BPwannabe@137

"BP, I beleive the term is "phat" "

You got the first laugh out of me all day. thanks.

PS-I now suspect that old grey eagle is not so old after all.

"sweet" is more current, however "fat" is also correct, although I believe that "fat" and "sweet" need to be used in different sentence structures. "Cool" can still be used in conversation, so long as one is using it in an "old school" phrase.

For example: "When I was a kid, summer camp was cool." (not reference to past times, thus old school)

"My kid came back from camp and said it was sweet."

"Yo-that camp is fat."

Sorry, bad humor. Guess this proves I have no life.

Good for him Mrs.Smith. I am happy he had fun and achieved the goals he set for himself.

Our council has it's own Venture Leaders Roundtable and Sea Scout Boardroom meetings at the council level. However, crews and ships still are organized under a commissioner at the district level. Some crews are becoming really active in the district like helping with cub scout day camp and camporees. However, many scout units are actually against the older scouts hanging around because they are afraid they will steal their membership.

In my old council, our ship was attached to a pack and troop. Most of the older scouts were also in the ship. The ship ran the packs raingutter raggatta, the district winteree, and provided campmaster duties at other district events. We also hosted a "shipwreak" wilderness survival weekend for boy scouts. At events held in town, the law enforcement explorers provided traffic control and security. That was an ideal situation and one that I have not seen in recent years.

Old Grey Eagle, don't get your breeches all tied up in a knot. Never said I was embarrased at earning the EP merit badge, nor did I say other people should be either. Just a personal observation that I should have pushed myself a little harder and tryed for the Lifesaving MB.

No pun intended. Can't seem to get the expression "cool" out of my vocabulary. Think I watched too much Scooby Doo.

OK-if we can't rely on the scoutmaster conference, then lets hope that the advancement chair can figure out this problem. Wait, isn't that the initial problem that started this topic. Darn, foiled again!

Totally agree with you on the second point. Kids are actually being taught that you need to do it now, immediately, and fast. Its the era of instant gratification. I had a Webelo's Dad who couldn't understand that you shouldn't finish all the activity pins in the first half of webelos 1.

TYPO ALERT>>>TYPO ALERT>>>

before anyone jumps down my throat...I didn;t mean Quartermaster or Silver were higher awards then Eagle. I should have said highest awards in other programs (although as an Eagle scout myself, I am still very impressed whenever I meet a Quartermaster-since I never made it higher then Apprentance myself.

There is no age requirement set by national. However..................

When I was a scout (in the 80's) I never met another scout who recieved their Eagle before they were 17. You earned your badges, served time in leadership positions, entered the leadership corps (still one of the best programs for older scouts) and finally earned the Eagle when you were a JASM. Now I see scouts getting Eagle at 12 and 13. I don;t think they mentally comprehend the meaning of the rank and alot of times, have most of the work done for them. (There are exceptions of course.) But when they make Eagle, they drop out. Earning Eagle at such a young age is fine if they scout is then moving on to a higher award, such as Venturing Silver or Sea Scout Quartermaster, but how often does that happen.

I wonder if the scoutmaster conference would serve as the test strip for this problem??

OK-just wanted to share how careless one can be.

I was volunteering as a den leader for my districts cub scout day camp last week. I am showing the Bears the basics of knife safety. (you know whats coming-right). Well that went well. We were having lunch and I desided, for whatever reason, to eat healthy and have an apple. I take out my trusty BSA edition swiss army knife and cut into the apple, all the way around the core and through my pinky. The cubs just looked, shouted "cool" and I knew that more then my first aid was required. Six stitches later, a huge bandage and splint on my pinky, I learned a lesson. So did my cubs. They all saw that knifes are dangerous and will help and that even the leader can make mistakes.

Never-the-less, being at a district camp- I am now the brunt of alot of jokes.

Does anyone else feel brave to share any stories???

My first year at camp (1979) and I failed basket weaving; still never completed it. (yet I finished soil and water conservation???I am just craft-spastic)

I remember my years on camp staff. You would pray for the scout with most of the paper work already completed; this way you can really instruct the cool stuff.

Wilderness Survival can be completed year round but for some reason, it was always cooler to do at summmer camp.

Lifesaving is the tough one, and thats the one he should really shoot for. I chumped out and got emergency prepardness (for a sea scout, I was a terrible swimmer-thus lifejackets were invented).

Good luck!!!!

Check out flint and steel kits at

Jas Townsend and Sons

Smoke and Fire

Both have websites.

These sutlers sell reproduction items for 18th century reenactors.

You get the entire kit (flint, steel, tow, and charcloth) and instructions for about 12 bucks. You can start a fire in under five minutes.

Good luck.

Big_Dog

Funny thing is that I thought of Texas right off the top of my head.

Never met a Texan I didn't like.

WOW-I really stirred the pot on that topic.

I will go and look at the old threads and check it out.

Since I can sence a fight coming on, I am willing to just drop this topic and go back to arguing about what color the scout uniform should be.

OK-if this topic was discussed already, please forgive me.

Before we all start yelling at each other and name calling and reciting the good book, I am just curious what the feeling of the rank and file are about this topic. Please-I am not trying to start fights or arguements, I just want to hear some opinions from the field. I am also not a gay activist or homophobic. I just think that this is a topic that is hurting the BSA politically and we need to talk about it a little more openly. (I have visited the BSA legal issues page-I just seeking an open forum for this issue).

Since I will put my money where my mouth is...

In my years in scouting, I can remember at least 2 boys in our troop that we suspected as being gay. Never any problems I can remember (but then, I was a rather ugly child and thus not very interesting). I know of one assistant scoutmaster and one scoutmaster who were gay. We discovered this fact long after they had retired from scouting. While I was on camp staff, two fellow scouts were gay.

My point is: Scouting does not teach sexuality. Anyone who promotes their private sexual activites to youth (homo or hetero) has no place being a youth leader.

The final say should be up to the parents and the chartered organization. If the scout unit is in an community that is more opened minded (lets say a Unitarian Church in New York), then it's there choice. A American Legion Post sponcering a troop in Texas may feel different. Again, it should be up to the unit.

Now I might be totally wrong in my opinion. I am just throwing out this topic for some intelligent and interesting conversation.

As a kid growing up in New York City, there wasn't much to do but get in trouble. The few sports teams around were only for the really good athlets. Everyone else joined scouts. It was a way to get out of the city and away from parents. Joined with my friends in 6th grade as a boy scout and just stuck with it. Most of my friends are still in the same troop althoug I moved away.

When my son became tiger age, I figured he could just join a den and I would hang out as commissioner. Well, now I am cubmaster. I was given the job because, "If you can do better then you do it!" Besides, the first thing our committee chair asked was if I was a scout. Made me feel guilty and thus sucked me into unit leadership. Best thing to ever happen to me in scouts.

Eamonn,

If you possess an official (and very expensive) campaign hat, I agree-you don't want to get it wet. You would want to keep it pressed and clean. However, if anyone owns a cheaper one, by all means wear it in the rain. Let it get floppy and soft. Thats what they were supposed to look like (see original photos of scouts and soldiers in the eairly 20th century). Of course, its not "official" but I think it looks alot better then some of those fancy ball caps the BSA is selling for $23.00 that look great in "civies" but terrible in the field uniform. (23.00-dam near close to the cost of an unofficial campaign hat).

You are very correct with the tan shirt and green tabs. I remember seeing that in some regulation but I can't place were I saw it either.

One final note to muddy the waters on campaign hats. BP disappointed alot of boys at Brownsea Island. He didn't wear his trademark hat but instead experimented with a folding cloth cap which he thought was more practical for young boys. The BSA in its infancy sold campaign hats made of cotton duck (the army hat the same style) for summer wear and it could be folded and stored-much like a bonnie cap.

Ok, I will shut up now. In the end, I think everyone is right. You can't wear an official Boy scout hat with the venture uniform. But you can wear an unofficial one since ventures can design their own uniforms, or have none since uniforms are an optional part of the program.

Now I will shut up.

I can't believe that there is a group of scouts (ventures) that might want to wear a campaign hat and we are fighting about if they can. My God-let them wear the hats-they are one of the signature items of a traditional scout uniform.

As a side note, for anyone who cares, when I was a Sea Explorer in the 1980's, we wore dark green explorer shirts with campaign hats when camping (we called it shipwreak training). We came to this custom by looking at old photos of US Navy personnel on "land duty" during WW1 and they wore USMC uniforms with campaign hats. Just an example of how warped minded we were (and yes-some of us did hat the doughboy helmets too-they are after all steel campaign hats).

Thanks for all your advise.

My first year on summer camp staff I did all my laundry with bucket, bar of soap, and a wash board. Great learning experience but it was hard work. (also learned you can't wash red staff shirts with white underwear).

The next year the camp bought a washing machine. We all were very happy (but I still ended up with pink underwear??)

Thanks ScoutNut.

I will check out if I can register my daughter as an individual.

I originally volunteered with my wife to be a leader. The local scout organizers were very much against me being involved and told us that a husband and wife may not lead the same unit.

Now between being Cubmaster and Assistant District Commissioner (not to mention my full time job) I really can't devote myself to being a girl scout leader-however, I still help out my other daughter with awards and driving to trips.

Again, thanks for the help.

Hi,

I am a long time boy scout leader with little experience with the GSUSA, so please excuse my ignorance.

My two daughters (now aged 10 and 9) both started out as Daisy's. The both completed, but only they younger was able to bridge because their was only one positon open in the unit. She now bridged to Juniors. My older daugher is still interested in Scouting activities but does not want to be doing crafts and housework, which is what most of the units in our town do. Another problem is that non of the units around here will take new members. We have been trying for two years but all the leaders say they are full. Of course she wants to be in a unit with gilrs the same age, thus not join her sisters unit.

She really enjoys doing scouting with me, but of course is too young for the Venturing program. We contacted the GSUSA council and was told first there was something called Girl Scouts Express and later a program called Juliet Lowe where girls can be members of the GSUSA but not have to belong to a troop. Kind of like the BSA lone Scout program. Does anyone know of this program??

Thanks

Agreed, Agreed.

If it ain't broke, dont fix it. As far as I am concerned they can do anything to an activity uniform. they need to leave the fiedl uniform alone.

For Gods sake, make them stop.

If there is any truth to this then we are doomed. There are enough people complaining about the tan/green uniform (which really don't bother me), so what's next; a "new" new uniform??? I don't remember being asked what I like, or for that fact, anyone in my council, or the neighboring council, being asked?

If they changed the field uniform again, I will just continue to wear my old OD's and the current tan/green. I hope everyone does the same.

Please, just leave well enough alone.

...---...

The look in a scouts eye when you teach them something new. The smell of burning wood and burnt food. Spending time with my son.