meyerc13

I'm a Lutheran, attended Lutheran schools from K-12. Growing up my Pack and Troop were chartered by our church, and most members of the Pack and Troop were members of the church. Back then, it never felt awkward asking everyone to join in a prayer. However, religion was something we studied in our Lutheran High School, and not just our own religion. I think this was the first time that I became sensitive to those with a differing religious viewpoint. Our school felt that we should be Lutherans not because our parents or pastor told us to, but because we chose to be - and we couldn't ma

Good luck. While I haven't been involved in Venturing yet, I know some day I will be because my daughter wants to join very badly (she's only 8 right now). An interesting book by a Scoutmaster who ran a co-ed program involving his Troop (and later a pre-venturing outdoor Exploring post) is Rocks in my Backpack. It would seem that Scoutstuff has it on clearance now: http://www.scoutstuff.org/rocks-in-my-backpack.html It really opened my eyes to what a co-ed Scouting program could be (plus it's a darn good read for anyone who loves Scouting).

To take this back on subject, this link is to a message from the Troop Committee Chair, and shows how awesome the community around Bonduel is and how other Scouts and Scouters jumped into action to help this Troop out over the weekend: http://racineuncovered.org/2016/07/boy-scout-troop-225-involved-in-accident-thanks-the-bonduel-community-everyone/

Thanks for the document @@RichardB. Too bad this stuff is so hard to find on the Scouting.org website. I have to agree with Stosh though, while it is good that the document talks about trailers, it barely scratches the surface. In fact, some of the information given might actually make towing the trailer more dangerous. While it is generally good to load the heaviest items over the axles, blindly following that advice isn't a good idea. Too much tongue weight is bad, but too little can be just as bad. With the load shifted too far to the rear of the trailer, the tongue weight can be too

I think it is a good idea to do this as soon as the boys complete 3rd grade/start 4th grade. We hear a lot of griping about the Cub Scout program being too long at 5 years (now 6 years with Lion), well... this is a way to set the older Webelos age boys apart. Let them know that Webelos isn't just another year of Cub Scouts, its a special thing, pre-Boy Scouts really. Sure, they'll do some things with the Pack, but now they can have a Patrol name, they can go camping as a den (Tiger-Bear can't do that), and they can be more active in planning what they will do as a den/patrol.

This summer I drove from Wisconsin to Philmont, and then on to Mesa Verde and back. It's interesting how different the speed limits are from state to state. In Wisconsin we have 65-70mph on four lane rural and Interstate highways, and 55 mph on two lane highways. It wasn't uncommon to find 75-80 mph in some states, but the scariest to me was US-169S between Kansas City and Independence KS. I was driving that stretch at night, and its a two lane highway with no shoulder to speak of. Brush comes right up to the pavement. Speed limit is 65mph - a speed that in Wisconsin is only allowed on f

That may have also been a microburst. I drove through one in a snow storm once - went from flurries to blizzard back to flurries within the course of minutes... thankfully nobody rear ended me since I had to stop and try to pull over but was going from the 'feel' of the wheels on the pavement since I couldn't see 2 feet outside the windshield. We also had a microburst hit our neighborhood several years ago. Massive trees knocked down all facing in one direction in a 3 block wide by mile or so long section of the neighborhood. Lost a Maple in my backyard during that storm. Just as damaging

After reading about two SUVs full of Scouts crashing on a clear day (my family was camping nearby at a private campground so I am familiar with the weather conditions), one of which was pulling the Troop trailer, my wife and I had a discussion about how our Troop handles transportation to camp. I tow a camper when my family camps, and find it more challenging when my two kids (Ages 8 & 10) are riding in the back. As many of you know, towing is serious business, and requires more concentration than just driving. Towing impacts your acceleration, braking, handling... and that's assumin

This has been an unfortunate week for those attending BSA summer camp. This accident involved an out of Council unit that was returning from one of our Council camps: http://www.nbc26.com/news/boy-scout-troop-involved-in-rollover-crash http://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/local-news/suvs-carrying-boy-scouts-crash-near-bonduel http://racinecountyeye.com/racine-boy-scouts-leader-injured-accident/ Let's all say an extra prayer for the Scout leader seriously injured, and say a prayer of thanks that the boys suffered only minor injuries. I saw a post from someone who passed by the accident

It's really sad reading all of these threads about dysfunctional Packs (Stosh's example above) and Troops (as being discussed in this thread). The saddest thing is that many of these units don't see a need to change, or simply don't want to change. Yet, our professional staff are measured on numbers - numbers of units, numbers of youth... so there is no repercussion to a unit no matter how far off the tracks it goes. We all know that the BSA will pretty much never yank a charter for a unit, and the units know that, so while we can ask the Commissioner service to intervene, when it comes dow

Yikes... some of the older Scouts from my son's Troop are up there this week. Edit - found another article that these folks were from Texas: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/07/21/severe-weather-minnesota

When I hear things like this it really bothers me. From what I've heard, in most cases we lose over half of our Cub Scouts - they never crossover into a Troop. Instead of fighting over the boys who are crossing over, it should be the goal of every Scouter to retain as many of the Cub Scouts as we can. We should all be happy when a boy crosses over to some Troop, even if our own Troops weren't the best fit for that boy. Sometimes it comes down to the meeting day and time being a better fit for the boy. Sometimes it is the culture of the Troop. In any case, as Cub Scout leaders if we a

I just finished 3 years as a Cubmaster for a Pack that didn't have a Troop to feed into. My son was the first crossover we've had in those three years because we hadn't had a 5th grade den in several years due to problems in the Pack before I became Cubmaster. You're already doing one of the things that can help strengthen the bonds between a Troop and Pack(s) - supplying Den Chiefs. My son visited a lot of Troops, but ultimately joined the one that he went on his first joint campout with upon becoming a Webelos Scout. So I'd highly recommend that you invite Webelos Dens from across you

I thought I'd share this with the group here. I don't know this person, but I was reading the article and noticed that she was involved with a Venture Crew for a nearby Council prior to this accident: http://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/2016/07/18/crash-aftermath-ongoing-woman-family/87073560/ It would seem that a GoFundMe campaign to help her stalled out. It's a shame any time that happens, but especially sad when I hear that she was a volunteer Scouter, knowing how we all love to help other people. I'm sure it's just a matter of getting the word out, hence my share here. If w

I don't know the boy or the situation, but maybe even the cost of the food is too much? I have two younger sisters-in-law who were adopted into my wife's family as children. To make a long story short, they've made some very poor life choices, and find themselves in situations that aren't so different from their birth family. They receive government assistance. At one point, one of them, despite receiving food stamps, had gone a week with nothing to feed herself or her child. Looking into how this could happen, I discovered that she, like so many receiving welfare, had no concept of shopp

I think one advantage here is the dad being a Unit Commissioner. Now, I understand that could be in any of the branches of Scouting, but at the very least he should know other UCs and be able to get a recommendation on a good troop from them (or conversely, which Troops might be best to avoid). Also, the other Troops may already know (or know of) dad.

Thanks for sharing this! I'm definitely going to bookmark this for future reference. As a Roundtable Commissioner, I hear over and over from small Packs that they need something like the old Alternative Delivery Manuals that combined advancement for multiple ranks. Quick question for you, has this been tested to make sure that the objectives can be completed in a typical 1 hour Den Meeting? I know that some of our Dens struggled with some of the Meeting Plans in the new Den Leader Guides, hence the question. Either way, I suspect I know some units who will be using this material this

As Scoutldr pointed out, the Doctor of Osteopathy, or DO, is probably the best bet for someone who doesn't wish to seek services from the traditional medical field. They have received the same training as a Medical Doctor plus the additional training of a chiropractor. In many cases, a DO will work in the same clinic as a Chiropractor. Also, let's put this in perspective. The BSA isn't asking anyone to be treated by an MD, Nurse Practitioner, etc. They're simply asking that the patient have a physical exam completed by one. Many Troops bring in a medical practitioner to a pre-camp mee

I just finished three years as a Cubmaster for a Pack that serves the two schools in our District with the highest percentage of economically disadvantaged students (one includes the local homeless shelter in its jurisdiction). One of them also houses a bilingual charter school (which my children attend), so we have a number of Hispanic families. Working with Cub Scouts, the opportunities for youth to 'earn their own way' without parental support/assistance are obviously limited. I know that Boy Scouts covers a wider age range, if this was a recent crossover it is unlikely the boy is ol

I attended Commissioner Week at the Philmont Training Center last month. Attendees live in 'Tent City,' two occupants to a tent. The tents are on concrete slabs or wooden platforms, I'd estimate about 9 ft. by 11 ft., with about an 8 foot height at the center. Each tent has two metal cots/beds, a folding chair, a shop light zip tied to the back pole, and a plywood box with a dowel to serve as a closet. Not quite hotel living, but downright luxurious compared to many tent camping experiences I've had. Also, someone mentioned young men and women teaching the courses. Not quite. The ins

I wouldn't worry too much about it. By the time a boy is a Star Scout, he's been in Scouts for at least a couple of years. By then he should know that Tim or Kevin or Scott or whoever is his Patrol Leader. As for his Patrol, hopefully he can look at his right sleeve for a reminder (that's where the patrol patch goes). Heck, to this day I can still name most of the Scouts who were in my Troop, including those who were much older than me when I joined, and those who joined when I was the older Scout in my late teens. As I mentioned earlier, I was very quiet and shy, but your fellow Scout

Congratulations! It sounds like we've gained a worthy Eagle into our brotherhood.

This made me laugh out loud. Like I said, personally I was sure the kids could handle taking the flag to the left or right without issue, they're not dumb, just young. I also had never heard of the idea of moving the flag from the podium down into the audience thus making it okay to move it from the left to the right, but when I researched it I found out the other member of my class was correct - it isn't necessarily wrong (and their is some logic behind it being part of the audience - I like to think of it as troops on parade marching up to the podium... the flag would be on the right

If he is at least 10 years old and has earned the Arrow of Light, he is eligible to crossover into Boy Scouts. Requirements for both can be completed concurrently. As I said, my son did this because he skipped a grade. He crossed over in April, a couple of months before completing the fifth grade, aged 10. Once he earned his AoL, he was eligible to crossover. Completing both can be done in one year, but it isn't easy. Starting this summer at camp is great. Also, take advantage of any Pin Days or other opportunities in your area to complete extra Adventures that the Webelos or Arrow o

As others have stated, you've found the loophole in the new program requirements. The intention is for fourth graders to work on Webelos, and fifth graders to work on Arrow of Light. From the Guide to Advancement (bolding added by me): also: However, the Boy Scout joining requirements are: In the past this wasn't a problem, because you couldn't earn Arrow of Light without first earning Webelos. Technically, that requirement is no longer there. With that said, I think we as parents and leaders shouldn't encourage boys to do this. While Boy Scouting is fun, the reality is