SSScout

The on-going debate not withstanding, (evmori makes some good points and scoutldr makes sense too) on behalf of my fellow Transit workers everywhere, I must protest the increase in the misuse of the term "throw under the bus" to indicate the lack of realization of what is really lost by any particular action. On behalf of the many baby washers (I use to be one) everywhere, I wish to protest (pre use) the unfortunate use of the term "throw the baby out with the bath water". Now, you were saying?

Just from the small glimpse of your Troop, I would advise going to the established camp this year, (summer'08) and consider CAREFULLY the idea of sponsoring your own summer camp NEXT year ('09) or later. * Planning * Insurance * activities * advancement opportunity * field trips away from campus *tents or bunk room or...* Standard equipment or personal * what does the offered 'farm' offer? * medical care * fire protection * stoves or campfire * sanitation* wood supply? * foul weather * etc etc. Back in prehistory when I earned my dinosaur herding MB, my Troop had a relative of a SM that owned some land and it became "The Property". We could camp there whenever we wanted. About a mile walk in from the main road, spring for water, creek for crawdads and trout, dug a privy, dead and downed American Chestnut (!) for fire wood. After ayear or two doing the overnight thing, the Troop fathers got together and organized a Summer Camp ("Camp Freedom") on The Property. We Scouts helped build a log cabin (a dad worked for the Telephone Co., all the creosote poles we could drag in), dug out and dammed the creek to form a splash hole, large Camp Fire circle, cleared four Patrol camp sites, , equipped them with formal fire circles, camp gadgets (splice practice), lashed together tables, poled tent frames, and for three years we went to the Council camp AND The Property. As I remember, the program at The Property was geared toward outdoor stuff, and at the Council Camp we could concentrate on the stuff we couldn't do at The Property (swimming, life saving, boating, canoeing, etc.). It was VERY worthwhile, but looking back on it, alot of parents took alot of 'annual leave' to make it happen. One dad was the camp Quatermaster. He was there all the time. One mom was the camp nurse. She was on us all the time to wash, brush, cook thoroughly. The Property was sold along time ago now, part is a religious retreat center, part is a piece of a local park, part is tract housing. I walked back in the woods there with my son a year ago and found the ruins of the cabin we built. No more American Chestnut. By all means, talk it up. You can "Do it Yourself", but it will be a lot of work. I'm not sure anyone in our present Troop would be willing to make the effort, even if we did have The Property to use. Sic Gloria Mundi YiS still.......

A Post Trophy? Past Atrophy? Apt Apathy? A Post Toasty ? Holy Guacamole.

Movie nights::: Copy right fees are a concern, but not a bad one. From our experience, there are three possibilities: * Use your own, personal, bought and paid for DVD. Show it "privately", that is to say, without "public" invitation (no advertising outside of the CO), but you will accept a donation and sell refreshmants. * Go on line and find the movie rental companies. There are fewer now than some years ago, but they do exist and will license a non-profit to show a film at a discount rate. That is to say, cheaper than a professional theater. Either DVD or real (reel!) film, usually 16mm. Got that old projector?? You can advertise and charge an admission. You are licensed to show the movie a specific number of times. Do not ask for a presently in the theaters flic. Think about your possible audience and ticket take versus the rental fee and see if it''s worth while. * If its a Disney film, they have (had? It''s been a while) a three tier contract: 1) Pro theater (big bucks), advertise all you want. 2) non-profit (church, school,etc.) show it ONCE, do not advertise to the general public, do not charge admission. 3) General showing. Ask for "donation", you may say you are showing a "comedy" or an "animated cartoon" or the like, but may NOT tell the name of the flic to the general public. And they may still tell you the film you ask for is "unavailable. Would you like ''Dumbo'' instead?" YiS

Yep. We are in a much more urban area ( I like to say we are on the edge of "creeping suburbia"). There are "Good Turns" and there are "Money Makers" . Depends on the expectations and previous arangements. The family that has lost a parent (however it happens) gets a "Good Turn" of yard work. The rest of the community contracts for shrub trimming and leaf raking. * I like the Yard Sale combined with Camp Cooking. I know of a Kiwanis Club that roasts a WHOLE STEER on a spit, over a VERY large charcoal pit. Lot of planning but oh, the PR and good eating. Not to mention the down wind aroma. * Any history nearby? Organize a guided tour? House tour? *Halloween is coming up... Haunted House? Local Lions club works with a Kids Sports League to hold a "Field of Screams" each year. Campfires, scary make believe walk thru. *What sort of touristy places are nearby? Sell nightcrawlers to fishermen? *Movie Nights? Borrow or rent a Digital projector and show the movie on the building side, have a family night movie picnic. Sell popcorn and cider too! Brainstorm!! YiS

Keeping in mind the need for a "Fund Raising Approval Form" (I think that''s what it''s called) from your Council, some possibilities I''ve seen/heard tell of/participated in::: * "Rent-a-Scout" ::Reserve a time to do yardwork, clean a garage, muck out the barn, paint the fence, etc. So much an hour per Scout. Don''t forget physical limitations, safety concerns and adult supervision. ("how come I can''t get my boy to do his chores at home but he''ll clean the neighbors garage?" One of life''s imponderables...). *Yes, we sell wreaths. Check on possible competition, and plan well for door to door selling, sidewalk selling ( table in front of the store with permission). Brochures to pass out? Posters? Newspaper/radio PR? Who accepts the tractor trailer delivery of wreaths? How much $$ up front? Order in advance? Lots of considerations, but our Troop makes $3,000 plus profit each year. * Three Troops divy up service at our County Fair. A week long in the summer, they deliver ice to concessions, pick up trash, direct traffic, messenger boy duty, help conductor the fair ground shuttle bus ( farm tractor and trailer), all for a contracted amount. This is their ONLY fund raiser and I understand do quite well by it. * For a fee, a Troop contracts to put up and take down an American Flag in the contractees yard every holiday (think up your list of patriotic holidays) Just a few ideas...

I am impressed. Eighteen Dens. 8 to ten (or more) boys each? And the CO limits rooms on one night for meeting? This CO needs to see the success this represents. Is this the only ''Childrens Ministry'' here? This is a religious organization, I would guess. The Pack leadeship should be rightly proud of doing something right. Possibilities: * Is there any legality/problem/ with Scout mitosis... Could the CO sponsor TWO Units? And arrange to meet different nights? * Do Unit parents have some connections to arrange for the Pack to meet at another location? VFDept? School cafeteria? Somebody''s extralarge rec room? * The traditional Den meeting is in someones Rec Room (DL?). Could Dens (some? all?) meet in family rec rooms and then meet for the once a month Pack meeting at the CO? ** I agree that the parents attitude indicates a possible problem, BUT... his desire to have his boy in a demonstrably excellent program, in his own CO, speaks worlds, despite his tantrum. Find a way to harness that energy. Recommend him to the District leadership? KiS MiF YiS...

Our Troop sells popcorn "under protest" (another thread) and we have other fundraisers. The Scout Accounts, to my knowledge, have never been used for anything other than camp fees, trip bus charters, and the like. Never for uniforms or personal gear that would not be Troop owned and ''borrowable''. HOWEVER... some years ago (before my time), a graduating Scout that (among other things) had early on earned his Eagle, asked for and was granted the use of his Scout Account to purchase an equipment trailer for the Troop. This was no small purchase, and the Troop has made good use of the 12'' two axle trailer. Friends of Scouting donation, perhaps?

Church CO is planning a new combination picnic pavilion/storage shed/BBQ grill. Church approaches Troop to 1) solicit financial donation (same for all church ministries and committees) 2) would Troop be interested in helping with the building? Pick and carry? Actual construction? (church father is prime contractor and very amenable to Scouts) 3)prime contractor is aware of Eagle project requirement. Would anyone be interested? Well, yes, a couple of boys make proposals for landscaping, building new picnic tables, building walk ways to and around the grounds,etc. Two Eagle candidates working together, Very Good...Eagle candidates are, in essence, subcontractors. Questions brought up: Troop service to CO? definitely. Benefit other than Scouts? definitely. Benefit Troop? eventually, no doubt we (and Cub Pack and Girl Scouts) would meet in and utilize the new facility. Troop does not own it, no limitation on use by others than Troop. Church and greater community will benefit. Projects are ongoing...

As in all of life, there will be ''go-getters'' and ''come-alongs'' and the ''eventuals''.. The Go Getters will see what they (or their parents) want (Wolf badge, Arrow point) and will nag and work to get it. The Come Alongs will see the Go Getters get theirs (the Wolf badge) and say to themselves "hey, I''d like to get that and be patted on the back in front of the Pack" and will come along to work and nag alittle more to get it. The Eventuals may or may not get it, but hopefully, seeing their friends up front of the Pack "getting it",,, they will, eventually. Give out the awards ASAP at the next Pack Meeting. It is a very active form of encouragement. MiF KiS YiS

Navigation Game::: Needs advance planning. As the Scouts arrive at the meeting place, they are given a card with some directions on it. This can be as exact as compass degrees and pace distances, or as fun as "face the NW door of the church. Turn right. Walk 100 paces straight . at Oak tree with biggest trunk..." etc. The goal is to get them 1) to think about how to get places and 2) get them to the next station where they learn about LNT fire building, etc. That station gives them a new card and on they go. Yeah, it is sort of like a scavenger hunt. I''ve seen this done inside the building, if it''s large enough . MiF KiS YiS

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