The Latin Scot

I don't see how the way the BSA "comes across" matters. This organization is built on principles, and it must be afforded the unalienable right to preserve the integrity of its beliefs. To try and mandate that this private organization should bend to the whims or wishes of certain bodies of people defies the very ideals of the country to whom we profess loyalty. I don't care two figs for what the media or popular opinion say; a Scout does the right thing and sticks to his beliefs, no matter how he is treated because of it. The BSA took a stand on this issue. I would be unfit to teach the

Well, I am still pretty new at this whole Scout Leader thing - I just hit my one year mark last month. Hopefully I can refine my process eventually so that I can see things as clearly and work the program as expertly as you all do. I still have a lot to learn.

Oh goodness, I would hate for my boys to spoil their first meeting! I have been telling them to wait until AFTER the meeting is done before getting things passed off. Hopefully that helps mitigate any potential interruptions of the ASM's plans.

But that's just the thing - it isn't possible. At least, not without the consent of the Unit, which hopefully they would never offer. They don't have the authority to do so, and I have read the entirety of the BSA policies and guidelines looking for such a caveat. As far as I can find, there isn't one, so keep your fund-raiser, and don't give an inch if your district or council tries to force your hand. Official policy is on your side.

I concur. The Journey to Excellence program gives good insight into the administrative workings of a given unit - but not much clue as to whether or not true Scouting is taking place within them. There should be a way to measure that, but quantifying it would be more difficult to ascertain than their easy tallies and percentages I'm afraid. :-(

Actually, I'm two steps ahead of you there. First off, to keep things from getting boring I have a million and one different games and activities and exercises to help the boys remember the oath/law/code/etc. and we integrate them into the regular activities to keep them on their toes - that and I am a pretty energetic little guy, so I can keep things relatively fun (I teach preschool a lot, lol). But when the Scouting Adventure adventure (haha) requires them to practice the Patrol Method for a month, we practice the patrol method. Which means I teach them what it means and then let them go fo

Well in that case, as soon as the Museum has officially moved, the boys I counsel will be going straight back to hand-written letters!

Aw, there's a limit? I was about to give everybody here a green arrow just because I like y'all, but I would hate to hand them all out and find out that I missed somebody after reaching my limit.

Well, luckily it's super simple; it took me all of 5 minutes to have it memorized, so it shouldn't take them too long to have it down.

LOL that is true. I have been using the hand-written method as a way to encourage boys to try their hands at actual letter-writing for once in their lives, but during the interim it would be smart to just use e-mail until we get more information about the change. Thanks for the thought!

Many of these answers have been very helpful, thank you. I am a Webelos den leader, but my boys all have the oath and law memorized, along with the code, the slogan, and the motto. But that's because we talk about them at every meeting, and I want them prepared so that as soon as they graduate to the Troop, they can pass of their Scout rank at their first meeting. And they are so responsive! We have had some really meaningful discussions about living the principles we recite every week, and I am pretty stern about the fact that I don't want these codes and oaths to be things that we say, but t

Hey everybody, I just had a quick question that has caught me off guard, since I have read almost every piece of literature and I have not found an official position (but lots of opinions). Does one make the Scout sign when repeating the Outdoor Code? I feel odd when the boys are just standing around mumbling it through, so I have my Webelos Scouts make the sign when they recite it. But when we visited the Troop last week, I was told by another leader that it was an inappropriate use of the sign. I am not inclined to agree with him on a number of matters, so I found his objection rathe

Methinks I have stumbled upon some controversy here, tee hee. However, my question was not about requirement 2a., but rather this one: 4b. Write or visit the National Scouting Museum in Irving, Texas. Obtain information about this facility. Give a short report on what you think the role of this museum is in the Scouting program At the present, a letter or e-mail to the Museum is reciprocated with a letter, patch, brochure, etc. But suppose a Scout is earning the badge during the move from Irving to Philmont. To which does he write, and until when? I assume they will change the re

I was told that 2016 ribbons ARE NOT available, and that they won't be making them. Hence my confusion, since after all, they were on the order form. The order form on the link you post is the one we used, but we were told they don't have 2016 ribbons. On ScoutStuff.org, they have 2016 patches, but no ribbons - the last ones they have are for 2015. Has anybody here received them for 2016? And if so, do you have a Gold-Level ribbon to spare? As for the unit/patrol/den issue: yes, the ribbon should go on the unit flag. But we don't have one, and the committee isn't interested in getting one,

I figured the program wouldn't end so abruptly, but they did tell me at the Scout Store that they have no ribbons this year, which is sad because my boys were looking forward to adding it to our den flag. The lady at the SS told me that the discontinuance of the ribbons was likely due to the fact that so few patrols and dens use the flags, which I though was even sadder. Alas. I will try asking Bryan about it though. I would rather know the rule and follow it than hope that I am following it and end up getting into trouble later on, lol.

Well, I am pretty sure that the Troop did not meet their goals, and even if they did, I would be shocked if they reached the gold level like our Pack did. But I agree, if they did not, it might not be fitting for him to continue wearing it. One of the precious few downsides of graduating from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts I guess, lol. But at least he can keep it and it will hopefully motivate him to help the Troop reach the same level of quality our Pack has been enjoying these past few months. Still, I hope I can find out the official policy on this. Does anybody know where I can find out fo

I just hope this doesn't cause any problems with the Scouting Heritage merit badge, where one of the requirement options is to write to the Irving museum for information, in return for which they receive a patch, a pamphlet, and a few other goodies. During the transition, I hope there aren't any troublesome delays in that process. I would hate to be a scout waiting 3 - 4 months for that packet to arrive so I could complete the requirement, and as a counsellor, I don't want to see any boys frustrated by the possibility. That said, it should make the old patch a fun item for the collectors.

Hey guys, will one of our resident experts help me out with a question one of my boys brought up? We just received our 2016 Journey to Excellence patches (Gold Level, woot!), but one of my Webelos scouts is turning 11 and moving on to the Troop at the end up next month, and he wants to know if he can still wear the patch once he crosses over. He is a fine young man, and since he deserves to wear the thing, I feel inclined to tell him he can, since it would only be for the year anyway, AND both the pack and the troop share the same unit number as we are chartered through the same congregation.

"The Nuclear Potatoes" "Seven Ships on the Gravy Train" and one called simply "Those Guys." The patches somehow failed to convey the full essence of the names they were intended to portray, lol.

1983? That's the year I was born! (A few weeks later and it would have been 1984, lol) Anyway, in regards to your questions, I believe there was at the time a generic "Cub Scout" hat that was blue and yellow with a red logo on the front. I am not sure if I am thinking of the right period (I don't remember those days very well), but I am inclined to believe that may have been the correct headgear at any rate. I am sure others here will know better.

Boys of Scouting age will mirror the excitement their leader shows for an activity, especially Cub Scouts; if their Den Leader makes the project sound fun, and if he shows that he is having fun, then the boys will almost always become pick up on that excitement and start having fun. I took two weeks before we got to our den flag project to talk about a few of the patrol names I had as a youth, some of the better or more ridiculous patrol names I have encountered, and about how thrilling it is to walk into pack meetings or camp adventures with a unique, brilliant banner flying high above us

The books I found are from my own library; they are very old and some are out of print, but a great source is The World Encyclopedia of Flags, which has a lot of great images within it, along with The World Encyclopedia of Flags and Heraldry. However, the best source is not a book on flags, but a book on heraldry (of which I am an ardent enthusiast) called The Art of Heraldry by Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, which has hundreds of illustrations that give an excellent sense of medieval style and design. Obviously our den ensigns use the same image as the patch itself, but the shape and style of bot

I will be sure to pass that on to the boys in the den! After all, they created the flags, so they deserve to know what nice things others are saying about it. Thanks for the kind words. :-)

We are three neighboring congregations of the same church, which is organized geographically, so each congregation has its own units registered at all times, even when they don't have the best numbers to support them. That way, as the numbers fluctuate from year to year, we still can maintain our charter and all our information. But in lean times like these, it becomes easy to combine with the neighboring congregations so that we can maintain the numbers to run pack activities. So with our arrangements, one unit contributes the cubmaster, another the advancement chair, etc., along with all the

I hope I am not too late for this discussion, but at Target right now there are olive cargo pants that are EXACTLY the same shade as the boy scout pants, for half the price! I got two pairs, and they are a perfect fit. They look great with just about everything in my wardrobe too. If you want an alternative, I highly recommend them. They are a cotton blend however, but as I live in Southern California where it never dips below 50 degrees, that's never a problem. ;-) http://www.target.com/p/men-s-cargo-pants-olive-mossimo-supply-co/-/A-50864895