SSScout

Dinosaur fossil hunt? Nothing could be more Scouty…. ""....Arlton Murray, who worked with fossils at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, hid his own time capsule in a dinosaur installation in 1947. The wooden box — containing Murray’s Boy Scout membership card and a note about one of the installations — was a surprise find five years ago as the museum’s Fossil Hall was taken apart for renovation...."" ""...It took a bit of research to discover the significance of the Boy Scout card . . . Murray discovered his passion for fossils on a Boy Scout outing. "" https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/?utm_term=.20cf958898ee He was a Scoutmaster in 1945.....

Our Meeting made almost ten dollars the first day this was installed.... Easy to build, DIY , perhaps an Eagle Service Project for your church?

Yep... A Scout is Brave.... It all depends on how untenable the situation is, and whether one either transfers out or tries to improve things where one is.

The well mannered kid wants to be ignored and the badly behaving one wants the attention. It is a learned behavior. Too late for the parents to re-learn how to direct the child... As a sub teacher, I learned early on to call the kid's bluff. (he 's just a sub, he won't do anything..." yes he will and has). 7th grade science class. Average suburban school, overcrowded class, tho. Class was about volcanoes ! Neat video about Hawaii and Kileuaua, which I had happened to have been to. Girl in back of class on cellphone, talking LOUD. I continue my lecture, walk back and take the phone out of her hand, saying "you may pick this up after school", walk back to front of class and continue.... you never saw such a surprised look on a girl's face. She later apologized, and I had no problems with any other class that day.

Definitions: If the SM is THE SM, then he is a registered Scouter, has taken the required training, and is up to date in his dues (unit pays that?). If not.... If the ASM's are all up to date and registered and trained, then any of them is "Qualified" to be THE SM. If the ASMs are in agreement (sounds like it from this reporter), then they should form an Ad Hoc Committee to collect/document/write down the problems. Present these to the CO and IH and then as a sort of "intervention", as a group to the present SM. He can either accept the truth and resign (he ain't gonna change) or he can realize he is going to be replaced and retired with the appropriate "thank yous".

BSA Range Safety Officer... things that are launched.... BB's, .22's, Toxiphilology, , catapults, tomahawks, rocks, baseballs, snowballs, javalins, shotputs, discus, frisbee (ultimate), flaming marshmallows, etc.

Back in the (ahem) good old days, (Bobcat, wolf, bear lion, Webelos….), one Cub Scout cap, one Cub necker, one Cub slide/woggle. Blue shirt thru Webelos, khaki shirt when one became a Boy Scout . My "activity " shirt was the t shirt for the Cub Scout softball league (Yep ! You heard right). I often tell Cub Packs, when I hear complaints about the expense of a new hat & necker each year, if the Pack finds agreement in it, decide to wear ONLY one necker thruout , one cap thruout. When Webelos was made a twoyear program, and the AoL became the last "rank" rather than an "award", the rank of Lion was eliminated. THEN.... BSA looked at Daisy Scouts, said "wow" and decided the best rank for a first grader would be.... Tiger Then Kindergarten needs a Cub rank, make that.... Lion. .. So much for the natural size/strength progression. Lost the Jungle Book reference. It used to be official, now only if the locals bring it up. I could wax poetic about this stuff all night, but I have to help set up and run the Scouterhorn at the Sandy Spring Museum Strawberry Festival tomorrow, that is, if I have sufficient Scouts and adults to help.... Good night all.

In my time as the Scout Skills fella at CSDC, I always found a need for a dozen or so USFlags of various sizes to teach the Cubs Flag Etiquette and vexilollogy. The history of the USflag is always interesting. Make contact with your County and State offices. They will have county and state flags that are still usable for ceremonies and gifting to Packs and Troops. AND TOO.... you can make a Scout Camporee event with some old flags. https://www.dropbox.com/s/dbxthcsx6330q22/FlagUSCampCompScore.docx?dl=0 Read thru the instructions. Make a study of WHY the Patrol of four wants to choose the BIG flag. And smile as they attempt to fold it in 40 mph winds..... rather than choose the sure thing of the smaller flag. In more calm days I have seen a Patrol of four do a very good job of the big flag, where a Patrol of eight struggles to work together to accomplish the task. Patriotism? More a demonstration of working as a team, rather than individually.

"Threshing Crew" Breakfast, for sure. Start early, make sure you have LOTS of publicity, signage out front weeks before. coordinate scheduling with other community events. Too many breakfasts, too close together, means no one earns what they could. Maybe catch breakfast on the way to the church bazaar? The Fire House Open House? etc...

Thank you, Petey091, thee speaks my mind. I was shown/taught a version by my IOLS leader. He would take a old flag or two or three, depending on the size of our class, , cut out the Union, tear the strips apart so each attendee might have a significant piece to hold. We never mentioned the grommets, some flags don't have such. The Unions were handed to IOLS Staff or someone "special" (for whatever reason). At the evening campfire, after the skits and songs, he would speak about his Italian father and his coming to America, his service in WW2, and then invite folks to add their piece of the flag to the fire and , if they were so moved, speak of their connection to America. This always elicited many moving stories. "It is, after all, only a colorful scrap of cloth. It is we who give it history and significance."

So? Must pick and choose, I guess. Go to the Scoutshop, buy some extras, put a mix on your "extra" Scout shirt. Or on your Campfire Blanket..... I have two uni shirts, slightly different patches on each. My pride in awards/accomplishments need not be so important to the Scout I pass on the trail, only the stories I can tell around the campfire.....

Howdy, fifthGenTexan….. Whoever ends up being your CM, it all takes cooperation. The Scouts, no matter what age, see and pick up on "what's right" in inter human behavior by being around other humans bigger and more powerful than they. Parents, Scout Leaders, do they argue, or discuss? Do they INSIST and REQUIRE? Do they cooperate and get things done or sit around and (shudder) drink beer at inopportune times? The best Scout Unit Committees in my experience have no "guidelines", if only the Scout Promise and Law. These folks just know what needs to be done how and talk and work and cooperate to get it done. Some folks call it "consensus". The best operating units , the CM or SM have a very good relationship, open and working, with the CCh. Good luck to you.

"Pockets? You had pockets?" Our West Point style shorty jackets had ONE chest area pocket, as I remember. None in the trou. And these were umpteen years old when we were in them. We were issued our particular band uniform because it was closest to our size, our mom(s) (!) were instructed to NOT cut any material, but ONLY slit stitching and resew as appropriate. Suspender buttons....

"""Dinosaur lunchbox, hidden in Smithsonian museum, features family and work mementos."" ""....Arlton Murray, who worked with fossils at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, hid his own time capsule in a dinosaur installation in 1947. The wooden box — containing Murray’s Boy Scout membership card and a note about one of the installations — was a surprise find five years ago as the museum’s Fossil Hall was taken apart for renovation...."" ""...It took a bit of research to discover the significance of the Boy Scout card . . . Murray discovered his passion for fossils on a Boy Scout outing. "" https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/?utm_term=.20cf958898ee He was a Scoutmaster in 1945.....

Hydration. My high school band uniform was worsted wool. We had no "seasonal" uniform. Dry clean after every parade in the summer months. Sweat and sweat. Long cotton or nylon pants aren't a problem. Uniform means "uniform" so the Scouts at least in the color guard should all be uniformed the same. Same long pants, same type of Scout shorts, same caps, same socks, same type of shoe/boot.

What Malraux said. RTC would earn the Commish Arrow, etc. I have not heard of a Scouter Training Award for RTC or RTCStaff either.

Wow, just getting caught up with my 'net stuff. We just had our combo IOLS/BALOO course up near Harpers Ferry, this past 17-18 May also ! Well attended, rained on, campfire was both outdoor and under cover.... All good reviews. The BALOOvians came away with the BALOO cert (they all had the online stuff done !) AND the SMS stuff , so when the time comes, they will not need to take IOLS again ! Only the indoor SMS material. Every Council/District training committee needs to consider, the BALOO and IOLS curriculum are VERY similar. Almost identical. Why not combine them , with some Cub philosophy sections as necessary. It works for us.... I only wish "they" had approved the idea of the SMS folks receiving the BALOO cert too. Why couldn't a ASM accompany a Cub Pack camping?

The three words no Scoutmaster wants to hear: "HEY ! WATCH THIS ! ! " The three words we hope to hear: " I'm a Scout."

Oh, it is possible. Take the calendar and mark the days necessary, scheduling is a real skill inherent in getting things done. Once upon a time, there was a fairly new Scout Troop that was very active, hiking, camping, going places. The Scouts made rank along the way, but they were more concerned with DOING Scouting, altho the Scouts didn't call it that at the time, rather than passing requirements. That sort of happened automatically. The dads all helped, Merit Badges? Oh yeah, those.... A new kid joined. His dad was "regular" Navy, an officer. The new kid announced, publically (!), that he would be Eagle by a certain date, he had done the math, and added some time for "adjustments" and there it was.... The older Scouts soon realized, he could then become the first Eagle of the Troop . How is this possible? The older Scouts got together and started finding MBCounselors, planning events to help satisfy the upper rank requirements. The "new" kid, now an active Scout, found that often (as we all know), "life happens after you make plans". He eventually became the THIRD Eagle Scout of the Troop.....

Yep. Times change. I was my Patrol's treasurer for a time. I had a Tobacco pouch (zippered, leather, rubber lined, perfect for the task) to keep our money in. I collected money for camp food, camp fees, Scout dues (!) which I had to pass on to the Troop Treasurer. At age 12-13, 14, I had a book where I wrote all this down, and had to report to my Patrol, at our weekly meetings (!) as to who had paid what to whom. I might have anywhere from $5. to almost $100. in that pouch at any given time.... Any time we have an App, a Computer connection, a pass thru, a non-paper transaction (yeah, even Scouter.com) somebody somewhere is skimming some fee off the top and gaining some monetary emolument. Ya wanna know why your medical treatments are so high? Ask your Medical Care Provider (not necessarily a doctor!) how many staff are in that office. How many computers. Certainly, MRI's and EEGs and Sonigrams save lives, all well and wonderful, but how has your life been improved with all the rest? We do pay for the "convenience". My parent's pediatrician (for me) had ONE nurse. Just the Doc and the Nurse. Paper files and notes. Our lives depend on ENIAC, Colossus, Mr. Gates and company. I am reminded that you can make a million dollars by selling 20,000,000 pencils for a nickel a piece, or ONE pencil for $1,000,000. Depends on your selling ability. "Office Space" comes to mind....

Case one: When I coached my daughter's soccer team (4th 5th graders), we always had water available on the side lines. I soon (after the second game!) realized the girls were NOT availing themselves of the water, even in the mandatory time outs our league required. So I required: Before the first and every other kick off, EVERYONE sat down and drank one cup of water. Then I gave'm the coach's peptalk and technique talk. Then they ran out and played. I noticed an immediate increase in hustle and we even started winning a few. Case two: At the NatJam in 2005, it was hot and dry in A.P.Hill . As Chaplains, we were supposed to be sensitive to Scout discomfort, heat prostration being a very real possibility. I was doing duty in our Chaplain Desk Tent, with another Chaplain. Some Scouts came up and asked for some water, my partner chastised them for not carrying their own canteen and was about to turn them away. I spoke up and said, yeah , but A Scout is Kind, come on in, and pointed to our orange Igloo water barrel. My partner looked askance at my interruption, but held his tongue. We turned away no one else during our shift. Case three: Way back when.... My Scout buddy and I took off from our troop campout to scale Maryland Heights above Harpers Ferry. We came "prepared", I had my "standard issue" AL. BSA two quart canteen , my buddy Paul had a one quart, both started out full, and some snacks. Our Troop leaders (Mssrs. Leaman and Atwell) knew where we were going and we had a map. "be back in time for dinner clean up !" It would be about 7 miles round trip as I recall (boy, could an unescorted pair of Scouts do that today? ). Our canteens were empty when we returned, I remember being very thirsty when we regained the camp. Case five: Cub Scout Day Camp. We actually had a Cub REFUSE to drink water that was not FLAVORED or SWEET! My CSDCDirector wife had to send for the Cub's parents to come and pick up their urchin after he refused to drink any ordinary water. Coke? Gator Aid? Sprite? The parents said that was OKAY with them, but since the Camp would not provide the sugary drink, it was stipulated the Parent either had to be there with the Cub to provide same, or the Cub could not attend. Guess which happened?

Now that is a very good reason to my mind.

Rickmay: Welcome to the virtual campfire. Rollover an e-log and set a spell. Woodbadge should be a desire, for sure, but get some "regular" Scout time and training under your shoulder straps first. I really like PPj's list. It is more specific than I have seen before. When you get to WB, they will ask you to design some projects to accomplish, using the training and ideas you have garnered. You should have the time and experience behind you to see what can and needs to be done. Therefore, get your "Leader Specific" training completed, whatever you see your role in Scouting to be. In the mean time, any excuse to go camping, eh? See you on the trail.

Scout brought NO Scout uniform to Scout camp. He brought a junior Marine BDU suit, thinking he would wear this all week. He was slated to be the SPL for the week! His dad was ex-Marine nd obviously the kid adored his dad. We had a long sitdown with him, was he a Scout or a Marine? We managed to borrow enough Scout uniform parts for him and he came to understand the difference between between being a Scout and being a Marine.... He came to be a very able SPL. When his dad found out he was very surprised, disappointed and proud, all at the same time.

Thanks for the agreement. Problem is, a Trailer has many more of the troubles you allude to. Ownership: A private person, long term "loan" of use? CO ownership? Some sort of Troop Association ownership? Who pays/owns the tags and insurance? Maintenance, new tires brakes, etc.? A shed just SITS there. Repair/replace the roof every ten, twenty years. Coat of paint to match (Scout service project !) . When I was a Scout, each Patrol had their own gear, there was NO "Troop" gear. The Patrol Quartermaster had charge of the Patrol Gear (his basement, garage corner...). How things have changed.....