Scout to First Class in 12 month program/schedule

[Snow Owl]

Greetings fellow Scouters.  I am looking for a program or meeting schedule to help our new Scouts go through the first 4 ranks in 12-18 months while still having fun.  Most summer camps and winter camps have some sort of new scout program but I am looking for a lesson plan or program to follow for our new Scout Patrol to follow to stay on track.  We are a new troop and learning this as we go.

 

Thanks

 

[F-P]

Not the new requirements, but should give you a start: http://www.pioneeringprojects.org/NCS/staff/1stYear1stClassREVISED2006.pdf

 

 

[Beavah]

Yah, hmmm....

 

@@F-P...  Holy Smoke!    An entire school curriculum book, replete with Learning Objectives and lesson plans.    I reckon that's the most amazin' effort to turn scouts into school that I've ever seen. 

 

@, welcome!  Congrats on takin' on the fun task of a new startup troop.   From a few previous posts, I take it yeh just crossed over with you son's webelos den and the den is the core of the new troop?

 

Let me take a step back and ask what you're hopin' to accomplish for the lads through scouting?

 

And what kind of boys do yeh currently have (and do you expect to get lookin' at your troop in future years)?

 

Do yeh have any other (semi-) local troops that can be a "big brother" troop for yeh your first year or two?

 

It's really hard for parents to switch from Cub Scout Mode to Boy Scouting without some wisdom and guidance.   One of the easiest things in the world to do is to turn NSP into Webelos III, complete with adult den leaders and a program everyone does together so that all the lads advance at the same time and pace.   Problem is, that really isn't Boy Scoutin', and yeh aren't likely to get the results yeh want in terms of buildin' capable  young men.   It's how we built inquisitive and confident 9 year-olds, eh?  Older boys are different.

 

Beavah

[qwazse]

Welcome! And thanks for your service to our boys.

Keep in mind that most of the skills acquisition should occur on outings.
If the boys are constantly solving problems to that require skills, they will master them.

These schedules help, but the handbook is as good a guide as any. Ask the boys to pick the theme for the month, based on the chapters in their books.

 

Also, put the responsibility for sign-offs on the youth. Train your patrol leaders on when and when not to put their signature in a boy's book. This really gets your program moving along, because you can routinely ask PL's "What hasn't been signed off in most of your boys' books?" and follow-up with "What can we do about it?"

 

When you get to the point that a PL says "Johnny needs land navigation for Second Class, can we go on a hike?"  That is when the program gets exciting!

[perdidochas]

Greetings fellow Scouters.  I am looking for a program or meeting schedule to help our new Scouts go through the first 4 ranks in 12-18 months while still having fun.  Most summer camps and winter camps have some sort of new scout program but I am looking for a lesson plan or program to follow for our new Scout Patrol to follow to stay on track.  We are a new troop and learning this as we go.

 

Thanks

The main thing you should concentrate on is a good outdoor program, and teaching scout skills.  There is nothing to keep on track.  Advancement for Boy Scouts is individual, not group like in Cub Scouts.

Edited June 28, 2016 by perdidochas

[Torchwood]

The main thing you should concentrate on is a good outdoor program, and teaching scout skills.  There is nothing to keep on track.  Advancement for Boy Scouts is individual, not group like in Cub Scouts.

 + Infinity on this!!!

[Back Pack]

Not the new requirements, but should give you a start: http://www.pioneeringprojects.org/NCS/staff/1stYear1stClassREVISED2006.pdf

 

This looks like it is taught by adults. Is that the intent?

 

My troop has our boys teach the skills with patrol leaders signing off. They plan what will be covered themselves but they do follow a plan of sorts. Certainly nothing like this. I'm not sure you 13 year old scouts could follow this plan. I could barely make sense of it. I guess we are behind the times.

[Stosh]

I have boys that just turned Tenderfoot after a year.  What's the rush, they'll do just fine...and by the way, they are having fun.  Sometimes a little maturity makes learning easier.  Studies were done a number of years ago about kids who had participated in pre-school and those who didn't.  By the end of kindergarten they were all on the same page.  No advantage for the pre-school'ed kids.

 

They didn't offer pre-school or kindergarten when I was a kid.  Just started at first grade.  I hold a Master's Degree.  Some of those degrees along the way were magna and summa cum laude.  I'm thinking that some just take their time to get to the same place.  If a boy at 11 can Eagle by 14 a more mature boy could start at 14 and Eagle by 18.

 

Adults seem to over think this whole Webelos III for their boys right up until they Eagle.

[F-P]

Found that with a quick google search. Internet is littered with guides like that. So far I think I have done a good job with son's transition to Boy Scouts. Joined troop in March and just made Scout earlier this month so I'm definitely not pushing him or anyone else. Been hanging back and letting the scouts do their thing - not always 300 feet away but as far as I can.

[scoutldr]

"First class/first year (FC/FY)" was an emphasis program of the BSA 10-15 years ago...not sure if it still is.  The theory was that most scouts drop out before they make First Class, so if we got that patch on their shirts as quick as we could, they would be locked in.  Not sure if that was the case or not.  My advice with a new troop is to get them to Summer Camp and enrolled in the first year camper program, where they will work on T-2-1 advancements.  Let the fire ignite naturally, and not on a set schedule.

[Hedgehog]

Our guys get 80% of the Tenderfoot through First Class requirements done at summer camp.  The rest of the requirements come naturally as part of the program - camping, cooking, hiking, orienteering, etc.  The guys develop our "Indoor Program" by selecting monthly themes and then developing programs that allow them to teach, learn and practice skills like knot tying, lashings, first aid, etc.  It is haphazzard, but in most cases it works.  Boy-led activities and boy-led sign off.  

 

Where I'd like to see improvement is having the older boys do a better job of guiding the younger boys through advancement to make sure nobody gets left behind or falls through the cracks.  That can be by just looking at their books to see how they are doing, teaching a skill one-on-one, working to set up a campout that covers a certain skill or just encouraging the scout to learn something on their own and come back and show them the next week.

 

Advancement is good, but having fun is what keeps the boys involved.

[Stosh]

Our guys get 80% of the Tenderfoot through First Class requirements done at summer camp.  The rest of the requirements come naturally as part of the program - camping, cooking, hiking, orienteering, etc.  The guys develop our "Indoor Program" by selecting monthly themes and then developing programs that allow them to teach, learn and practice skills like knot tying, lashings, first aid, etc.  It is haphazzard, but in most cases it works.  Boy-led activities and boy-led sign off.  

 

Where I'd like to see improvement is having the older boys do a better job of guiding the younger boys through advancement to make sure nobody gets left behind or falls through the cracks.  That can be by just looking at their books to see how they are doing, teaching a skill one-on-one, working to set up a campout that covers a certain skill or just encouraging the scout to learn something on their own and come back and show them the next week.

 

Advancement is good, but having fun is what keeps the boys involved.

 

Isn't this the responsibility of the PL/APL team in the patrol?  After all, if the PL is signing off on the advancement, shouldn't he be aware of where the boys are at in their progress?

[T2Eagle]

Have the boys go camping every month, make sure they do all their own cooking, cleaning, and taking care of their equipment.  Have them decide on the one big fun thing they're going to do on the Saturday while at camp.  Go to summer camp, but let them participate in whatever program they want, don't have them work on requirements in lock step while they're there.  In 12- 18 months anyone who wants to be first class will be.

[perdidochas]

"First class/first year (FC/FY)" was an emphasis program of the BSA 10-15 years ago...not sure if it still is.  The theory was that most scouts drop out before they make First Class, so if we got that patch on their shirts as quick as we could, they would be locked in.  Not sure if that was the case or not.  My advice with a new troop is to get them to Summer Camp and enrolled in the first year camper program, where they will work on T-2-1 advancements.  Let the fire ignite naturally, and not on a set schedule.

 

I do believe that the idea of  FC/FY is a good goal.  I don't believe it's good to actually achieve it that fast.  IMHO, the point is that a Troop's program be robust enough (IMHO, 10 weekend campouts a year and summer camp) so that  a scout could theoretically FC/FY. 

[qwazse]

Isn't this the responsibility of the PL/APL team in the patrol?  After all, if the PL is signing off on the advancement, shouldn't he be aware of where the boys are at in their progress?

Actually, it is the responsibility of the scout.

He should know what he needs to do to round out his skill set.

He should speak up at meetings and ask to navigate the next hike, or plan a day at the pool for swim tests, or whatever.

 

The PL may keep the unsigned blanks of 8 books in his head, it's a nice service, but it's more important that he knows that the boys have what it takes to enjoy the next event. That may be mastering a T2FC requirement, but it may be something else.