SSScout

Repeat them in the group at the opening and closing of Den Meetings and Pack Meetings. Ask a more Senior Cub to lead the recitation. Make sure everyone has a turn. Use parts of the CSP and the LotP as topics for "CM Minutes". (what does it mean to ''make a promise''? What kind of "Duty" can a young boy do?) Remind them of the symbology of the CS Sign. Play a game about it: write each separate word on a 3x5 card, mix''em up in a paper bag. At an opportune moment ("oh wait, John. I know you know the CSP, Let''s see if the adults have been listening..."), ask the adults in attendance to pick a word out of the bag, and without speaking, arrange themselves in the proper order and then say the CSP and/or LotP in order. The boys will love it. Make ''em think, in spite of themselves. YiS

My TSO tells the story of going camping with her family. Seems her GSTroop leaders didn''t do much outdoorsy stuff, so her dad (my DiLaw) made it a point (he worked for the Agriculture Dept. Forestry Service) to take the family with him on his research trips when he could. Seems they were camped in North Dakota, and one morning woke up to find their camp surrounded by Bison. DiL comes out of his tent (and he is no small person), raises himself up to his full hieght, spreads his arms out and goes "AAWWWOOUUFFF" (wife''s reporting) to the nearest Bison, which turns and gallops off, taking the rest with him/her.

Bruno Samartini? Masked Marvel? Bobo Brazil? Andre the Giant? Clik and Clack the Tappet Brothers?

SKIT 1::: First Scout walks in from stage left, mumbling out loud: "Gotta get the fire lit, gotta light the fire, need to get the fire lit, how can I get the fire lit, oh, I gotta light that fire..." Second Scout walks in from stage right. He is carrying several small boxes, which from the audience side are not labeled. He sees first Scout and asks "hey man, what''s up?" 1S: Can you help me light the fire? 2S turns around and we see the boxes are each and all labeled "FIRE" 2S, with great bravado, hands 1S a box and announces, "Hey, now I''m a FIRE LIGHTER!" SKIT 2::: The evenings MC is starting his next introduction when a sad, dejected Scout walks across the stage. MC asks, "Hey, why so sad"? Scout holds up ordinary light bulb: "my mom says I have to change the light bulb" and walks off. Later, MC is again starting to intro the next act, Scout comes back across the stage, again very dejected. MC asks "Well, what happened?" Scout holds up the biggest light bulb (check with a theater for big ones) you can get, wrapped in a diaper and big safety pin. "I changed the light bulb", and walks off. Next, the same: Scout is bright and happy now. MC: "Don''t tell me you have another light bulb to change?" Scout, up beat: " No sir, now my mom wants me to put the bulb in the sock-it (hold up bulb and big argyle sock) Variations on the theme. Watt a deal!

As Strunk and White would say... "Eschew verbacious erudition" Emergency, emergency, everyone for to getting off street...

Attention, attention.... Everyone for to getting off street... Please find Victor Borges'' "Verbal Punctuation" routine..........

Look-in'' good... Thanks for making it all worth while. Now about that 4% mortgage...

Home made Jerky and Home made dried fruit. Roast your beef, then slice fairly thin and dry out in a LOW oven or bought drier. Vacuum pack in plastic baggies. Keeps long time. Trust your nose... Find recipes for dried fruit on line... Don''t forget the catsup/ketchup/catchup...

"A boat is a hole in the water lined with aluminum, wood or fiberglass into which one pours money" Always good to hear the end result of a situation. I just got out of a class at work about dealing with ''workman''s comp'' situations. Recording details, who said what, who saw what, when and where and how... So the ''Tour Permit'' is needed when... And Safe Swim planning is a good thing because... A spur of the moment oppportunistic fun thing can happen when... A Troop can collect equipment and use it when... And Scouts learn that a little service to others can be recognized and rewarded ... Parents learn things about Jr. by talking to other parents... "Alls well that ends well" YiS

MM-mm... And how did you feel about that?

Canoe trip planning... The boy and I can have the Grumman tied down on the roof of the Villager and paddles, bailers, PFDs, knee pads, waterproofs, first aid kit and snacks and water in the back seat within 30 minutes of our realization that I''m off work and the laundry was done yesterday. 45 minutes if the mom comes too and the two boat rack is installed. The lake is 20 minutes away. Call the Grandmom and tell her we''ll be back dinner time. The SM wants to go to Boundary Waters next summer. This means the Troop needs to learn and practice on river water. PLC is all in favor. Once a month (or more often)::: Need to reserve or borrow enough boats and equipment (write the list, check it many times), get 16 or 20 boys and adults together on the same day, instruct and discuss about needs, techniques, shuttles, put ins, take outs, mileage, daylight, budget rentals, gas money to share, who has roof racks, who has trailers, ummmmm. Nearest good river for beginners is 45 minute drive to first put in, but still within 50 mile radius. Not quite the same. The more you do it, the quicker it can be done. Troop Scout Trip permits? of course. Council Tour Permits? Not yet, but when needed. Need for thinking ahead and doing the "what if" game? Nachurly. See Canoeing MB book and G2SS. Planning is done::: to assure the safety and well being of the participants, :::that ones expectations are met, :::and is dependant on the need to accomodate and ones knowledge of the experience of the participants. KoSing

Not done yet... Almost forgot the best bargain in travel next to the used Kelty backpack. Hosteling! Washington has a fine Hostel and so does Baltimore. Right down town. Try Hosteling International USA: www.hiusa.org and the local council, the Potomac Are Council, Hosteling International usa: www.potomachostels.org You need to join HI-USA. As an individual, a family, or a group (think Scout Troop). Hostels are all over the country and the world, in ski resorts, big cities, Cape Cod, you name it.A Hostel is an inexpensive accomodation, it might be a converted jail, a light house, an old resort hotel, or some ones converted barn. You get, as a minmum, a clean bunk to lay your sleeping bag or sheet sack, a kitchen to cook in (shared with other travelers) and a commons room to hang out and visit in. Indoor plumbing in town. Out in the Banf, you might be more primitive. Chores are assigned and shared the next morning. It is usually only an overnight accomodation, and you are expected to be packed up and gone after breakfast, but arrangements can often be made with the Hostel management (often a family). Read all about it at the above websites. Maybe another thread...

Our Pack (unfortunately) fell apart just like that... One September, 14 Tiger Cub families expressed interest... 12 came to first organization meeting... Gave them the program, had a Den Leader for them... "Go Sees" already lined up and scheduled..1 Tiger, 1 Adult... Two Den meetings a month: one in someones rec room, one "Go See", One Pack meeting a month... "too much, I don''t have the time for that, Johnny wants to do Karate"(! Johnny is having a ball in the sample Den meeting)..." I don''t know how to do Scouting" ( the Den Leader was in place) NOT ONE family signed the papers. Our Pack folded up two years later, no one would step up and replace the "graduating" parents, no Tigers had come up thru the ranks. CC and CM (me) and DE did all the usual things, called, assigned , made sure peple went to training. One of the failure reasons was, I think, we had a HANDS OFF Charter org. "Sure, we''ll sponsor you, have fun, bye". Not much "Corparate Identity" there. But, bottom line, we had no one who wanted the responsibilty, thought they had the "talent" (yeah, some are better CM, DL, etc than others, but heck...) to take over when the ''senior''staff moved on. Couldn''t even find a ''shadow'' staff to keep the paper charter in force. Our last Pack meeting was our June picnic and "Bridging". The would be Webelos Leader had 2 W2s and 1 W1. By September, he and his family dissapeared and left no forwarding address (his was the W1). The other 5 Cub families disbursed to other Packs. I see them occassionally, they all went on in Scouting. But none of the parents could bring themselves to take on the mantel. And so our Pack (history of about 20 years total by my information) dissappeared. The District kept the Pack number on the books for two more years, but it finally dissappeared from the roster. The Charter Org had no interest in reviving it themselves. Spun off thread... Darwinian Scouting????

I hear three points to discuss: 1) Was the Troop out of line to ad lib a canoe trip after another scheduled activity? MHO: Certainly not. Cut brush on the trail, "hey, let''s go get pizza and hang out at Joe''s house". Finish Jeff''s Eagle project , "You boys did a heckava job. You call your folks, and if it''s OK, come on over for the evening in our pool". Them that are there, are invited. If the Troop does the invite, it is a Troop activity. If Mr. Washakovsky does the invite, PERHAPS it is a private party, but I doubt it, in Mr. W''s position of SM. 2) Should the Boy Who Wasn''t There be invited because it is a Troop activity? Weeeellll, maybe. Good manners would say (on the BWWTs part) that the family realizes he wasn''t there, (slept in, church choir practice, watched favorite saturday TV show, whatever reason), therefore he doesn''t go to the apre'' clean-up party, spur of moment or preplanned. Good manners (on the Troops part) might take the BWWI family aside and without rangor explain that Bill wasn''t there, along with Bob and Berty so they couldn''t very well be invited. There''s always next time. Ya makes yer cherce. 3) Does the spur of the moment NEED a tour permit? In OUR council, trips/activities within 50 miles of CO home do not require a Council Tour permit. (National TPs are another thing). Verbal permission after the fact of the initial activity (E project, road cleanup, etc.)would say that, yes, it is still a Troop activity, that proper safety and leadership needs were fulfilled so PERHAPS a TROOP permission slip MIGHT be needed, but since verbal permission was there, a moot point. As the Beav sez, they are mainly for planning agenda assurance. KoSing

Volunteer Fire Companies... Hospitals (Charitable Foundations, Public serice departments)... Service Clubs (Lions, Rotary, Elks, The Grange, Kiwanis, etc.)... School PTAs... Private schools... Outing Companies.. Animal Rescue Organizations... Yachting Clubs... Police Fraternal Clubs... Union Locals... Audubon Society... Isaac Walton League... Friends of Troop XYZ (so called self charter)... Community center/club of Ourtown... Friends of Correctional Center... Church... Synagogue... Shrine... Temple... Mosque... Consider first the REASON behind having a charter org... leadership, liability, meeting place, support. Youth ministry, helping hand, good stuff versus bad, alternative to gangs, ... Have fun with your Cubs.

Been alittle there, done some of that... When the boy crossed over, I followed along. Offered my time as a ASM, and was accepted. Started making suggestions at Committee meetings, and sat in on PLC with SM. Listened and mused. Turned out I was the first ASM to try and be active. I soon realized the SM saw me as a possible threat, so I took him aside one night and assured him I thought he was an OK guy and I had no desire to be SM. I was beginning to be active on District level. So I go to R/T and bring things back to Troop... (SM sings in Choir on same night) Then an interesting thing happened. The Committee made the connection between my name and the name on the Eagle Award Plaque! Was I the same boy way back when? Yeah, I was. WoW! How'd you like to be our UC? We haven't had one in a while... I told'em my training said the UC really couldn't be connected so close to the unit he commished. And the Unit usually doesn't name it's own UC. Oh. News to them. The last UC had been the CC. (!) So the SM is urging the PLC to take an active role in planning and leading. Then the fellow in charge of planning the family camp over the LAbor Day Weekend (park permits, etc.) announces that , due to a lack of interest, (true) anyone going will be family camping (boys camp/eat/ with family, not boys). Presto! lot's of interest, but no boy planning. Big fun weekend had by all, but no boy olanning. SM realizes it, we talk about next time... Is it the Patrol Leader's Council or the Patrol Leader's Parents' Council? Aside::: Anyone heard the Bob and Rays' "Slow Talkers of America"?

""A bad day camping is better than a REALLY bad day camping"" Worse piece of gear? The one I forgot to bring... "...no. YOU were supposed to go in the pantry and get the OFF".

1) ?Life Ring Throw?? 2) Recruit more SScouts? From other local Troops? VCrews? Ships? 3) ?Bucket Brigade relay?? 4) More than one station (see #2) Oww...

Our sponsoring church has a nice plaque on the wall, three actually, that list each Eagle, and date of award. There is room for more, it can easily be added to as the corps grows. I think it's very impressive and tasteful, in the hall from the entrance door to the Scout meeting room. The stave idea is good, but I wonder about it's 'portability' and (?)lack of obviousness? Could it be 'borrowed' or (shudder) lost? Reminds me of a Roman Legion's 'Signe", perhaps. Perhaps make it from a rough log, even larger than 3", just strip the bark off, leave it 'branched, polyurathane it, and add a Bronze Eagle perched on it's top. OOO OOO... I bet somebody knows somebody who knows a wood carver that might be inspired to help out with the project...There was a chain saw carver at our County Fair that did outstanding work. Proceed as the Spirit leads! YiS

##Have a seperate, appropriately solemn ceremony for the Scouts, let the Scouts and family have their day, but make the rest of the world aware... This is an occasion, after all, doesn't happen every day... What an opportunity.... RUN WITH IT!! ##Make sure your DE and Council Scout Executive are aware. ##Media attention. Call/write/email every tv station, newspaper in the county and state.Dun them. Appoint a "Media Chair". Don't forget the Scout Media... Boy's Life... Scouter Mag... Local Council screed... ##Contact every Eagle from years gone by you can. Group picture. Elicit congratulatory letters from them. Any famous or nearly so among them? Heck, Make it a reunion... Put ads in the papers, articles in advance, to scare up 'old Scouts'. ## The White House loves to hear about these things... Who knows who might show up if you invite him/her??? ##The local Town Politicos, State Legislature/ Federal Senator, Congressman...Their attendance will guarantee media attention... Scouts do good, yes? ##Scout around for a local "Scales and Tales" program from the local State Park service. Can you get a REAL Eagle (or Hawks, at least?)to be present?. A Falconer? Hoo boy. Congrats to the nascent Eagle(s). YiS

All good ideas above...Sounds like you want to camp and travel by car to the DC area... I work for the transit system, so some of my stuff may be biased, but any way (all this is personal exp.)... +Greenbelt Park is nice (NPS), reserve a long way ahead. Lots of out of towners. Walk (hike) to the Metro station. Nearby: Goddard Space Flight Center (drive), College Park Aviation Museum (oldest airport in America. Wright brothers trained the Army there. Sikorsky did NOT invent the helicopter)(Metro= College Park), University of Maryland. +On the NW side of the area: Little Bennett State Park (Clarksburg, Maryland) Good group camping, well kept. 20 minute drive down to Shady Grove Metro Station. Rural, locals. Historic hiking trails.500+ acres. +SW side: In Virginia: Camp William B. Snyder, O&O by National Capital Area Council (Hay Market, VA). Almost new. Large swim pool. Cub Scout venue camp (play areas), but large wooded camping area WITH TENTS (!) if you ask soon enough. Dining hall possible. 400+ acres. Off I66, must drive to Metro 25 minutes. Udvar-Hazy on the way. + S side: I have heard that if you know someone who knows someone, arrangements can be made to camp in Quantico or Fort Myers. Just a rumor, you understand... Suggestions::: Avoid August, most humid, hot time of year here. But OTOH, traffic is down 15% as lotsa folks MOVE OUT...Get Metro passes ("PASSES"...good all day from 9:30am m-f & Sa-Su for unlimited on & off. not "farecards") in advance, by mail. Not a bad idea to order extra. They get lost. Good on day started, like cash, keep'em until you use'em)... Avoid driving into DC at all costs. Parking is expensive when you can find it. Use Metro and shoe rubber. Bring water jugs and pack lunch, if you can, but lots of good little eateries in area. ("Keep Washington Green... Spend Money") +The National Aquarium is in Baltimore (as are lots of other neat things to see and do, another thread), but in DC there is a small Aquarium in the basement of the Commerce Dept. It's free (or was) and worth an hour of air conditioning on a hot summer day. +"Smithsonian" includes many, many museums and exhibits including the A&S, the Nat. Zoo, most of the Art (Hirschorn, Portrait,etc.).All free. +Air & Space Museum on the Mall , Udvar-Hazy A&S addendum is out in Chantilly, VA. Free adm. Special Metrobus from the Mall, or drive. Lots of REAL aircraft in each, ya pays yer money and takes yer cherce. ***Now Metro::: As I said, buy the passes in advance, parking is available at most of the outer Metro stations (check your map), but the space gets eaten up early by commuters. Legality and Irony: the All Day Pass doesn't start until 9:30am, but by then the lots are often 110% full. There is a section marked "Reserved". In this section, folks pay extra for a special permit. The spaces are 'permitted' until 10am, then anyone can park there. And if you want some adventure, get a Metrobus and Ride-On and Fairfax Connector Bus maps to get around. All Day Bus Transfer is $3.00 cash, buy'em on the bus. Parking is $4.00 per day. Credit cards accepted at the Stations. ++++White House? Capitol? Congressmans Office? DO NOT take your pocket knives. They will be confiscated. You CANNOT leave them with the guard.He/she WON'T keep them except permanently. +++Use the Buddy System, carry watches, make firm plans to meet HERE at THIS TIME. Gas is presently $2.78 per gallon in my Maryland Cheap Station. Wear the uni everywhere you go, and accept graciously when some old man pays for the whole Troops ice cream. Happened to me. Good luck and Good Scouting. See you on the Metro, mebbe.

""Webelos lll"" I like that. Think I'll use it for descriptive purposes...

Find/beg/borrow: "Flanders and Swann: At the Drop of a Hat" and give a listen to "The Cannibal Song" for the proper perspective on carnivores...

Herr Jambo: Wo finden sie die "umlaut"?

Guten Tag, wie gehts? Welcomen zu der Campfuervirtual. And that's about all I can remember at 5am . Ich muss meine Deutsch uben.