW the world works, but ultimately not WHY. That's what you are seeking, the WHY.

Good Scouting to you.

Friend of mine told me he liked a water bed (this was back in the 70's). But he gave it up when he found out how many canteens it took to fill it...

That's it! It's an mp3 pocket! Wheres the camelback slot in the shirt back for hydration?

In my stint as a Chaplain at the '05 Jamboree, one of my duties was as a "welcomer" at the Relations Tents. Here were exhibits by social orgs (Lions, Rotary, American Legion, etc) and various religious groups, LDS, Catholic, Methodists, Islam, etc. The Scouts could earn a "Duty to God" badge by (among other things) visiting the Relations Tent and speaking to the rep of their faith, if there was one, and they would sign off on that requirement. If there was no rep for their particular faith, and no Chaplain around of that particularity, then they could speak to the "Chaplain on Duty" a little about their faith and we would sign off on that part. I spoke to a number of Scouts who told me, quote, "I'm not sure about this God stuff". If I projected my experience onto the other Chaplains' time as the "Welcomer", I would estimate at least 300 plus Scouts out of the 43,000 attending the Jamboree held reservations about "that God stuff", so you are in good company.

I've always thought that when it comes to religion, a family, whether consciously or not, always gives the children something to either accept or rebel against. You are no exception, only you have begun the choosing a bit earlier than some. No religion? Rejection of any faith? Acceptance of a formal religion? Creation of your own faith? Did you not say your folks were irreligious? is that the right term? So to will you accept that or reject it.

And here you must discern the difference between "Faith" and "Religion".

The idea is to ask questions (a challenged faith is all the stronger, so your questions should be welcomed), spend time reading the various Holy texts (Bible, Bagihvad Gita, Koran, etc.) and marvel at the variety and the simularity, and go off and wait. And I don't just mean asking people. Ask yourself and keep your mind and heart open to the answers. Waiting and listening to your ownself. Waiting and listening to the woods.

Your unwillingness to just "go along" speaks volumes to me. I have met many quote Christians unquote that I have a hard time seeing the simularity between their behavior and speech and that of Jesus. They seem to just -- go along. I don't see you just going along.

The same problem can be seen in the adherents of other religions, but that is another discussion.

Look for the great teachers. St. Francis, Gandhi, Dalai Lama, Gautama Buddha, George Fox, John Wesley, Martin Luther, Martin Buber, Martin Luther King, Jr. and many others. You have your job cut out for you and I somewhat envy you for it.

If you will excuse the expression, I would encourage you to Go Where The Spirit Leads You.

Scouting done right is about exploration if nothing else.

Didn't I say we need a "Chaplain" section here?

YiS(This message has been edited by SSScout)

Goat skin Bottas... not filled with dihydroxile monoxide...

Sometimes a needy pack needs outside help. Local Scout Troop for Den Chiefs? Local service club? Big Brothers? Kiwanis? Lions? Check with your DE about enlisting some outside adult help. It is understandable when some of the parents want a Scout program for their son but outside forces( losing a job, divorce, etc.) interfer. First loyalty must be to your own, but if you can see your way clear to dig alittle more, you might be the means to turn the tide and help a bunch of Cubs for whom this is not their fault. I bet the rest of the Cubs understand what's going on. They just don't have the power to do anything about it.

God be with you, friend.

YiS

I second everything that has been posited above.

From my reading, here are my assumptions: the two boys are brothers or close relatives (cousins? adopted? foster care?). The parent(s) is/are unskilled in parenting or over stressed in the rest of their life or are just following the model their own parents gave them. The boys are doing what they know best: stretching the envelope, looking for their boundaries, unknowingly looking for someone to say NO and make it stick.

In a couple of personal experiences, we had to arrange for a meeting between the parents, the child(ren) involved, all the adults involved (in one occassion, 5 teachers, in another two grandparents, two neighbors and two step parents, in a third a SM, a ASM, two other parents) and a neutral "facilitator". We had to confront the parents with the truth of the behavioral situation. In each case, by dint of the weight of the testimony, the child(ren) was made to admit to his/her/their behavior, and the parent(s) were made to see the angelic little urchin(s) in a new light. And the involved adults gained stature in the parent(s) eyes. A plan was crafted, and was followed out. In each case, behavior, grades and attitude improved.

Lots of trouble? oh yeah. But ultimately everyone agreed it was worth it. Takes careful planning and finding the right "facilitator".

In the mean time, is there any chance of seperating the two into seperate Dens or activities? They probably enjoy feeding off each other . Or are we speaking of TWINS??

I would make sure that the coin slot for the Vibromassage feature accepts quarters and the new dollar coin. That way you will get fewer complaints. ;-)

Yep, sometimes we do it right.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/051408/olnenew101118_32359.shtml

Just because two dozen guys and gals with pnuemohammers and 2x4s and bags of concrete and asphalt shingles and pvc and copper pipe and sheetrock and BX and ROMEX cable trying to follow white on blue paper plans that were drawn up by another half dozen guys and gals build my house doesn't mean I can't say I just built my house.

Evolution is more about how it got dun not what or who dun it. Seperate issue.

"The giraffe is a horse designed by a committee".

!!!

Boy registers as a new Scout. On the application is a section for Shirt size, Pant size, Belt size, Hat size, sock size. Application comes with Pack/Troop/Crew number and Community and Council already imprinted. Boy and parents include $150. registration/dues.

In 3 weeks, Boy receives Official Boy Scouts of America© uniform, delivered by an uniformed official of the US Government. Shirt is already "Embroidered" with the "Boy Scouts of America" strip over the pocket, the appropriate Troop Number, Community name, Council ID on the sleeve, and World Brotherhood patch INTO THE SHIRT. Zip off pants included, 2 pair green socks included, ready to go...

Or, include the appropriate strips and such with Badge Magic included...

What?

emb021: Thanks...

I knew the strip history was more complicated, I just simplified it from my own fuzzy memory. As a boy, my Troop resisted the elimination of the "Community / Town" strips, the Troop ordered a special combo town/state/numeral patch for awhile. I thought they made eminently good sense at the time, and the Council patch fit over it easily. Many moon later, when I came back to the Troop as a Dad, the Troop was back in the main groove with CSP and Troop numeral.

So we progress.

And what, more than $100. to get outfitted with the new up-to-date stuff?