mrkstvns

18 hours ago, fred8033 said:

... A smart shopper will have scouts eating like kings for $10.  A sloppy shopper can horribly overrun the budget.  Always hard to figure out whether to penalize the scouts in his patrol for poor shopping or unwise spending.

This is where the beauty of patrol method and scout-leadership come together.  Nobody needs to have any penalties for scouts who don't do a good job ---- the scouts will take care of that themselves. They'll make mistakes. Their peers will roast them. They'll learn from the experience and do better next time...

Working with new scouts is a lot of fun --- they have so much excitement and ambition!  I've noticed though that a lot of scouts struggle a bit with learning (and especially remembering) how to whip a rope.  Bryan on Scouting had a post last week about a method called "West Country Whipping" that is a LOT easier to use than the traditional whipping described in the Scout Handbook.  It's so simple and straightforward that it should also be easier to remember a couple years from now.  (I suspect most scouts forget how to whip a rope about 7 minutes after the Scoutmaster signs off on the requirement.)

The process is:

1. Start by tying a half-knot, the way you would start a square knot, near the rope’s end.
2. Continue by carrying the two ends of the whipping cord around the back of the rope, away from you, and tie another half-knot identical to the first.
3. Keep repeating the half-knots, front and back, pulling each one tight.
4. Form each half-knot the same way, either right over left, or left over right, so they interlock neatly together, and snug against the previous half-knot.
5. Continue the process until the whipping is as wide as the rope’s diameter.
6. Finish off with a tight square knot.
7. Finally, the excess cord is trimmed.

The only downside I see to the West Country Whip is that it doesn't look or feel as durable as the traditional whip, so adding a drop or two of Gorilla Glue to "seal" the whip would help it stand up to the test of time.

The article is here:
https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2019/09/19/try-this-easy-technique-next-time-you-need-to-whip-a-rope/

Anybody else tried whipping a rope the "West Country" way?  I'm sold on it and I plan to show new scouts that method from now on...

On 9/24/2019 at 12:07 PM, 69RoadRunner said:

I just looked at the packing list.  How strict are they on synthetic sleeping bags instead of down?  I get that there's extra concern about the bag getting wet, but I'd rather use a treated down bag I already own rather than buy another synthetic bag.

I would hope they are not even checking or trying to enforce "rules" like that. 

I think that most experienced scouters already know that cotton has some issues on backcountry canoe trips:  if it gets wet, it's just going to make you colder later --- not warmer --- and it's not likely to dry if you just hang it up on a line once you get to camp.  I suspect they're telling you to bring a synthetic sleeping bag because they've had too many folks who had to sleep in a wet bag when night time temps can easily drop into the lower 40s or below.

Nevertheless, I'm with you. Synthetic sleeping bags don't feel as warm as a good down bag, they're heavier, and they don't compact as well. Even on a canoe trip, I'd rather take responsibility for keeping my bag dry than to be told to use some POS plastic sleeping bag. Same with shirts, socks, underwear, etc. I'll pack a synthetic shirt as a spare, and I'll pack some wool socks because they DO feel good to me, but I am definitely NOT wearing plastic underwear!  Nor do I really want a plastic sleeping bag...

As always, your mileage may vary...

Helping the boys build stronger patrols is tough work!  I know a lot of us bemoan the fact that the patrol method isn't as well understood or as well practiced today as it might have been in the past, but why?  Are patrols fundamentally any different today?  What are the characteristics of a "strong" patrol? What are some things we might be able to suggest to the boys to help them strengthen their patrols and make them into the kind of group that can exemplify great teamwork and leadership?

To get some ideas, I was looking through old scout documents and I came across a description of the National Honor Patrol Award.  I've never heard of it before (maybe it doesn't even exist any more...)

Some of the requirements give me pause to reflect on how each element strengthens the patrol, and perhaps, to identify possible "points of failure" where today's patrols maybe aren't doing as well as they could, and perhaps might be an area to focus on.  Any thoughts?

The National Honor Patrol Award

The National Honor Patrol Award is presented to patrols whose members have gone all out to build the best patrols possible. Members can earn the award for their patrol by fulfilling the following requirements over a three-month period:

1. Have a patrol name, flag, and yell. Put the patrol design on equipment and use the patrol yell. Keep patrol records up-to-date.

2. Hold two patrol meetings every month.

3. Take part in at least one hike, outdoor activity, or other Scouting event.

4. Complete two Good Turns or service projects approved by the patrol leaders’ council.

5. Help two patrol members advance one rank.

6. Wear the full uniform correctly at troop activities. (To complete this requirement, at least 75 percent of the patrol’s membership must be in uniform.)

7. Have a representative attend at least three patrol leaders’ council meetings.

8. Have eight members in the patrol, or experience an increase in patrol membership.

Thieves in St Louis made off with yet another Boy Scout troop trailer....
https://www.kmov.com/news/boy-scout-troop-s-trailer-with-equipment-inside-stolen-in/article_b65a1248-e0be-11e9-b184-13b39e0ebe0e.html

Thieves cut two different locks to steal the trailer late Sunday night or early Monday morning, the troop says.

St. Louis City police say 12 trailer thefts have been reported in the city in the past two months, including the theft of a trailer that left a South City business out $100,000.

The troop’s trailer is described as a white 2006 Pace American Trailer, with Missouri license plate number 22D6GJ. It has no Boy Scout markings on it.

Anyone with information is asked to call St. Louis police.

This sounds pretty cool.  History is fun stuff!

I would encourage scouts who have an interest in American history to earn the American Heritage merit badge, and maybe explore some of those Historic Trails that various councils have established over the years.  (Of course, there is also the Historic Trails Award, which requires scouts to camp or hike a historic trail and to take part in events like this reenactment.)

The list of council historic trails is here:  https://tap.scouting.org/historic-trails/

Scouts love their Dutch ovens!  Over the years, there's not been a single food item that one patrol or another hasn't tried cooking in the classic campfire cookery.  Even the simplest fare can become a culinary adventure when you invoke the Dutch oven mantra.  Such is the case with popcorn...

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup canola oil (or other vegetable oil)
• 3/4 cup popcorn kernels
• butter
• salt

PROCESS:

Heat 12-inch Dutch oven over about 25 coals.  Add oil and popcorn, then replace lid.  Rotate 1/4 turn every couple minutes as the popcorn cooks to avoid scorching. In a few minutes, you will hear popcorn popping. When popping slows down, remove Dutch oven from coals.  Pour popcorn into serving bowl and top with butter and salt to taste. Mmmm!  Better than a night at the movies!

12 minutes ago, Eagledad said:

The two biggest shocks when I became a scout leader were MB Colleges and female bathrooms at the camp I attended when I was a scout. 

I grew up in the era of pit latrines at scout camp.

I was shocked, shocked I tell you, to find that scout camps actually devolved to flush toilets!

30 minutes ago, SSScout said:

In like manner, the MBCounselor has to WANT the Scout to meet the requirements.  It is, I think, a good thing that Life Saving MB cannot be done at the usual MBCollege. 

I also like that some merit badges cannot easily be done at summer camp.  Sadly, too many of the "counselors" that run the merit badge classes at council summer camps think that "WANTing the Scout to meet requirements" justifies them signing off things that were never done (or even attempted).  This happens routinely with all those classroom-type badges that don't really belong in an outdoor program in the first place:  why should Art or Communication or Family Life be offered at summer camp?  Particularly when the most RELEVANT requirements of those badges can't possibly be done....yet inept council program staff keep searching for ways they can get around requirements or just generally cheapen the badges to the point that they've really become "participation emblems" instead of "merit badges".

I'm a strong proponent of having summer camp focus on OUTDOOR merit badges and letting the individual scouts, troops, or district MB College folks worry about the stuff that is BEST done at home, indoors, or in the local community. If you want to build up the summer camp program, add more non-MB OUTDOOR activities, not really bad MB classes that deliver an inferior experience.

16 minutes ago, SSScout said:

Oh. I like that definition.  I will use that. 

Generally, I also understand a "public meeting" to be related to governmental function (even if it might not be directly spending taxpayer dollars).

But I also like DuctTape's definition:  "Public means you can attend, private is closed to "the public"."

30 minutes ago, DuctTape said:

As examples, they are to help guide not be exhaustive lists. The counselor approves the specific meeting based on the purpose of requirement. 

Right.  But they do give us guidance.

With next year being an election year, you're starting to see debates happening in various places. These can be excellent forums to hear about diverse opinions, but they're not the only places.  I would definitely approve of a scout who wanted to attend an event labelled as a "forum", even though it might not follow a traditional debate structure. The "forum" tends to differ from a "debate" in that it focuses on a narrower subset of issues than a general "debate" might.  For example, there are "forum" events focused on women's issues, LGBT, climate issues, etc. 

On 9/24/2019 at 9:25 PM, T2Eagle said:

I'm on my HOA board.  We pretty carefully plan the "public" meeting to avoid debate.  I would point to the Cit in the Community list and tell the scout to convince me if they want to deviate from that list for Communications.

Just an observation:  the list of examples for "public meetings" is different for Citizenship in the Community and for Communication.  Citizenship in the Community includes court proceedings whereas Communication does not (though Communication does include debates).  

11 hours ago, JoeBob said:

I've become a lurker because: a) my nattering about some of the changes is not welcome, b) I'm no longer knee deep in the program since my boy aged out, c) my areas of expertise, woodsmanship and outdoor adventure, are seldom discussed, and d) procedural questions are already answered by other fine participants.  I'm not needed.

Well, I haven't been on this forum for very long, but I often find the most enlightening discussions are those that were posted 10 years ago (or even longer).  I sincerely appreciate that so many people over the years took the time to discuss topics and to share their wisdom.

I do wish there were FAR more topics around woodsmanship and outdoor adventure being discussed. Sadly, it seems that the people with the most wisdom about such matters are the ones who mistakenly think they aren't needed.  

Thanks, JoeBob, and everyone else who has shared their experience and views over the years.  I hope you'll stay and continue doing so for many more years to come!

26 minutes ago, perdidochas said:

I have a Thermacell. My problem with it is that it doesn't work well in a breeze, which is pretty common around here (Pensacola, FL). That said, my brother-in-law, who lives in central Florida, and is a major naturalist (and one of his hobbies is collecting bugs at night), and he swears by the Thermacell.  

Thermacell gets great reviews on the REI site. 

The only downside I see to the Thermacell is that it requires a steady diet of replacement fuel cells, which can add up if you're planning to use the device on  a longer trek (or even a weekend campout).  I'm not really offended by the smell of spray-on repellants anyway, and the much lower total cost of Deep Woods Off will probably keep me away from the Thermacell approach.

Info explaining how Thermacell works:
https://www.thermacell.com/pages/how-it-works 

Order a Thermacell from REI:
https://www.rei.com/product/152928/thermacell-mr300-portable-mosquito-repeller 

The Washington State Department of Corrections bans several books from their prison libraries.  One of these books is "The Boy Scout Handbook"....

Here is their entire banned book list:
https://www.doc.wa.gov/docs/publications/reports/400-RE003.pdf 

1 hour ago, 69RoadRunner said:

...The reasoning I use is it gets you in the habit of having these things handy.  Most, if not all, can stay in your day pack. ...

I understand that the organization's motto is "Be Prepared", but I have trouble embracing the concept of carrying around a bunch of stuff from a canonical all-purpose list only to then admit that "Most, if not all, can stay in your day pack."

My take on "Be Prepared" is to plan up front, anticipate problems, and only pack those items that will help solve those kinds of problems.

Some of y'all convinced me that I should add a poncho to my "urban essentials" list, and that will be there next time, but I'm not sold on most other stuff....just not seeing the value of being prepared for the improbable.

On 9/23/2019 at 3:23 PM, Saltface said:

... If a scout can't attend a city council or school board meeting in person, my PBS station frequently hosts debates on local issues. I've accepted reports on that before.

Interesting.

I've never been asked to sign off on a scout who watched a meeting (or debate) on TV.  In our area, the local school board and the city council record meetings and put them on their web sites.  I'm not too keen on accepting that though because I think the scout misses out on the opportunity to be there in person and to see that it really can be ordinary citizens who make their way to the podium to express opinions, ideas, complaints, etc. (and the scout could be one of those people if he cared enough about an issue to come speak out about it).  I'm not sure that kind of civics lesson is clear from watching TV...

BTW:  Communication requires the scout to listen to the issues and report on the different points of view expressed during the meeting.  Citizenship in the Community is similar, but the scout needs to pick a side and advocate for why it's the "right" decision.  

9 minutes ago, ParkMan said:

Seems reasonable to me.  Yeah - it's a pain to deal with paperwork, but a form to make it explicit that the BSA is doing a background check seems OK to me.

That viewpoint might actually make sense .... *IF* BSA had not ALREADY done background checks on each and every scouter and *IF* you did not already sign an explicit statement allowing them to do so when you submitted your "Adult Application."  

But they did...and you did...

That makes this move redundant, unproductive, and burdensome on volunteers. It's therefore totally fair game for criticism.  

On 9/19/2019 at 11:30 AM, ShootingSports said:

When I read the list at first, I was "totally makes sense".  I would still pack a pocket knife and three feet of 4mm cord.  Just in case......

The "just in case" got me thinking.....Be Prepared........and the 10 Essentials..... and why are they essentials?

Is it just THIS hike you are training them for, or are you preparing them for ANY hike they may take? 

What I'd like the scouts to do is to think for themselves and question authority.  Do the equipment lists we get actually make sense for the conditions we expect?  Would we be wiser to jettison things so we can move lighter and faster? Are there other things that aren't on the list that probably should be?

I plan to offer up a variety of very different kinds of hikes and let the scouts discuss for themselves what is smart to bring, and what is not. 

The next hike will be 10 miles  in a National Forest --- rolling hills, unimproved trails, possibility of needing to navigate, no known water sources along route, etc.  I imagine (expect) that our daypacks will contain some different items than they did for our in-town urban trail...

I've heard a lot of buzz lately about the Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus and how cases of it have been spring up along the east coast (particularly northeast/New England area).  The virus is spread via mosquitos.

Some info on the CDC web site shows that the virus is not common (fortunately), but it is yet another reason to be wary and protect ourselves against mosquitos.

Info from CDC:
https://www.cdc.gov/easternequineencephalitis/index.html 

49 minutes ago, eagle90 said:

We have found that early August is the best time.  After black fly season, and the mosquitoes are calming down.  Also the weather and the water is the warmest.  We prefer Ely, as the waters and woods are similar to the Canadian side, and there are no daily fees.

August also happens to be the easiest month to find availability.  Troops tend to snap up the June and July dates quickly, but fewer request August.  August is hard for some folks because sports practice is starting up and families are getting ready for back to school.

3 minutes ago, elitts said:

When scouts come to me with complaints about getting to a City Council or School Board meeting, I usually suggest they look for Zoning Board meetings for variances or Planning Board meetings.  Those are often contentious enough to get the "several points of view".

Our City Council meetings are a pain for most scouts because they are held during the day when kids should be in school.

School board meetings are easy though. Texas has these "ISDs" --- independent school districts ---- and there are a LOT of them.  Most ISDs hold board meetings in the evening, and if your local school board meets on an inconvenient night of the week, you can always drive a few miles to the next ISD. I think we must have at least 12 ISDs in and around the city of Houston...

A patrol (or troop) could even do an activity one evening to go to a public meeting as a group. Might make it more fun for everyone... 

2 minutes ago, qwazse said:

...

Needless to say, the scouts move things along pretty quickly. When it comes to awards, the SPL asks the CC,. SM and ASMs to come forward and stand to the side. SPL asks a scout to come forward, announces his awards, ASPL gives a packet with anything they haven't already been given during troop meetings, and scouts go down the line shaking each leaders hand.

...

That sounds like a fine basic plan, but when do you start letting ordinary rank-and-file scouts do the planning and running of the ceremony?

In our troop, we almost ALWAYS have several scouts working on Communication merit badge and they need to emcee a CoH for Communication MB requirement 8 (either that or plan and lead a campfire, which some scouts like to do).

I can only see having the SPL announcing names & awards if nobody in the troop needs an emcee role for Communication MB.

I complain a lot about bad practices at MBUs, so when I find one that's doing RIGHT by the scouts, it's only fair to send some kudos their way.

There's 27 districts in the Sam Houston Area Council and several have their own MBUs. Some are poorly planned and operated, some are very well planned and operated. One of the BEST is done by Orion District. 

What I like about their MBU is that they ASK merit badge counselors how much time they need for their badge, and that's how much time they are alotted. Some classes might be 2 hours, some 3, some 4, some 5 or more....it depends on the content and the counselor (as it should). 

I imagine it can be a bit tricky for some scouts to schedule their time, but at least the time they spend will be time well spent...

Here's what that district's schedule looks like...
http://orion.shac.org/Data/Sites/24/media/merit-badge-university/mbu-2019.pdf

Any thoughts on that approach???