1. Skorts

2. A cub scarf

3. New roll-up capris for the lady-folk

4. Cub scout leggings (ugh)

5. New color options for derby car tires

Here is a picture of some new girl-oriented items

Well, "it's the job that's never started as takes longest to finish." - Tolkien 

I used this at our last Blue and Gold at the very end; I found it to be a powerful way to focus the boys on what really matters at the end of a memorable night:

Well, since we are at Tolkien anyway now,

“It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.”

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, The Return of the King 

A part of me keeps hoping to wake up and discover this was all just a big joke. 

Wha ..... ?!?!? 

But then ... who's supposed to carry all the water?! What if I take my 7 boys out hiking, am I supposed to carry it? My poor assistant? A mule? A llama?

Who's supposed to carry it? 

Am I supposed to carry it?

I don't wanna carry it. 

I am led to think of President Abraham Lincoln, who largely composed his cabinet of men whom he knew would disagree with him, and with each other, but who had sound and important virtues nonetheless. He learned to use their differences to his advantage, allowing them to offer up differing perspectives that made his final decisions much more informed and broad-minded than they could otherwise have been. Granted, it takes a mighty fine leader to work that kind of contrast into a valuable asset, but Scouting is all about making boys into just that kind of leader. 

Obviously, that's a lot to ask of one so young, but it's worth considering perhaps. It's usually the hardest things that make us into our best selves, and as I always tell my Webelos Scouts when they are most frustrated, "you can do hard things."

That is a good start, thank you, though after so many years (20 this June) since my ordeal, I feel that I am very unprepared for the coming ceremonies.

Wow, the girl in the last pic looks exactly like my niece!

Frankly though, I still prefer the yellow neckerchief with the Cub Scout uniform, although I do understand the convenience of establishing uniformity with all the color schemes.

I have also been wondering about Brotherhood stuff lately; I am going through the Brotherhood ceremony next month but have received precious little information to help me prepare. If anybody can help me with whatever I need to know while still maintaining the protocols of privacy, I would be deeply obliged.

I have more files on my computer at home, but this image is an old order form that has some of the specs for older standard-issue neckerchiefs. I am becoming a bit of a neckerchief nut, so I collect any old images and files I can find with them. I am performing all the rest of today, and our Pinewood Derby is tomorrow, but at some point over the weekend I will post everything else that I have!

Actually I was grateful they changed it from Camper to Outdoorsman because LDS units like mine don't take Cub Scouts camping (we wait until they are 11 before we get into any program-organized camp outs). Many of my boys before felt odd getting a Camper award for participating in our day-long activities, so Outdoorsman fit the bill better.

HOWEVER, "Outdoor Adventurer" is just getting absurd, and it runs into the same silly issue the Scouting Adventure activities encounter - the actual titles are ridiculous to say out-loud!

"Hey there, what adventure are your boys working on this month?"

"Why, the Scouting Adventure adventure!"

"Is there an echo in here?"

"And after that we are starting the Outdoor Adventurer adventure!"

"There is is again!"

Honestly I feel like an idiot repeating myself like this, and as a Webelos leader it happens constantly. They really needed to have an editor come in and look over the names of these adventures before putting out their ridiculous names. 

Seems a waste of a good literary allusion not to have used "Fearful Symmetry" as the name of a Tiger adventure. Or should it be "Tyger?" 

I guess some of them are pretty funny, although some of the quips are beyond me. Maybe because I don't drink? Or maybe I'm just not funny enough. 

True, and I apologize if my fanatical obsession with proper grammar blinded me to that fact. It's a heavy burdon to a logophile, LOL. 

Wow, no districts?! How does your council function? Our council has 11 districts, all of which are more or less autonomous - each runs its own camporees, day camps, Scout-o-Ramas, et cetera.

Roundtables in my district (which is admittedly the largest and probably the most active) usually have an attendance of 50 - 60 Scouters, sometimes many more, not to mention the Boy Scouts who come to get their Eagle Scout books looked over, OA members who help generally help make the evening work, and interested parents there to conduct various matters with local leadership. The first 20 minutes are usually announcements and district business, and all hand-outs, flyers, pamphlets, and notifications for upcoming events are available at a table there to take to our units. Adult awards are handed out, Council representatives share the latest news, and general district activities are detailed and briefly discussed. We meet in one of the children's buildings of a large superchurch in the area; the OA is always there to help set up tables and chairs in the various rooms and act as general messengers/assistants during the opening exercises. After that we then have break-out sessions for Cubs, Scouts, Varsity and Venturing (which are flexible in composition depending on whether or not there are special events coming up), while the OA then has its chapter meeting. These break-out sessions function as trainings/brainstorming sessions where program updates are discussed, questions are asked and answers, presentors share ideas and offer counsel, and all the local leadership can simply talk together about challenges and successes - in fact, very much like what goes on here! 

I couldn't imagine NOT having functioning districts - how does Scouting function beyond the Troop? How are fundraising events organized? Scouting for Food? Camporees? I am curious to know how things operate without the typical district structure!

50 minutes ago, Scout12 said:

Just wondered how common or scarce is it to have all patrol members Eagle? (Five in all)  Thanks!

Do you mean "have all patrol member earn their Eagle," or "have all patrol members who are Eagles?" I can't tell if you are using Eagle in the nominal adjectival sense, or heaven forbid, as a verb, lol.

This one actually had 10 mini-modules covering the range of weather hazards - hail, tornados, extreme winds, et cetera, but each was short and full of useful information. I thought it was delightful, although I am also the person who thought the ACT's were "fun," so I may not be the best barometer in that regard. 

4 hours ago, ItsBrian said:

But it’s my first time ever being able to use it in a sentence! 

Oh FINE then, LOL 

1 hour ago, ItsBrian said:

Agreed. I had to teach myself how to be SPL and how to lead. I stepped up from ASPL since the SPL quit suddenly. I’ve been SPL for 2 years now. (I’m officially done in a few weeks!). I guess I had to teach myself right if I won scout of the year in my district last year. 

Congratulations on completing two years of good and faithful service! You have a lucky Troop, and I hope they appreciate what you've accomplished. But there's really no need to slip in the whole scout of the year thing - we already know you're a great kid @ItsBrian; you don't need to pad your reputation with us. 

1 minute ago, ItsBrian said:

Only if I had someone like you as my den leader. Unfortunately I had to teach myself mostly during the beginning. The Troop I joined has teached me a lot and did help a lot.   

That's the same kind of experience I had, and exactly what was going on when I was asked to be the Webelos leader. One of the first jobs of every new Scouter is to find out what isn't working, and fix it. Then you identify what is working, and nurture it, protect it, and help others master it as well!

I didn't take the previous online course (I took in person at University of Scouting), so I couldn't say. But it's very colorful, full of useful information, and it's pretty well-paced. I didn't get bored at all, as I have in some other online training courses.  I recommend doing it sooner rather than later!

As a Webelos Den Leader, my duty and burdon is to ensure that every boy leaving my care enters his first Troop fully prepared to adapt to the Boy Scout program. Since the requirements of the Scouting Adventure adventure (ha ha ) and the rank of Scout are identical, every one of my boys should be able to earn his Scout rank within a week or two of crossing over. If not, that's my failing for not preparing him, not the Scout's. If I were to start looking for things the Troop could do for me, well, I would be out of luck - that's not their job. But I can make sure the boys they get from my Den are prepared to take on new responsabilities, equiped with a solid understanding of the program, and ready to begin contributing to their new unit. 

I also make sure parents grasp the differences between the Cub Scout program and the Boy Scout patrol method. I have a few hand-outs and flyers that I give to every boy a month before he crosses over which explain the differences, and I visit each family around that time to talk with all of them about the exciting new changes they will get to experience. When I can, I visit with their new Scoutmaster as well so the Scout and his family can make that connection personally in a friendly, comfortable setting.

Transitioning from Cubs to a new Troop is a big deal, and families have a right to make that transition fully prepared with the resources, knowledge, and tools they'll need to fully embrace the changes. The smart Scouter knows that if boys enter the Troop ready to contribute and prepared for their new responsibilities,  it makes the Troop itself stronger, and it only takes a few excited new Scouts to help revitalize even the most tired units. 

That Scouter from another district means well I am sure, but that kind of micromanaging doesn't just seem excessive - it seems obsessive to me. And it's a legitimate threat to Scouting as a program.

Your system - in other words, THE BOY SCOUT PATROL METHOD (ta dum!) -  WORKS because leadership is being handled by the boys, not by the adults. To be blunt, you shouldn't worry two figs over adults who just want things to do - Scouting is not for them, it's for the Scouts themselves. When fathers want to be more involved in the Troop, you get them on the camp outs, you get them to help with fundraising, you get them to work on the committee - but you don't make them ASM's unless you can be SURE they won't get their grubby mitts all over the wonderful program you seem to have going already.  

People usually complain most when they see what they want most. In your case, it's fathers who want attention and outside Scouters who probably want a program like yours, but on their own terms - meaning under their control, and publicly credited to their efforts. Ignore them. Ignore them, ignore them! You are getting a real feel for how Scouting is supposed to be, with Patrols gaining more autonomy while adults fill supportive, supervisorial roles - not management ones. To have an ASM over every aspect of Scouting sounds lunatic to me - an ASM of woodtools?! Of Cooking?!? Is he mad?  That kind of adult intervention is exactly the kind of usurpation which robs boys of the very maturing experiences Scouting is meant to foster, and it should be cut out of every unit as much as humanly possible.

Luckily, you can point to the success of your unit when confronted by those who tell you how things "ought to be." And if they still balk, state kindly but firmly that Scouting requires as little adult intervention as possible to work, and that you would hate to be guilty of tainting their experience by ruining the momentum they have going already - and wouldn't they as well?