SSScout

OMG!!! We missed missing Pi day and time!!!!

Stayed up and watched the presentation. I do like old stuff (don't tell my wife that, exactly), and some of the old film and pictures were really neat, if especially about California history. I'm going to pass this on to our local folks. Don't forget the time difference! PST!

Alright, alright.... enough of this pandering, maudlin sentiment. Get back to work you two... Get some mind tweeking questions out there.... Oh, all right. Welcome to the ecracker barrel. Help yourself to some echeese and ebugles...

WHOA! You forgot to tell us this is Pacific Standard Time! There's still time to see it! www.communitymediacenter.net and look to channel 30. I need to wait another two hours!

Especially in Cubs, it is best to award the patches as they are earned. Don't wait for two or three months; award the patch with due pomp and ceremony (" Let's give'm a round of applause!")at the very next Pack meeting. As the Cub earns the total number of patches, he will see the collection increase and be the more eager to finish the collection. Let him make the connection between effort and reward. The delay of reward is harder for the young Cub. He'll learn the necessity of that later. KiS MiF!

I am constantly amazed at the differrence between the two programs. Some of the GSUSA program does makes sense, but then, some of BSA promotes head scratching too. Compare: In BSA, the units are self perpetuating, we actively recruit and seek more Scouts. My home Troop is approaching it's 65th year. GS units, on the other hand, are USUALLY limited to the girls that originally join. They therefor self destruct when the girls age out. Yeah, I know, some "enlightened" GS leaders organize multi age Troops, and even encourage Daisies and Brownies to fraternize (sororitize?) with Seniors and Ambassadors, but that is not the design... My favorite story: Back when I was a CM, we scheduled a "Join Scouting Night" by renting the school gym. We were going to run a PWD, and do other Cubby things. Hey! Let's invite the GSs! Bet they'd like the chance to use a corner of the gym for recruiting! Contacted the local GS leaders, and they responded (no kidding) "oh no, we don't want any more GSs, We have enough". (!!!???) That's what they said. That was my introduction to the difference in philosophy of the two orgs.

Yep, a valid reason to go "camping". Any excuse for a party, er, I mean, tent set up. Do they allow a breakfast stove? Our local Frederick Keys sponsor this, and last I went, they had a "stove area" for warming up breakfast stuff, but that may have changed, it has been a number of years. And a movie screen, and a rocket launch, and a free bag of popcorn....

So, from Scapoose.... Welcome to our ecrackerbarrel. We have eritz, ewheatthins and epretzel sticks, not to mention the echeddar and esmoked brie... Help yourself. What's on your mind tonight?

Great! Is this a National channel, or only local? How to convert to Verizon?

"...like minded Scouters..." HA! Well, some of us might be "like minded", but stick around long enough, and you'll meet enough "UNlike minded" to make your time well worth the price of admission. Welcome to the eCampfire... Pass the emarshmallows.... here's an old ecoathanger you can use...

He is eleven. He is in the 5th grade. He qualifies for Boy Scouting. If he can earn his AoL by the end of school, award it with a smile. If not, he should still pick out his Troop, join and attend summer camp with them. Do the crossover ceremony when and if appropriate, whether one boy or a dozen. Mark his "graduation" from Cub Scouting with some small pomp and circumstance, whether at a Pack Meeting, or Pack picnic, or formal OA exhibited "bridge". . He cannot continue in Cub Scouting in sixth grade, barring any extenuating circumstances. I believe your local UC and DE would be of the same opinion, but ya never can tell... Thank you for your service to your boys.

Oh, yeah, I saw lots of "Knotty Pine Racer" stuff awhile back, but this is all Oh-Fish-All BSA hologram logo labeled. I find it interesting that this whole rack is dedicated to Cub PWD parts. What's next... REI or LLBean selling BSA branded backpacks? Buster Brown BSA shoes again? Mebbe made in the USA... ummmm mebbe not.

We have a arts and crafts store in this area named "Michael's". Went in to get some craft material, and consider my pleasent surprise when I see a BIG Pinewood Derby display! Eyecatching! Official BSA material! Precut shapes! Multi color wheels! Axle aligning tools! All kinds of stuff! More kindsastuff than at the Scout store I visited just last week! All with the BSA holo logo on it! WooHoo! And (here's the good part), the display had partially empty hooks, indicating some sales! I unfortunately did not have the time to ask the manager about it, and my asthma always reacts when I'm in there anyway (too much fake flowers and greenery). Anybody else see any Scout stuff anywhere else besides the ScoutStore?

Knot tying competition: Set up a bar (?lashed to chair backs?), and label it's length with knot names. Each patrol lines up and each boy ties ONE knot on the bar to fulfill that name. Time the time to tie all 4 or 5 knots, divide by the number of boys to get the Patrol average. Award something to the winners, candy bars, free time at camp, trophy ribbon for flag, something. Blindfold the boys in teams of two. Set up a tent blindfolded. Same time competition (if they get finished!). Set up a scavenger hunt, inside or out, use nature theme or any other theme. Patrols meld the individual boys answers for a Patrol answer. Neckerchief slide workshop: learn how to make a turk's head , or carve some kits and paint them. Have a contest with awards and prizes during/after the next CoH. Ask the local school's art teacher to be the judge (impartial). Ask the local ice cream place to donate some coupons as prizes. McD's will do this, too. (PM me for our Troop's rules). Camp cooking: out in the parking lot, set up the stoves and cook dinner for the Troop parents. Make it an annual thing. Boys only, no parents allowed. Kim's game. Patrol cmpetition. Set up a display, large or small, of many various items. Cover it so it may be revealed and then covered again. Each Patrol is allowed to view the display for 15 seconds and write down what they saw. Winner is most accurate record of what is really there. (one tie was broken by remembering if the pocket knife was engraving face up or down). Now you see it: Like Kim's game, but in reverse. Set something openly, but in a different place or setting, in the Troop meeting space, and when the meeting is over, ask if anyone has SEEN it.

I had a SM way back when, (that is, way back when I did not realize what was done behind the scenes) that trained and trusted his PLs and SPL and ASPL. The rank cards I have in my Scout daze shoe box are mostly signed by the senior Scouts of the Troop, only sometimes by the adults. Did I know the knot? Sure, at least once. But then, we practiced it, setting up tents and dining flies. And also at Troop meetings, where the SPL etc. set up tasks and Patrol competitions so we could try out our skills and REALIZE how much we had forgotten since last month! Scoutson realized this when I told him "Tautline hitch, please" when lashing down the package of insulation to the top of the van. Or setting up the clothesline (environmentally sound laundry!). Or rigging his sailboat last summer. Looking back, I realize that thru my Scout career, I learned at least six different forms of "Artificial Respiration" and then "CPR". Each time, I learned a newer, more effective type. Each was demonstrably better, more able to acccomplish the task. The one time I was called upon to use that skill, I was the only one there who knew and I was glad I had practiced it when I had the chance. Knots, fire building and safety, signaling, CPR, knife and axe, plant and animal ID, dressing for the weather, being prepared ("why , for just any old thing") , it all has a purpose and a use. You just don't know when you might be glad to have that skill in your "ability toolbox". The skills are there for when we might need them, and need to be "tested" occasionally , just in case. We call this PRACTICE. Challenging the Scout to REMEMBER and USE the skill is easily as important as first teaching and testing him on that skill. The REAL test can't be predicted. Will the Scout pass THAT test?

Seattle, this is what it's all about. My only quibble is the title of this thread, as this is not an "alternate" , this IS the PWD as it should be: Boy centered, not just 'win' centered. And, yes, some dads will try to make it a live-my-life-thru-the boy. Best way around that is, as always, have a "unlimited" class. KIS MIF as always.

So we waded thru the chartering process, the DE and Council are happy, the DE calls and sez he has the Charters for the units I commish. Goody. I pick'em up. Now I call the Church Pastor, the CO IH (!) and say, " Howdy! I'd like to present you with the Charters for the 4 Scout units the church sponsors " and she says "Huh?" and we go and have a really good conversation. For the first time in many years, I arrange to have a formal presentation at one of the church services (sorry, didn't make Scout sunday). Correlate and coordinate the leaders (CM,SM,VCPrez., SShip Skipper) and have a nice Scout talk about the units here at the church. Each speaks alittle about their part, and the Pastor accepts the Charters (suitable for framing) and presto! We have a new presence in the CO. Shake hands with mucho folks afterward. How do YOU do it? Or wish it were done?

Since I have learned about the GS model, I have marveled at how successful they have been. As I have come to understand the BSA model, I have marveled at how much trouble we sometimes seem to engender. Once upon a time, I was a CM. We were going to have a JS night, so we rented the elementary school AProom and then thought, hey, let's invite the GS to join us, Brownies and Cubs, fun, more the merrier, recruit Scouts, right? Contacted the local GS leader (who was also the PTA president), made the invitation, and she said, quote, "oh, no, we have enough Girl Scouts, we don't want any more". I later learned of the one GS Troop, one number, one leader model (local Service area/Council "owns" it) and when compared to the BSA franchise model saw the wisdom of making a local organization responsible (no matter how closely or loosely held), I marveled that the GSA has existed as long as it has. BSA Scout units are by definition, multi age, self replicating entities. My home Troop is approaching 60 years old. RARELY does a GSUSA unit exist more that 10 years. The Daisies and Brownies are the unit that exists until (1) the leader(s) quit (it happens) and no one takes up the reins or (2) the original girls tire of the leader's program (they define it, not the national org) or (3) the girls graduate. Then that Troop ceases. Definitely, the BSA model is superior, as to local control with national standards. I think Mssrs. Beard and West had the right idea. GBBill, too, but that's another thread.

What Calico said..... Again, the first time customer is easy to get: past use recommendations, past reputation, special offers, pep talks, personal needs (however perceived), any business (and Scouting IS a business, even if a volunteer one) can get the FIRST visit. It's the SECOND and THIRD and FORTH visit you want. And that is obtained by good service, value for your money, meeting the customer's expectations and needs. In Scouting, we have two customers: the KID and the PARENT. Each has a different expectation and desire. The kid wants fun, a little adventure and perhaps , later, pride in accomplishment and skills gained. The parent wants (?) a sitter service, better behavior (thru our requiring responsibility for one's actions), outlet for energy, skills gained (cooking? knot tying? history learned?), and later, pride in their urchin's maturity gained. I hope. If the server (the dragon lady) is NOT serving these needs, but instead serving her own misguided desires, then guess what? the customer goes away, or finds another place to meet their needs: Heritage Girls, Yawana, Campfire, YMCA, wherever. Do the deed. Find this lady another job or just say"thank you for your past service" and give her the (metaphoric) Gold Watch. We know we have a good product. "They" know we have a good product. But if the product is corrrupted with a poor interpretation or other distention or misinterpretation, "they" will not come back. "If we build it, they will come", but they don't necessarily have to stay or come back .

Beat me to it. See the attached link for a neat compendium of PB video...

* Not that your Cub shirt has the same instruction tag, but I recently purchased a shirt that had the following "care instructions" on it: "Remove clothing article before washing and ironing. Wash in water, warm, with mild soap. Iron if needed, cool setting to avoid melting cloth".

Mebbe not so far fetched. Scout met animal ID requirement by cellphone picturing birds and tracks and signs to show to ASM. Not just in person any more... *sigh*

Here it is again.... If you own a restaurant, you don't so much worry about attracting the FIRST time customer as making sure they come back the SECOND and THIRD time and tell their friends about your beef stew. It's the same thing here. It is not so much why the parent might want the boy to join, but why would the boy want to STAY in Scouts? A boy doesn't join Scouts to "learn to make good ethical and moral decisions". Good googamooga. He joins to have fun, to have some adventure, to get dirty and pee in the woods. He joins because his buddy has told him about the white water raft trip he went on last fall. He STAYS because he went camping on the AT in the spring and got wet and exhausted on the canoe trip. If he learns to make ANY kind of decisions, whether they are ethical or moral, it will happen because he will be the recipient of the result of any BAD decisions he makes. Us adults should be there to be life guards, not so much tour guides. The Patrol Method is hard to implement not only because the adults won't leave wel enough alone, but also because the boys don't believe it when it is offered to them. From school, to parent, to community, everyone seems to tell our kids "no you can't". And they wonder at the lack of personal responsibilty exhibited by many kids at older ages.

Why our Troop doesn't sell PC: 1) Don't want to compete with Cub Pack (council champs!) 2) PC not perceived as Boy Scouty. PC is Cub Scouty. 3) Long time tradition of Christmas/holiday tree and wreath sales (use to do fresh, hot, donuts door to door on a saturday morn) 4) FoS promotion perceived as appropriate fund raise, as ALL goes to Council, to support camps, etc.. 5) PC product perceived as waaay over priced for what you receive. Better PC for less at Safeway, donate cash to Scouts directly (seems to happen alot at the sidewalk sales). Definitely perceived as a donation, as reported by CS Pack. 6) Even working with the Salesmanship MB, the boys still prefer the wreath sales. Prices are comparable to local store sales, but product seems better and prettier. 7) Scoutship does big spaghetti dinner once a year. Folks in the community look for it in October each year. No need for PC. More fun, too.

Oh, sore point indeed. Both I and Scoutson bemoan the lack of outdoorsy stuff in the present BSHB and FB compared to the older versions . I xerox pages out of the 1952 ed. of the FB (thank you, GBB) for my IOLS presentations. The council recently declared they would not reimburse for copying, but would do it for me for free, all I have to do is email it to the DE, and he will see to it. So , I learned how to scan, file, order, and divide the sent pages (too big a file for one email). Guess how that went?I still had to copy a bunch, reorder/collate them, staple them and three hole punch them. Even if the boys in the pictures look like they came from "Follow Me Boys" rather than "Glee", the pictures of axe use and fire building are classically simple and illustrative. The pages I supply are, in the words of my IOLS director, "value added". And then we have the OTHER IOLS director who wanted me to teach the Totin' Chip to our adult Scouters and then award the Totin' Chip to them. When I noted that adults cannot "earn" youth awards, she said that was not a concern, that the adults should have the "experience" so they can help the youth better....