The Latin Scot

My pleasure! I hope this is helpful.

I have suggested that! But our Chartered Organization requires the new scout patrol to have its own ASM, and the man serving right now doesn't "feel the need for a troop guide" (or for running a proper Scouting program, but I digress). In any case I am technically just a meddling Cub Scout leader who goes to Troop Committee Meetings anyway because I love the boys in our congregation and I want them to have a better Scouting experience than the sorry program I had when I was a kid in this troop. But I am sure over time things will start improving; for now my efforts are focused on firing up the

I think that's part of why the program waits until the boys are Webelos Scouts before introducing the concept of choosing a Den name and emblem. Boys younger than 10 have a hard time coming to a consensus on something like representative nomenclature, and their fickle personalities mean that they get bored with what they choose quickly. Finding a good totem for their group is really hard, especially finding one that they will all like. But that's why they already have totems and names selected for them by the Cub Scout program itself - they are the Tigers, then the Wolves, then the Bears. They

If I could just get the ASM over the New Scout Patrol to stop drilling the boys on knots and start actually running a boy-led Scouting program that helps them advance and accomplish something! This thread needs a genie to go with it.

I concur, apple pie and vanilla ice cream, peach cobbler, even ice cream cones - those sound quintessentially American, while the dessert your Scout created ... well, let's just say my paternal line has been here since the Mayflower and yet I have never heard of anything like it. But it sure sounds ... sweet! Haha, kudos to him for being imaginative though.

Welcome Tron! I am impressed with how articulate and well-written your post is; it speaks highly of your ability to play a key role in improving you unit and program. I am so glad to hear from a Scout about his desire to participate more in the program at the Committee level. I think your attendance would be a huge benefit to the boys in your Troop, as there are many committees who get so caught up in the bureaucracy of Scouting that they lose focus of the actual Scouts of which it is composed. As you are clearly an experienced leader with the best interests of the Scouts at heart, as wel

Okay so here is the book's information: The Boy Scout Council Shoulder Patch Guide : A Tour of Councils Through Their Patches by Steven and Elisa Delman It seems there have been several editions printed since the original; I think the cover I have posted is the latest one. Looking through it again, I note that it actually isn't as thorough as I remember (last time I read it was a year ago). It can be a bit fickle in which patches it includes; I do know that if you get the past editions you will get a more comprehensive view of the patches that were made. Evidently with each ne

Will do! I have my weekly stack of books to return by Thursday anyway so I will get it up here as soon as I can.

LOL thanks everybody; I never quite understood the "thumbs up/down" feature anyway, but it's nice to know that so far I haven't accrued any negative comments. Here's hoping things stay that way, tee hee! I have so far read the first 6 editions of the Scout Handbook, as well as the first 4 editions of the Scoutmaster's Handbook, since it seems he also included a complete collection of those as well. So much to read! So much to learn!

I suppose that would depend on what kind of a reactor you are using on your s̶t̶a̶r̶s̶h̶i̶p̶ car.

That seems like a bit of a stretch to me, but who am I to argue it? lol

@@qwazse no worries, there's nothing there now anyway so it looks like it was taken care of.

My family received an amazing gift from an old and dear friend the other day. An elderly gentleman from my local congregation was a stalwart Scouter in his day. He earned his Eagle in 1942, and was a noble and decorated Scouter in the community for decades and decades. I have had occasion to admire his merit badge sash, complete with ALL the merit badges that it was possible to earn when he got his Eagle - a real treasure - along with his many medals and awards from the early days of Scouting. Well, he recently decided to move up to Oregon to be nearer his family and retire to an assis

My local library has a book that has every U.S. Council in alphabetical order with their patches going back to the time that Council patches were first introduced. It also includes foreign councils, cancelled councils, and merged councils. I believe it was printed in the early 2000's, so it isn't quite up-to-date, but it is still a treasure trove of information for anybody looking into a collection.

Where do I even begin ... As a new Cub Scout leader a little over a year ago, I received no materials, no information on where the boys stood in their advancement, received no training, no direction, the boys had no uniforms, the parents were as lost as I was, and there was no organization in the pack leadership. But all of that is fixed now!

Ugh. Not only is that improper uniforming, but it just smacks of attention-seeking and showing off. Those guys with 3 Jamboree patches, a fourth row of square knots (or more), and now multiple JTE patches ... they end up looking like third-world generalissimos looking their next Troop to conquer.

The committee in this case has come up with a really strange ruling. The flag "goes with them straight through to Webelos?" No. Once they are Webelos, they have to come up with a name and flag as part of the Scouting Adventure adventure in practice for the patrol method, and this shouldn't be something they came up with back in Tigers. That's why I liked the idea of using streamers for every boy; it gives them something personal they can add to a flag and, if needs be, take with them, while the flag itself can remain with the den if needed. However, the committee has no right to say whether or

Hmm. Usually, Cub Scouts younger than Webelos don't actually pick a name - they might go with the "Polar Bears" or the "Siberian Tigers," but it isn't until they are Webelos that they actually choose a name for themselves in practice of the Patrol Method during the Scouting Adventure adventure. Especially since Tiger Cubs are so small, they can get a lot out of simply building up their identity as Tigers. But since you have done so, and it can't hurt anything that you did, here are some great flag ideas for younger dens:

Red is still allowed, but the program has officially transitioned to the forest green epaulets, so the red ones are on the same level as wearing a heritage uniform - they are perfectly acceptable, but are now part of a "historical" uniform, and are not current. The same with the hat, belt, socks, etc. - all are now transitioned to the Centennial Uniform's forest green, but the red effects can still be worn if it is done consistently and neatly (looking sharp is more important than matching colors ). I personally think the green is far superior to the red, but of course that is all personal

Eating as many hot peppers as one can before losing it is a very common Friday-night college activity among the kind of fools who don't study hard enough and can't get a date by the weekend. Trust me, I was roommates with many of them only a few years ago, lol. I personally like the flavor of ghost peppers, but then again half of my heritage is latino, and I am very acclimated to spices and heat in my food. I enjoy the way a good pepper can enhance the flavor palate of a meal. But there is the difference - for me, with a developed tolerance to such intensity, peppers like these add to and

As an LDS Scout Leader, I can say that SSSCout has pretty much summed up a big part of our stand on camping with Cubs. A big part of the reason is that, frankly, for a Cub-Scout-aged boy, camping is a lot to take in, and can be an overwhelming experience for a child (and Cub Scouts are still children). And while we encourage families to go camping on their own if they wish, the children at these tender ages can still be seen as a bit to young for a programmed camping experience, and honestly, they can develop the desire and learn the skills just as well by being eased into it as they can by b

I think I am seeing some confusion between the Scout Sign and the Scout Salute. The Scout salute, according the the Webelos handbook, "is a form of greeting that also shows respect. Use it to salute the flag of the United States of America." The Boy Scout Handbook says essentially the same thing. Obviously, we don't use the salute when repeating the Oath or Law or whatever. The Scout sign, according to the Webelos handbook, "is a universal symbol of Scouts ... The Scout sign is used to get people's attention." The Boy Scout handbook continues, "Give the Scout sign each time you say th

I agree, the Scouting Heritage merit badge should be required. It would do a lot towards building the investment of boys in their Scouting experience if they could get a sense of its deep history and the millions of others who have been through its ranks in the past. The bigger the picture they see, the more eager they will be to take part.

I am surrounded by skilled and professional psychiatrists both at work and in my family. Every one of them agrees that in most cases, it really is just a matter of them being "tomboys" or even just feminine males that our society now thinks are "trans" or whatever. I am afraid, tyke, that the more you educate yourself on this matter, as the doctors and professionals I am close to have, you will learn that usually they absolutely DO NOT know much about gender and gender roles yet. I have taught a few "trans" children in my life, and what they are going through is a confusion that can either be

The organization officially would. Whether her peers would is another question.