5yearscouter

Well we do sell popcorn, but popcorn sales in our area have been going down even if we add in more store front sales. So we are looking at something else to do as well, and have had a few suggestions to do the wreaths. Lots of elementary schools and high schools do the coupon books and discount cards, as well as candles, cookie dough, and stuff. Wreaths and 1st aid kits are about the only thing I've not seen come aroud the neighborhood.

NOBODY around here sells wreaths. except the grocery store, kmart etc. this would be for my pack, so add in cute cub scouts to the selling strategy. The troop is a city away that makes so much on their flag program. The pack doesn't have that kind of money. As for relocation maps, eh.... You gotta love the heat, if you don't love heat, you better move elsewhere. We had a thunderstorm last night, and actually, gasp, got rain. Settled all the dust, but makes today a bit humid. So it's 100 on the back porch and 49% humidity.

It's not like going to the pool with the whole den while this boy does his aquanaut and the other boys perhaps brush up on some swimming and have FUN would be detrimental to anybody's program. There should be time built in for FUN, and in this instance telling her you can't do the bbgun/archery cause of council rules, but you CAN do aquanaut in this way would be offering an olive branch to the mom--rather than distancing her and putting your foot down that no it isn't in your program. Realize also that this webelos scout may be feeling totally left out and not really happy missing out on

So what does it cost if you take in a den full of guests to the Y? and then watch them swim, have them swim laps if they haven't done it yet. Have their parents work with them in the pool so it doesnt' look like you are giving lessons, which is what the Y often frowns upon--they only want paid lessons given by one of their staff which is what it sounds like they are trying to set up for you. otherwise, is there any other pools available? BSA requires someone to be designated a lifeguard--not that you HAVE to use a real lifeguard-- for a safe swim. so you could do it at a family p

In our council you won't GET the archery or BB gun belt loop or pin unless you earn them at a council camp (day or resident) because that is where they'll be given to you. You can't buy them at the scout shop. So that, as they say, would take care of that. As for Aquanaut, there is no public pool that you can take all the scouts to and have them do a swim test and practice all the stuff and get the Aquanaut pin? You don't have to go to boy scout camp to pass the boy scout swim test. any den leader can administer the swim test. And you can certainly go over the BSA safe swim requireme

I personally don't see a problem with the scouts getting paid to erect flags around town at people's houses for 8 holidays a year. It started as the scouts posting flags around town at the city offices on holidays. And people wanted flags at their houses too for the holidays. We have a lot of retired folk who may have the $ but not be able to physically handle having a flag on a 12 ft pole out in their yard for all the holidays. So it started out as the boys getting paid a minimal amount to help out putting up flags that the customers bought and paid for. Over time it became a big

Recommendations for a reputable, good wreath company by someone who has btdt? anyone to avoid? realize we are in AZ, so shipping may kill us depending on where they come from, so free-reduced shipping may be important. anyone ever sold fire extinguishers or 1st aid kits?

That leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Scouts do flag ceremonies as community service. If you want a flag related fundraiser, sell subscriptions in your neighborhood to businesses or homes to have scouts go out and put up a flag for them at 8 holidays a year. We do that and make almost $10k a year.

Engineer, I'm not talking about leaving your kid out in the woods alone. I'm talking about the Scoutmaster having a plan to account for everyone, but it wasn't (gasp!) a written plan that met with the mom's approval and he might get sued. Aside from that, if one of the scouts got left behind at summer camp, two of their ASPL's, JASM and many others from the troop are working up there--I'm pretty sure they'd be ok at camp for the little bit of time til someone realized they weren't in a vehicle for the ride back home. I've seen checklists fail and someone still get left behind. All

Thanks Beavah, I do worry all the time about people who say "oh but if you get sued..." I was wondering why you hadn't replied to this thread yet. Were you busy out doing scouting instead of posting on the internet or something? We had a mom(supposed to be a leader but) worried about the boys getting home from summer camp and asking the scoutmaster to check everyone into cars for the ride home in a particular way on a particular form that she made. The scoutmaster referred her to the committee chair--if she thought it had to be done a particular way, then the CC could do that paperwork

August we are back to school the first week, so it's time for recruiting and staring up a new year of scouting. We might do stomp bottle rockets this year if I can get someone besides me to make the pvc thing. Otherwise our favorite for recruiting was an actual roundup/cowboy theme. everyone came in and iced a twinkie green and stuck pretzel rods into the twinkies to be cactus. ate their snack. then we did a quick flag ceremony welcome everyone, passed out new member packets to everyone in attendance and then broke out for games. we had roping with a fake steer head and s

Separate the popcorn sale from the recruiting if at all possible. So parents don't see hey you want me to pay this much to join and then go buy a uniform and all the bling, and then you are doing this overpriced fundraiser and expect me to buy popcorn and knock on doors and sell a bunch to fund the pack. Where the heck did all the money I just paid go to? yes we've tried explaining where the money does go(we charge just a teeny bit over what you have to pay to register with BSA) but that doesn't seem to make a difference in parent's attitudes. Do something fun and interesting tha

Well for camp staff, up to a point, sure they can bring their kids and settle in for the summertime. But I sort of expect the kids to be old enough to HELP at camp, or keep themselves busy and out of the way and at that point maybe a bit of seen and not heard. And yes there is a bit different feeling if it's a boy or girl. Guess been around boy scouts so much with things being totally male oriented it's shocking to see the little girls. I do have a problem with underfoot staff little ones at a camp that doesn't have a program to babysit the little ones. Day camp there is a place for

Yeah while it seems the baby wasn't interfering, the staff isn't able to function as staff usually does cause they are taking care of baby. When the baby needs her, she's not able to function as staff at all. yes, they've really gotten obnoxious with the commissioners bringing up whole families and siblings. Maybe they just need to remember that non-registered people aren't covered by insurance. So if they get hurt at camp, or while shooting, or whatever, they aren't covered by the BSA insurance, but certainly council or camp or camp director may have some fault in a court of law. Hat

Yeah it really shouldn't have to be in the camp guidebook/leaders guide that siblings and cubbies aren't supposed to be at day camp. I know it started because a volunteer commissioner many years ago couldn't come up without bringing their boy scout aged kid. so then they let boy scout age kids come up with the volunteer commmissioner come up for the week and basically do summer camp for free. then occassionally a not quite boy scout aged kid would come up with the commissioner and they'd kind of look the other way as long as the kid stayed out of the way. Then I know some people took th

If Raymond took a more organized method of doing merit badges, they wouldn't be such a merit badge mill. But then 83 badges for 15 scouts wouldn't have been possible, would it? that's a boatload of badges! Not sure if the boys I know working at Raymond should be proud or not The camp director told the Lawton people last summer that if they came back he'd make room for them regardless, and supposedly charge them less. Not sure about the charge them less part how that worked out, but he made good on the make room for them. I know Geronimo opened up Session 8 for Camp Lawton people

eolesen so your unit was one of the ones from Camp Lawton that made Camp Raymond OVERFULL this year? I know it really helps you guys out to have a place to go when Lawton was closed, but it certainly overtaxed the Camp Raymond facilities since they were already full but added Lawton campers to their ranks. There was room in the campsites to camp, but the merit badges were packed and the dining hall was taxed past its limits. Did your unit go to Raymond already? If not it should be much better in July. And you might avoid the montezuma's revenge going around camp in the month of

to the OP You have several options. unless the 2 boys have been removed from membership in the prior troop, (which is unlikely) they are still registered scouts. That means they are covered by insurance and registered scouts can attend provisional camps if available. If adults who currently want to become leaders in the new unit, were leaders in the prior troop and have not been removed from membership in the troop (which is also unlikely) then they can attend summer camp as well --but would need to find someone who would take them provisionally. In that instance the other troops tha

I kind of expect them to come home dirty and stinky. The showers at most of our camps have hot water for about 1 minute, just long enough to get good and wet, but not long enough to get wet, soap up and then rinse off without freezing. so even if they go into the showers, they never seem to stay long enough to get clean. Both of my sons their whole life before bed put on a clean tshirt and underwear and clean socks if it's sock wearing weather. so they continue that at summer camp. So even if they don't actually shower much at all, they won't smell absolutely like sweaty butt and old

We had a sleepwalking scout for a few years. They would put bells on his tent zipper and on his ankle so if he got up someone would hear him. cause he did it over the course of years and the whole troop had a plan for what to do when they heard the bells. His tent mate was usually a light sleeper who would hear the bells and take care of it by encouraging him to lay back down and he'd go right back to sleep. they'd always set up camp so his tent was furthest away from an hazards (roads, drop offs, rivers) just to make it a little easier to head him off before something happened.

Well I agree with all ya'll, but then I get "but where does it say that in the ruuuuullllleeeesssss???!!!" Well I've answered to the CC that if he has to parse the rules line by line to try to find a way that cubs or siblings can go to boy scout summer camp for a week, then he's missed the whole boat, but tried to say that a bit nicer. Or that just cause camp made an exception one time doesn't mean that exception is now the rule. For instance I know camp said it was ok for a scoutmaster who had to take his webelos to the camp for 2 days when his wife had emergency surgery, and as so

Well when a scout was caught by other scouts with porn on his computer at a campout-- the boys handled it pretty well. They took the computer to his parent with the report of what happened, SM was also notified. He was talked to by the SPL and ASPL when it happened and they explained how disapointed in him that they were especially since he did this at scouting where younger boys could have seen it and that would have been illegal. It was a great example of boys in action. Then when OA elections came up, he was the only boy who didn't get half of the votes, the boys didn't think he w

Let's see 31 scouts attended camp. and there were too many adults--8 I think it was. There are always too many adults when they go to this particular camp but less adults than the last year they went there, since they raised cost from $75 per adult to $100. I think camp should charge even more money. so SM, 2 ASMs, 1 committee who pulled the troop trailer up and home (should have stopped there IMHO, plus CC and 3 other committee. Total of 8 adults. they needed more than that to transport everyone(not enough vans and SM couldn't drive at all due to recent surgery). many paren

A call to council camp director ahead of time he said no siblings, not even if they are webelos. however, they brought him up anyway (driving up separately from the rest of the trop) and paid $100 for him to go(the fee per adult to pay for food after the first 2 adults). SM and CC had no issue with it, since over the years they've seen "a few" siblings at summer camp at that location so it must be ok. yes, that means SM and CC are at odds with some of committee, old SM's, most exisitng ASM's and COR. I imagine this will blow up at next leader meeting, and I'd like to have you guy'

This may end up partly a vent about registered scout family bringing a webelos scout age son to a week of summer camp with the troop and how that impacted the boys in the troop--since sibling needed someone to be his buddy for the week[and parents didn't act as his buddy] so he kept pulling boys away from merit badges to go buy snacks at the trading post. argh But my goal of this post is to gain information from other troop's policy and experience, BSA policy[GSS etc], quotes [cub scout leader book, age appropriate activities list], insurance coverage(or not), etc. to help the troop m