SSScout

An idea that I always thought would go: "OutDoor Rec Rummage Sale" Needs: Your CO's basement Social Hall and parking lot. Organization. Tables and chairs. Good weather (!) Folks rent a table or Parking space. Sell their extra sleeping bags, tents, pack frames, hammocks. Promote to Troops, outdoor stores, private citizens. Notices in the newspapers/facebooks/community bulletin boards.... Your expenses are time and muscle to set up, MAYBE ads in the local penny papers. Your profits are the rent fees and (?) sales percentage, but I would leave it at the table rent.

To answer your query, I must go back to my Wood Badge. I signed in as a Assistant Scoutmaster, but I helped a lot with my wife's (she was the CSDC Director) Day Camp. When we began to discuss my possible Tickets, I proposed some ideas that included Cub Scout things . My WBGuide told me "oh no, you're a BOY Scout person. Your Tickets can't do Cub Scout things. Ummmm. Let me talk to the Director." He came back with the Director, and they both praised my ideas, but again , said, "so long as you are registered as a Boy Scout Leader (ASM) you can't do Cub Scout stuff. HOWEVER (conspiratorial smile), if you registered as a COMMISSIONER (here they handed me an adult application!), you could do things in ALL the Scouting programs !" "Great !" I said... "what's a Commissioner?" Sounds like Bill Cosby's Noah's Ark routine: "Right! What's a cubit?" So I signed on as a Unit Commissioner. Took the Commish training, did my Tickets, (Cub and Boy Scout items) and I CAN DO (almost) ANYTHING (!) that my little Scout heart desires. I work CSDC, Camporees, IOLS, I present to new units, I talk to newspaper people, I Chaplain at Jamborees and other Camporees. I eventually got named a Deputy District Commish, then when that was discontinued I was named a Assistant District Commish, then I became the Roundtable Commish. So that is my "fun" .

There are many Wood Badge facebooks. " Back to Gilwell" is one, and they get many overseas notations with pictures. Try them...

We are the results of our choices. Trust lost must be re-earned. Your manfriend (he isn't a "boy", is he?) is not family , yet. He shows much maturity by his patience. He should sign up in my dot scouting dot com and take the Youth Protection Training. I assume you have already, if you were a Den Leader. He will be accepted in the Scout "family" by his willingness to put the Scout's needs and activities first. It will come, but as has been said, right now , he is not "family" per Scout definition, but he is your "guest". Smile alot, accept the ignorance of others as something you may not change immediately. Educate them with your actions and forgive them their lack of tolerance (which is not the same as "intolerance", yes?) . Your comparison of your manfriend's history with that of others (small town, gossip, etc.) is understandable and IMO should not be stooped to in your efforts to have your son's Scout career include his new adult friend. Good Scouting to the three of you. See you on the trail.

Early on in my career as a parent, I resolved a couple of things. One, I would try very hard to always be truthful to my children in all things (even Santa Claus, another story), two, I would try very hard to never make a threat to them I was not willing to carry out (and then carry it out!) , three, if I thought something was important enough to require me playing the "parent card", I would (see number two). Weather clothing sometimes meant I had to play the "Parent Card". But I also reminded them that if it was COLD enough for a BIG COAT for me, it was cold enough for a BIG COAT for them !. 6 year old Daughter: I want to wear my polka dot dress. Dad: Yes, it is very pretty, and you are cute as a button in it. I do think it needs to go in the wash, tho, because you've worn it two days to school, and it is very dirty. Daughter: BUT I WANT TO. Dad: Yes, I see that, but I love you and I don't want your friends at school to laugh at you . They'll think you don't know how to wash ! And they'll think you don't have any other clothes! You'll begin to smell bad, too. Hey, I have more than one good looking suit, you know... Daughter: BUT I LIKE IT< I WANT TO WEAR IT ! Dad: Oh, I like it too, but I like it better clean. I will wash it tonight and if you want to wear it tomorrow, you may. Now, what else would you like to wear? You pick it out .... (Daddy voice) or I will pick it out myself.... Daughter: Promise I can wear it tomorrow? Dad: Promise.... Scene: Cub Scout Pack meeting. Young Cub has shown a habit of only just wearing his Cub uniform shirt, not even buttoning it up or tucking it in. Mom has sewn all his patches on correctly. Doesn't wear his neckerchief, his mom carries it . He seems to have fun with the other Cubs. I ask his mom (single mom) about this. She says he is uncomfortable in "buttoned" shirts. And says the necker is "uncomfortable" to him. Next meeting, I kneel down in front of him and say "Hey , Tom, let me button up your shirt for you. I know that's kinda hard to do, sometimes". His mom stands behind him while I do this. He does not resist. I ask for his necker and drape it around his neck, pull up the slide about half way. His mom has a look of concern, but Tom doesn't resist. I say "wow, look at you, handsome kid, don't you think, Ms Jones?" He comes to the next meetings buttoned and neckered and tucked.....

I am reminded of the IOLS scenario: The three words no SM wants to hear: "HEY, WATCH THIS !" Heal quickly and well, friend....

*sigh* ""I will do my best to - Be clean in my outdoor manners, Be careful with fire, Be considerate in the outdoors, and Be conservation minded. "" Now, all one has to do is define "considerate", "clean" and "conservation minded."

Farm Mechanics. At least two sessions, one in my workshop/back deck bench, working with handtools. Then we go next door to a neighbor's, who has a real tractor to look at and crawl around on. Learn what a Zerk fitting is, meshing gears. In between, they have homework, to find a tractor or a RIDING MOWER , not a hand pusher even with a motor. They are to change the oil and lubricate the turning parts. Extra credit if they can take off the blades and sharpen them, as they saw me do the first session, with a hand file . Second session, we go and visit a farm implement and tractor dealer. Big things taken apart, belts, gears, sharp moving parts. Thank you , Gladhill brothers. And we discuss what a good workshop might include/look like.

I am a firm believer in teaching history "on site" as much as possible. Book learnin' isn't as important as knowing WHO that person is in the old photograph. (any family albums out there need labeling? Once you're gone, no one else will know that's Aunt Mahitabel next to the old Buick...) One of my minor victories: There is a local restaurant, nice place good food, pleasant staff/company, that has lots of old historic photos on the walls. Garnered from a local museum and families. There is one that is of Finneyfrock's blacksmith shop. I grew up with my dad dealing with Dudley Finneyfrock, Jr. and this is a photo of Dudley's Great Grandfather standing in front of his barnlike shop, circa 1870. The coal fired forge inside was a part of Dudley's shop (updated and expanded tho it was) until it was torn down to make way for the intersection expansion in about 1970. This picture was rather iconic for the area, except no one noticed until I finally pointed out that the negative had been printed BACKWARDS. And yep, there it was, a sign in the background, backwards. We found a correctly printed version in a historic tome, so there was no arguing about it. Now, it's a conversation piece for the restaurant. Our kids are the less for not having the connection with where they came from. My Scoutson and others often ask me about when Georgia Ave. was only two lanes, instead of the six we have now.....

OldScout448, you know where to find me, methinks.... PM me if you must. C&O sounds good, regardless. Scoutson will come. Woodlawn Manor to start?

KiS MiF.... "Okay, Cubs, here are your ropes... Notice the different colored ends. These are the best, Peruvian Bi-colored, double ended ropes we could get. They were picked from the jungle plantations at the PEAK of maturity. Now remember --- when you go to the store to buy some rope, NEVER , NEVER buy single ended rope. ALWAYS insist on rope with two ends ! ! Trust me, single ended rope is inherently defective , and will cause you nothing but trouble ! ALWAYS buy double ended rope !! " ....about this time, your Cubs will be smiling and tilting their heads and looking at you sideways (?? Wha....??) and you will have them. ***Before the "class" (never call it a class, reeks of school. Session, Skilltime, Rigging, something , anything else), You have cut sash cord into 4 to 5 foot lengths and dipped the ends in glue or wrapped them in duct tape to prevent the unraveling. You have then layed the ropes on your driveway and spray painted about two feet of one end a contrasting color (one end red, one plain). This allows a better way to SEE how the knots tie. And you have produced enough so that each Cub may take home his " Peruvian Practice Rope". Then go on to tell them the "Jargon".... ""Right. Now, the men that use ropes all the time , sailors, riggers, crane operators, steel erectors, use a LANGUAGE, a JARGON, and we will learn that language. Here (hold up the rope ), this is a rope or LINE. the part that doesn't do much in the knot tying (throw this over your shoulder) is the "STANDING PART" say that ( they say it) What? (they say it LOUDER) . Good. The end that moves around, runs around (throw the rest of rope around alittle), is the "RUNNING END" (""running end""). Good ! If I make a U shape, that's a BIGHT, (they all say bight). If I cross the Running End .. over the Standing Part, that's a" LOOP" . Now, as YOU are looking at it, if the Running Part goes OVER the Standing part, that's an OVER LOOP. and if the Running End goes UNDER the Standing Part, that's an.... Right ! Under Loop, you kids a good... " Go on to teach the Overhand Knot, Figure Eight Knot, Square/Reef Knot, Clove Hitch, Two half Hitches, etc. Use the Jargon. Give them the pride of ownership and "inside dope". Use your Boy Scout Assistants . HANDS ON, if you have to stand behind the Cub and manipulate their hands, DO IT. Teach your Scout Assistants to do this. GET INVOLVED. "Great! Any of you Cubs know who Isaac Newton is? (some of the older ones may) Do you know his Three Laws of Motion? (Here you can repeat them , simply, for review. Look'em up). But did you know... When he sent them off to his publisher, there were FOUR Laws of Motion ! Yep, Seems that somebody spilled coffee on them and wiped out the fourth law, umm umm. We have recently discovered what that Fourth Law is... (throw your Big Rope out to a Cub to hold on) You Can't Push A Rope. (push on it ) Ropes are ONLY good in Tension (pull on it. Play with this for awhile. )" When the CSDC Director says "of course they learned these eight knots...." You can, with authority tell her/him, no, in my 50 minute session, They learned these four knots.... Learned and learned their use. The Den Walkers (Adults !) learned them too ! Insist on their participation ! Don't EVER let the escorts just sit there.... MiF KiS. "MR. SSSCOUT, MR. SSSCOUT ! ! (here the Cub holds up a tangle of rope) What knot is this?" "What's your name, Scout?" "Johnny Smith !" "Well, that's a Johnny Smith knot !" If it is a "class", if the Cubs HAVE to go thru it, if it's a CHORE,,,, do you really think they'll remember it? MiF KiS MiF.....

Oh, I think my daughter might have accepted GS if Elsa had been her GSTroop Leader....

I think I'll put this thread here, rather than Open Discussion. It is , after all , about "Working With Kids", yes? Or not working with them.... There is a new discussion in our District, about why our Cub Packs seem to be oozing life. not growing, disappearing. This led to some talk about why kids join (and depart?) Scouts. The Council is interested in the "Departure Interview", and there is a section on the Field Sheets that can record some of the reasons heard. But not all. Here is a list, anecdotal, for sure, of some of the reasons I have heard over the years from the boys, the parents. I can add another list of reasons why girls haven't joined (or left) Girl Scouts, for another time.... An "Exit" interview is always nice, if sad. "Why did you leave our Scout Troop?" Here are some of the things I have heard thru the years ::: * Our family moved. * The Scoutmaster is a jerk. * I was expecting a fun, adventurous time and we only got lectures. * I was put on the Varsity/Concert Band/Chorus. * Scouting is dorky. * I finally had enough backbone to tell my dad no. * Never did like dirt and bugs. * Our family does more camping than this Troop. * Meeting times interfere with my kung fu/Hebrew/chorus/pre-med/ class. * I can't deal with the bully. * No one understood/helped with/allowed for our autistic/handicapped son. * I can't agree with the religious requirement/allowing homosexuals/girls/leftist/rightist/militaristic/too liberal/not Christian as I expected ... tendencies of BSA * Don't see the need for all the "requirements". * Too expensive. (I never understood this one) * No leadership in the unit. What did we pay for if not "leadership"? * Summer camp was losey, bath house was filthy, merit badge classes were not well taught, food was poor. * They lost too many of my paper forms. *

Thinking back, I now know part of what I became came from my dad and mom each insisting and giving me "manly" responsibilities as I grew up. I helped dad work on the car, fix things around the house, helped him in his business. He cooked sunday morning breakfast, so I learned to fry eggs and pancakes. When I went off to Boy Scouts from Cubs, I had a Troop where the older Scouts "apprenticed" the younger. As we got stronger, we went on the longer trips. Our Troop was fortunate to have "The Property", which was owned by somebody's brother's cousin or something. It was an easy 15 mile or so drive to the parking area, then a mile maybe walk into our campsite. It had a spring for water and a creek to put milk in for cooling. The fire wood came from a "dead" area of downed American Chestnut (!) that had died 30 plus years ago in the blight, but fallen and stacked up, it made for good axe and hatchet practice. Burned with a blue hot flame, I have never seen the like since. It is the Older Scouts, taking on the "older brother" role that makes a Troop successfully "Boy Led". If the senior Scouts are encouraged to go off and do nothing but Big Boy stuff, the Troop will inevitably become Adult Led, by default. Sure, the senior Scouts need to challenge themselves with Philmont and weeklong AT treks, but they cannot leave the "little kids" totally behind. Where is the encouragement to leave a legacy? Our society advances by learning from the past. Who teaches that past? Are there any Troop Traditions to pass on? I think I'll open anew thread....

xj-boonie, welcome to the ecracker barrel. Here in Murlin, we have many Scouter.com'ers. You say you are "getting into hammocking." I see that as no problem. My problem has always been "getting out" of the hammocking .

It does sound like a useful project that will ultimately be appreciated, if successfully done. My next question is, how do you show "Leadership"? Organization? It sounds very like a one Scout operation. Are there others involved in this? And I do not mean your parents....

These inspirational articles always bring me back to the one that I think may have "started it all" . . . This is always re-quoted in what some may see as "politically correct", but I still like the original: Within My PowerBy Forest E. Witcraft (1894 - 1967), a scholar, teacher, and Boy Scout Executive and first published in the October 1950 issue of Scouting magazine.I am not a Very Important Man, as importance is commonly rated. I do not have great wealth, control a big business, or occupy a position of great honor or authority.Yet I may someday mold destiny. For it is within my power to become the most important man in the world in the life of a boy. And every boy is a potential atom bomb in human history.A humble citizen like myself might have been the Scoutmaster of a Troop in which an undersized unhappy Austrian lad by the name of Adolph might have found a joyous boyhood, full of the ideals of brotherhood, goodwill, and kindness. And the world would have been different.A humble citizen like myself might have been the organizer of a Scout Troop in which a Russian boy called Joe might have learned the lessons of democratic cooperation.These men would never have known that they had averted world tragedy, yet actually they would have been among the most important men who ever lived.All about me are boys. They are the makers of history, the builders of tomorrow. If I can have some part in guiding them up the trails of Scouting, on to the high road of noble character and constructive citizenship, I may prove to be the most important man in their lives, the most important man in my community.A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different, because I was important in the life of a boy.

Well, our district already had it's Klondike Derby (50 degrees in Maryland last month)...

In suburban Maryland, a lot of Troops/Crews hike around, up/down Sugarloaf: https://www.hikingupward.com/OMH/SugarloafMountain/ and http://sugarloafmd.com/

Volunteer coordinator office.... Project/community service coordinator.... media/publicity advancement guy.... How does one Scout organize and "lead" more than himself in this effort? Posters, social media connections, newsletters, public libraries, referrals of willing John and Jane Q. Public to the various possible service organizations, connecting the Town Council into all of this and making something "Permanent" left behind (!) when you (the Scout) have moved on with your life (and your Eagle?). Volunteer Possibilities Catalog Cross reference of all the public service agencies and who to contact and what they need.... A lot of possibilities. A lot of nice possibilities. Useful, appropriate, complex... Might make building a bridge on a washed out park trail sound easy and straight forward.

""What do you call the Medical School Graduate with the lowest GPA? == Doctor""

Might start with our first Eagle Scout and trace his family? Ancestry dot com.....

I collect such memorabilia, too. Packed away in plastic, I Show it off sometimes... Any Scout Necker is appropriate . Woodbadge, Eagle, Jamboree, Troop, District, old time. "Wear it as long as thee canst". .. I sometimes do a "Necker" talk at some BoRs, I like to compare the one I wore as a Scout (big, 36" on a side, bright (faded) red, big design "ALWAYS ON THE GO" with dusty boots), how it was designed by the Scouts, talk about how the necker was treated as an emergency tool (first aid, extra rope, signal flag, etc. That's how mine got the holes and edge tears in it), and compare it to the modern Troop necker (about 24" on a side, light blue, standard BSA issue), how today's necker is more of a symbol, a ceremonial thing.... How times have changed...

I am getting into this conversation late, but because of the Mayors munificence (donations, support) would it not be appropriate to award HIM some special award ? A "sparkplug" or "Bowline" or "Cub Arch Support" award? Easy to make, fun and smiles elicited. Then , of course he could turn around and help present the other "special" awards. Why do we want celebrities and officials to write our nascent Eagles congratulatory letters?

""Eagle looks good on the college application"". So does a 4.0 average, AP classes, being a Rank Captain/Drum Major/student conductor in Band, Student Government Senator, ROTC Second Lewy, appearing in three plays, singing in the State Champion Chorus, Boy's State, winning a Merit Scholarship, the Russian Language Honor Society, Altar Boy/Acolyte, earning your Faith Award, earning 50% of your tuition, being able to write (by himself) a coherent paragraph on the student paper, design and build a computer controlled drone out of scrap materials, hiking the length of the AT one summer just because, painting the whole home house one summer because it needed it and "I thought I owed it to my parents", ... Those are just some of the things I have been told "look good on a college application". You might mention these to your college eager Scout and parent. Do any of THESE look good to him ? any have the same panache as "Eagle"? It depends on the view of whoever reads his application. What , indeed , does Eagle mean to him? This is one reason I have come to like the "project". It does tend to show what "Eagle" means to the Scout.