Jump to content

cnew2

Members
  • Posts

    13
  • Joined

  • Last visited

cnew2's Achievements

Junior Member

Junior Member (1/3)

13

Reputation

  1. Michigan Troop: Sept - Canoe/kayak - (day trip) Oct - Invite webelos to weekend campout (tent camp) Nov - ? Dec - electronics weekend.(cabin) Jan - skiing (cabin) Feb - Winter challenge (tent camp) Mar - indoor mtn bike (cabin) April - skeet shoot (tent camp) May - Bike ride (tent camp)
  2. I'm late to this topic, but I would like your response to this: I am outings coordinator for our troop. We had a committee meeting last week. We have approx $5,000 in our bank account. K of C gave us a check for $500. I suggested that we part with some money and pay for a corn maze night for the scouts. Shot down. Our troop has no dues. One fundraiser (nuts) 60% to troop, 40% to ISA. We just put new tires on the troop trailer and had some re-wiring done. Oh and if your troop goes to $0 every year, you have no seed money? I just spent $1000 making reservations at various outings for the next 6 months. (one cabin camping in the winter is almost $600, had to be paid up front). This will be reimbursed as the scouts pay for the outings.
  3. Just thought I’d share a nice outing, because we don’t always see good news right? I’m a mom and outings planner for our troop. I went with our troop this weekend to a cabin at a scout camp in northern Michigan with plans for skiing at a ski hill 3 miles away. Got to camp Friday evening, unpacked, scouts played some euchre. I went to bed on the adult half of the cabin with a pillow over my head. Oh well, glad to see the boys playing cards, laughing, and having fun. Saturday morning the SPL organized some scouts to cook and some to clean. We had a nice biscuit/gravy and scrambled egg breakfast since we had access to an oven. Celebrated a birthday for a scout turning 16. I think I like breakfast dessert! Some scouts headed outside, one came promptly back in, he had fell and cut the back of his knee on a tree. First Aid kit was located by a scout, and cut was cared for. Duct tape was found and pants that were ripped from knee to ankle were repaired. Next we all hiked across the lake. Some cubs from another group had set out some tip-ups on the ice. Looked cool, wonder if they got anything for dinner that night? We got to the camp’s sled hill and a football field. Some of the scouts tossed around a football in the snow, others did some sledding. Loved watching them help and interact with our autistic scout. One of the scouts offered his hand to me when I was struggling up the sled hill. Back for lunch and then off to the ski hill. A couple scouts had never skied (and a mom). They got a lesson and seemed to catch on pretty quickly. I love that these scouts get to try new activities! A dad who wasn’t skiing set up dinner in the ski lodge for us, crockpots with nacho fixings. Scouts could stop in for dinner or a rest whenever they wanted to. I like seeing their friendships and camaraderie. Got back to scout camp so tired, sledding then 7 hours skiing will do that! No euchre on Saturday night. Got up Sunday, a dad who was in a bit of hurry started breakfast. Ate, scouts cleaned the kitchen area. SPL organized the scouts into cabin cleaning. No one likes bathroom duty and I heard a couple “just power through it†from a mom. A scout mopped the whole place, others moved cots for him. That place looked about 10 times better than when we got there. I was really impressed and proud of them! All in all, we aren’t a perfect troop (could be more scout lead) but I think the troop is great. I saw teamwork, empathy, leadership, happiness, friendship, and a spic-and-span lodge. I didn’t see complaints, bickering, arguing, or an x-box! It was a great weekend.
  4. Great idea. I had a similar "karen reaction" to a question I posted shortly after my boys joined scouting. (my question was - what are the pros and cons of MBs during meetings. BOY DID I GET STRONGLY WORDED ANSWERS!) I did feel a little beat up when it was over. But I have stuck it out on the forums because of the valuable information. I don't post much but read often. Answer to Karen's original question: I don't think an additional $40 to the den is out of line.
  5. They didn't need to trick me into it ... if anything it was slightly hard to break into what I considered an "old-boy" committee. They had been together for years and didn't seem very interested in new blood. It is rewarding for me to watch the boys grow and mature. The kids are young for such a short time, before we know it the will be grown and gone. Need to sieze the moment NOW and spend time with them and the other scouts.
  6. We sell in the fall thinking that some is purchased for "deer camp" (Nov 15, first day of deer rifle season is practically a holiday in Michigan). We sell at the holiday craft show at our local school in early December.
  7. Our large scout troop sells a token amount of popcorn I am assuming to appease council. By far our main fundraiser is selling nuts (peanuts, toffee peanuts, cashews, mixed nuts, chocolate covered peanuts, choc pretzels, yogurt pretzels, trailmix, etc). Bought in bulk and re-packaged into 1 pound bags. We charge $3.50 - $8.00. I don't MIND the BSA popcorn but our area is crawling with scouts (isn't that nice!). Our little town has 4 boyscout troops alone. There are scouts all over the place selling popcorn during the fall. There is just too much competition to make a good sale. Our council does offer Camp Cards our troop does not sell them.
  8. Our troop charges $0 per year and $0 monthly. One time startup fee of $50. Money comes from a big fundraiser (nuts). 60% troop, 40% scout. Can opt out of the fundraiser by contributing $125 to the troop. All monthly outings and summer camp are pay as you go with the amount varying depending on the destination/activity. Pay cash or pay from the scout account from money earned during nut sale. (yes i know this is another topic!!!)
  9. Several years ago my husband and I went with our boys on a cub scout overnight outing to a WWII submarine that is docked in Muskegon, MI on Lake Michigan. What an incredible outing! So informative ... and really quite moving. We slept on the submarine and marveled at the tiny space the men had. We felt sorry for the newbie sailor that had to sleep on the bunk inches from pipes that dripped condensation all the time. Again, incredible outing. My hubby, while he enjoyed the tour, could NOT overcome his claustrophobia and sleep inside the sub. He spent a lonely night in the car.
  10. Yes MB oriented. Heard of a dad who pays his son $10 for every MB he earns. The boy earned a lot at summer camp.
  11. The troop has 3 sessions of MB classes, fall, winter, spring. Each session is 6 scout meetings. Each session has approx 4 badges offered, boys pick which MB they want to work on.
  12. Thank you all for your responses. I had no idea! I did not know there was a Merit Badge Counselor class. I will research this and try to attend. This all makes me curious to know how the other troops in our area operate. Our area does seem to be interested in getting merit badges done as summer camp is one MB class after another. Also the are 2 MB "colleges" to choose from in December. I must admit as I led Communications I noticed the terminology is aimed toward 1 boy working on the badge. For example - Plan a campfire program and serve as master of ceremonies. Of course in my group of 12 boys they couldn't all be master of ceromonies. And yes I did have to spoonfeed/force some of those boys to get through the badge. And yes all in a classroom setting. hmmm...my eyes are opening to the merits of not doing badges at meetings. Like another poster commented it may be impossible to change this troop. Perhaps I can get them to only offer 2 MB sessions and not 3. It would be quite a different enviroment for them. Thanks again.
  13. Could you discuss with me or point me to other threads about the pros and cons of running merit badge classes during scout meetings. A little background: My 2 boys are part of a dynamic active troop of 50ish scouts. We are one of four scout troops in our little city. It has always been their method to hold merit badge classes during meetings. I thought nothing about this until another mom commented "oh your boys are in the merit badge factory troop". I was taken aback so did a little research and I see that the practice of doing merit badge classes during meetings is not the preferred way. I am a merit badge counselor for several badges. I have led Horsemanship and Communications. I follow the rule of "add nothing to the requirements / take away nothing from the requirements". I have observed the ease that the boys earn badges at summer camp. Last summer one of my sons came home with 6 the other with 5. There are requirements that I question how they accomplish at camp. Our district also has 2 merit badge college days. Our troop had a wonderful trip to Ohiopyle, PA last summer where the boys earned their climbing badge inside a cave. The cave people were merit badge counselors. My point is, there are many ways to earn badges, but should the boys do badges only on their own initiative? What are the pros and cons of merit badge classes during meetings? But further, should badges only be earned where the boy does all his own initiative? That is, no merit badge college, no summer camp badges, no scout outing badges? Discussion please!
×
×
  • Create New...