boomerscout

an old Cubs book from 1954 stated WBLS had a secret meaning: Wolf, Bear, Lion, Scout

Lion was dropped about 1967, so the meaning was changed to We'll Be Loyal Scouts

me< "MBs also introduce several vocations -- hands on, and not just reading about them."

Kudu< "If a boy wants to learn vocations rather than Scouting, we should encourage him to join Junior Achievement. "

I love JA. But, not every Scout wants a career in business. The plumbing merit badge looks good.

me< "It's also possible a Scout will find a life-long hobby thanks to a mb earned."

Kudu< "That is what Chess Club is for."

Hard to work on model railroading or horsemanship at a chess club meeting

"Because a Scout must re-qualify for every badge every 12-18 months" What a terrible idea!

Scouts should attain Eagle by 14 1/2 -- 15 at the latest. Otherwise, they'll not have enough time to earn the Hornaday silver medal before they age out.

I do not belittle merit badges. MBs teach how to meet and deal with adult strangers unless the troop conducts the travesty of working on merit badges at troop meetings. As they get older, they'll be interacting with strangers all their lives; better they learn how earlier on.

MBs also introduce several vocations -- hands on, and not just reading about them. It's also possible a Scout will find a life-long hobby thanks to a mb earned.

A large part of Scouting is community service and giving back. What better way to show this than to improve the environment in which your community exists? What better way to show you have the Scoutcraft skills you think you have -- to be judged on them by an outsider rather than by an in-house mutual admiration society.

a personal visit to the kid's house is worthwhile

1) What exactly was the problem? It may not have been the prayer. You'll never know without going to the source.

2) Has he joined another troop? If not, invite him back to yours. If they're not interested in Scouting at all, ask for the uniform for the uniform closet

this particular venture crew was mostly all female? Then why not, since they never got to do any Boy Scout activities?

You could propose a separate division of competition with separate awards

"Kinda like if for some reason, your kindergarten teacher somehow managed to go up a grade every year, and you always end up with that teacher."

in college, if you luck into a good, effective teacher, you are better off following that teacher all the four years. How would you know he is effective? By how well you do in other teachers' classes once you've passed the pre-reqs with the good teacher.

Even with a common CO, the quality levels of the Pack versus the Troop may widely diverge because different people are involved -- or they may not.

Feedback is important. What kind of retention level does the troop have? How well do they do in competing with other troops in camporees? Are they worthy of publicity in the local paper for their community service projects? Do outsiders favor their fund-raising efforts because the troop is looked on as a community asset?

"if yeh have any significant assets in gear"

yeah, take that one last campout, and then don't bring the stuff back

"get a better product (one that the consumer can't get at any supermarket in the country) and set it at a price point around $5. Better yet, have several items at that same price point and make it EASY for your customer to spend their money."

great idea! Next winter we may try selling cookie box sizes of hot chocolate mix for about $5

Gee, Basement, you seem to be stretched kind of thin with all your Pack, Troop, Crew, Girl Scout activities. I don't think it is burnout as much as exhaustion.

What I would do, because I'm frequently into hardball, is mail each Cub parent a letter that you are thinking of disbanding the Pack because you can't get any parents to put in their monthly volunteer time. Then, just wait to see what happens.

Luck to you

yeah, tread lightly, but, borrow a boat and go on the planned cruise

I don't want to spread myself too thin, so I'm wondering what MB's I should make myself available for"

Can you consult the mbc list to determine which mb already have enough? Maybe start with three not so well covered. Every six to nine months drop the least used and add a fresh one?

I don't want to spread myself too thin, so I'm wondering what MB's I should make myself available for"

Can you consult the mbc list to determine which mb already have enough? Maybe start with three not so well covered. Every six to nine months drop the least used and add a fresh one?

I don't want to spread myself too thin, so I'm wondering what MB's I should make myself available for"

Can you consult the mbc list to determine which mb already have enough? Maybe start with three not so well covered. Every six to nine months drop the least used and add a fresh one?

I don't want to spread myself too thin, so I'm wondering what MB's I should make myself available for"

Can you consult the mbc list to determine which mb already have enough? Maybe start with three. Every six to nine months drop the least used and add a fresh one?

doubtful he will have jail time. More likely he will have his license suspended for a good long while. He may get some community service such as speaking on the topic of drinking & driving (good for communications mb).

A single DUI is insufficient to prevent a Scout attaining Eagle, especially if his near-term behavior is now exemplary

a town of 3000 should have room for two Cub packs. Offer a more vigorous program and you'll get enough Cubs

I've noticed some are worried about the Webs wearing wet boots and socks while out on the Klondike trail. True, I haven't seen 5-buckle arctics on kids in years; maybe Sorels should be required. However, I just know some will turn up in running shoes or other lowcuts. Suggest this as part of a survival kit: put on a non-cotton sock, then place the stockinged foot into a well shook out plastic bread wrapper (pull the wrapper up). Finally, put the shoe on, and pull the trousers down. The bread wrapper will usually stay upright; a couple pieces of tape may help.

The suggestion to use two ziplock bags -- one is to be placed inside the other.

We always carried a dime for emergencies -- makes a great screwdriver.

Sure! Lots of times! When we go canoeing, it's just for the joy of canoeing & camping, although some need to involve fishing as well

"he can "survive" very well with the folding 4" lockblade he got for birthday "

which may be confiscated by authorities since the blade is too long per many city ordinances.

He needs to leave it at home unless out camping.

These are all good posts. Yes, ideally, apologies should be sincere. However, sometimes an enforced apology is necessary to get the real apology process started. Many times I have seen two mulish boys, shooting daggers at each other, being forced to shake hands. Funny, but after that happens, conditions soon return to normal. A quiet follow-up (separately to each), after the handshake -- such as, "What was that all about?" -- is sometimes helpful.

I often apologize for things that are not my fault. Saying "I'm sorry" is part of the social grease that helps the society to function. I remember I was once walking down a dark deserted hallway late at night. A good looking young woman suddenly appeared from around the corner. When she saw me, she gasped and froze -- petrified and scared. While I hadn't done anything wrong, I said, "I'm sorry." That resolved the situation.

generally inept

"Our council bans the use of fixed blade sheath knives. The claim is that if you fall with a sheath knife on your belt, you are likely to have a serious injury. "

There may be some truth in this if the knife is carried at the side or in front. A hard fall or trip may drive the knife thru the sheath & into the bod. It is for this reason we were taught to place the sheath (on a belt) in the back pocket. If you bend far enough to drive the knife in that position, you are probably already with the angels

I believe most boys would like to keep their POR badges as souvenirs for their old age. You could always have the new PORs pay for their "patches"

on the news recently was a teaser that said something like this: lost young skier saved himself with skills learned from...Then came a commercial. I was sure when the news item came up that it was going to say skills learned from being in the Boy Scouts. Instead, it said from skills learned by watching survival programs such as Survivorman.

Could a 14 year old Scout who didn't watch survival programs done as well? Doubtful with the typical sanitized program usually presented. The equivalent of wilderness survival mb should start from day one -- out in the field

From ABC News:

A 14-year-old boy who found himself stranded on an Oregon mountain while skiing on New Year's Eve said he used skills learned from reality television to find his way out of the woods.

Jake Denham of Portland was found after a nine-hour search on Mount Bachelor, Oregon, having endured temperatures as low as minus-5 degrees and built a small snow cave to stay warm.

Denham attributed his useful survival skills to information that he learned on two of his favorite TV Shows, "Man vs. Wild" and "Survivor Man."

"I love those shows," he said in an interview with ABC affiliate KOHD-TV in Bend, Ore.

We tell our Scouts that going for rank is similar to going for a belt in karate. After you learn the skill, you need to practice a while before standing for the test.

As far as learning mastery before teaching, I am reminded of comments made by university professors. When you earn your PhD, you are thought qualified to teach. Yet, most will admit they had't really mastered their field until they've taught for a few years. Does that mean their students have gotten short shrift? It depends on if they can understand the next course in the sequence, and how much effort they've made themselves.

Most anyone can teach the bowline without being a master at it. All they would have to remember is that the rabbit comes out of the hole, runs around the tree, sees the dog, & jumps back down into his hole. Mastery would mean the teacher can tie the bowline with either hand, can tie it one handed with either hand, can tie it with the knot facing you, can tie it with the object between the knot and the teacher, can tie it blindfolded, can tie it on a bight -- and all this is just for the quick-tie bowline, and not for all 200 plus types of bowline