how are your first years advancing?

[wdfa89 72]

We are finding it slow going with Scout now being a rank.  We are boy led, not a mill but the last few years we were able to get our incoming (motivated) crossovers (usually around 12) generally through TF fairly soon after crossover (or before summer camp) and then they left camp well on way to second/first class.

 

This year we have maybe 2 done.  And word from the other Troops in our community is the same, few if any have completed Scout.  Understand it isn't a race, plenty of time to advance, boy led they go at their own pace.  But I have also seen a correlation between advancement and retention at the early stages.

 

Curious to the boards thoughts/observations.  I personally think adding the cyberchip was a mistake.  Maybe a cyber awareness or a pledge, but the Chip itself is not an insignificant requirement and it is holding boys up.  I liked the old way where a new scout can get that first rank pretty quickly, basically taking the AoL reqs and earning the Scout.  Then he can get rolling/immersed and start doing BoRs and such.

 

We will get the boys moving and "caught up" (if you will) but just interesting to see the common pace among several local troops,

[Zaphod 17]

My son does not have his Scout rank yet. He earned his Arrow of Light, has been to a couple camp-outs, and went to summer camp a few week ago but his Troop is so active I don't think the older boys have much time to work with the younger boys. I overheard a boy last night working with him exclaim, "Man you have a lot more to do than we did.... This is going to take a long time." And Cyberchip is hard to finish if none of the other boys need it. It has these group exercises but my son is the only one who crossed over so no one else needs to do them.

 

Maybe I am misunderstanding... but that is what I gather based on what he is telling me and what he shows me from his book. I am trying very hard to let him navigate his own way, but it's such a change for him (from Cub Scouts). The magic or novelty is wearing off though and he is struggling a bit. 

[qwazse 4344]

I think we're experiencing similar challenges. Cyberchip is a bit of a square peg and we mostly are round holes!

 

However, I don't think we're having any problem with retention. Our formula is to get them camping and hiking. Encourage them by having them demonstrate whatever skills they master and getting those signatures. Teach them that they can build the bridge from either pylon.

 

I have always encouraged 1st years to have a MB in their sights just for fun.

 

@@Zaphod, the good news is that you heard a boy working with him!

[Stosh 3452]

If one were to do a comparison of the Arrow of Light requirements and the Scout/Tenderfoot requirements the bulk of them are identical.  Scout and Tenderfoot should be a walk through for boys that actually earned their Arrow of Light.  If they didn't really earn their AOL, then it will be a major retest for them.

[blw2 433]

out of 7, we have no TF's yet to my knowledge.

The ones that went to summer camp are reasonably close, but still have a thing or two to do.

Based on flipping through DS's book, he's fairly close to 2nd class too, and not too much more for 1st

It doesn't help that our troop adults go into hibernation for the summer.  All comes to a stop after summer camp till sometime in August.

[Stosh 3452]

I'm planning on being available to the boys at the summer camp first year program and witness and test out the boys on-the-spot.  It helps that the majority of the boys are new scouts.

[T2Eagle 902]

Getting through the Scout requirements doesn't seem hard, but it does seem tedious, so I think it's slowing new scouts down just a little bit.  

 

Along the same lines, I was wondering what effect folks have been seeing from Cooking merit badge being Eagle required.  In our troop I am starting to see some changes in how cooking is being handled by the patrols on campouts.  It seems that the cooking on pretty much every outing is being done for advancement and not just because some guys are better at or enjoy cooking more.  I agreed with the decision to make Cooking MB required, but I didn't see this consequence coming.

[wdfa89 72]

tedious, not hard.  I would agree with that assessment.  and agree we are getting the boys on outings (be it camping/canoeing or other cool adventures) which keeps it fun. 

 

haven't seen that impact for the cooking.  while some are doing it for the badge, most are doing it so they eat!  we also do a few pure cooking campouts at our COs local property so we can have a "local" campout when there isn't a bigger activity planned.  That allows for a lot of instruction and getting different boys opportunities to do a lot of cooking.  and drop in adults a lot of eating

[Tampa Turtle 1011]

Scout should be almost an AOL redo. I'd have some older boys run them through that requirement--it's a good way for them to start mixing.

 

Cooking hasn't really impacted that much. We placed a big emphasis on patrol cooking and usually offered the Cooking MB every year and did a Cooking competition campout every year. Now we get a little better participation. It helps to have someone with the actual food preparation certification do the (boring) food preparation part. (we once had the church part-time cook show the boys how it worked in the church kitchen and they made a snack, too) . Mostly we try to get the boys to try all different ways to cook at campouts as well as being a bit ambitious on occasion. It really helps the newbies do something besides hotdogs, pop tarts, and pringles. There is usually always a kid these days who is an aspiring foodie. I dislike the 'artificial' cooking events merely to sign off the requirement IMHO.

 

Tenderfoot should be easy if boys come to a few campouts.

[NJCubScouter 1389]

If one were to do a comparison of the Arrow of Light requirements and the Scout/Tenderfoot requirements the bulk of them are identical.  Scout and Tenderfoot should be a walk through for boys that actually earned their Arrow of Light.

That is true for Scout. I do not think it is true for Tenderfoot, and hasn't been true for years. (It was the case when I crossed over, 47 years ago, when there wasn't even a "Scout" badge.) It is even less true with the recent changes to the Boy Scout requirements.

[Chisos 118]

Our 4 crossovers all had AOL, so Scout did not take long.  The two that went to summer camp have a lot of T-2-1 req's done, but there are some holes in each one.  Some of the holes are due to them not realizing something is a requirement, thus not getting it signed off, or from not following up on things they've started.  I'll give them "gentle reminders" to look over requirements, but I'm not going to sit down with the and go over it line by line to see what's done and what's not.

[Stosh 3452]

Naturalist, Readyman, Swimmer, Athlete, pins all had their counter parts in Tenderfoot.  In 1995 when my Webelos boys crossed over into Boy Scouts, they came over and were immediately given their Scout award and  TF rank.  It was a SM option allowable at that time.

[Eagle94-A1 2687]

Regarding the Scout Requirements:

 

#1. Should be easy as it is an AOL requirement.

 

#2 Tedious but doable

 

# 3 should be easy, but may vary from troop to troop since some have NSPs and others do not.

 

#4 These are Cub Scout requirements for the lower ranks

 

#5 is Whittling Chip, a Bear requirement.

 

Regarding Tenderfoot requirements:

 

#1 and #2 are easy if you are a hiking and camping troop. AND Let the PLs sign off; TG if using NSP

 

#3a-c Again Cub Scout requirements revisited

D Totin Chip. I'm cool with it.

 

more later

[Eagledad 2779]

Naturalist, Readyman, Swimmer, Athlete, pins all had their counter parts in Tenderfoot.  In 1995 when my Webelos boys crossed over into Boy Scouts, they came over and were immediately given their Scout award and  TF rank.  It was a SM option allowable at that time.

I'm sure you mean it was an option for that SM. It was not a National policy that I can remember. Certainly not for TF.

 

Barry

[Tampa Turtle 1011]

Pretty sure you can't count things you do in Cub Scouts for Boy Scouts. That was a pretty creative and sloppy interpretation IMHO.