flowerchild

Our Troop has gone to DC twice. Both times we stayed at Greenbelt Park. They have a scout loop which we really liked. They charge $2 per head per night. It is located about 2 miles from the Metro line, which is the recommended mode to get into DC. While there the first time we took the bus tour of the city and Arlington Cemetery. In 2006 it was $26 a head and the boys really enjoyed it. In 2008 we went to the Goddard Space Center, which was free, and the boys enjoyed that also. We did all of our shopping there except for the first night meal and breakfast. There are several grocery stores near the campground. The cost for the trip, including gas for the drivers, was $100/person in 2006 and $120 in 2008. We ate well and even went out to dinner to a Chinese buffet on the last night of each trip. We stayed 4 days. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

I have lived in GA for 9 years now. When I moved here everyone told me to just get used to orange clothes because you can't get the clay stain out. Well I proved them wrong. I use Clorox strain remover. Not sure about the correct name but it is Clorox. It comes in a blue spray bottle. Be sure to spray your clothes really well as soon as you take them off and if possible, wash them within a few hours. Good luck.

I spoke to the DE, the Unit Commissioner and the person in charge of entering and printing the cards. They all gave me the same story. I didn''t buy it either but what could I do. Is there someone in a higher position to talk to?

Our recharter was changed from April to January last year. We cooperated and returned it to the office in a timely manner. Four months later when I called the Council office looking for our membership cards I was told they couldn''t print them until ALL the units had rechartered. Apparently there was one unit that had not finished their paperwork and they were holding up the entire council. We had to wait until June to get our cards, 6 months after recharter!!!

Our Troop has the same rule. One end of the stick must be on the ground. They get 3 warning and then they loose the stick. The warning would be given because of misuse that would cause harm to another scout. Several of our ASM have spent hours in the Emerg. Room and really don't want to have to do that again!

I agree with BrentAllen. I sewed my husbands and my sons pants this way and it worked great. At first I just basted them to see how it looked and felt to them. Then I went back and double stiched them since they seemed to pull out the basting very quickly when they knelt down. I really like these new pants as do my guys.

"Some of the scouts have opt'd not to go on the scheduled events and have taken hikes or cycle rides required by the MB under the guidence of the MBC." I would question their reason for 'opting out'. I would give them credit for the merit badge work but not for the camping or plant identification, etc. In our Troop, if a boy or patrol wants to do a hike or other mb requirement seperate from the Troop, he needs to get permission from the SM before hand. He can come into a meeting and state that he did a 10 mile hike with his family and wants credit for it.

In our Troop, the boys are allowed to use their scout account for anything scout related. One rule is that their yearly activity fee must be paid first, either by using the account or some other method. We have withdrawal slips that they fill out and they must have it approved by the Scoutmaster. We made one exception to this rule. We had a boy who could not swim and we allowed him to take swimming lessons with his scout money. He learned how to swim and passed his BSA swim test for camp this summer. He is our top popcorn seller and is always willing to help pay for uniforms for those boys who cannot afford one.

The way we do it in our Troop is that each boy is responsible for signing their MB book out and back in. The librian is responsible for keeping the library in order and letting the proper adult know when additional books need to be purchased. When a boy receives a MB, the librarian checks to see that the MB book has been returned. If it has not the scout has one week to return it or pay for it. Each boy (and parent)is told when they sign out their first book that if they do not return a book, they are responsible for the cost to replace it. So far this has worked most of the time.

Our district has always done it this way. I never really thought about it until now. It makes it easier for them not to deal with open cases. Yes, it is a pain to have to pay for the extra popcorn and than try to get rid of it. I have found that contacting the other Troops in the area at the end of sale and letting them know what I will have extra, that we can usually work out a deal. Also, we use any left over as 'gifts' for people who have donated supplies or time to the Troop when they don't have boys involved in scouting.

Have you tried the Lodge. If I understand what you are looking for, I saw them at our local Lodge outlet just last week.

Thanks for all your responses. Let me say that I wasn't expecting him to leave as a boy and come back as a leader but I did expect some stories or even complaints about the way things were done. All I got was how they walked in circles around the camp to imitate a backpacking trip and that all the food, etc was at the site when they got to their 'campsite'. Or that the boys were burning ant hills by spraying bugspray and lighting it with a lighter. I was always told that aerasol were not allowed and I have to wonder where the 'leader' was when they were playing with fire. BTW they did manage to burn the side of one tent. I can say with confidence that my son was not involved with the fire incident. I did ask him about receiving a book. He said it was a photocopied phamplete and he couldn't find it (typical teenager). I have contacted the council office to see if I can receive another copy for him and one for the SM. Again, thanks for all your responses. I'll just have to be have more patience I guess.

My son recently took the week long JLT course. We wanted him to go because we felt he would learn skills that he can use his whole life and it would also benefit the Troop since he was the first one to attend. We have a relatively small Troop. There are about 22 boys registered but only 10-12 active. It is about 6 years old and started as a boy run troop - sort of. The SM is great but sometimes forgets the boy-run part - he's getting better at it. Anyway, back to my son. I was hoping that he would come back from JLT and have some great ideas to help the Troop. He was elected SPL the week before JLT so I thought the timing was good for him to use what he had learned. Well it's been 3 weeks now and nothing has changed. Apparently all those great skills that I read about the boys learning at JLT were either not taught or my son does not remember them. I find the latter hard to believe but I will admit it is possible. What I guess I want to know is am I wrong in thinking that a boy should have a better sense of how to run a meeting after attending JLT? Am I expecting too much? Sorry this is so long.

Check ebay. I usually find some good prices there. My last pair was only $5.00.

Andrew, Thanks for the info on Camp Ben Hawkins. Yes, the AC is nice but it was REALLY crowded this year. Not much they can do about the crowds though. Wonder if a different week would be better?