mrkstvns

There was a fairly long period when all the Jamborees were being held at Fort AP Hill in Virginia. That's a huge facility and beautiful country....it would be nice to find a similarly spacious piece of land out west to do a Jamboree now and then. I think West Virginia is a beautiful state.....but variety is still the spice of life, and there are plenty of other places in the U.S. that are also quite majestic. I'm with Jameson76....a change of pace from the forested east might be nice once in a while. A fun Jambo could be done out in the hot brown sand of the west...

Don't mean to be argumentative, but I don't see that kind of language in any of the Tenderfoot through First Class rank requirements. I see "On a campout", "On one of the campouts," or in the case of Tenderfoot "On the campout" (which I usually interpret as the scout's first campout, at which we try to sign off requirement 1 as well --- have them show us what equipment they pack and sleep in a tent they themselves pitch. Besides, I see no merit in telling a kid he has to cook one particular campout. When he gets it done, he gets it done.

I think your interpretation is correct regarding cooking requirements for Tenderfoot through First Class (all of which specifically say "On a campout"). However, a scout might be able to prepare those meals and use them towards their Cooking MB requirements (some of which do not specify cooking on a campout).

Hmmm. Doesn't seem right to be charging people to attend a COH.

I think they're a great choice. Conceptually easy to make, the boys have a great opportunity to learn how easily they can be messed up. So what if they don't make perfect pancakes the first time, at least THEY got to make them themselves and they learned a few things they might do different next time. No reason to over-protect kids from the possibility of a messed up pancake. Let 'em fail safely. Or succeed beyond your expectations...

For some reason, the BSA decided that the National Jamboree would be split into 2 different sites in 1973: one in Pennsylvania, the other in Idaho. Why on earth would they want to do this? Did it have any benefits, or only serve to confuse and confound scouts and scouters alike?

If that were the case, Bugling would have ceased to exist decades ago. It's perennially at the bottom of the "most popular merit badge" lists... (For good reason too, since a scout has to be able to play several obsolete, esoteric calls that nobody in the modern world (other than a Bugle merit badge counselor) would recognize.)

When my son was still in Cubs, the pack usually did Blue and Gold as a potluck event. The pack paid for blue and yellow tablecloths, and always provided a big sheet cake....but the meal itself was potluck. The cost to families was $0 (which is the ideal target price, IMHO, because then you have no barrier to the scouts from less advantaged families).

If a Webelos scout needs to "practice" being in a patrol, I don't think he needs to waste time and money getting a patch and sewing it on, only to have it be moot soon after. Once he joins a troop, he'll be part of a real patrol where it will be expected of him to have a patrol patch on his uniform. That comes immediately after joining the troop (and should be a part of getting his Scout rank --- requirement 3b). Also, the way things tend to work in my son's troop is that when a new patrol is formed, the boys get together and decide as a patrol what their identity will be. They make

Looks like it's been done before. Searching the web finds the following:

That's outrageously out of line.

Has anybody done the weekend trips to Atchafalaya Swamp Base in Louisiana? (https://www.bsaswampbase.org/) If you've been there, what do you recommend as far as camping? (Tents on the banks of the swamp, or stay in the houseboats?) Any thoughts as to preferred paddling routes?

I would like to hear more about troop HA trips. In my son's troop, all of the HA trips I've seen done over the past 4 years have all been those ones you refer to as "BSA packaged HA". I'd like to educate myself as to more exciting "out of the box" options.

Agreed. That's where I think Girl Scouts differ: their cookies are good quality and people know what to expect. Country Meats has ads in about every issue of "Scouting" magazine printed in the past 10 years....or you can see their web site: https://www.countrymeats.com/scouts.aspx I also think it would be very easy for scouts to sell a $1 product. Even the cheapest guy in the world probably has $1 in spare change lying around. On the other hand, that $25 bag of popcorn is going to take some hucksterism to move...

WHAT?!?!?! Are you implying that boys would have more fun out in the woods than they would in a classroom ignoring a tedious merit badge workshop led by a boring adult reading to the boys all their requirements that say "tell", "show", "explain" or "describe"???

Hmmm. You make a valid point. I agree particularly with regard to positions of responsibility. BSA events like NYLT or NAYLE also exemplify "leadership development" --- even though not all scouts do these "optional" activities.

Jack Links....purveyor of the worst-tasting soggy "jerky" in the world. YECH! More interesting, and FAR cheaper, and easier to sell, are the Country Meats beef sticks --- you can find their ads in just about every issue of Scouting magazine. Just $1 each (no need to buy a big box of too many beef sticks). The Country Meats beef sticks are not only an easy, fast sell, but if the unit does it as a fundraiser, they keep 45% of sales (which is better than the 30% they typically keep from popcorn sales, though admittedly, the total payback to scouting is good with popcorn sales....it's

Those are the 2 that I always end up buying. Gotta agree with some of the other comments here though....I prefer to buy from the kids who knock on my door, though I will admit to occasionally buying from the parent who brings an order sheet to work. I do wish the Boy Scouts could come up with a fundraiser that was cheaper, easier to sell, and a HECK of a lot less complex than popcorn sales (too many price points, etc.) When girl scouts come around, I can buy from every girl who approaches me --- after all, $4 a box isn't going to break my budget and I always have at least a five-spot in

My son did his Eagle project about a year ago. The process here is for the District Advancement Chair (or a designee from the Advancement Committee) to meet with the scout to review and approve his Eagle project. Still not an issue as he/she requests a parent to be present at the meeting. Requiring 3 adults would sure burnout the advancement committee mighty fast!!

In my opinion, Personal Growth and Leadership Development are both expected outcomes more than they are "methods". So even though doctrine says there are 8 methods, I think it really boils down to 6 methods. Of those 6, I think the top 3 are the 3 most important, and when we get caught up in squabbles over the minutia of the bottom 3, we lose sight of what's most important. Just an opinion...

In the Advancement forum, someone made a comment that Advancement is only one of the 8 methods in scouting --- and not necessarily the most important. That got me thinking. Are all the methods equal? Or are some more important than others?? Just to remind folks, these are the eight methods: The Ideals The patrol method The outdoors Advancement Association with adults Personal growth Leadership development The uniform What are your thoughts?

Nope. No "Blacksmithing" MB, but the Metalwork MB does contain options for "Foundry" and "Blacksmithing", so a boy could earn the badge the "old fashioned" way... BTW: I don't know of many summer camps that offer Metalwork MB, but Sid Richardson Scout Ranch in Texas does (they even have a forge!)

Waffle House.

Yes, the personalized contract is between a scout and his parent. What I do is ask the scouts if they've got an agreement with their parents about online/electronics usage. A couple might, most won't....so I do a round-table discussion using the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY approach to talk about what they think are reasonable guidelines and restrictions. Then I tell the kids to talk about it with their parents and see if they can come to an understanding as to what is right and wrong for their family.

Requirement 3d for First Class says scouts must "Use lashings to make a useful camp gadget or structure." Requirement 2a through 2e are various cooking requirements. Requirement 6a through 6e have various aquatics requirements that could be done on a canoe trip.... Who's hungry for rotisserie chicken on the river ?!?!?! https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=river+powered+rotisserie&&view=detail&mid=C788244FBA53A6264913C788244FBA53A6264913&&FORM=VRDGAR