yarrow

My favorite Merit Badge is Rock Climbing badge. The book is very clear and the requirements well ordered. One of my least favorites is the Dis. Awareness.....it's seems to indicate that in order to earn the badge you must seek out the disabled to join and that makes it seem just a little shallow Req. 3b. I know there are other options.....I just don't like that one.

Your favorite and one that needs changes?

I'm confused.........we too have 2 scouts that moved out of state but are multipled into our troop so that they can take advantage of the high adventure activities that they signed up for before they moved......Council never said it was a problem. DS indicated that it was clear that a scout could not be multipled into 2 different units. Bob.....do you know the answer?

The point being, I think, if you look through posts for the last 10 years you will see endless discussions on Paper/baby eaglettes and ancient deathbed Eagles. None on 14-17 year old Eagles. Have the paper eagles done the requirements? I suppose so....must be so.... the papers say so.......but very few believe it. I think that is what fuels all the discussion.

Anyone think there is a problem with a 14-17 year old Eagle????????????????????

Enough said, I think.

I was turned off by two 13 year old eagles arguing about who got each rank, badge, etc. youngest.........what is the point?

BOTH a boy and a girl can join their respective groups and within about 2+ years earn the highest awards if they are interested and motivated. They both have to crank on it though. Although 16-18 year olds are generally more capable than 10-15 year olds.

I have a boy scout (14) and currently Life with all but the project done by 12 1/2. He is maturing and adding leadership and skill experience. He has JUST found a project that has some appeal......we'll see if he pursues it.

I have 2 Gold Award Seniors. One completed at 17+ and the other about 15+. Can't even start a Gold until you are in high school. You will NEVER see a 13 year old "paper" Gold Award. It is just Not possible due to the organizational structure.

Girls generally do more service and leadership. Boys generally do more skills and camping. But all of this depends on the interest of the individual. Some boys do not camp and only a little camping is required by the camping badge. Some girls camp a lot. My Girl Scout troops camp a lot. I like camping, especially tent camping. My girls are fast at knots, yada.

It is disappointing to hear negative generalizations about boy or girl scouting. Scouts are still in the minority as far as activities go for kids. Scouts need to support scouts.

While I have met a number of 13/14 year old boys that hold the rank of Eagle, I have yet to meet a 13/14 Eagle. By the time they reach maturity they all look about the same though. Who can tell in a group of 25 year olds which have the much sought after patch for Unbelievably Young Eagles the "UYE"

My boy advanced quickly while in middle school. He was busy with many other activities too, but focused on advancement. Life at 12. Didn't much look or act like some Lifes but he has been working on Merit badges, Leadership, responsibility and having just plain fun ever since. I have suggested that he look for a project that he can really be proud of, to complete the summer of his 15, or 16th year. Want to avoid the deathbed approach. Have sat on too many boards for those. Kinda painful really.

The point being that as he has entered high school the activities available, particularly band, don't leave much time. He would be hard pressed to complete the rest of the badges, etc. He continues to hold PORs and be involved but it is a real nice place to be.....just thinking about a cool project. It's all that's left. A 13/14 year olds project looks it or looks like mom did it. Yep, it's all they are capable of, but how much more can be accomplished by the aveage 16-17 year old. Note I said aveage. There are always exceptions.....The "AMAZING" 13 year old, the slug 17 year old.

Could my kid get an Eagle at this point, yeah, but then he would be "one of those" that we all wonder about. I'd rather have him wait.

p.s.Interesting to note that in Girl Scouts you can't even start the pre reqs for Gold until you are in High School. Quite difficult too. I have two Gold award recipients and am fully aware of the requirements and the difficulty of both scouting programs.

Here is another of my favorite GRACE sites..

http://www.users.ms11.net/%7Egsong/Graces/menu.html

check under p for Philmont.

Try this site for graces for chaplain's aide

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/3209/graces.html

Scouting makes opportunities available to youth that no other organization can match. I wanted to take my scouts to a book bindery normally not open to the public. We are a scout troop...........no problem, they say, what day would be good for you?

I have found scouting to be an excellent door opener. You? Tell me your experiences.

Sorry to chime in late. I just found this forum. I think Padre has a point on the age variance and level. Not to compare but Girl Scouts have 5 levels based on grade level but also on an age range. A girl who is 12 and a sixth grader may be a Junior, but she may also opt to be in a Cadette troop. Depends on her maturity and on her parents choice for her. It also depends on the availability of troops in the area. Daisys are Kindergarden but also 5,6 year olds. Brownies include 1,2,3rd grade but the age range is 6-9 I think, so a 9 year old may be a Brownie or a Junior(9-12). Cadette usually includes 7th and 8th grade but can extend to include 6th graders in the case of middle schools that include 6th grade. And it can go up to 9th grade if needed and start Seniors at 10th. In our area Seniors tend to be High School 9,10,11,12 but I know of at least one 9th grader that stayed an additional year in Cadettes. Having these level assures that only 15-18 years old girls may do a Gold Award (Eagle equivalent). 14 year olds may start to work on the prereqs though. One of the problems with these levels, of course, is that the troops tend to be small. We don't include 10 - 18 year olds together. We have graduated leadership expectations, as well as increasing camping, skills, and community service expectations. There are obviously good things to be said about both the USGSA and BSA set up.

Ok, what's out there specifically. I have an incoming high school student so there is not much rush here, but some of you must have Juniors. Show me the money. Eagles, Lifers, just good scouts must have lots of possibilities such as the Elks scholarship. What else is out there????

My son is almost old enough for the Venture Crew. I expect he will join. While our troop boasts lots of older boys the venture patrol never did anything. The are doing a little more in the crew and our old SM is now heading it up. That fact has made the crew more attractive and desimated the troop. Only the boys 8th and below are coming to the meetings and campouts and the crew has sucked out the rest. I am a little frustrated. If you want to do the older youth activities, you need to join the crew now, at least in our area.

Tylenol PM, smaller to pack than an air mattress and works like a charm. Otherwise the next day I have a hitch in my gitalong.

We use single age patrols. A hold over from Eaglebound I am afraid. Anyway. I don't like them. I like to see the older boys work at leadership and be a role model in a patrol and the younger ones working toward that position. In single age patrols the younger patrols flounder and the older ones sometimes disolve do to lack of attendance. I think if the older kids were in leadership roles and responsible for their patrol they would step up and come and the younger boys would have a better experience in a patrol. Plus the PLC would be naturally full of more experienced boys, planning. Sometimes in single age groups quiet boys don't get elected to lead, but in a mixed age patrol they would more likely be placed in that growth position of leadership. Anyway our boy lead planning group said they wanted to try mixed age patrols but the SM is against it.

Snoot Flute.........I LOVE IT. I'll pass that along to my boy.

A snoot flute is an "instrument" you play with the air passed through your nose. It is funneled across your open mouth, much like blowing across a pop bottle. You change the diameter of your mouth to change the pitch. He loves it. I gave it to him when he got OA to take along to his ordeal that evening. Passes the time.

For sweetner try Splenda instead of Sweet 'n lo, or Nutrasweet. MUCH better. No nasty tastes or headaches.

My son never goes camping without his nose flute. Small fits in your pocket and hilarious to play. He also like a harmonica...the nose flute is his favorite though.

Boy does this sound familiar. Our Advancement chair has real problems with young scouts. Not older scouts, just the young ones. She reams them. My 10/11/12 year old ended up with watery eyes almost every meeting that he had to approach her. I noticed that she was really chummy with the older boys that could do a little give and take, or those that teased her a little. I talked to several others that said she was rough on their boys until they were older too. It's not just mine fortunately. Anyway, at 13 he's developed a thicker skin and doesn't let it bother him now. He still doesn't like her all that well and may never like her.

I told him that he needed to be respectful and persistant. And that he could expect to get his head chewed off everytime. We made it into some kind of a game. I'd say "So how was it this time" and he'd say well I still have my mouth and nose but the ears, eyes and top of my head are completely gone."

When you joined your first troop what was the first thing that you noticed that needed to be fixed??

I know that when I went I noticed how VERY disorganized they seemed and that will all the new people you were meeting it would be nice to have name tags or pictures on the bulletin board to identify the Treasurer, Secretary, Advancement Chair, Eaglebound coordinator, and yes even the Scout Master. Some of us just have more trouble keeping everything straight with people that you only see once a week. Especially at first......

What's your biggest problem as a new scouter or scout?

Ok........here's where they left it. The boy was signed off for his swimming portion of 1st class a long time ago by someone no longer in the troop and recieved his Rank in November finally. He just barely and recently passed his swim test but NOT the swimming MB. The troop committee voted to let him go to Canoe Base 4 to 3 so he is going, but it sounds like a bit of a risk. I am only glad this has not come up in our troop yet.

This all could be prevented by a different structure. The Junior Girl Scout badges are suitable for 12 years old girls and very like the Boy Scout Merit Badges. Can they be done by 12 year olds? Yep. Same experience and quality as if they were done by 17 year olds? Nope. They work at their immature and age limited level, but still the badge is completed. This young boy completed badges at 10,11,12,13,14,15 and 16 years old. I'll bet his effort and quality of work improved as well as his understanding of the material as he matured.

Secondly, Girl Scouts have Rank type optional awards at each level of scouting. Not every girl choses to do them. Bronze at Juniors 9,10,11 years. Silver Award at Cadettes 12,13-14 years old. Gold Award (Eagle equivalent) 15,16,17-18 years old. Most Girls start their Gold at 16, as there are a lot of requirements, and finish some time between 17 and 18. Gold Award recipents are much older generally because they CAN NOT start at 11. The maturity is reflected in the work. That being said there are always some that try to be the " Youngest Gold Award EVER" Too bad really.

I have gotten two different answers. Which is correct. My son is currently a Webelos Den Chief. He has also earned his Den Chief Award cord for when he was working with this same group as Bears. Does he wear one or the other or both??????

Thank you all for your suggestions. I used many and picked some off line. I borrowed a uniform shirt, neckerchief and belt, but other than the district guy I was the only one wearing it. I felt a bit foolish as I don't usually wear one.

May you know the peace and comfort these heartfelt words impart........The ones we love are never gone they live within our hearts.

What a joy you all share to have known him.

Yarrow

I am participating in an Eagle BOR. I have looked at some sample questions and have a few I am interested in of my own. What are some of your favorites??