Jameson76

Also it's great for napping in front of...or pondering....or just sitting and doing nothing. Last few years the glow of the fire against the glow of phones as scores or Presidential tweets are checked has been mesmerizing.

Absolutely. If a Scout wants to advance and we have two or more committee members on the outing, we have the BOR. The scout does need to have their handbook which should have the dates. These are conditional as we need to verify dates, etc. for merit badges, time, to make sure the book agrees with troop records. Many times the Scout has completed or completes on the outing all requirements for a rank, they come over to the leader area and request the SM conference, then we do the BOR. Usually at the campfire on the outing we award the rank or at the closing as we depart. Much higher percentage of lost badges out in the woods......

No merit badges, only rank patches. Merit badges would be a nightmare. As the Scouts go through BOR we get the patches so SM can award at end of meeting. We try to carry some of the rank patches on outings so if they complete a rank when camping we can do the recognition

They do come in waves We had 8 one year, followed by 9 the next, then 16 the next year. Went down some following years with 5, 7, 5, 7. We have a large group of 8th and 9th graders so a good number of benches being built, stairways, trails cleared etc etc

We give out the rank badges at the end of the meetings when the scouts complete the BOR. Scout does BOR and bam...he is recognized and goes home with the new rank patch. Neat thing is seeing them with the new rank on their uniform at the next meeting. At the COH they are awarded the card and small pin. Yes, we do pick up rank patches on occasion. One scout came up the next week and was seeing what could be done as he had lost his patch. We asked what did he do with it last week, he said put it in his pocket, as he touched his left pocket on his shirt. I asked if he checked both pockets, he said yes, then reached into his right pocket and like magic, there was the patch. He shuffled off to patrol time

They are literally everywhere, if the Scouts look. We encourage them to look at organizations they are involved with if possible so there will be a higher sense of ownership and buy in. Also many have come from relative that are involved with shelters, schools, etc and the scouts take on those - Schools - Churches - Sports groups - Parks

The frisbee works, just gotta make sure you wipe off the dog spittle

For those who really like to delve into the minutia and detail, how do hammocks fit into all of this?? For Rank - the Scout must “spend the night in a tent that you pitch or other structure that you help erect, such as a lean-to, snow cave or teepee.” Sidenote - do the OA can't do Indian stuff people know about the teepee deal in the requirements?? For Camping merit badge - Sleep each night under the sky or in a tent you have pitched.Sleep each night under the sky or in a tent you have pitched. What if they sleep in hammock under the stars, with a rain fly?? Soooo many questions. For the record, we count sleeping in hammocks as a camping. Honestly at summer camp most of the scouts sleep in hammocks anyway

Good luck to him That being said, the whole Scouts for Equality group could be a thread or forum unto itself. As with many things, the name sounds OK, but then you drill down to the politics and it gets more polarizing. Hey, let's get this group top change to what we want them to be....

Local district OA got weary of doing multiple Crossover ceremonies, so they now do 2 Saturday's, at 2 hour intervals. Also they do them in February, so time compressed for Web II We have worked with the packs at our CO (there are 2) and now we the troop handles the Crossover ceremony. This is done late March. We have the bridge and the Scouts do the ceremony. Actually works well, not as elaborate but moves along. Webs get the AOL and arrow presented by the pack. Then we do the crossover, they wander the bridge, shake hands. Then there is cake.

Interesting on the paper stuff. Due to trash and mounds of debris we moved away from paper products many years back. Admittedly the cabin with the single kitchen is a one off. Don't do a lot of cabin camping below the Mason Dixon line. We are a larger troop and typically camp with 4 to 6 patrols (sometimes patrols combine for an outing) with 35 - 45 scouts camping. Even with no paper products, 3 pot method, etc still have to police up a bunch. Scouts bring mess kits etc etc

Is this another Buzzfeed deal? What council is proposing this and when (if) does this go into effect?

Some of us are already on that train and well down the tracks.

The Government impasse has impacted Cub Scout camping off the GA coast http://www.myajc.com/lifestyles/shutdown-sends-cobb-cub-scouts-camping-trip-home-early/IctvwkpBO44GYHYzR1uBQM/

Wait...there are other troops out there??

Depends on the troop and the experience. We backpacked one time as a tropical storm was heading into the area the day we hiked out. I knew we could take a developed road out to the vehicles and there was a shelter at the campsite. We had a a good day on Saturday; hiked, camped, and explored. The rains came during the night. We knew it was not going to be cold and the hike out was only a couple of miles. The hike out in the pouring rain was epic. Scouts has a fun, we got a little wet. Loaded up and headed out. Key was we knew what was coming and when. I would not have gone out if the storm was coming in the day we were hiking in, too many issues with wind and trees.

As the captain on the Titanic said...the ship is sinking, time to go

These quotes (if accurate) fill me with confidence "What will we recommend?" Surbaugh wrote. "Frankly, I'm not sure." "And, don’t even get me started on all the abuse I get from those who don’t like any of this because it’s not fully co-ed," Surbaugh wrote. "Any miscellaneous garbage that comes out of this office will 'face the wrath of the dark side of the force,''' he wrote. Also...the "family" things rears it's ugly head again gave an option for members to choose a "family troop" that would contain both all-boy patrols and all-girl patrols. This pretty much sums it up... However, Surbaugh's email suggests that the board is still unclear about the "philosophy and program design" for welcoming older girls in Boy Scouts troops. Train is rolling down the tracks, the conductor has no idea where it will stop or how it got in this set of track, no idea where the stations are, and sadly no idea where the passengers are hoping to go

Likely it would look sort of like this

Hey - my book has the same pages!!!

We rotate through a few of the Eagle required with some specific classes outside the meetings every couple of years. Cit in the Community, Personal Management, Family Life. Scouts do most of the work outside the class. Class is really a time to check on how they are are doing, what needs to be done. Each MB has some specific instruction needed. Just coming to the classes will not earn the MB. They have to do and present the work, do the time period tracking etc. As noted if scouts are active there are multiple opportunities for advancement.

Now I can hang out in the troop's office at the church for all eternity...that will be great

Come on now, having those bank robbers and other miscreants around the campfire will up the bar on conversation. "So Mr Smith, how easy was it to evade the FBI?"

We play that game but call it the trash can game. Use a 50 gallon trash can and the scouts drag each other to "touch" the can. Touch being you drag each other to violently interact with the trash can. Great times.

Absolutely spot on. We are going down the fortress of solitude path. There are two packs at the CO. One is (was??) embracing the addition of girls into the pack, but not sure how that will be done. One is not. We are not 100% sure about the annual Webelos visitation in the fall, not sure if there will be any girls. Key is we will set the bar that yes they can visit, but they cannot join this particular troop. As the large troop in the area we are planning to continue business as usual. If the CO wants to sponsor and start a BS4G troop, enjoy. Our position at this time is that would in fact be a separate unit. There was a Venture crew at the CO and the advisor wanted to dual register all of our older scouts to keep the charter. Our feedback was that's great, but that will be the scouts decision, and you will need some program for them. As they had no members, it was a tough sell. Same will be if there is a BS4G unit. If they need leaders, they will need to recruit leaders, get trained, and enjoy their scouting journey. No paper leaders