SSScout

In our District, Web leaders are encouraged to take IOLS independently. Welot is not offered.

We had a really fine camporee a two years back, organized by a consortium of local Troops, at a big Methodist retreat center. The theme was the Civil War. Patrol (not Troop) competition , Max of 8 boys per... Each activity station was predicated on what a CW era person or soldier might need to do. Signaling! semiphore and Morse code. Fire building(no matches or lighters) and cooking. Cook a potatoe and eat it! Close order drill! Baseball (Abner Doubleday?) of the period. Find your way with a small scale map and MANY choices of starting and destination, over the whole of the property (no GPS!). Period first aid (litter carry races, make believe limb removal and then one legged races and one armed activities). Each station required a Patrol cheer or yell. CW reenactors were in attendance. Black powder musket fire. It was a BIG affair. My only quibble was the souvenir patch. If you looked close, it had a fifty star flag on it!

Unless your area is recovering from a disaster, and camping is "mandatory" (!), is should be fun . Remember the Cub Scout mantra"" KISMIF"" Keep it simple, make it fun... Help your folks to start easy, take'm on hikes, 3 , 5 miles, in interesting places. Make the hike GO somewhere where there is a "reward", like an amusement park, or the Zoo, or a museum, or a Civil War re-enactment, even an urban hike can be a good start. The idea is to Get'em outdoors. Learn about your areas history, both cultural and natural. We have a new park nearby that is an old quarry that specializes in dinosaur bones and fossils. Hike around that and then see the bones! The overnight under canvas will come, but get them outside, with mom and dad along for the ride. I once led our Tiger Den down in the park near our house and led them to a Beaver dam and showed them the chewed off trees all around. Sat them down (mom and dad too) and read them some T.W.Burgess Paddy the Beaver stories. We did many more hikes, and tho the Pack never got "under canvas", the Webelos Den did. Camp out in your CO's back yard at first, or even in the social hall (if you have one) or somebody's apartment's party room. Call around and find a "pick your own" farm and ask if they have some back acreage you could use, and then go pick strawberries!

Cliff Swallows... wasn't he in a Gene Autry movie? Played the rough and tumble ranch foreman?

Well said, Onehour. Hard to fill such shoes. Keep his ideals in front of you, and he will be remembered.

Ok, so some mile swims are "easier" than others. Waaaay back when, I did mine in the Chesapeake Bay behind a rowboat. I remember the "buddy system" in force then, my pal Don rowed the boat for me, then I rowed the boat for him. From the end of the dock out into the Bay (Camp Roosevelt, Calvert County MD) around the bouy and back to the dock. Sunny day, slight chop, Sea Nettles to contend with. I remember maybe a dozen Scouts on the swim, and it certainly took less than an hour each. Each had their own buddy boat. Was that easier? I had nothing to compare with, but Roosevelt did have a fresh water pool, back in the woods. I don't remember if they did a mile swim in the pool. Scout son did his in a lake at Heritage. Cold, he said...

Waaaay back when I coached my daughter's soccer team, I early on noticed how the girls on both teams would start to drag after only 15 or 20 minutes into the game. These are 11, 12, then 13 year olds. Aside from the usual practices and conditioning drills, I then started my team on a regimen of (1) No sugary cereals for breakfast on the day of the game. I told everyone (their parents!) they could have almost anything else for breakfast: oatmeal, bacon & eggs, pancakes, toast and PB&J, but NO SUGARY PACKAGE CEREAL. (2) At the first of the game, before we took the field, everyone drank, in my presence, a cup of water. (3) At the offense/defense team rotation (required by the league! Good idea, I thought), another cup of water required. (4) anytime a sub went in, drink a cup first. Wow! We started running circles around the other teams. Came out that season undefeated. CSDC: Our theme this year was/is "Medieval Adventure". Hey! Let's give a toast to the Queen! Lots of small hands raise their water bottles and jug-a-lug. I was moved to teach my Cubs "Ein Prosit! Gemutlicheit!" My DE took me aside and told me a parent had come to him to complain about the man who was encouraging alcoholism in her Cubs....

Depends. On the type of cheese, how old it is already, how it is wrapped, the ambient temperature, and how tolerant you are to ugly food. Remember, basically, all cheese is spoiled milk. Blue Cheese is purposely left moldy (but not my favorite!). Camambert and Stilton is made moldy, too. (tasty, but not for camping). Hard cheeses will keep longer, in all conditions, soft cheeses will spoil quicker. Cream cheese should be kept cold. Chedder and Winsleydale can keep at room temp for some days. In general, air tight, close to the cheese packaging is desired for carrying and storage.But in a backpack, the temp may be too much, melting the cheese prematurely. Therefore, mke sure your storage is water tight, too.. Dry, hard cheese is to be preferred, Parmesan, Asiago, If your extra sharp chedder has some green stuff on it, carefully cut an 1/8" or 1/4" layer off, and the inner cheese should be fine. Cut carefully, wipe the knife clean to avoid contaminating "clean" cheese. Trust your nose. see http://www.trails.com/list_3499_food-list-camping.html for some good suggestions. When Wallace and Grommit's Curse of the Were-Rabbit came out, sales of Winsleydale climbed 23%. Bon appetit...

Scoutson just returned from 500 mile bike camp trip. Group only used tarps for tops and bottoms, when not availing themselves of local hospitality, which was common in the south part of VA, along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Hispanic Scouts: Many parents might want children to be Scouts, but: - Unease about military type uniforms (look at troubles back in home countries). - In the home nations, usually Scouting is seen as an elitist organization, not for the regular people. The idea of Scouts being for any boy is a new idea. - Cost of uniforms, camp gear, summer camp (away from home? at such an early age?) can be a hurdle. Even if you try to compare it to futbol equiping, it is expensive , when considered all at once. Same here for nort americanos. - Some parents of my acquaintence can not fill out Scout forms because (hint) they do not have a SSN. They move when things look uneasy to them. Maybe N&I folks too close? Happened to one Troop I helped along for awhile, chartered to a Iglesia. The Troop and Cub Pack had a total of 12 boys, and 3 adults registered. Half those boys were not around after 8 months. Gone. - The Boys liked the idea of Scouting, I partnered them with an established Troop. The parents were mostly positive. Took the YPtraining, in spanish, but again, most could not register as a Scout volunteer. - They were eager for me to be their SM, but I could not be their permanent SM. Worked for three months with one good man, but he moved with his family to Cleveland for employment. - Their loyalty is divided between the US of A and their former homes. The Iglesia had a dozen flags on the walls of their social hall, but not until I brought in a US flag was that represented. Taught the boys US flag courtesy, all new to them. Scouting is, after all, an acquired taste.

Get ahold of your ACM(s) and DLs, create a "nature trail" with real or make'm up nature things (trees to ID, animal tracks, people tracks, bird songs, feathers), might be short notice but you could call your local nature center and see if they have any traveling shows (around here they are called "Scales and Tails"). Show a Cub/nature/camp friendly movie,,, Down and Dirty, or Second Hand Lions or Watership Down come to mind... Astronomy Belt Loop, if skies are clear? Come to think of it, go thru the BL list and see if there aren't two or three you could do for the lucky folks that remember to come... Don't you know that the "Cubs never sleep in the summer"?

Launder them, IRON them, then: (choices): *seal them up in ziplock bag of proper size, save for when Scout is of the nostagic age, along with all his other memorabilia, in shoe box, in baggies. * Go to Michaels or Arts&Crafts and shop for a "shadow box". You may end up with more than one, consider buying in advance so as to have matching set. Arrange neckers in a cascade of ranking, tips showing, Webelos at the top. Pin them to the cloth backing, using stainless steel pins , else there will eventually be rust stains. Better: Put neckers folded in ziploc bags, and put pins thru the bags. Get a real big s/box, leave room for OA, Jamboree, Eagle, etc. neckers. Don't forget the rank and camp patches. You can get a shirt front (pockets) backing from Scoutshop, or just cut up an old shirt, or sew/glue badges on the blue/tan cloth seperately for display. * Neckers don't lend themselves to this, but the badges/patches can be adhered/sewn to a fleece blanket for wall display. This is not as popular as it has been, but such display blankets were shoulder wraps at camp fires of the past.(This message has been edited by SSScout)

What topic area for this... Council Relations? Unit Fund Raising? Open Program? Issues? (gesundheit) ""It also has one of the most ham-handed, unprofessional marketing lines I've ever read: 'Remember the fun you used to have as a Scout? Building towers and monkey bridges, playing in the dirt, getting the younger Scouts to cook your dinner??"" So what WOULD you ask folks to remember of their time in Scouts? I also agree that that phrase is really poorly generalized by someone who had to justify that MBA in Marketing somehow... What would YOU say to nudge the leeetle grey cells into remembering and nostalgizizing, eh?

So beyond my previous post about your choices, and the agreement from the other posters about the CO "owning" the Unit and the Unit using the CO's tax number, same as any other part of the CO, I find it interesting that a "national chain" would make it so hard for the local manager to not make good PR with the local community. Our Troop sells Holiday wreaths (read Christmas) in front of the local CVS store, Safeway store, and hardware store (local owned: Two stores), no hassle. Name the store, and some of us with "no life" can contact the corporate offices and find out why.

First we're asked about using a parachute for shelter, and it wanders off into Tarp useage. 15' x 25' tarp. Stake out one 15' side, stretch the next grommets about 5' out, fold that up about 5' tall, use sticks,poles, tie to trees, fold over top the first grounded section, stretch out with two more poles, or tie to trees. Cross section is a "C". Ground cloth, top and wall against the weather, plenty of room for two Scouts and their gear, overhang for shade, etc.

Possibilities: 1) If you are a self sponsored unit (chartered to "Friends of Pack xyz" or some such, you are on your own. You can apply for 501c3 status, but it is up to the IRS to say "yes, you are". 2) If you are chartered to a non-profit organization, a church or Lions Club, or Volunteer Fire Company, or such, then by rights, you use your CO's status, not your own, as a 501c3. Check with the CO's head person. 3) If you are chartered to a "for profit" organization, (I know of a Cub Pack chartered to a hardware store), I have been told you cannot claim non-profit status, but the state MIGHT grant you the sales tax free card. Depends. That said, most Scout units have their own treasurer and treasury, and the CO has a "hands off" policy, except that that treasury could be construed as belonging to the CO under certain conditions. Monetary donations to the Scout unit correctly should be made to ... In #1 above, the "Friends of.." In #2, to the CO, for the Scout unit. Scout units are not supposed to solicit cash donations, hence don't expect them. Earn your way... In #3, I'm not sure... Does that help?

The creative Quartermaster will take each tent kit and write the inventory on the storage bag: Troop 123, #5 Fly, tent, footprint, 2- 4' pole sets, 6- t/ps Each piece will be match numbered. Maybe not the wire tent pegs. I like the idea of stenciling on a down corner a fox paw or such, then write the inventory number on it. Yes, true canvas will easily take paint or marker ink without ill effect. Plain Nylon will accept ink marker or latex paint, but the coated waterproofing material will be badly affected by any solvent based liquid, paint or ink. As they say, "try on a hidden corner first".

Almost forgot... Now, one idea I like, but really takes some time on someones part (the DE? The CSDCD? The DistCampChair?) is this: Produce a template letter, addressed to the volunteer staffer's boss. By Staffer, you can include the DenWalkers or any adult that helps at the camp. The volunteer staffer fills out a short form: their Name, employer/company, boss' name, address. Template letter thanks the company for the "loan" of their employee , commending one of their employees (associates?) for volunteering a week of their vacation time, serving at the XYZ Cub Scout Day Camp, helping our children experience the Cub Scout program, that such service reflects admirably on the Staffer and on the employer or whatever you feel is appropriate. It should, of course, be on BSA/Council letter head. The letter I received (some years ago) noted that "everyone in our community has been enriched because he cared enough to help our children grow into better persons". And it did make an impact in my office, few there knew how much time I spent at Scouting. It may even have had an effect on my next evaluation, since it was counted as a "compliment" in my work file. But that can be alot of letters, if done right!

Try pg. 27, April 2006 SCOUTING magazine http://books.google.com/books?id=ff0DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA27&lpg=PA27&dq=Scout+Troop+Belt+awards&source=bl&ots=M51gRwyfcX&sig=Z5yUVKA1GqNaVaYsENJR_5pA2n8&hl=en&ei=zSQkTt6iGani0QHx1uDeAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Scout%20Troop%20Belt%20awards&f=false

>>" Don't give all your secrets away..." Now, I find that truly bizarre. Sounds almost like someone is afraid you WILL stop being the Camp Person. What egocentric non-scout person is that? The idea is to have a daycamp for the BOYS. What better thing than to help the next fellow along the trail? Passing along the great ideas (and the not so great. "Don't do this...") is a true Scout tradition. How else would I have known to rub soap on the outside of my cookpots to aid later cleanup? The passing on of "How to do it Better" is why we are communicating by keyboard rather than smoke signal (another Meritbadge?). The first CSDC was an experiment. What we do is the culmination of many years of "doing it better", and the smiles on the Cub faces are why we keep on , despite the nay sayers. One more square knot, one more recognition of Poison Ivy, and civilization as we know it progresses. From what I've read in this thread, your District would benefit greatly by your present CSDC Director becoming the District Camp Chair and YOU becoming the CSDCD. I always like the idea of a post mortem or event report. Doesn't mean the next folks will read it, or use it, but that isn't your problem then. And Camp Guidebooks are never a bad thing. Again, all you can do is offer and point your finger, folks don't have to utilize them, they can always stub their toe on the rock you point out if they choose to. But that is why you REQUIRE the Denwalkers to come to the "Camp Orientation Training" , because many will not read the book, or forget it, or think it doesn't apply to them, or try to 'wing it' or not want to even walk their progeny thru the camp (listen to "Cat's in the Cradle " again).

Reminds me of the time when I had to have surgery on my lower jaw. Required having my mouth WIRED SHUT for almost three months. I could still talk (think about ventriloquism), and breath, and I could rinse mouth and teeth with "Scope" and "Listerine", but how to eat? The surgeon suggested baby food thru a straw, but since the jaws were slightly seperated, I figured if I could drink it, I could "nutrate" myself. So I went out and bought the best multi speed blender I could find. Anything I could prechew with the blender, I could "eat" . I drank my Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, a little milk , WHHIIIRRR, and a turkey milkshake! Tastes like turkey and potatoes. Same with PB&J, hamburgers, vegies, salad, sausage pizza, blend and drink. One pot meals. Hah! But Do Not try to blend carbonated drinks.... I'm sorry, I guess this has nothing to do with camping, does it?

Indeed. Same as Unions at the workplace. Where are you, Walt Kelly, when we need you?

Ah... That explains it. Charlie Brown: "If these historic facts are so little known, how come you know them?" Lucy: (looks around, then whispers in Charlie Brown's ear) " I make'm up."

I have to say I think we have had the best CSRTs in th area if not the nation. Always well prepared, it is run like a Pack meeting. Participation. Cheers, songs, and serious discussion. You earn a bead for attending. Cookies and juice, and carrot sticks and dip.. A detailed handout of 3 hole punched stuff ("BALLOO's Bugle" often.). Video presentations, pass around and look at stuff, invited special guests for particular topics. Sometimes the "official" monthly theme (the month before), sometimes not, booklets and gear available to buy (don't need to go to the Scoutstore). Special topics have included astronomy (Beltloop and Meritbadge!), cooking (samples out on the parkinglot camp stove), PWDerby, Scales and Tails (get it for your unit!). And the last month saw the retirement of our CSRTCommisher. He set a high standard to meet, and deserved the special accolades and "squareknot" he was given.

July 4, 2011. Rockville MD. The football field at the Community College was , as usual, full of lawn chairs, kids running around, fried chicken and watermelon. We arrived about 6:30pm. Visited with friends, ate coleslaw and greenbean casserole,too. Barbershop melodies, Brass quintet, Martial music, flag ceremony and lots of folks giggling and talking during the "O Say Can You See". It threatened rain, then sprinkled, umbrellas up then down. Fireworks were started early, but no real rain ensued. Music was better coordinated with light show and Kabooms than in past years. A really good show, and "free"! We walked to our friends home, and watched hundreds of cars idling , waiting their turn to leave the big parking lot. No discernable difference in the size or political persuasion of the crowd, this year vs last. I still don't know the connection between the "Overture of 1812" and the commemoration of the founding of our nation. "This year, a safe and sane Bastille Day".