fotoscout

I've done the eggs in a bag thing. Use good Zip Lock bags and try to not let the bag contact the side of the pot! Remember that you can crack the eggs right into the bag and scramble them by kneading the bag. The boys can put almost anything that is pre cooked into the bag with the eggs: ham, onions, mushrooms.....etc. Things like sausage and bacon won't cook in the bag with the eggs, so you may want to pre cook those things at home and allow the boys to add them just before cooking. As for the potatoes, use canned potatoes. The small white ones, they are already cooked and should be about the right size.

I believe that ADD/ADHD is very real, AND, very over diagnosed! The experts still have trouble diagnosing it. SO we as Scout Leaders should not be making our own determinations. Some parents will very quickly let you know if their son is on medication, others will simply say nothing. If youre having trouble with a boy, I believe that it is perfectly acceptable to politely discuss the situation with the parents and give them the opportunity to tell you something that they may have wanted to keep private. YOU have a clear need to know if this boy is going to be on outings with you! Boys with ADD do not exhibit the same behaviors, as do boys with ADHD. ADD kids can be very calm and quiet they just dont get it. With these kids you simply need to provide a constant reminder of the task at hand. I think that most Leaders wrestle with ADHD kids. I have one of these boys in my den. He is a loveable little boy who has more enthusiasm for Cub Scouts than any other boy Ive yet to come across. What I do with him is this; I keep him busy. I talk to him often. I dont let him get too wound up, what I mean here is that as he begins to build speed, I slow him down. I try to keep him near me. And last but not least, if we break up into groups I always take him. He is a fair amount of work. The one thing that does concern me is that he is singled out by virtue of the amount of time that my attention is directed at him. Any thoughts?

That's a tough question because as i get older I've become more and more like the old folks I remember as a kid. WE desperately want the kids to eat, therefor we desperately want to cook something that they will eat without question. It's fine to say, "If the kids hungry enough he'll eat", but in the real world I do feel bad if the kid goes to bed with only a PB&J sandwich that he brought from home. Having said that, why don't you look at the cooking method instead of the food. For example cook your meal in a box oven(s). The kids can team up and make the ovens, eat hot dogs and still have a great time.

In two weeks I'll be going to Resident camp with my cubbies. Our camp has A LOT of insects so I've ordered a spray bottle of Permethrin to apply on my tent. I always bring my own tent to camp because the insects are so friendly. The plan is to spray around the entire door area of the tent before I leave home and let it dry overnight. I am told that this stuff works very well. I'll let everyone know the results when I come home. The insect repellent clothing sounds great, but it also sounds impractical for the most part. Most of the kids (and adults) bring multiple sets of clothing to wear during their stay at camp. Each $7.00 bottle of Permethrin should treat 2 sets of clothing according to the manufacturer. It could be $20.00 worth of Permethrin to treat the clothes that most people bring for a 5 day stay at camp. I think that's a little pricey. I normally use deet, anything over 20%, for the most part. I stay away from the 100%. Almost 10 years ago I spent time fishing in Canada about 8 hours north of Toronto. The flies and mosquito's were so bad that I used the 100% deet. I don't remember it as being overly effective, I still got the stuff bit out me! Old wives tale.......Eat Garlic!!!!!!!!!! (This message has been edited by fotoscout)

Ed...Cushy accommodations!!!! Two mattresses, guess the new scouts sleep on the springs. Only kidding! What no bug netting? At our camp, if you choose to use a camp tent, bug netting is a MUST. If the man eating mosquitoes don't get you, the small boy sized ants will carry you off in your sleep. foto

Thumper, do you mean 12" deep or diameter? I have never seen a 12" deep DO, although the Potjie can be very deep.

Ive not heard anything about a paid person, but I have heard a lot about The Ideal Year of Scouting. I like the idea! If will force people to do their planning early, and then it will fund your program if you give it half a chance. The only problem I see is that I live in an area where people would rather write checks than participate in a fundraiser. As for Council sponsored fundraiser and the popcorn thing. I support it, wholeheartedly. Our Council office may not be the model of administrative efficiency, but we do garner many valuable services from these hardworking people, we also benefit from the council funds that go into many of our other programs like camp and training, camperships and outreach for special needs kids all benifit from Council funds. Like I said, we may not be the model of efficiency, but we are a whole lot better because of the Council sponsored fundraiser, and without it we would be a whole lot worse off.

I also know of no policy issue about CS and campfires. Remember that if Cubs are camping, they are under the one-on-one supervision of a parent. With that restriction, if the leader says its OK for the CS to help Dad make the fire then why not? However, in my opinion if would be unwise for the Den Leader to say, come on boys lets build a fire. When they become Webelos, its a different story. I just saw the chart, thanks Laurie.(This message has been edited by fotoscout)

This is a question with at least as many answers as there are people in the forum! My suggestion is for you to do some research, make a list of the features that you want to see in your equipment, decide how much money you want to spendand then go look at some gear. Remember that you will not need a 0 degree sleeping bag if you will be camping in July and August. If you're looking for a tent with "name recognition" that says WOW! You can get a Bibler or Hilleberg. Good Luck.

I would suspect that the intent is for you to repack your 24 hr. pack into the 72 hour pack, not put the whole 24 hr. pack (bag and all) into the larger backpack. Even with that, unless youre carrying extra cold weather gear, the 5500 cu in pack could be too large. I noted that although you are carrying meals, I did not see any type of stove or fuel. You would also want to take along a tent of some sort. Three nights under a poncho would not be in the best interest of the person whom you are supposed to rescue.

Hello VETTE277, You certainly came to the right place for an answer, but you might not like what you hear. When I think of a ruck sack I think of a day pack, 1800- 2500 cu in. or about that size. The pack you selected is a full blown backpack, and at 5500 cu in. you could hike for more than a week with this pack. Aside from that, you weight 145 lbs, and the recommendation for pack weights at always around 25%-30% of your weight. This means that for you, the pack should weight about 36 lbs. (including the weight of the pack). I would start by finding out exactly what it is that you need to pack: Personal gear, provisions, first aid supplies???. How much of this gear will YOU be required to carry? A big pack does have its advantages, but a large pack that is only half full can be a real problem to carry. I am not familiar the exact model you selected, however, most packs have a weight limit to them. Certainly, some packs are better quality than others, but often when the straps rip and tear it is because the user exceeded the weight limitations of the pack. Read all of the product literature you can get your hands on! Good Luck.

Folks, I've gotta tell ya that something smells fishy (pardon the pun) here! If the captains of the boats were caught exceeding the limitations of their licenses, the Coast Guard would have pulled the captains license(s) immediately. No ifs, ands, or, buts. If the license says 6 passengers for hire and you have 7 passengers on the boat, you lose your license. The Coast Guard takes it away, and you go to hearing and pay a fine before it gets returned. So if the CG has gotten in the middle of this, then how is it that the boats can continue to sail with the captain in violation of his license?

Marinelaw, are you saying that BSA is acting as a broker for these vessels? If so are they contracted as bareboat charters or otherwise? As for the Jones Act....I may be wrong here, but to my knowledge the Jones Act would not apply because 1), these vessel were not constructed with US Govt funds, and 2) these are chartered for recreational use vessels not engaged in cargo operations.

When your AARP membership turns up in the mailbox, you become a Senior Member!

SR540Beaver, As was mentioned here you use the 800 number from the catalog.

Are the boats flagged in the US, or are they flagged by one the Caribbean nations? If I charter a boat it is not my responsibility to see that they have the proper crew, although I agree it is in my best interest that they do. So who exactly was found to have violated the maritime rules, the owner/operator or the BSA? Bob, this is not a reasonable viewpoint with respect to the potential safety issue at hand. You can't pass the buck if a Scout drowns because you failed to do do diligence with respect to the legitimacy of your charter.

Ronvo, If you look at the socks, they are not the normal socks worn by Scouts. The CS socks are either ankle socks or lightweight (dress type) socks. For the BS's, they are again either ankle or "small" crew socks. You may know that any small BS item is REALLY small. So it appears that non of these items are what we might call a mainstay item. National appears to be either clearing out items that turned out to be a dud, or eliminating a particular size item that just didnt 'fit' the need, all due to poor sales.

SR540Beaver, you are incorrect about ordering from National Supply Division. The catalog will ship directly to your home. If you order through your local Scout Shop, they will ship directly to the Scout Shop and save you the shipping cost. The Scout Shop can also arrange to have your items shipped home. The choice is yours, but you can have your goods delivered to your home or work. The Scout gets sales credit for everything shipped in to it, so there may be a personal agenda working here that goes against suggesting that your items be shipped to a location other than the Scout Shop. Our Scout Shop employees are employed by National Supply Division; they have an obligation to always suggest the correct uniform, without deviation, to the customer. For example, if I were to walk into the shop to buy a CS uniform, they would outfit me with a complete uniform. If I balked at the pants, they would respond by saying something like, "The official uniform includes the pants, I can't tell you not to buy them". From my experience with the Scout Shop, I find it inconceivable that the shop employees would ever recommend or suggest anything less than the full uniform. As for not stocking uniform parts like pants and socks.....have them fired!!!! That's simply incompetent. Out of stock I could handle, but not stocking is simply unacceptable!

Kent, That is not the BSA policy for CS to carry a knife. They can only carry the knife when it is specifically requested that they bring it to a meeting or, on an outing. They must also carry the Whittling Chip card with them at all times when carrying the knife. Having earned the Whittling Chip card does not constitute a free for all with regard to carrying a knife. Mike, I think the real answer is that some kids can and some kids can't. Some of the boys will continue to be a little afraid (respectful) of the knife even after they earn the chip. Those kids will handle their knifes responsibility. Others will carry on with a cavalier know it all demeanor, that will ultimately get someone hurt. The BSA position is more like; the boys are old enough and coordinated enough to learn about using a knife. BSA does not say the kids are old enough to responsibility carry a knife. There is a broad line between the two. Mom shouldn't think that because Sonny earned his Whittling Chip that he can now carry and use a pocket knife. Mom needs to understand that Sonny has been taught how to safely and responsibly use a knife, but that doesn't mean that he will exercise that knowledge effectively. Mom is in charge here! Unlike Kent, we asked the Bears to bring their knives on our Pack Camping Trip. We had one instance of a boy misusing the privilege by using his knife in an unauthorized area. Other than that, the boys used their knives responsibly. Did they always remember what they had been taught? No, but that's why we let them bring the knives, so that we could reinforce the training that they received. Good Luck

I believe that you are in error. The official uniform for Tigers is now the Blue CS uniform. the orange tees will continue to be available as Class B's, until inventories run out.

We are being told that the new Tiger uniform parts will be in the Scout Shop by mid August. Any bets on November? This has opened the door to a plethora of imaginative options on the part of pack Committees. None of which have the authority to rewrite the rules. Some are suggesting that the Tigers should be in uniform sometime before Blue and Gold, others are opting for class B's, still others are suggesting that the Tigers make their own shirts as a den activity early in the year. Yep, we're really doing the uniform thing now!!

I thought that the transition from CS to BS happened too swiftly! However, I did not feel slighted the overall course structure. There is a tone and lingo to the course that is decidedly BS, and that can be uncomfortable to CS leaders. SPL, Patrol Guides, Patrols? CS leaders aren't in tune with those phrases and it can make the simple task of understanding your place in the larger scheme of things that much more difficult. It also alienates the CS Leaders to some extent. The overall tone of the course is very welcoming to all and in the end no one feels alienated, but some effort could be put into the area of making CS leaders feel more comfortable during the first few days.

Just did our 2nd annual Pack Camping Trip, campfire and all! Even the Tigers sang and participated!!

Jason, there are other places here in the forum to express your political opinions. Our presidential historians will have their say when the time is right, but that wont be until long after you and I are both gone. The point here is that, for a change, a national news outlet decided to put a positive spin on scouting. CNN must have had hundreds, if not thousands, of photos to select from and they chose to use one with scouts in it.

Check out the cnn.com photo gallery of the Reagan funeral ceremonies. Under the Capitol tab of the gallery is a nice photo of a Troop paying its respects. Sorry, the title should have read "Postive PR for a change"(This message has been edited by fotoscout)