SSScout

Slowderby: Well noted. I always like to go back to the original: ~~“â€ÂReverence to God and reverence for one's neighbour and reverence for oneself as a servant of God, is the basis of every form of religion. The method of expression of reverence to God varies with every sect and denomination. What sect or denomination a boy belongs to depends, as a rule, on his parents' wishes. It is they who decide. It is our business to respect their wishes and to second their efforts to inculcate reverence, whatever form of religion the boy professes.â€Â†= Robert Baden-Powell, “Aids to Scoutmastership†= Give credit for an "activity"? If that is the Troops "culture", then give that credit. To expect or require a Scout to attend a specific religious service or participate in a specific religious ritual, that is just WRONG. I once was asked by a Scout if he HAD to go to the All-Camp "Scout's Own " Vesper service. I said no, but we thought it would be a good thing, and he might learn something new. He (and the rest of the Troop, too) went and there was no problem. It was a prayerful, spiritual service, with no specific, religious direction, maybe 20 minutes, I thought well done. Seemed to be a choice between either attend the service or stay back in camp and play Hearts.

""~~ about how to care for donkeys"" Q: Is that the bit about "getting the beasts attention first"?

Would Scouts join and STAY in Scouts if there was ONLY advancement? Earning little colorful scraps of cloth? What is the PURPOSE of "Advancement" ? One of the methods? Methods for WHAT? Is a Merit Badge, all by itself, "advancement"? Does a Second Class Scout really show he has "advanced" if he is awarded the First Class patch? "Advancement " , the word implies going forward, or improving.... forward ? from what lesser state? Improving? Getting better.... at what? Building a fire? Tie a knot better? Faster? Be ready to apply first aid? If some one KNOWS you are a Scout, does your "advancement" to a higher rank mean they should expect MORE from you, as a Scout? Just a few questions for your discussion......

The world is different. I served as the tempo SM at summer camp. Scout (13, First Class, PL) comes to me and asks if I would please sign a note attesting to the idea that he knew his CPR skills for his Emergency Preparedness MB class. I asked why, he said he had forgotten to bring the CPR card (a prerequisite for the MB) from the class he took before camp. I said I would review the CPR stuff with him, go get your ScoutHandbook. He said he didn't bring it with him to camp. EPrep MBBooklet? Nope. Then go borrow a ScoutHB from one of his buds. He returned with the book and we sat down. OK, I said, turn to the CPR section. He couldn't find it, it wasn't listed in the table of contents. Ok, turn to the index. What's that? He said he had never used an index. I flipped to the index, mmmmmm, CPR, page ... and there you are. Scout was impressed (!). We went over the CPR skills, he was good to go with them, and I gave him a note after extracting a promise he would attend the CPR class in camp later in the week. Index? Our Troop Scribe sent out emails about the past Troop meeting . Labeled them "Troop XYZ Minuets" Well, I thought, FINALLY our Scouts are learning some etiquette and social graces.....

"It depends".... Scoutson once complained to me about the amount of school work he had. He said ,"dad, it isn't fair. You had so much less history to learn than I do............"

Loan? LOAN? What about the need to get a return on the investment? What about the "best and usual" cost return necessary? Where is the RENTAL on this perfectly good, practically new, well maintained and conditioned (not to say the acceptor was fully capable and well experienced in the use and care of this) technically complicated and skill set required conveniently accommodated piece of necessary equipment? Ah? Not just ANYONE can be trusted with the use and care of a J.C.Higgins campstove and tent....

~~""How does WB relate to venturing? patrols? (none in crews) Which uniform? . if i wore our "official" crew uniform I'd stick out like I had two heads. "" WB is a Leadership course. It's lessons can be applicable to any Scout program, church program, work site or (shudder) family dynamic. Wear your uni and be proud. One of my courses had Venture folks, Cub folks, BScout folks, and a SeaScout Skipper. Talk about diversity!

This is a real "It Depends" thing. It depends on the responsible adult , it depends on whether they are Tigers or Webs, it depends on the tools available, workshop/garage/porch available..... When you settle on a project, be it "personal" or a "group" thing, make sure the boys have a hand, first in the choosing, and second in the interpretation (if not the creation) of the plans.... Hand tools , for sure. Home Depot can provide good simple projects, small step stools, bird houses, kitchen spice racks.... And this is definitely not a PWD thing. You need to find a REAL project, something that is USEFUL. A bookcase.... One of the hardest things is finding the hand tools. So many folks have collected powertools of various types. A 9 year old who has learned to handle a handsaw and cut a straight kerf is a kid who has gained no small amount of confidence and motor control. Hand drill? Brace and bit? Holding and pushing a block plane? This brings up the need to teach proper use. Never let the boy hold or use a tool unsafely or improperly. It is a TOOL. Respect the edge. It is not a "gun" or a "boat" or ... Howzabout building a fence for your CO? Ever see a 8 or 9 year old use a posthole digger? It is a joy (to me) to see him lift and push that thing, and then "help" his dad/uncle/CM to get it deep. That is satisfaction, getting a deep hole! Or a play ground set? Play Castle ? It should be a project that is relatively "mistake proof". That is to say, if the nail isn't exactly straight , or the cut perfect, it will still go together and function. Hence, a sturdy, simple step stool is good. You definitely let the boy try to cut with the saw, but if dad has to complete the job, that's okay. You make sure you make it clear that the boy has done a good try. As my dad, the one armed carpenter, use to say, putty and paint, glue and screw can hide a multitude of sins.... Building Cub Carts can be a fun thing. You get to "race" them afterward. The problem with these, tho, is who takes it home? It just seems so many boys have no chance to use their hands , to stack and put together. When I do CSDC, I am always surprised (why? I've been doing this so many years) how so many of these boys seem to have no sense of where their hands are. Their lack of a proprioceptive sense becomes apparent in Archery, Crafts, even folding flags. It becomes fun for them as if they have had no previous chance of throwing a rope or ball (at age 7, 8??) . Make the opportunity and watch the smiles....

Baggss: Nothing of the sort. I dug it out of the files. It reads like this: "Dear Ms Boss: The purpose of this letter is to commend one of your associates and to make you aware of the tremendous community service he has performed. J SSScout volunteered a week of his valued vacation time to spend with his Cub Pack at Heritage Scout Reservation ..... This unselfish service to young people reflects admirably on him as an individual , as well as upon you , the employer..... ...Everyone in our community has been enriched because he cared enough to help our children grow into better persons. The Scouts who participated in the week-long experience of outdoor living will be far better prepared for life, having developed self-reliance, learned the importance of individual initiative, and mastered Scoutcraft skills that will last a lifetime. Over 7,000 boys will have enjoyed this growth experience by summer's end . Sincerely, Robert J. Mazzuca Yep, I did that.....I think four of the eight Webs I went with stayed in Scouts....

"Use it or lose it". I MBC Bugle MB, and I surprise some people by encouraging the boy to "Be the Bugler". Work with the SPL for the communicative ability the bugle can give. No need to yell! Play "Attention" or "First Call" as appropriate. I offered my services to the WB course, and , wow, I was gratified by the compliments I garnered. It is ultimately up to the bugler to offer the services, rarely does the camp or ceremony or SPL or SM come asking.

Our CSDC is famous for it's fun and adventurous activities. Lots of Scouty stuff, lots of just fun stuff. On the last day (Friday) we had a "Water Fest": Lots of slip and slides, "helphelp throw me a rope" (and get pulled up a soapy plastic chute), water gun target practice (and the DE is the target), popcicle tag (gooey), tug'o war over the mud pit, and such. At the sound of the horn, take your Den to the next station. Lady comes up to me and says "this is the most unorganized thing I have ever seen! It's too messy! I can't see where we should be or when. I can't find my son ANYWHERE. What is the purpose here? What are we supposed to do"? I asked her what Den her son was in, she told me, I checked my schedule and pointed out where her son's Den was pulling on one end of the hawser and being dragged thru the water pool, laughing the whole time. I said, I thought her son was having a good time. She replied she couldn't see how, it was too chaotic, too disorganized..... "The work is done by whoever shows up". If your boy is not having a good time, if YOU think he's not having a good time or not learning the ideals and skills of Scouting, the two (or three? Mom too?) of you need to have a talk. Another Troop with different philosophy may be in the future. Do you have a Scout background? Were you a Scout way back when? Are you comparing that to now? If you see a difference between what you understand Scouting should be and what you observe in the real time operation of the Troop, then, certainly, speak up , politely, truthfully, diplomatically (pray over it first?) and see where the Troop leaders are coming from. I once wanted to join a club (not BSA) that interviewed me for membership. The interviewers were , shall we say, less than serious in their questions. I mentioned that if their attitude was indicative of the way the club operated, it certainly was not what I was expecting from their public pronouncements and reputation and I did not want to continue. I got up and left. They called me back, they apologized, and I joined. I was put on the interview committee. The club did good works, and we both gained from that exchange, so they said. You can have a good effect, but go slow and be upfront.

That is wonderful. More power to them.

Back in High School (you all remember High School, right?), I was the AV guy. Even was trusted with door keys. I helped with "movie nights", 16mm projectors, sound systems, extra exciter bulbs, etc. I have a (foggy) memory of the rental agreements involved.... if the movie was NOT Disney, you could show it FREE to a school group, ONCE (don't try to rewind it). We often did rewind (shudder) and show it again. The agreement was for a particular day, it arrived (by mail!) and was expected back in the mail the next available day. If we were "asking for donations" (charging admission) the rental fee was doubled. If it WAS a Disney film, the rental was more, the agreement specified we could NOT charge admission, NOT show it "publicly" and we DEFINITELY could NOT show it more than once. It had to be returned on the rewind reels provided. Ah, those were the days. The romance of projection....

~~Once upon a time, I went to summer camp with my Webelos Den. While I was there, the camp (alright, Heritage, you dragged it out of me) gave me a form to fill out. It asked me for my name, address, etc. and also my BOSS' name , company, address etc. If I turned this in, the Pitt Council promised to send a letter to my boss, thanking him/them for letting me off and complimenting them for having such an exemplary employee to use his own vacation time to help "mold the future of America". I filled it out, and lo, some weeks later, a letter appeared on my boss' desk, signed by the Pitt Council Chief Scout. I did not know him at the time, just a signature. Somebody by name of Mazucca. . She (my Division Chief) sent me a copy with her acknowledgement and congratulations . It went in my "file" and was mentioned at the next review..... Compliments were counted toward awards etc., so this was definitely a "good thing". Anybody ever seen anything similar? I have passed the idea on to three of the past DE's here, but no repeat recently. Might give the DE or CSE writer's cramp, but what an acknowledgement of our work and duty, eh?

Is this "University of Scouting"? That's what we have here... Read thru the catalog, you are sure to find something to interest you, lead you into other endeavors. BALOO, faith awards, "The Magic of Scouting", shooting sports.... "Is it worth going at the Cubmaster level? Why would it not? Next year you will either say "Gee that was fun!" or "Boy that was a waste of time". or "Darn, I wish I'd signed up for that". Which will it be?

Speaking of coffee mugs..... a local restaurant/hangout invites folks to donate their overage of mugs to them. They use them, sometimes makes for an interesting conversation starter. If the handle breaks off, the owner uses a carborundum (so he says) grind stone to take off the sharp edges and presto, a "navy" mug.....They have bank mugs, Scout mugs(!), museum mugs, school mugs, Master Gardener mugs, alla kindsa mugs ....

Thank you S915. I vote for your interpretation, but I go with Pack's approach, and Tahawk's expectation.....

As Woodbadge Quartermaster (Asst.) I received an engraved garden trowel. Cub Pack gave me a fleece pullover, embroidered with an Eagle, Pack # and my name. Real nice. I like the Opinel knife mentioned. I have two, and they are very good blades.

So far, all the excitement is up narth o' heah. 2" of snow on my back c=deck, 30 degrees F.

And the movie Interstellar is a pre-cumentary (there, I invented a word. "a documentation of historic fact before it happens.").

Another source is the County Media Office/ Public Relations Office, whatever they call it in your county. They will have (probably) a cable TV channel and will love to give the Cubs a tour, and (!) maybe even a shot at a TV show, getting interviewed! Google it, phone book it....

Stosh: In a nut shell, the source of much of our world's problems. This is why a "Scout's Own" should never be planned by the adults.

At last Jamboree, adult staff of same gender slept FOUR to a tent. At previous Jamborees, the circus tents we used slept EIGHT adult staff to a tent. And in those pale days of yore, we had some CPAP machines humming along , too, along with the epiglottal , soft palate vibrations. On my Camino hike, we slept (pick a number with two digits) of adults in a bunk room in the alberges (hostels), sometimes in three high bunks. And physical violence was sometimes threatened against some folks who were, shall we say, more vocal while asleep than when awake....

Aether we are right or we are wrong.... The Theory of Dark Suckers explains all: http://www.rogermwilcox.com/darksucker.html#energy

Bookem has a neat idea about the lunchtime demo. Also make contact with the Counseling office. Because I am a subteacher, I drop my Commissher card off there and , believe it or not, I do get an occasional call about a boy who wants to be a Scout.