MikeS72

I has been down for a while now. I just changed a bunch of the links on the leader resources page of our pack website from meritbadge.org to point to usscouts.org

My first thought as a fan of both Fred MacMurray and Kurt Russell was "Follow Me Boys!"; but it would now be "Follow Me Scouts!".

Not sure I could handle shorts in your part of the country at this time of the year, or in the spring. Barely wear them in FL.

I did many a cold weather camp as a scout and in earlier years as a leader. It was not unusual to clear snow before building a fire, or chip ice in the morning. We were a military troop, and all used army down mummy bags year round. My very first scout camping trip was in December of '64 in Massachusetts. Lots of snow on the ground. Now that I have been in Florida for 30 years, I layer up at pretty much anything below 50. Coldest we have done was a couple of years ago on an OA ordeal weekend when it dropped down to 27 on Friday night. We are camping next weekend, and as my great-nep

Saw this yesterday on several of the Commissioner FB pages I am a member of; I can only hope that whatever the issue is, it has a favorable conclusion.

I agree that there are MB's that do not lend themselves to this type of setting. There are some however, that do benefit by providing good group discussions and the exchange of different points of view. First of all, I would not want 30 scouts in a session with a single MB counselor, regardless of the subject; but I am sure that with a good counselor and the right amount of time, many of those scouts would remember quite a bit of first aid. I am confident that any scout who sits through a full first aid session with me (and who earns a signed blue card) will have learned a good deal

Yep. We are camping next weekend, and I am sure I will hear a few comments about how cold they are, as it is supposed to drop down to 68 Friday night!

I am very particular about everything being correct on my uniform, and will counsel one of my own scouts if they put something in the wrong place on theirs. Something like this I would just shake my head, breathe deeply, and let it go. This sort of thing is why the insignia guide says that temporary patches should not exceed the size of the pocket. I guess they did not think about someone putting something this extreme under the pocket. Some councils and camps start out with the normal size patch that you center on the pocket, and then offer those segments for different activities a

East coast of central Florida here. We 27 a couple of years ago when staffing an OA ordeal weekend, and it did not slow them down a bit. I on the other hand, wore a long sleeve t-shirt, BSA zip up hoodie, and the red wool jac-shirt.

Followed the link. Seems to me that this 'story' is nothing more than an advertisement for Skaa Speakers. Not only does the SM extol their virtues, but this in not an actual news site, but a trade website, pushing a product. I agree with @malraux, in that a one time thing is fine, but not every time it is too cold for manhunt. Besides, this is an Alabama troop. How often is it cold enough that scouts would not be able to run and chase?

While not at a camporee, we did something similar on a troop level. We had spent time with several Green Beret's who had recently returned from Vietnam, working on survival skills. At the end of the session, we turned a crate of chickens loose in the camp site. Instructions to the scouts were simple: there is your dinner, catch it, kill it, clean it, cook it.

Depending on the size of your troop, you may well have been limited to one scout elected, but that was not the blanket rule. I was elected 50 years ago, and there was a chart in the OA handbook showing how many scouts could be on the ballot, based on the number of scouts in your unit. (I am at work, and that 50 year old handbook is at home, so I cannot give the exact ratios - as I recall, we were allowed up to 4 and I was the only one to be elected that year) It then showed how many of those on the ballot each scout could vote for; and how many of those scouts could be elected. Just as today

Only been on this forum for a little more than two years. On the other hand, this forum (or the internet for that matter) were not around when I went to WB. MT-14; 1972😤

** Prerequisite for Dragon Slaying?? 🤣😋

I agree that you should try to do this behind the scenes, so to speak, so as not to needlessly embarrass the SPL. I would also want to make sure that the activity introducing the correct information takes place as soon as possible, as there is always the chance that the one bit of the SPL's presentation that stuck with a scout was the incorrect part. I consider first aid one of the most important skills that we teach scouts, as you never know when or where you might be called upon to use those skills. I remember being at a Webelos to Scout transition weekend hosted at our local camp a f

If they are going to hitchhike, they might as well go a little further north to Patriot country!🤩

Remember that well. I chose to use semaphore for my First Class requirement.

As a child of the 60's (I joined, and earned Tenderfoot in 1964), I do not recall ever seeing a scout be asked to leave the troop because it took them too long to earn Tenderfoot. We were a military family, and as a scout I belonged to three different troops. Most of us earned Tenderfoot and Second Class fairly quickly. It did take me a little longer than some to earn First Class, as I had to learn to swim before that could happen. 😁

I would venture to say that some of that 57% number is due to the idea that troops should elect every eligible scout every year. In some cases, that results in having no eligible scouts the next year. The 71% ordeal rate is probably about right, especially considering that some troops do not give scouts the option to decline being on the ballot. Sash and dash has always been around, and always will be. I was inducted 50 years ago, and while retention rates were higher, there were still those who wore the flap, but never attended meetings or activities. If it were as difficult to be electe

Unfortunately, that way of thinking is becoming more prevalent. I am all for recognizing those who stand out, and whose troop feel are worthy of election, but too often I hear units being encouraged to elect everyone who is eligible. Part of the rationale is 'we need numbers'. When we elect everyone eligible, rather that only those that their troop feels are truly deserving, we are getting numbers on paper only.

I would have to go back and look at everything that went out, but I thought I saw something that seemed to say that fees to council would be capped, and could not exceed the national fee. Here in Central Florida Council we pay $17 for council insurance.

There is already a digital version available as part of the subscription. I read it on my tablet, my scout reads the physical copy.

We generally do very well as a district, and are hoping that we will do even better this year, since Scouting For Food is no longer the same week as our school district food drive. When we are trying to go door to door, and students from 87 school are bringing donation to class every day the same week it gets tough.

Unless I am mistaken, there was already a re-charter fee for the unit of $40.

Indeed. We collect $5 monthly in dues, and spend far more, (re-charter also comes out of dues) depending on fundraisers to make up the difference.