Cubmaster Mike

Looking for some opinions. I'm seeing a large increase in collection drives as Eagle projects in our troop. Coat drives for the homeless, school supply drives for other countries, baby supplies for crisis nurseries, etc. I know these groups all need support and their causes are certainly worthy. What concerns me is the collection drive effort compared to other scouts who build fences, bird boxes, replace park benches, clear out creek beds, etc. Most of the scouts who do these drives are handed a list of supplies needed, information flyer formats, and other specifics from the benefi

Brought back JASMs for scouts who served as SPL and were within a year of aging out. Wanted to keep that knowledge and experience in the meetings and outings, Question- how do others make use of JASMs. Looking for some input on how to keep this valuable resource. Also- we have a monthly PLC for the boys, and a monthly Uniformed Leader meeting for the SM and ASM adults (separate meetings). Looking for opinions on which meeting JASMs should attend.

The (awful) nylon/spandex/velco venture pants have gone on sale at my local scout store. Word is they are being replaced with a new pant style. Anyone hear anything more on this? CMM

Okay, so maybe it's my issue and not theirs. Looking for some opinions and/or advice. I am the advisor for a Philmont trek that is heading out in June. The boys were asked to select a trek leader last week. We set a goal for each scout to hike 100 miles since last August and each scout signed a contract to participate and be active. The opportunities have been there. One boy in the trek has hiked 139 miles. Four of the eight nominated a boy who has the lowest participation and lowest miles hiked in the group- 18 miles total and only three outings in the last year and the lowest meeting a

I was looking for a related topic in the net and this came up in my search. Correction: There is no Range Safety Officer requirement for Archery or BB guns. Both fall under the Section 5 exemption in the National Shooting Sports manual. The instructor runs the BB gun range, not a safety officer. But- my suggestion is to always be two deep on the range. You can have an NRA RSO as your assistant, but unless they also hold a BB gun range master training card, they can't run the range. CMM

I noticed today that my local Scout shop just put the jac shirts (red and green) on sale at 30% off. I've learned the past this is the first step in phasing out uniforms that are being discontinued. Anyone hear any rumors? CMM

woodard- I have a gear list with suggestions for new parents joining our troop. Send me your email and I will forward you a copy. CMM

Dew- awesome ideas! Love it!

Our unit will hold our March Pack meeting on St Pattys day this year. Some parents look at us like we're crazy, but if the meeting is over at 7:30, they can still run out and get their green beer. Or take their kids home and boil a corned beef, which is probably more likely. I should also mention that pack meetings started occurring for the first time in 6 years back in January, so they are still getting used to the idea (Pack reformed this spring after a monster recruitment took it from 18 boys in two lone dens to a full pack of 60) So to those out there in the wisdom pool, I'm looking f

Saw one yesterday in our local scout store. It's nice, similar to the styling of the red one but with the insignia embroidered in black instead of teh sew on patch. Also has elbow patches but in an odd oval shape. Tried one on, not a bad fit. Color reminds me of split pea soup. CMM

Hi there. Youth can assist in the safety area on the range. They can explain safety rules and they can work with them on merit badge or belt loop requirements. They cannot run the range or direct the firing line. Only trained range officers 18 or older can run the Archery firing line. Mike Warriner BSA Shooting Sports Director USA Archery Instructor NRA Rifle/Shotgun/Black Powder Instructor

My son came back from NYLT as a participant a couple of weeks back. He had a great time and wants to be on staff. Families were invited to come up for the last evening for a banquet and the graduation ceremony. The boys on staff and many of the participants got up on stage during the banquet at the camp lodge and sang, chanted and danced loudly for the camp parents. I really enjoyed it. Before NYLT I discussed participation with my son and another scout who I drove up to camp. I explained the rah-rah aspect and since my son is not a rah-rah type, I encouraged them both to let loose and s

This is great news! Putting the discussion in this string aside, I cheer the 12 men and women who stood up and said that what the City of Philadelphia was trying to do was wrong. We won today. Another battle will take its place tomorrow. I'm sending a note of support to C of L congratulating them for standing strong. Anyone else? CMM

Wow. What a story. Guys like this have no business wearing a uniform. My response is much simpler. I don't care if their parent is present or not. I don't wait for the parent to notice their child, if I see a Scout behaving inappropriately I call it out. Yes, it takes guts. But after the first time, it gets a lot easier. parents misbehaving? I treat that one a lot more tenderly. I call the parent aside, and in the view of other parents (similar to youth protection setups) tell them that their actions are inappropriate for the outing and to politely get with the program. If they canno

Gotta agree with John in KC. In units that have declined in our Council, it's not because of boy interest, but because of lack of adults willing to deliver a quality program. Cub Scouts is Adult-run and Boy Scouts is Boy-led but both require active adults willing to put forth a quality program. Many parents like Scouting, but feel that they "don't have enough time." To be blunt, the majority of those parents have looked in the mirror and are not willing to step up to the level of involvement that scouting requires. Its easy to commit to a season of dropping your kid off at baseball and s

BSA Brimmed (fedorea style) hat for most outings. campaign hat for formal outings- parades,flag placement at cemeteries, outdoor ceremonies bare head for troop meetings CMM

When I think of NASA.... I think of Tang. I was introduced at an early age on Scout campouts to the pleasure of hot Tang on a cold camping morning. Had a steamy cup of it this last weekend. Delicious.

Got to agree with BDPT00, the boys from our council are "cash crops" and not necessarily "cream of the crop". Our Jamboree troop just made the decision- no cell phones allowed. Glad to see it. Cell phone as a camera? Please. My multi-tool has pliers and a screwdriver, but airport secuirty still sees it as a knife. CMM

the blurb from the post office states that this issue is to celebrate 100 years of the youth scouting movement. Obviously, the artist from Mill Valley did not know diddly squat about BSA and it must have been approved by that guys brother who works for the post office. Another hollywood moment- let's do an "interpretive thing"- no actual knowledge or experience required.

Can't imagine why anyone would like the old polyester pants over the new canvas switchbacks. Pockets that actually work! A new belt that is man-sized and grips all day long. I have both the new poplin and the supplex shirts. While the poplin is much crisper as a troop meeting shirt, the supplex works the best as an outing shirt for say, camporee. The double pleat back and pockets that can hold something is very nice. Socks? Seriously, does anyone own any socks with red tops that they would wear with shorts outside of Scouting? The new socks are the right material and the right color

I first saw it performed over 30 years ago at Camp Hi-Sierra. It was hilarious and we have done versions of it over the years. Last time was three years ago with a bunch of den leaders in an end of year pack meeting. CMM

My son's Jambo troop has been told that two complete centennial uniforms will be required and that the council will give them the opportunity to purchase them in October at cost through the scout store (we have a national supply store in the council). I'm on staff but have not been told about staff requirements yet. CMM

You raise some good points so far and I agree with you. I am also hesitant about the idea of recognizing someone for doing their job. Maybe instead some ideas to provide incentives to others to do a similar level. Interesting point on patrol QM and scribes and their not qualifying as a POR. I'll have to look that up as to stop it will make very big waves as it has been used to date as a POR requirement. This raises another question. How do you sprinkle PORs through a 65 member troop without changing every 2-3 months?

Question about recognition- In our troop the patrol method does not work well. We have patrol leaders, but most troop meetings are group based and the only things the patrol leaders do is have the patrol line up behind them at the beginning and end of the meeting. Yes, there should be patrol meetings or a section of the troop meeting associated with patrols but there is not at this time. I recognize that this is something that needs to be fixed and have discussed it with some of the other leaders about making changes. Right now each patrol has a PL, a quartermaster and a scribe. The PL f

I wore garters and tabs as a youth and the red tops. I preferred the red tops that you could roll over but those didn't last long. But all those red tops were cotton and were quite worthless. Just before the swap they made red tops in smart wool and a I got a few of those. I wear the green and the white with green flecks. The synthetic wool blend works much better as a field uniform. CMM