davlafont

That could be your problem. You think that, by allocating boys on your own, the odds are in your favor of getting the intended results. On the contrary, I don't want to allocate them because I'm quite sure I'll get it wrong. But they've boy-led themselves to a state where the eldest three of our seven patrols are not functioning as patrols and have members that are either becoming disillusioned or are turning inward to focus on their own successes/achievements. I suspect they don't know, or worse don't think they're "allowed" to switch from one patrol to another. Having now read thr

Great discussion. I have been wrestling with this topic recently and came to this forum to do some research. Here's where we're at: Our patrols mostly align with the age cohorts of the successive waves of WEBELOS (I won't go so far as to say we've had a NSP program; that might be overstating things a bit). For reasons that involve school demands, attrition, and general motivation, our SPLs have tended to be 14 and 15 years old going back as far as 2008. Unfortunately, our older scouts have tended to to either drift off or have sometimes become a nuisance by not giving the SPL all the

Anyone notice that BSA's video clip has one image of the shirt backward/reversed? It's the segment showing the shirt in rolled-sleeve mode. I only noticed because it suggests that there's a pocket on the right sleeve, but then the image changes to the long-sleeve mode and the pocket is gone. After that caught my eye, it was easy to see all the left-side patches on the right side, etc. I too would like to know how the new uniform changes will trickle into other programs. As a Cub Scout leader, I'll stick to the current field uniform but I'd like to make the move to modern fabrics and f

Our pack only had 40 entries: 30 scouts, 10 family. We use an electronic timer and software. Each car enters the track on lane 1, then shifts over to 2 then 3, so every cub sees his car run in three races in a row. Because of the size of the group, we were able to run three heats so every car took 9 runs. The software averages the times to produce results and can parse them in any number of ways. We award first, second, and third for each den, AND Pack overall, AND Family division. We also have judges pick Best Color, Funniest Theme, Most Patriotic, etc. You guessed it... every scou

If we change the uniform in question from military to Law Enforcement, it may help guide our thinking/response. Would a unit scouter/visitor who is police officer be welcome at a unit event in his uniform? Sure. It helps to underscore the community service aspect of scouting. But would some obsevers (maybe parents) wonder why the cops are there? Possibly. Should Officer Jones be acting in an official scout leader capacity? Probably not, unless it's related to how the police operate, etc. (or how THEY benefit from the uniform method). Is it heinous that he couldn't devote the time to ch

So many great discussions in one thread... it's hard to decide which to add to! I look forward to the opportunities I have to visit Ft. Benning so that I can stop into Commando Supply and Ranger Joe's. I'm still on active duty (for another 18 months and counting down quickly!) and there's one glaring exception to the statement that troops don't alter the uniform: the Army's black beret vs. the patrol cap. Especially at Ft. Benning, but at other locations too, there's a small rebellion taking place over the official headgear. It's almost not worth mentioning here except to note that whe

The illustration in the handbook is pretty self explanatory, no? The planks are 1" x 4" x 24" and have four 2" x 2" x 4" strips underneath. Those could be screwed in place if you want to disassemble and reassemble later. Four holes, a length of rope that is cut to size and knotted in place. Voila! Personally, I wouldn't even bother with 2" x 2" strips. The planks can be cut from a single 8' board. The remaining length can be cut into multiple 2" strips. Stack them (with wood glue) and screw them to the board with screws long enough to reach through both. Good luck!

Thanks for all the responses. My pack leaders all wear the BALOO patch on the right pocket. Below that they stack these additional training patches, which are almost "strips" in that they are only about an inch tall. At our B&G, I just noticed a third patch: water safety. It is definitely a council-wide habit because I met leaders from other packs in our council who have these as well. My feeling is that it helps instill confidence in our cubs' parents that the pack leaders are not just winging it. (One could argue that by wearing non-BSA approved uniform items they are indee

Thanks folks. I suppose these are Council-created. The Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO) patch is about 2" x 3" and is multi-colored with the Baloo Bear and block lettering. My Pack leaders wear it on the right pocket. The other two are simple 1" x 3" tan strips with Black borders, worn stacked beneath the right pocket. I will ask around in my council about the authority for these (tactfully).

I'm putting together my first Scouter uniform now that I have volunteered as Asst. Den Leader. I have earned patches for Risk Zone training and Youth Protection training and will attend BALOO next month. I thought I knew where these items go because my Pack leaders all seem to have them in the same place. But I just attended New Leader Essentials and Leader Specific training with Scouters from across our Council and I've seen several different locations for these patches. I purchased a copy of the BSA Insignia Guide (I have always had my own copy of Army Regulation 670-1, so the Insign

Hello all. The original post seemed to question why the official shirt costs so much more than a similar item at WalMart. While there has been comment on the quality of less expensive shirts and there has been comment on whether or not people should complain at all, I'm surprised that no one has considered the benefit of BSA making a killing. I'm new. I don't know the politics of National vs. Councils vs. Troops. And I'm not versed in BSA's budget. But doesn't it make sense that we should want to support the program with a premium on uniform items? Even if the articles were identica

Greetings all. This is my first post on this forum, so it only follows that I have a strong opinion about the topic. My son is in his second year of Cub Scouting (Wolf). I am a career Army Officer that never was a scout. I've been very careful to avoid imposing military standards or expectations on my son in general and as it pertains to scouting in particular. But man does it chap my... butt... to see the boys in our pack with a thousand different uniform variations. And the Neckerchief is a great source of my consternation. To address the original post, I agree that under