yarrow

I have looked at the site for this award but couldn't find an answer to my question. Do you have to earn the Bronze patch then the Bronze award then the Silver Award? That would entail 9 projects which seems like a lot. Or can you just work on one of the awards?

Too bad some folks feel they have to worry about feminizing boys or masculizing girls. I have worked with Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts and found by in large the boys like the same activities that the girls like and vice versa. The Girl Scout and Boy Scout programs are designed a little differently but for the most part the men participating in our troop with our boy youth are wonderful men and appreciate all the opportunities that teach a boy something useful. Life management skills would fall in that category.

Just do it, and no you will probably not pick up anything new. I've been through the training in both Boy and Girl Scouts and have found them "warm body exercises", however training is always required. Having through the Girl Scout program as a youth and worked with Boys and Girls as an adult I didn't find anything in either Scouting programs with which I wasn't already familiar. If you have the time now, just do it and check it off. Who knows maybe they will offer something you haven't done in a while.

I had a dad recently ask me about putting his young scout in Boy Scouts and not finishing up Cub Scouts. I seems he is an older 4th grader with a friend who is in the Boy Scout troop and is "bored" with Cubs. I understand joining requirements are 11 of age, finished with 5th grade or under 18 but with Arrow of Light. My 10 year old did join Boy Scouts but he was a 5th grader and had his AOL. This boy is just 10, 4th grade and no AOL. Are exceptions made. I suggested to the dad that he leave the boy in Cubs for another year and that he contact the council for advise. Have you heard of the req.

Yep, guys in Girl Scouting, unusual but not unheard of and the child protection rules are the same. Generally I see mostly men on camping trips although some women consistantly come. Most adults are not in supreme physical condition by the time they are in their 40s and 50s so any camping trip involving strenuous activity should and generally does only involve those parents (male and female) who feel they are up to it. I generally don't attend many of the campouts as my son has plenty of mom time and has 3 sisters as well. This I try to keep as his "guy thing" although I did go on the rafting

Our OA runs pretty much the same couple of campouts, they help with Klonderee, and readying summer camp. My comments speak more to the selection process. We have so many qualified boys and in a large troop it is so difficult to get the percentages needed. In a small troop of 12 or so you can frequently get the number plus over a period of years everyone who qualifies and wants to stand for it will be elected. It's a toughy for large troops. I also don't agree with a popular vote. A qualified boy, a true scout, but not a athelete/ comedian/ or partier does not have as much of a chance in a popu

While it is sad to see an 18 year old wait too long and I would hope standards would not be lowered, still everyones Eagle is different. Some boys have astonishing projects showing great leadership and others Mom did, usually although not always a younger boy. I think there is a higher likelyhood that the boy will complete their project without prompting and excessive guidance and appreciate and be more proud of their work IF we let these boys mature in their rank and not push. Sometimes I think it's less of a case of slowing down the scout as slowing down the parent.

Good luck. Sometimes being in the position of responsibility and leadership works wonders on a trouble maker.

Well I think that is the way it was origninally designed........younger scouts looking up to older scouts. Even if the 13 year old Eagle has done the paperwork (hence the term paper eagle) it's hard to look up to someone younger that you. I also agree with Rooster there are exceptional 13 years olds that do service to the Eagle but most are just flat tooooo young.

I was at a merit badge college recently helping out with the instructor in the Anthropology badge when before the session started two really young scouts started arguing. About who had the most could hike the greatest distance.......no, about who had the best campouts.......no, about who could tie the most knots.....no, they were actually arguing about who finished their Eagle the soonest. One had whipped his out at 13 yrs and 2 months and the other at 13 yrs and 1 month. Although the one said he would have gotten it sooner if his advancement chair hadn't been sooooo mean. These two boys added

Several of the badges are written this way.......hiking, cycling, lifesaving and so on to allow the scout to work up to a long hike or bike trip. Not all young boys could do a 20 miler out of the gate. Although most could run circles around me. I should think the average adult would see these hikes as conditioning for the final "big one". Go figure.

Nullify the election. Explain why. Make the rules clear. But don't assume the scout knew he was cheating. We have had this problem in the schools for a long time and no one seems to think it is cheating. He may have merely run his "campaign" the same way that is accepted practice in school and not thought there would be a problem. My daughter in 4th, and 5th grade ran for office for student government. Bribes, promises, candy, stickers and toys were not necessarily forbidden. Some items were some years but, generally it was not discussed and the rules were not laid out so kids handed out

Regarding the troop policy to have at least two boyw on a badge......Our troop still requires an additional adult to be present for the two deep leadership. I think they are primarily interested in using their resources well by insisting on two or more boys working on a badge. One of the MB advisors is hard over on this rule and will not give out a blue card to my boy unless another boy is interested in the badge and the other is ok with it as long as an attempt has been made by way of postings and emails to find another boy. Then if none are interested he is allowed to do the badge. It's real

We have lots of parents on our Merit Badge counselor list. Most with some expertise in those badges drawn from our troop resource survey. Our boy lead troop planning committee last year had a desire to have more badges within the troop meetings so there were two Merit Badge college sessions this year with about 4-5 badges offered to the boys over the period of one month each session. They wanted four sessions but there were not enough volunteers for the other two sessions. Some of the badges were Eagle required and others were based on boy interest and adult availability. I did Entrepren

Every troop appears to have some sort of this problem. I have proposed to our committee that we go to the printed job description handed to each scout and their parents. To the scout so that he understands what is expected of him and to the parent so they understand the time commitment so that the boy will have parental support in forfilling the obligation. Boards need not only be held at rank advancement. Boards can check on a boy's progress at intermediate points as well. This might catch the boys who have blown off their obligation before they "fail" and give them a chance to get back

Thanks, Mike. Yarrow

Does anyone have an email address for National or do we have to use snail mail? Couldn't find one any where.

Any of you participating or have participated in JOTA? We have a couple of scouts interested that have just finished Radio MB. Are there special forms? How do you file your report?

God bless America God bless Scouts God bless the military and God bless all you well informed and passionate Scouters Yarrow

My point exactly, I want the boys to be doing this for all the right reasons. Still........ working with a troop that works with the handicapped or is it a troop that works with one or more handicapped scouts. Can't tell if that has to be a focus of the troop.

Has any scout in your troop completed this MB. I see problems in the req.s DISABILITIES AWARENESS Spend fifteen hours within a three-month period in one of the following ways: Visit a Cub Scout pack or Boy Scout troop that works with Scouts with disabilities. Learn about their activities, assist the leaders, and work with the members of the group. OR Enlist the help of your unit leader and the parents or guardians of someone with a disabling condition and invite the disabled individual to join your troop, team, or post. Help him or her become a participating member. The f

Ok, I need some help here. We recently attended a reenactment. The historic flag with the 38 stars, not a confederate flag was presented. Since it was an official recognized flag, I had my children, hands on hearts, honor the flag. I wasn't sure though and tried the most respectful choice. It was presented with a cavalry honor guard. Experts?.....thoughts?

Just something mailed to me that fits with my thoughts. First those who must pay should but then: > Let us deploy our troops. Let our diplomats seek broad international > agreement. Let our soldiers advance first, to clear the field of > violence. > > Then let us unleash our most powerful weapons! > > Let us lay down roads where none have ever been. Let us dig wells of > clean water where people can safely drink. Let our armies build > hospitals and schools. Let our warriors teach hygiene and > mathematics. Let our doctors inno

What's all this. Got a wierd email from someone at Meritbadge.org about the site being squatted on by a porn site. Did any of you get an email? Don't know why I did.

Thanks, that helps define the organization. I think that he needs to think hard about whether or not he can give the time needed to both organizations. I hate to see things done halfway.