StillLoomans

The other factor that we've run into is declining membership, so the pool of possible volunteers is shrinking. Not all of our leaders come from parents, but most do. Otherwise, I think the reasons posted previously are spot on.

<<We've had similar experiences in recruiting at community events. Lots of good feelings and interest, no actual scouts signed up. Last year we ran a raingutter regatta-style activity at a local festival. It was the most popular activity for kids. No cub scouts. We've been asked back but I don't know if it is worth the time investment.>>

 

 

Yes.  The theory I want to try to avoid that is to strongly link building a boat with racing the boat,  which would take place at a Cub Scout Den meeting or recruiting event that follows shortly after the public event.

 

Boys would build a boat as you suggest at the public event,  and then boys and parents would be invited to come for the races a day or two later.  Boys and parents both love friendly competition,  so my theory is they would be drawn to the bopat racing.

As a parent, I would not be kindly disposed to such a tactic. Perhaps it will work for you. Do you have a plan for the girls who want to participate?

After years of unit and district recruitment, I've come to the conclusion that scout recruitment in our area will not improve until BSA improves its reputation among young parents in regards to gay leadership and youth safety.

We've had similar experiences in recruiting at community events. Lots of good feelings and interest, no actual scouts signed up. Last year we ran a raingutter regatta-style activity at a local festival. It was the most popular activity for kids. No cub scouts. We've been asked back but I don't know if it is worth the time investment.

Seattle, if you are interested, we had the kids build boats on the spot from sections of pool noodles, sails from foam sheets and masts with bamboo skewers. The pieces were pre-cut and easy enough for 4yos to assemble a simple boat, while older kids could make more complex boats. Cheap, too.

I think what CubDayCampDirector suggests would be illegal.  Those pesky copyright laws again.  If the BSA didn't care about the money, they could put ALL publications online or on a CD and all members would get one free with registration.

Agreed. Disagreeing with the price tag of a book isn't license to violate copyright law.

Another approach would be to re-use them like textbooks (which, in essence, they are) and lend them to the scouts each year. Scouts who want to write in the book or just own a copy could purchase it from the scout shop. Using a visual chart to track advancements during meetings is a good way to keep records and inspire scouts. 

Personally, I'd rather drop buying Boy's Life or neckers and slides (especially the slides, which aren't required uniforming) than not give handbooks to the cubs.

Publication is not  journalism, it's integral in the application of the scientific method. And let me remind you, I certainly did include observation in the process. But I am fine with disagreeing with you as to whether my suggestion is a reasonable approach in awarding a belt loop to a Cub Scout.

So, now we know why we need STEM scouts. Because our cubs are not learning the notion of direct observation and scientific integrity.

 

Let me ask, because some have mention concerns about a boy feeling singled out for not making rank ... if all the boys refuse to do daily observations, what's the humiliation in none of the den (aside from the odd boy who actually does the necessary achievement) making rank using that pin?

It's not the boys refusing to do daily observations. It's the parents who don't support it. So we can modify the requirements so that the scouts can learn about the subject, or we can skip the BL and the scouts learn nothing. I'm not opposed to doing activities without awards, either, but in Cub Scouts it seems silly to come so close and not give the recognition.

Please explain to me how there is no scientific integrity in using data collected by other scientists and applying simple statistics to facilitate conclusions? Or are you proposing that scientists are able to use only their own, original data? Because that doesn't jive with my experience as yes, a scientist. I assure you that if the cubs were to publish their conclusions, the National Weather Service would be given due credit.

I have found that the scouts in my den really do not have time to complete the homework I either skip the home work part or incorporate in to the den meeting or subsitute

Agreed. There are a few scouts who do complete homework in our pack IME, and our den leaders are advised to avoid homework if possible or to duplicate it in the den meetings. This is with the caveat that I am no longer an active leader in the pack and am not familiar with the new program beyond the basics, so no idea if homework is going to be the problem it has been in the old program.

As an example of how I might adapt the requirement for the weather BL, I'd probably record weather data at weekly den meetings for a month or so, or longer if it fit well and I could. I would also use weather records to look up wind direction for 14 days, and do a bar graph of the data with the scouts. That seems like it would meet the intent of the requirement.

What our pack has not condoned is the actions of one of our den leaders in the previous year. Her den did not complete the Wolf requirements but she said they did. I found out when speaking with a leader from another pack, the family transferred last year. The dad told the new pack that my pack was cheating on requirements, citing the awarding of the Wolf rank as an example. Reputations aside, the situation needn't develop in the first place, there was plenty of time, opportunity and support to finish the last requirement.

Hah! My newly 11 year old is wearing size 12 men's shoes. His last pair were 11s. He can look his mom in the eye with a satisfied smile and is likely to lap his older brother in height, at three years younger he is is only 1/2 inch shorter. And those feet! Did I mention the feet? If he were a puppy, I'd be thinking he was a Great Dane...

You'll love this.

 

Rechartered in February. Submitted paperwork 100% complete. Had a scout turning 18 in March and had just finished his Eagle SMC. Was working on his EBOR during March but district was too slow in scheduling the EBOR and it bled in to April. We get a call from council. They tell us they cannot process the young man's annual application because he's no longer a youth and is now an adult, thus stopping all work at district on his EBOR because BSA does not technically consider him a member. All this despite us putting this scout's application on top and noting for council that this scout turned 18 in 40 days.

 

So this young man is being delayed in his quest for Eagle because of council's ineptitude despite our unit notifying them ahead of time and requesting a faster processing of his annual application. BSA needs to overhaul the annual membership processing. Returning members should not be required to resubmit EVERY year!

 In a similar situation, we had to register an almost Eagle scout as an adult because of how his birthday fell with recharter and scheduling his EBOR. The scout good-naturedly completed Youth Protection and This is Scouting so his adult app would be accepted. In this case, though, the membership chair for the troop recognized the issue and was proactive in handling it.

I agree, the annual membership processing does need an overhaul! Our council averages 4 months for our unit from recharter to receiving acknowledgement of the annual charter. Add it to the list!

Having Set "Cost" per Person per Event...leads to excess Food. Not really a Problem when your trying to feed 3 Boys on a Trip...but if a Patrol has 12... 120 goes a long long way for feeding just 4-5 meals

 

Now If everyone had to pay a share each time..there might be less of a Chance that Things just get Bought over and over each time...Waste not want not... Simply put..If you have the Money you will waste it buying stuff you don't need...How many of yall return excess money after a trip because it broke down to $4.37 per person instead of $10.00..People who buy feel Obligated to spend the Full Amount each time otherwise they think they are cheating the people out of their money..

 

Before any Food is Purchased any and all left over food should be accounted for and Factored into purchase and planned Meals. 

 

Also Storing Auto purchases will lend itself to wasted food...for what ever reason, like Rotation and menu changes on spur of the Moment..you find youself with a Box of Cake mix that is 5 years old..or a Can of beans rusting out in the Trailer

Good points. Our scouts do return any monies left unspent after shopping for outings. Since a patrol averages 4-5 scouts per outing, the cost does break down to around $10 for cracker barrel x2, breakfast x2, lunch and dinner. 

Extra goods stored on the trailer are under the supervision of the quartermaster and regularly gone through and tossed. Occasionally a mom will check on the trailer supplies, get totally grossed out, and have the scouts clean/dispose of items accordingly. I promise that our troop does not have any boxes of 5 year old cake mix or rusting cans of beans. 

Thanks, everyone!

Our troop does it all in patrols. The PL collects a set amount ($10) before the trip, the patrol writes the menu and the PL asks for volunteers to food shop. The shopper takes the food money with them. The scouts mostly shop at the same store the night before so they can ask for help as needed, but older scouts will shop independently. They stay in budget because that is what they have to spend. The scouts don't like to clean up so for the most part, the food choices are pretty simple. After a campout, shelf stable items are stored on the trailer, like oatmeal and pancake mix. Everything else is divvied up in the patrol. My son always grabs the ketchup. No idea why. We always have 'scout ketchup' in our fridge. We've tried to re-use it from outing to outing, but it was often forgotten and it's cheap so now the scouts just buy a new bottle for a buck. I suppose if we could keep it at our meeting place, it would be easier to not replace it every month.

I am advancement chair for our troop. When I go to the scout shop, every rank badge has two pieces of paper - the advancement report signed at the BOR and the advancement report generated when I enter the advancement into the internet advancement system. I don't want to put the scout in the online system before he has his BOR, what if he doesn't show? But the committee chair plus two needs to sign off after the BOR and there is no online report at that point in the process. So two pieces of paper to do one job. Then to buy the little pieces of cloth, I have to sign two ledgers - once for the scout account at the council and once for free rank advancement (for getting gold JTE). The clerk has to write in both ledgers and a third to track tax exempt status. It's crazy.

Our pack charges $90 per year which covers the books, pack meetings, awards and registration. Fundraising covers campouts and outings. We try to keep enough money in the bank to cover 1 year of expenses for the pack, which gives us a cushion in case we have unexpected expenses like the registration fee hike last year that came through right after recruitment, or an influx of new scouts after the popcorn sale, stuff like that. We actually charge more than most area packs but don't charge a lot of little fees through the year, which parents seem to like.

Hello! I was gone for a bit and when I came back the forum had changed and I could no longer log in. I no longer have the email address I used to register and I didn't have a high post count anyway so it seemed easiest to create a new account. Looking forward to reading all the scout wisdom here!