clemlaw

>>>>>>I know scouts that are uncomfortable in 50 degree temperatures.>>>>>For example, those cute "Buzz Lightyear" and "Dora the Explorer" sleeping bags ain't gonna cut it. Parents need to purchase sleeping bags rated for the expected temperature.

Remember, I'm a newbie after 40 years absence from the world of Cub Scouts. (Back then, we were "square".) I actually have no idea whether I was at the Committee Meeting or the Monthly Pack Leaders Planning Meeting or something else. There were no votes taken, so I wasn't instructed about whether or not I was allowed to vote. They asked me to come, and I filled them in on what the Tigers were up to. But even if there were a rule to the contrary, if another den leader had said that their skit this month was going to be William Tell, and they would be shooting apples of the heads of oth

>>>>>300 baud modems...wow.

>>>>That's not being "Mr. No.", eh? That's being Mr. "Sounds great, let's do it right!

"I am thinking about small calms court, but there is nothing in writing so I am screwed." You probably don't need anything more than what you have. Chances are, you have a check that you made out to someone, and/or a receipt, showing that you paid for him. If nothing else, you have your word saying you paid it. I suppose he could lie and say it was a gift, but if that's not what happened, chances are the judge won't believe him. If you feel you really need something in writing, then send him a letter politely asking him when he's going to pay the $175 he owes you. It's very l

Thanks for the input, everyone. >>>>Don't burn bridges too quickly...slow and steady and you'll be able to turn around the pack attitudes over time, particularly for things that are a potentially large safety issue.

Well, I just went to my first ever Pack Committee meeting as a brand new Tiger Den leader. It seems to be a well functioning committee, everyone seems to get along well, etc. One thing came up, and I could use some advice on whether I handled this right, and whether I was right in the first place. We were talking about possible future events, and one of them involved renting a swimming pool. When this came up, I mentioned that BSA had some very specific rules about aquatic activities. Apparently, nobody had ever heard about this before, and one den leader even said that it was O

I've never been a fan of these generational categories, because I don't seem to fit in very well myself. Like Obama, I was born in 1961. (He's a couple of months younger than I, so for the first time in my life, I really am old enough to be President. Fortunately, I don't want the job.) My generational identity is a little out of synch with everyone else. I had a grandfather who was born in 1855, so you can do the math. But one thing I read somewhere that made a great deal of sense is that history tends to run in cycles of about 80 years. After the last people who remember making a

I've been using the "trucker's hitch" for years, but only recently learned that it had a name. I was extremely relieved to learn that it had a name, because since it wasn't one of my five Tenderfoot knots, I thought that perhaps it was the dreaded "granny knot"! I use the "trucker's hitch" all the time, but it does have one big disadvantage over the taut-line hitch. Depending on the kind of line that you're using, it can be almost impossible to untie. But fortunately, it's really only hard to untie with cheap rope, so I don't feel too bad just cutting it. Also, while you can get t

Yep, you have to draw the line somewhere, so maybe that's where the line is. Or maybe the guy who lost a BSA button and temporarily replaced it with an unofficial button is out of uniform. It just depends on where you draw the line. Last year, my son was a "Lion Cub". This is a pilot program for kindergarteners in my council. He was BSA registered, and according to council instructions, the official uniform consisted of a T-shirt of a color chosen by the den (in our case, blue), with a council-supplied iron-on patch, one for the parent, and the other one for the Lion. When salu

BartHumphries, it looks like we were both typing at the same time. Shame on you for forgetting the Clove Hitch too.

It's been a long time since I've been a Scout. I'm not sure I remember how to make a "Clove Hitch", although I did have to know how for Tenderfoot. For whatever reason, I never did have to use that one over the years. I bet I could re-learn it, but I hope I don't fail a surprise test and have my Eagle taken away. I don't know what the exact requirements are these days for Tenderfoot through First Class. But I don't think any of them are rocket science. Yes, I suppose one or two scouts might forget exactly how to make a clove hitch, but if a troop is running even a slightly active p

Well, yes, I guess I turned out reasonably well. Come to think of it, I guess I did learn things such as the fact that there are consequences to packing up the patrol box with dirty utinsels and taking it home that way. (It turns out, that's a bad idea, even though you're the first patrol that's ready to go home.)

Novice_Cubmaster wrote: "think a lot of Scouters overrate Scouting in terms of turning boys into good men". Having been gone from Scouting for about 30 years, I've been giving this a lot of thought recently, wondering what exactly the point of scouting was. Don't get me wrong, there is definitely a point--I'm just trying to figure out how to articulate it. I became an Eagle in 1978, drifted away from Scouting when I started college, and have only recently re-emerged on the scene as a Tiger Den Leader. While a lot of things have changed, much of it is remarkably the same. As I

Welcome back! I posted a nearly identical story a couple of days ago, and I noticed a few before mine. Yes, a few things seem to have changed, but as far as I can tell, most of them are for the better. My memories are fuzzy, but I mostly remember trying to be square, while doing crafts under the supervision of a Den Mother. Now, I'm the Tiger Den Mo... I mean Den Leader, and the kids actually get to do "dangerous" stuff like go camping. I had one year to ease into it, since my son was a "Lion Cub" last year, which is a pilot program in our council for Kindergarteners. And yes

I have to admit that I had never heard of the American Heritage Girls until I read this thread. I did take a look at their website, and it said that they had something like 3000 youth members, IIRC. So it hardly seems like it's the kind of large organization that will somehow bring vitality to the BSA. It certainly seems like a wholesome organization, and if some BSA unit wanted to engage in some kind of joint program with some AHG unit, I would certainly have no objection. But nationally, it seems awfully small to engage in any kind of partnership of equals with the BSA. And it's pro

Well, I'm kind of centennialled out, too. If the Methodists want to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the first Methodist troop, more power to them, likewise for any other denomination. But actually, the following idea isn't half bad: "Are we going to spend the next hundred years celebrating everything that happend the past hundred years? " Now, for some reason, we haven't yet started receiving our copies of Boys Life and Scouting (I suspect our registration is sitting on someone's desk after we changed packs). So maybe they're already doing something like this. But I would find

You mean I'm not supposed to be wearing that yellow uniform shirt? My shade of olive drab is more olive than they are currently.

It looks like I'm a little late to this discussion. But I thought it was interesting that so many people are suggesting that Cub Scouts are one area that could be co-ed. I suppose that girls might fit in better to Cubs than they would to Boy Sc---er, I mean Scouts. But based on my admittedly limited knowledge of GSUSA, it seems to me that Brownies is probably their strongest program, and I suspect it's pretty comparable to Cub Scouts (except their cookies are better than our popcorn). Therefore, I don't really see much of a need. I have a daughter who is excited about being ab

"While there is a Scouting Heritage MB, from the Requirements I can find, it seems simultaneously like either a "gimme" or impossible. A gimme if you can get to Philmont or another HA base; impossible otherwise." Actually, it looks like there's an alternate requirement for Scouts who can't attend a Jamboree or High Adventure. They can visit _or write to_ the National Scouting Museum. I bet the museum has a packet of materials that they send out when they receive a letter from Sammy Starscout saying that he's working on that requirement. So the cost of that merit badge is 44 cents

I'm another "newbie" on the other side of the same Council, in St. Paul. I'm also an Eagle Scout who has now moved up to spending one hour a week as leader of my son's Tiger Den. If you see a guy with a shirt that's a couple sizes too small (and the wrong color and no ribbons on the shoulder) at any council events, be sure to say hi to me!

Hello! I've been lurking here for a while, and decided I couldn't resist the temptation to jump in any longer. It looks like I'm not the first one to say this, but I'm an Eagle Scout who has recently "advanced" to Tiger Den Leader. I started Cub Scouts in about 1969, and made Eagle in 1978. I drifted away from Scouting after college, but got back in with my son. My son actually started last year, in Kindergarten, as a "Lion Cub", which is a pilot program in the Northern Star Council. We had to change Packs due to scheduling conflicts, and this year he's put on the "real" Cub