mrkstvns

I'd cry. Then I'd pray for the strength to deal with finger-pointing adults and Monday morning quarterbacks telling me what they'd have done if they'd been there. Finally, I hope I'd be able to help the troop leaders avoid crucifying the kid himself since I know perfectly well that I did things just as stupid when I was growing up (but thankfully, nothing that hurt anybody or caused major public humiliation). How can we help the kid grow from the experience and not just quit (or get ejected from) the troop? Kids do stupid things. As Barry said, they need to learn how to make good de

Around here, bug spray and sunblock are very common spray-ables. I can't imagine a troop banning these entirely...or such a ban being effective and enforceable.

All that sounds great, but what's really got some of our boys fired up is the promise of being able to ride the air boats. Noise and power and all that... We're really excited about coming out to Swamp Base. We do have a former scoutmaster who refuses to go anywhere where there's alligators, but I reassured him, telling him that the alligators haven't eaten very many scouters so far this year. See y'all in a few weeks.

Great to see you here, Aaron. Look forward to hearing about your wanders...

You're probably right. I should stop complaining and stick up my hand to help make the change. And by the way, all these "things you should know as a scouter" are precisely the things that so few new adult leaders actually DO know and that so many adults who've got a few years experience could stand a refresher on. Guess it's time to get over to REI and sign up for some of their basic scouting skills classes before I go make a fool of myself trying to teach my fellow adult scouters...

Nothing wrong with a boy being proud of what he's done and wanting to show off his bling. I'm just saying there are better ways to do it. Those kids with their bright red wool brag vests covered in patches sure do look SHARP when they're wearing that vest around the campfire Taking the uniformity out of uniforms isn't a positive. You get a uniform that's a tacky self-storage bin for temporary patches and it's really nothing to be proud of. If MikeS72 can show his age, I can too, because I'm close to his age, and remain VERY proud of the fact that our merit badge sashes never ha

Well explained, willray. The navigation system in a car uses GPS, but it is not the same as a handheld unit that can give you a specific set of coordinates describing your position on the planet. Unfortunately, the whole topic of navigation is not well understood by most scouters. Even basic map and compass skills bewilder many leaders, never mind asking them to explain how to read a topographic map. I would like to see a good navigation class offered at my local University of Scouting. Lord knows I'm bored senseless by all the bureaucratic nonsense about the politically corre

I know it's allowed, but some scouts have some seriously UGLY merit badge sashes because they tack on a variety of temporary patches on the backs of their sashes. Some don't even try to do it neatly. They put them on sideways if the patch is large, they sew on non-BSA patches, and they have inconsistent placement. From the back, a line of scouts looks like a posse of rodeo clowns. I know it's allowed, but boy, oh boy, some boys sure can put the UGH into UGLY!

I don't find boiling for 5 minutes to be an impossible task for a weekend backpack trip. I wouldn't do it on a long trip, and instant is better, but a 5-minute boil is hardly difficult.

Quite right, meritbadge.org does work.. But the OP pointed out the meritbadge.com does not work. He is also quite right. It doesn't.

Another new Nova award has been rolled out for Scouts, called Up and Away. This one is in the "Engineering" part of STEM and it focuses on fluid dynamics (physics). Looks like a very interesting award that could center around hands-on activities with wind tunnels. Requirements for the Up and Away Nova award are here: https://i9peu1ikn3a16vg4e45rqi17-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Up-and-Away-Nova-ScoutsBSA.pdf

Meritbadge.com doesn't work for me either. Definitely something wonky there....

I cringe when I hear someone pre-judging a boy who hasn't even joined the troop yet. It makes me think of Father Edward Flanagan, founder of Boys Town... Father Flanagan's most famous quote: “There are no bad boys. There is only bad environment, bad training, bad example, bad thinking.” Father Flanagan gives you some ideas for ways to handle the situation: - Environment: maybe put "that kid" with an older patrol who won't be intimidated by his more confident (or aggressive) style - Training: maybe have a discussion with the PL, SPL, Guide, ASMs, etc. and find ways to work wit

I would just find a site with templates for whatever software you're using (like Word, Publisher, etc.) and pick a good-looking template, then modify that to suit your needs. No need to limit yourself to one specific to a cub scout pack.

Succinct and correct. Well said.

Good advice!! I'd hate to sprinkle powdered milk on my kid's wet bottom...

If I'm backpacking, I'd probably want to minimize the bulk and avoid the self serve cups. Especially since Quaker sells instant grits in paper envelopes.

if you're boiling water anyway, then it might not be too much of an imposition to just use regular grits and just leave on the pot on to boil a few minutes longer. I like the idea of adding beef jerky (or bacon bits). It might also be good to experiment with other things to add: diced hard cheeses, dry onion flakes, etc.

Quite right. All these online apps are an unnecessary nuisance that creates far more problems than they solve.

You're right. The requirements are a LOT easier now. I wonder how many scouts who started on some of the easy requirements are going to say, "Aw, heck. I might as well just stick with the old requirements." Uhh, zero.

The low numbers on American Business merit badge are a bit bewildering. It doesn't look like a particularly hard merit badge, and most of the requirements lend themselves well to doing in a merit badge university/midway type event. Business is one of the most popular degree programs in American universities, so why teenagers would avoid it's corresponding merit badge makes no sense to me. Maybe it's just that the merit badge involves a lot of concepts and theory, or in other words, it's freakin' boring!

Quite right. I like the essence of Terasec's sentiment that service projects should be done for their own value, but there is definite value to making people aware of things like this. "Just another pat on the back" isn't the right reason to spread the word, but increasing visibility for the organization is a benefit to BSA (and other organizations that share its values), and publicizing things like the trash pickup serve a larger goal of educating the public. When scouts document environmental service projects using the Hornaday Project Workbook, they're even asked about media

Here's a tip: If you adopt any kind of electronic log/template/app, *PLEASE* do not assume that anyone else in the troop will be willing to use it. Due to an excess of professional experience with cyber security, I routinely refuse to: 1) download apps, 2) agree to terms & conditions of 3rd parties, 3) use anything associated with Facebook, 4) download anything onto my computer. Soooo, while you might be gung-ho about your latest and greatest "helper app", be aware that others may find it a nuisance in even the best of circumstances. Scouting is about scouting....not about Your

Good luck with that!!

I've noticed that land navigation isn't a skill that most adults have today. They just know how to plug in an address in their iPhone and get directions. They don't know how to use a compass, or read a topographic map, or heaven forbid, run an orienteering course. Instead of steering adults to boring University of Scouting classes that focus on administrivia and overhyping award programs, more adult training on practical outdoor skills would be very useful and appreciated.