SSScout

Thome gods are myths, thom are mythsterth. Thome are both.............

Lewis and Clark is (I think 5 episodes. Each can stand alone, but I don't remember the exact progress of each. Most anything by Burns is worthwhile, right? I especially liked the Statue of Liberty (singleton) . Check the PBS site and you will see which are single episodes and which are multi and how long. I dare say your library or video store would have some of them, and you can always check Netflix. Moviesunlimited.com can order almost anything ever recorded on celluloid (or nitrate) or mylar. YiS Oh yes, nothing like a movie night when the cabin walls start to close in in the dead of winter, when the wind hooowwwwls outside the frosted windows and the snow drifts up to blockade the door and the beans and ham is runnin' low....

Friendly Persuasion ::: Unfortunately, 2 hrs. ANY of Ken Burns documentaries. All are formatted for tv, so are one and two hour episodes. Jazz, baseball, Civil War, National Parks,you name it::: Brooklyn Bridge (1981) The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God (1984) The Statue of Liberty (1985) Huey Long (1985) The Congress (1988) Thomas Hart Benton (1988) The Civil War (1990) Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (1991) Baseball Innings 1-9 (1994), 10th Inning (2010) Thomas Jefferson (1997) Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery (1997) Frank Lloyd Wright (1998) Not For Ourselves Alone: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony (1999) Jazz (2001) Mark Twain (2001) Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip (2003) Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2005) The War (2007) The National Parks (2009) All are available from www.shoppbs.org - Have fun. (This message has been edited by SSScout)

Yep. First and only event of it's kind in his life? Umpteen years ago?That's one thing. One of several? Something else. Sister in law needs help? OMH, "Member Closed Account", are you there? Anything else to say?

As you can see, there are many choices. Depends on how big the flag(s) is/are. Depends how rustic you want to be. New pole that screws together in the middle, makes a 8' pole into a 4' package. Lash some poles as tall as you like, brace and guy the pole with 3 or 4 guy ropes. But this is a Cub Pack, yes? How grand do you want your camp flag to be? How portable? We collected a 15' tall straight poplar pole (the young tree was in the wrong place) and use it every year for the Cub Scout Day Camp and other events. It has a pulley and halyard lashed to the top. The pole has been lashed to the side of a picnic shelter, lashed to another pole to make a 25 foot tall flag pole, been braced with three ropes (which one Den Leader marveled at, spent a long time studying the arrangement, for some reason couldn't fathom how the pole stood so straight and stable). When not in use, it lays on our fence top rack, next to our canoe. The halyard is color coded, blue end (a small blue carabiner) is the UP end (think Blue Union), the DOWN end is a red carabiner (Red stripes) to help Cubs in their flag ceremonies. Do you only need ONE pole? US flag? Pack flag? State flag? How fancy a camp will this be? Maybe only a rope thrown over a tree limb would do, if in the right place. KiSMiF, after all.

Ditto the previous... So many worms, so few cans... I would note that it is also not so much what has been done, but what have you done lately? We would hope your present reputation is worthy of your desire to do good. Go for it.

Scoutson wanted to do Farm Mechanics MB. In dealing with the cars and tractors on our "farmette", I knew he'd have no difficulty, but who and where is the MBC? Beat the District bushes, and could find no one. So I upped and made application to be the FM-MBC. Then, I put an item in our District newsletter: "Anyone wanting to do the Farm Mechanics Merit Badge, contact Mr. SSScout ..." Had 6 Scouts call, two from across the River (Hal?). Set up pre- requirements. We made appointment, met with parents and tools on our deck, visited the largest farm implement dealer in MD (owner very supportive when I called. Personally gave us the tour! Talked about then and now...). Second saturday, all came out and serviced our tractor, Went across the street and visited a BIG serious tractor and equipment, went back to deck and finished up official requirements. We'll do it again in the spring. My only question is: How come the FM-MB book only mentions diesel power? (!) We saw gasoline powered equipment, and one boy spoke of his Canadian Gdads ELECTRIC powered tractor! (which he helped maintain). And a good time was had by all.

Welcome to the forums. We hope you can find some help and sympathy here. Questions: Do you have any active Scouts? Who is your sponsoring charter organization? Have you contacted your Charter Org Representative? Do you have an active Troop Committee? Have you spoken with your District Commissioner and/or District Executive? Do you have a dictionary and know how to proof read before hitting "send"?

Did the pipeline ever get built?

A couple of things to try and some personal stories. I had a Cub in our Den that wore his uniform shirt unbuttoned. His mom said he "just didn't like buttons". One day, before the Pack meeting, while his mom watched, I knelt down by him and said to him, "gee, Frank, let me help you with your shirt. I know these buttons can be a hassle" and I started buttoning up his shirt. He did not protest, let me button everything up and then tucked his shirt in. He came to meetings all buttoned up after that. Never did get his neckerchief on, tho. Many Scout groups around the world do not use a "full" uniform like we do. Economics, style, etc. all come in to play. But they all have one thing in common: the neckerchief. Along with your conversations with the parents, ask for their cooperation on this: You might make a big deal out of a special Den Tshirt and the neckerchief.ONLY. If all the boys do it, maybe the odd boy out will pick up on it. Maybe the Denleader can do what mom can't: help the boy to want to wear a uniform. And don't forget to KiSMiF... My button boy stayed in Scouts up to Webelos, then dropped.

Frederick News-Post, Tues. Sept. 22, 2009 pg.A1 "Marine Charged With Faking War Wounds For Gain" http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=95546 *sigh*

What Wingnut said. Some of the "fee" will be allotted to a) Registration fee (local council and national council, recently changed...maybe $15.) b) Boys' Life subscription (it's changed. ?$12.?) c) Troop dues. The Troop dues pays for the program. Possible expenses: space rental, camp fees, equipment purchase, camperships, awards purchases, books purchases, ). Troop can say everyone pays a share, or Troop can have fundraiser events to halp with expenses (see popcorn), or a combination. Still a bargain. Now about adult registration...

In teaching knots to Cubs, don't forget to include the parent/partners. Often, they don't know a bowline from a shoelace either. I teach at CSDC and usually end up on my back on the picnic table, tying the knot up in the air. That way, my right hand is on the same side as the Cubs right hand. If I FACE them, they have to transpose my right hand (on their left) to their right hand (assuming they know R from L!). I like Eamons idea of "robotic hands", having the boy tell one how to tie the knot. I could see a game made out of this, say, one boy is blindfolded, and the other boy tells the first how to tie the knot, if he doesn't know already! Knot relay:: Scouts stand in a line, side by side. Each Scout has a length of rope, about 4 feet long. On start, each Scout ties his rope to his nieghbor's with a particular knot, called out by the Leader. Object is to be the first Den/Patrol to get all their ropes together to do a given task: Rescue the Cubmaster, lasso a box, throw rope over a limb and "bear rope" a bag of "food", etc. Joining knots:: Square, two bowlines, two tautlines, two two halfhitches, sheetbend.

Oh, you can do alot of google search for neat, pithy stuff from Baden-Powell or Seton or Yogi Berra (or Bear!). But ultimately any quote needs to take root from the experience of the receiver. Tiger Cubs aren't going to hear and take in the same idea as a 14 year old Star Scout or a dad or mom. Wait your time. Pick the quote to match the activity or such. Blue and Gold? Find a good American Native story or blessing about food and thankfulness. Bike ride? Hike? Tell'em a story about going somewhere and perservering. Boils down to Apache's comment, but make it Cub friendly and therefore rememberable (just invented that word). Try this>> With great bravado, divide the group into three parts: "Okay! What noise does a big meat clever make chopping some ribs into pieces? Let's hear it while I dee-vide you into three parts... WHUP! and WHUP!" Now, tell each part to yell that's YELL >>>DO... and YOUR... and BEST! Make'm do it in turn, direct them like an orchestra, Let the next town hear you! Several times... Include the parents, as they sit . DO, YOUR, BEST, DO (wait for it...)DO, DO, DO, YOUR, DO, YOUR BEEESSSTTT. Have fun with it, yes? Not so nuch remember someone else's quote, let them create their own to remember.

Aha... the Soccer Syndrome... I can drop my kid (not son, not boy..."kid") off at soccer practice and be free for two hours...The coach will teach'em good sportsmanship, skills and the rules. And I don't have to. How sad. The boys see the fun ahead, like being Cubs, but the parents don't see the need to be part of the Pack. While it is true that not every parent needs to be the Committee Chair or Cub Master, the boys do better if his parents have some role. I like to say that there is an "invisible" last line in the Law of the Pack: "The Parents also help the Pack GO." The talk I have given new Scout parents includes the following points: * This is the only time your boy will be 7. Or 8, or nine, or ten. TRUST ME, the connection you make with him now will define your connection with him when he is 14 and 15 and 16. Make that connection the best you can NOW, with the values and fun of Scouting. ** And the fun includes (dare I say it?) "education". The Scouting program will show and teach your son so many things that regular school can't or won't teach him. History. Confidence. Skills. Cooperation. Satisfaction. Self confidence. Maybe even Right and Wrong. ***I see lots of news about boys in "gangs". Mostly bad news. All boys want to belong to "the gang". I know I did. How 'bout we make it easy for our sons to belong to a "gang" that will do some good in his life and the life of our families and communities and nation? All you have to do is be there and help point them in the right direction. ****And who do you want doing that pointing? Who better than your boy's mom and dad? Your boy will believe what he sees and if he sees his mom and dad doing the pointing, won't he want to be there all the more? If the Cub sees that it is important to the parent, it will be more important to the Cub. ***** " I don't have enough time for everything now. I don't know anything about this Scout stuff. I know Mr. XYZ can do a better job than me. Isn't there someone else you can ask?" No one else can say what's important for you. No one else can tell you what is possible for you. But the folks that support their boy in Cub Scouts will tell you about their boy's success. And they will tell you that the grass can get cut next week, the boss will understand when you go and speak to him honestly about your Scouting time. And I've met many, many folks that have NO Scouting experience and pick things up easily because of the training and help available. Eagle? No guarantee of a good Scout leader, but a good start. Can't be Den Leader? Howbout one meeting a month? One project and that's all? Lead one hike, one tour of the fire station, one Belt Loop class? All you can do is ask. Like the previous posters have suggested, get the parents and Cubs out to a picnic. Have someone (Commissioner? Neighboring Cub leaders?) take the boys aside for a hike, a ball game, some fun thing. You and the CCh and the DE (maybe) sit down with the other parents and lay it out plain. Have training days scheduled. A Cub Pack needs X,Y, and Q to operate. You are willing and ready to be CM and CCh, but if we don't have this, it may not happen, and our boys will not have a Cub Pack. I Commissioned with a struggling Cub Pack. A Scouter I respected counseled me to tell the parents all the above, give a pen and pad of paper to the nearest adult and tell them I'll be down the hall. Come to me when you've decided whether or not your boys will have a Cub Pack or not, and then you will tell your boys. The Pack I was helping never came to that, (came together finally and thriving!) but it would have been a last resort, I quess. I totally agree that you can not do this all yourself as CM. But you can rally the others to make it happen for your boys. YOUR boys. Will you turn it around? Pray about it and "Do Your Best". That's all one can ask. Good luck and God speed.

Aha... the Soccer Syndrome... I can drop my kid (not son, not boy..."kid") off at soccer practice and be free for two hours...The coach will teach'em good sportsmanship, skills and the rules. And I don't have to. How sad. The boys see the fun ahead, like being Cubs, but the parents don't see the need to be part of the Pack. While it is true that not every parent needs to be the Committee Chair or Cub Master, the boys do better if his parents have some role. I like to say that there is an "invisible" last line in the Law of the Pack: "The Parents also help the Pack GO." The talk I have given new Scout parents includes the following points: * This is the only time your boy will be 7. Or 8, or nine, or ten. TRUST ME, the connection you make with him now will define your connection with him when he is 14 and 15 and 16. Make that connection the best you can NOW, with the values and fun of Scouting. ** And the fun includes (dare I say it?) "education". The Scouting program will show and teach your son so many things that regular school can't or won't teach him. History. Confidence. Skills. Cooperation. Satisfaction. Self confidence. Maybe even Right and Wrong. ***I see lots of news about boys in "gangs". Mostly bad news. All boys want to belong to "the gang". I know I did. How 'bout we make it easy for our sons to belong to a "gang" that will do some good in his life and the life of our families and communities and nation? All you have to do is be there and help point them in the right direction. ****And who do you want doing that pointing? Who better than your boy's mom and dad? Your boy will believe what he sees and if he sees his mom and dad doing the pointing, won't he want to be there all the more? If the Cub sees that it is important to the parent, it will be more important to the Cub. ***** " I don't have enough time for everything now. I don't know anything about this Scout stuff. I know Mr. XYZ can do a better job than me. Isn't there someone else you can ask?" No one else can say what's important for you. No one else can tell you what is possible for you. But the folks that support their boy in Cub Scouts will tell you about their boy's success. And they will tell you that the grass can get cut next week, the boss will understand when you go and speak to him honestly about your Scouting time. And I've met many, many folks that have NO Scouting experience and pick things up easily because of the training and help available. Eagle? No guarantee of a good Scout leader, but a good start. Can't be Den Leader? Howbout one meeting a month? One project and that's all? Lead one hike, one tour of the fire station, one Belt Loop class? All you can do is ask. Like the previous posters have suggested, get the parents and Cubs out to a picnic. Have someone (Commissioner? Neighboring Cub leaders?) take the boys aside for a hike, a ball game, some fun thing. You and the CCh and the DE (maybe) sit down with the other parents and lay it out plain. Have training days scheduled. A Cub Pack needs X,Y, and Q to operate. You are willing and ready to be CM and CCh, but if we don't have this, it may not happen, and our boys will not have a Cub Pack. I Commissioned with a struggling Cub Pack. A Scouter I respected counseled me to tell the parents all the above, give a pen and pad of paper to the nearest adult and tell them I'll be down the hall. Come to me when you've decided whether or not your boys will have a Cub Pack or not, and then you will tell your boys. The Pack I was helping never came to that, (came together finally and thriving!) but it would have been a last resort, I quess. I totally agree that you can not do this all yourself as CM. But you can rally the others to make it happen for your boys. YOUR boys. Will you turn it around? Pray about it and "Do Your Best". That's all one can ask. Good luck and God speed.

Ain't da internet wunnerful? http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_central/insignia/highest_awards/bronze_award.asp Sure sounds like a junior Eagle project, AND that the requirements are slated for an imminent renovation. Help kids, huh? Plan design and build a playground? For handicapped/challenged kids? Check with the local parks department. Nature trail? Signs and exhibits and trail creation and is it wheelchair accessable and publicity... Help plan and equip a waiting room at your hospital that is more kid friendly... Check with your church/temple. Local library. Kids reading area? Local school... Crosswalk safety, Flagpole improvements, landscape the inner courtyard, ... Top of my head stuff... 12 girls, if they are honest about their participation, should be able to divy up the responsibility and actual work. 15 hours? maybe not enough. Point'em, turn'em loose, and stand back.

Patch trading? Been known to happen. I like the idea that the patches I have on my jacket or in my shoe box are MINE, having been there and done that. However, at the NSJ I did meet some folks that offered patches as tokens of our friendship, the joint experience we had been thru, together. So, sometimes I exchanged a patch of mine, sometimes a hat, sometimes a special keyfob. I even once took off of my uni a patch in exchange for one my buddy offered. I knew I could get another of the one I removed, but my buddy's was a token of our shared time together. He may have brought a supply just for that purpose, but that wasn't the idea at the time. I felt honored, really, that he thought of me to give me this patch. And I think I surprised him when I dethreaded the patch to give him. It could be nascent capitalism or it could be memories or it could be it's just pretty and I like looking at it.

Yep, tying people up, nooses and such are a no-no. No rope around necks. Teach respectful, safe use. Show and teach fun knots, like the Chain Knot (shortens rope and stores it without tangles), Multi Overhand Knots, and rescue throws. Neatly coil 20 feet of rope and throw. Check http://www.activitytv.com/471-knot-impossible for some cool knotty magic. Google for the others.

Third hand to you folks::: A good friend just contacted me about his first WB weekend. Lots of good feelings, but one thing surprised him; and me when he apprised me of it. Among the participants were two 18 year olds. My friend said they were full participants, both Eagles, one a paid Scouter in Council, the other a Scouter in his old Troop while he goes to college P/T and works in a techy industry P/T. I said that seemed a bit young and (dare I say it) inexperienced for WB. But then, who am I to judge?

UNPOPPED popcorn. But it is harder than dog kibble, and can ricochet. Right on, New Joisey! Set up a range, control access to the range, roped off with yellow tape or rope. Targets to firing line, about 15'... 5 or 10' behind firing line is the ready line. Dead area at least 20' behind the targets and either side. Safety tape/rope is 3 to 4 feet off ground,ALL TH WAY AROUND THE RANGE. Firing line staked on ground, wait line 3 - 4 ' up. Shooting Sports for Cub Scouts Guide::: http://www.stlbsa.org/NR/rdonlyres/42BDA04E-AE7A-40EC-832B-3CB4B7C68E15/0/CubScoutShootingSportsbook.pdf Pick a safe area away from casual passersby. Trust me. Rope the area off and do it by the numbers, even slingshotted dog kibble can injure. But have fun, anyway!

Thank you for the reminder. Sometimes we forget.

* Buddy system... * Wristwatch/timepiece... Rondezvous times... * Maps of the park... meeting place(s)... * Matching T-shirts/sweats... * ID on person... * Cellphones...number exchange... * Money talk, understanding who pays for what, how much... no surprises... * Some parks will not allow pocket knives, glass containers... find out ahead of time... Have Fun!

Bullying has been a frequent topic here. Use the "Search" function (upper left)and you will bring up many good discussions and information.

Jamboree costs can be large, no argument. I saw more than one Jambo Troop that evidently had some corporate sponsorship. On memorable gateway (see another thread) to the Troop campsite prominently extolled the deliciousness of a hometown pizza restaurant chain's product. Another displayed the local tractor company (won't mention any names but it was GREEN and YELLOW). No harm in checking around for some help with travel tickets and such.