What is the most dated scouting skill requirement?

[John-in-KC 311]

I do think we need each MB committee to look hard at how to use both "stubby pencil" and "latest/greatest" methods.

 

Orienteering is a map and compass art ... but geocaching, which works to 1 meter or better resolution in easting/northing, is GPS driven. Scouts should know both.

 

Cooking: Scout should be able to work a gas range (be it camp stove or restaurant), an oven (home and Dutch), and a microwave. The carbon footprint of nuke-boiling a cup of water for tea is a lot less than running the back burner on the stove.

 

Music merit badge: Yes, EagleSon moves a lot of air through his tuba. He also knows how to Finale to write music on his MacBook.

 

The "internals" of the various badges need to stay current with the technology curve. If that means National dumps the printed MB pams for pdfs online, and has its various committees meet more often, so be it.

[JAYMEDINC 10]

I didn't say playing the game of marbles is silly. I said the belt loop for it is silly. My opinion.

[Gold Winger 9]

All the belt loops are silly. They're just recognition for doing things that kids used to do on their own.

[SWScouter 34]

A scout told me that the swimming test was stupid. He wondered who makes this stuff up. I replied that if a scout can pass the swimming test, then he would know that if he fell out of a boat in the middle of a lake, he could get to shore. He could swim a bit, float to rest, or just swim a nice restful backstroke. But the scout would know how to get to shore and, more importantly, that he could get to shore.

 

A lot of times, it's important to understand the reasoning behind a lot of the requirements. I think it literally would be the death of a boy if the swimming requirements were abandoned.

[Gold Winger 9]

There would be two reasons that a Scout would think that the swim test is stupid: he's such a good swimmer that it is inconcievable to him that anyone else might not swim well or he can't swim well and is embarassed by it.

 

 

[resqman 108]

2/3 of the world is water but swimming should not be required?

 

My father in law does not know how to swim. He is afraid to walk out on a pier because he might fall off. Boats in all their shapes, sizes, and uses are of no joy to him. I think swimming should be required skill in elementary school and every person on the planet should be taught swimming. The point of requirements is so boys LEARN new skills.

 

Knots and ropes are my friend. I learned the basics while taking pioneering merit badge 30 years ago. Since then I have studied and use knots. This past weekends troop campout the scouts found the tub of rope and make a cargo net type of structure about 4 feet off the ground tied to half a dozen trees. Scouts came and went and worked on it for an hour or so. They improved it, took it down and moved it, and tried again. They piled 12 boys in a net approximately 6 feet in diameter. The boys created something that filled some need. They worked together without direction from adults. They made a space to go and be with friends to revel in an accomplishment.

 

The troop has 3 of the broom handle hiking staves from the scout store. At every campout, they must lash the 3 poles into a single pole, and hoist the US flag. 4 lines must be staked out and tied with tautline hitches. They make and use a camp gadget at every campout. They use the gadget in a useful manner. It reinforces their rope and knots skills as well as flag ettiquitte. It is not a useless skill but rather a chance to show that you can accomplish something. They see knots and lashings as useful in their scouting experience. That knowledge that they can learn some new skill and use it builds confidence to learn and master other skills. It develops the inner confidence that forms "natural" leaders.

 

The PLC decides a theme for each campout and Sat evening meal becomes a competition for the best food. Asian-Fusion, Mexican, and Seafood have been some of the themes. One patrol cooked Corn, Chicken and served it in a Coconut shell for C(Sea)food weekend.

 

I would like to see the return of more of the traditional outdoor skills to scouting. Matchless fire starting, survival skills, orienteering, pioneering, open fire cooking. I have used those skills as a SAR volunteer. Safe handleing of knifes, axes, and saws prevents injuries and builds confidence. Where else to boys get to use "dangerous" sharp things without adults? Boys need to practice skills in a safe and trusting environment to learn trust, self reliance, and confidence.

 

 

[Frank17 10]

Interesting that there are so many opinions. I personally think swimming is a life skill everyone should know, and am glad scouting includes it. The same for all the 1st aid skills. I do agree that almost all the skills taught are not used by the public at large, but are still used as adults who enjoy outdoor activities. Ultimately, a lot of the method of scouting is to foster a love of the outdoors in the boys that they will carry into adulthood. That is what I see the skill set consisting of.

[Frank17 10]

Interesting that there are so many opinions. I personally think swimming is a life skill everyone should know, and am glad scouting includes it. The same for all the 1st aid skills. I do agree that almost all the skills taught are not used by the public at large, but are still used as adults who enjoy outdoor activities. Ultimately, a lot of the method of scouting is to foster a love of the outdoors in the boys that they will carry into adulthood. That is what I see the skill set consisting of.

[IM_Kathy 32]

if swimming is "so important" then why is it not a required merit badge for eagle, rather than 1 with a choice?

 

personally I do agree that is that important and that is why I told my son - you ARE doing that merit badge. And that is why I worked with that one boy to teach him to swim.

 

but on an individual level, if for eagle they are given the option of earning the hiking or cycling merit badge instead of the swimming; then why are they not given those same choices for rank advancements? to me if it's that important than make it that important.

 

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now as to the marbles - and basically to all the cub belt loops... the current cub master here awards tons of them... when my son was a cub all the leaders and CM back then realized how easy they were to earn and how expensive they were to buy. We told all the parents that if they wanted their son to recieve the belt loops we'd fill out the proper forms and turn them in but the parent was paying for them. None of the parents did - they all agreed with us that earning the progression beads, rank badge, and arrows were enough recognition their boy needed.

[Gold Winger 9]

Different issues. First class is about basic skills.

[gwd-scouter 11]

resqman - last May our guys built a cargo net type thing just as you describe. They all piled on and then each Scout took a turn untying a knot. Boys would lose their balance and fall off as the ropes got fewer and fewer. The last guy on won. They call it the shipwreck game.

[OldGreyEagle 5]

What is the most dated scouting skill requirement?

 

 

Living your life by the Scout Oath and Law

[Gunny2862 11]

IM_Kathy,

IMHO, It's not a Merit Badge because it's covered as a Basic in the T-2-1 skill area.

The following merit badges are available for those who choose to move beyond the basic requirements and further explore Swimming, Sailing, Rowing and Lifesaving or to pursue the BSAL certification.

But, you can't do any of those unless you can pass the swim test.

 

It could be that knowing that swimming is challenging for some that having made the Scout jump that hurdle once it would have been seen as cruel to the Scout to force them to then jump an even more insurmountable obstacle of completing Swimming as a mandatory MB for Eagle.

The basic skill had already been addressed.

[raisinemright 13]

I've been hearing that most newer public pools feature zero entry which means the concrete comes up tot eh edge like a beach. These pools are rarely over four feet deep which means that most kids never, ever go in water over their heads. If they do fall off a pier or a boat, it's all over.

 

My wife and I firmly believe that one of the highlights of scouting is the necessity to learn to swim. My son refused to learn to swim until he finally came to the realization that he would go no further than Tenderfoot unless he did learn. He finally allowed me to toss him in over his head and he quickly overcame his fear.

 

Last summer, we were camping with some friends who are also in the patrol. Their son needed his lifesaving component for 2nd class. I decided to trhow some realism in it by falling out of the boat in the lake. For added realism, it was a windy day and the boat quickly drifted away from me while he tried to figure out how to use the electric motor on the boat. His dad was there and wisely did absolutely nothing while I slowly drowned. It was kind of fun and he learned better how to deal with the stuff in a stressful situation. I'm not a real strong swimmer and should have probably had a PFD with me, but since the other kids were circling me whith kayaks so they could watch the "rescue" the danger was pretty slim.

 

In looking at the requirements, I'm not sure any otf them are really dated but all do reinforce the timeless values we try to instill.

[fleetfootedfox 10]

In college I used to hear discussions that sounded a lot like this between people advocating a broad eduction vs. those who didn't want to be bothered with courses not related to their major. If my major is chemical engineering, for example, why should I need to take history or political science. Seems kind of irrelevant, doesn't it? Of course, I remember people saying things like this even going back into high school. "I don't like math and I'm not that good at it, so why do I have to take it?" or "Why should we study Greek mythology? What practical value could that possibly have?" I hear adults say, "All I need is enough math to balance my checkbook. What use do I have for algebra or geometry."

 

So, is it a waste of time to learn about something that you aren't likely to apply to your every day life? Well, let's look at it this way. Were Greek mythology and algebra ever considered to be topics that people would get a chance to apply every day of their life? Were scouting skills? I don't think so.

 

Early boy scouts did not learn how to start a fire by rubbing sticks together because they thought they were likely to need that skill. They had matches back then. So, there must be some other reasons for learning these archaic skills.

 

Maybe it had something to do with the pride of independence that came from feeling that you could face most any challenge, even being able to survive in the woods with nothing but the clothes on your back and what you could find such as a sharp rock and some sticks.

 

Maybe it had something to do with passing on mysteries that had been passed down since ancient times, and making a connection with our ancient ancestors and their simpler way of life.

 

And maybe it had something to do with making a well-rounded person.