Jump to content

Eagle94-A1

Members
  • Content Count

    4858
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    116

Posts posted by Eagle94-A1

  1. I remember when those not classified as a Swimmer had to ride with a certified lifeguard. I remember not going to summer camp, hence not taking the annual swim test, one year. The troop had a canoe trip planned and I had to ride in teh canoe with a 16 or 17 year old Scout that I certified as a YMCA lifeguard. :rolleyes:

     

    Me personally, if I had a non-swimmer or beginner swimmer, I rather have them with a 16 or 17 year old certified lifeguard than an adult who can barely pass the swim test.

  2. I like how my SPL told me when I will know when to sign off on something. In this case first aid. "[Eagle94-A1], when you would trust Owl to do first aid on you if something happened to you, then you can sign off on it."

     

    Never know when the skills they learn in Scouting, will be needed for real.

  3. It's a national standard to have an NCS trained CD and PD. I only know of one exception, and that was due to death of the CD about 2 weeks before day camp. That district filled out some type of waiver process to be accreditied.

     

    Now my first year staffing, we did not have a volunteer PD as no one wanted to work with the CD.  Our DE at the time was not only NCS certified as a day camp director/program director, but also a multiyear NCS staffer. So he had to spend the entire week at camp as the PD. He did a great job, and got folks thinking outside of the box for day camp as we were stuck in a rut.

  4. Sorry I'm back.

     

    #5 Both. We've done casseroles, pizzas, etc as well as stews and skillet stuff. Also we have used just the top as a griddle by inverting it.

     

    #6 1 of the new leaders has an aluminum one we takes on canoe trips. he said he will bring to play with next time he's in the country and can camp.

     

    #7 Me and the other "old" leaders are a no. New leader has taken his new one canoeing.

     

    #8 Ditto what 2Cub said about parchment paperliners.  I LOVE THEM!

     

    #9 Oil.

     

    #10 I personally have access to a cast iron pan and skillet that I use regularly at home. SWMBO would inflict a slow painful death upon me if I even tried to take them out of the house as they are her grandmothers, or maybe great-granmothers.

     

    Now the leaders won a cast iron skillet last year for a DO cook off. But we haven't used it yet.

  5. You are going to laugh, but we incorporate them into the Wolf den.  We don't get a lot of Tigers because  A) we don't do Kindergarten round ups and B) usually the parents can't take off. most we ever had was 2 Tigers and partners, and 1 was the BS RT commissioner, and the other was the CS RT commissioner, among my other positions. ;)

  6.  It might be a bit interesting to find out how and how one works with Dutch ovens.  There's been quite a bit of talk about them, but as a scout we never used them.  It wasn't until I became a leader did I see a more general use for them.

     

    1) Do you use Dutch ovens?

     

    2) Wood or charcoal?

     

    3) Troop cook or patrol cook?

     

    4) Size(s) used?

     

    5) Uses: stove top style (Stews, soups, oatmeals) or Oven (breads, pies, cobblers, casseroles, pot roast, etc.)

     

    6) Do you own an aluminum Dutch oven?

     

    7) Do you use DO's on activities other than plop camping?

     

    8) Aluminum foil liners or clean as you go?

     

    9) Oil or wax?

     

    10) Troop use any other cast iron other than the Dutch Oven?

    1) Yes we use them. Adults mostly, but one patrol has a a cook who loves his DOs, so he has used his personal one.

     

    2) Depends. If I have access to wood, i do use it. But I mostly use charcoal.

     

    3) Patrols.  Only time we ever "troop" cooked was demonstrating liquid fuel backpacking stoves.

     

    4) #10

     

    More later

  7. Still use the three pot method: one Hot soapy container for cleaning, one Medium for rinsing, and one Cold with bleach for sterilizing. 

     

    One patrol at least may be changing to the Philmont method of cleaning since they are going next year. I beleive they using boiling water to sterlize before using, cook, eat, clean in hot and sterlize a 2nd time before drying an putting away.

     

    Someone recommended buying professional grade sanitizing tablets that food industry uses. May try and go that route.

     

    For Mozartbrau,

     

    10th is cool. I'm more of a "Dandy" fan with the "Hobo" a close 2nd. ;)  I wonder how much ad libbing went into Pertwee's performance since he worked with MI6 in WWII.

    • Upvote 1
  8. I sure hope that he didn't hear that at the SM Specific I taught because I sure didn't say that.

     

    What is in the literature is that the SM is the final authority on who can and cannot sign off on requirements, and that he can delegate the ability to sign off that to anyone he choses, Scout or Scouter. If he doesn't want a Scouter or Scouter to sign off on requirements, that is the SM's perogative. But I hope he has a darn good reason to no allow the Scout to sign off if his peers can. For me that is a good time for  a SMC, but I digress.

     

    In the past I've been invovled in troops that are like Stosh's in which the PLs can sign off on requirements up to their rank or a non-PL with the approval of the SPL. I remember being a regular patrol member teaching First Aid Skill Award with the SPL's approval so I could meet that FA MB requirement back in the day. And as Stosh mentioned, first time I taught withthe ability to sign off, I asked the SPL for advice. 

     

    Our older scouts, called the Leadership Corps at the time, could sign off on all the requirements up to First Class. They were Star and higher, served a at least 6 months, usually longer, as a PL, and served as troop level officers: Scribe, instructor, QM, etc.

     

    Most of the troops I've been in do not allow Scouts to sign off on Star and above becuase the skills learned are MB skills requiring a MBC. The other requirements involve leadership, Scout Spirit, etc, usually the SM's domain

  9. And, DO NOT take on any other Scout responsibility until Camp is over.   Believe me in this. 

    DO BELEIVE HIM AS I SECOND IT! ( and yes that is me screaming at the top of my lungs saying don't do more than one job.)

     

    I was a DL and CSDC PD (doig both the PD and CD work) and it is a PITA! did it for the first 2 summers  3rd summer I was a TCDL, but then when the CSDC director got fired, I got recrutied to be PD again. And I was a DL and CSRTC.

     

    burnt out was an understatement.

  10. As 2cub said, you will have a blast. I concur with his recomendations.

     

    My day camp had some issues. My day camp director didn't share anything, and kept doing the same olf thing over and over and over without ever updating it.  Program was poor and needed revamping. Since I have prior day camp and summer camp staff expereince, including a NCS for COPE. i essentially came up with a rough outline of what I wanted to do. The staffer assigned to my den was PHENOMINAL and looked over what I put together and changed at nite after the day's sessions.

     

     

    in another post, you aid you are doing Knights theme. PM me as we did that theme and I beleive I still have that information on my computer.

  11. No really standardized way to do it. You got to know you SM, and have support when you talk to him about steppign down.

     

    I do not suggest doing what my CC wanted to do with my son's SM: tell point blank he's fired and now on the troop committee.

     

    I know, CC can't do that, but COR is SM's son, and although he knows it time for dad to step down, he doesn't have the heart.CC said he would handle it as he and dad are good friends.

     

    June 1 aint coming soon enough for the SM elect ( he's still CM), and June 6th ain't coming soon enough for me ( when I change from MC to ASM with the troop and DL to MC with the pack.)

  12. Were the Philmont Staff in the green Explorer/Venturing uniform shirts or the tan and green shirts?  I ask because Explorers/Venturers were able to wear the Eagle patch on the pocket until 21. 

     

    It was "interesting" when one of my national supply coworkers and I wore our green and grey Venturing uniforms when we worked summer camp staff. As a 19 year old Eagle, He was was legitimately allowed to wear his badge on his green shirt. Boss had a coniption fit as we MUST follow the Insignia Guide, or whatever they call it these days, and though that he MUST wear the knot.  Had to show her in the IG that yes he could wear the Eagle and his AOL until age 21 in the green shirt. She even had a conniption fit about my jambo insignia, until I showed her pics of the CSE with Jambo insignia on.

     

    But when we were inthe standard khaki and green BSA uniform, we both wore our knots.

  13. In my honest opinion, I am walking a very fine line between "poaching" and being loyal to the individual Scouts and Scouting movement. Hopefully I am on the individual Scouts side of the line.

     

    You all know my situation. I got 2 Cubs Scouts in one CO's pack, but oldest is in another CO's troop. I let my oldest son make the decision where he wanted to go. I admit I guided him some, I knew what he wanted, a "hiking and camping troop" and knew what we could afford. So I took him to troops that met that criteria.

     

    The troop that is chartered by the Cub Scout pack I am in has major issues as I have discussed in various posts. Against my better judgement, I did recruit for them at a Boy Scout Round Up, encouraged my old den to visit them, etc. Heck I advised my son to not mention where he was going until the last possible moment because I did not want it influence my den. I've mentioned the results of that decision: the 3 boys I recruited at Round Up quit within 3 months and out of the 5 Cubs from my old den that went to them, 2 quit altogether and 2 transferred within 11 months.

     

    I try my best to be impartial. But it can be hard. We had a Webelos event this past weekend. We had several troop staff the even, and of course the troop with issues was not there. The folks in my pack know I am in another troop and since their boys will start looking at troop soon, wanted to know why my oldest went to the troop he did as well what is the issue with the CO's troop. I am not going to lie about the issues. While I hope and pray that the troop does another 180 and get back on course, it's been 4 years of issues. I honestly don't think a course correction is possible.

     

    But I also still encourage them to visit not only the CO's troop, but all troops in the district. I tell the parents that their sons needs to find the best fit because while all troops use the same program, each troop is unique. And they may not like one troop for whatever reason, but another troop may fit them like a glove.

     

    Now this is the part that may be the "poaching," but I try to talk about all aspects of the troop my son is in. Yes I talk about the 10 camp outs, week of summer camp, and the lock in we do. I talk about how we are not as "advancment oriented" but rather focus on giving the youth as many opportunities as possible. I also talk about some of the "negatives:" young troop with that is still growing into their own older Scouts ( this is the troop with an 11 year old SPL) , growing faster than expected, equipment issues, etc. But I also talk about the potential I see with the troop. The "older" guys wanted to do HA, and they got a spot for Philmont next year. Not only do I think that expereince will benefit them personally, I think it will benefit the troop as a whole.

     

    But again I talk about all of the troops in the district and encourage Webelos to visit any and all of them, and if possible camp with them Camping with a troop will make, or break as in my son's case with the CO's troop, the desire to join a troop.

  14. We did a canoe trip last year. this is what we did.

     

    1) Swim tests for all.

     

    2) 3 or 4 meeting to work on strokes, how to pack, etc.

     

    3) Picked a nice, easygoing river to go on.

     

    4) One of the ASMs went and check it out the week before the trip

     

    5) TRIP TIME!

     

    Only complication was that it rained the week between the ASM's scouting expedition and the trip itself. The island we wre suppose to sleep on was underwater :(

  15. Someone posted a comment about how we are working with "Raw Materials" and that Scouts living by the Oath and Law are the "Finished Product." I gotta agree with that. I attended an Eagle COH recently and was reminded of that. I was reminded that the Eagle was once a smart-alec know-it-all, who wanted to get Eagle and move on. That brought back memories of his AOL and Crossover Ceremonies. Nobody thought he would last long with his attitude.

     

    But over the past 6 years, the Eagle changed. He was molded and mentored.He was not focused only on getting Eagle and being done. He was having fun and giving back. He served on day camp staff for several years, and to be honest I completely forgot about the smart-alec, know -it-all that he was until it was mentioned at his ECOH. Today he is the OA chapter chief, a JASM in his troop and a member of the Venturing crew.

     

    My memory gets foggy with age, but that process of maturing happens with those who are really into Scouting. If I thought long and hard, I could probably give hundred of such examples of Scouts I've known over the years.

    • Upvote 1
  16. Only in name are they a troop. As you can guess, this is the problem troop I've discussed previously. The very sad thing for me is I know the struggle the original SM and 2 ASMs had getting it to be Boy-led. I helped train the SM, worked with the boys via MBs and OA, and mentored the SM. 5 years of getting it together, to the point where the troop almost didn't need the adults hanging around, only to have the new SM screw it up. And because the SM's son is the biggest troublemaker, ask anyone who is or has been in the troop except SM Dad, nothing is done to correct his behaviour.

     

    Sometimes I wonder if the "Peter Principle" is going on in regards to the scout, i.e. get him to Eagle so that he and dad can quit.

     

     

     

  17. So who's going to appoint him TG? The BFF SPL? Totally disconnected SM? I guess if I was that boy' date=' I would make it very clear to the SPL that until that troop gets its act together, the den will be shopping around for another troop. In the mean time, it might serve the troop well to start learning about servant leadership. Stosh[/quote']

     

     

    The person appointing him is his totally disconnected Dad who happens to be SM. Dad appoints all PORs "becasue the same scouts kept getting elected and now everyone gets a chance at being a leader."

  18. Someone asked how someone who does not live by the scout oath and law, yet advances affects others. In my experience is VERY negatively. The bullying, year-round soccer playing "scout" I mentioned previously is an example. As soon as my son heard that the scout was going to be appointed troop guide for my son's den when they crossed over, my son said he definately didn't want to join the troop since the troublemaker would be in charge of him.

×
×
  • Create New...