FScouter

What foto and twocub said. There's only one Den Leader.

A totally voluntary system should not smack of "troop police". Any unit desiring the Certified distinction is free to work towards it. Units that are happy where they are can continue business as usual. They just won't be on the "Certified" list.

As OGE said, the Paul Bunyon and the Totin' Chip patches are not for the uniform, although they may be worn as a temporary patch on the right pocket. The shape of the patch looks somewhat like a pocket flap, but there is no provision made in the Insignia Guide to place it there. The requirments for the Totin' Chip are exactly the same as the 2nd Class rank. If a boy has earned that rank, he has met all the Totin' Chip requirements, and there is no need to carry a card to prove it, provided his 2nd Class rank patch (or higher) is sewn on his uniform.

There is no way to cross over early. All the requirements must be met first. When a boy meets all the requirements, he may cross over if he wants to. Or, he can continue in the Webelos den until he ages out. There is no correct time to cross over. It may be true that many cross over in February or March. That doesn't make that the correct time to do so. Any month is OK.

Minor inconveniences. In our troop, we know several weeks or months in advance when a group of Webelos will bridge. We plan for that. It makes no matter what month. No zero-degree sleeping bag? Wrap a blanket around a summer bag. Spring may be an ideal time for Webelos to join a troop, but does that mean that the rest of the year is unacceptable? Personally, I would find it difficult to inform a den of Webelos that our troop was unable to accomodate them until the following Spring. I'd rather work out the inconvenience and make it happen.

SemperParatus - "...most troops are not in position to accept crossovers until February (at B&G's) or Spring." Why would a troop not be in position to accept a group of Webelos any time during the year?

Yes, we are sometimes our own worst enemy. There is no one that will correct our deficiencies other than ourselves. Quality Unit status is not the pinaccle of achievement some like to think it is. Maybe the first rung on the ladder toward being Certified. How though to get the renegades to work towards certification?

"... is it standard or traditional for an outgoing hierarchy to recruit its successors?" That is not the standard way. The committee chairman and Chartered Organization Representative have the responsibility for selecting all new leaders, for approval by the CO. The Cub Scout Leader book spells out the process.

Get the Cub Scout Leader book and read what it says about awards and immediate recognition. And ask yourself what good purpose is served by withholding an award from a boy.

Yes. All things to think about when choosing a project. The boy should be advised. The boy should make a decision based on his analysis of all the aspects of his project. What I dislike is a committee making up a general rule banning a whole class of projects. Particularly when they arrive at their decision because of totally unfounded fears. If they're concerned about "liability", they need to ban all projects. Everything in the world has "liability". How in the world do people with no common sense get into these rule-making positions?

Bob58 - you waited 2 weeks and 6 days too long. What possibly is there to think about for any longer than 5 minutes! There is absolutely no excuse for not approving or rejecting a project in 24 hours. Any longer and they are simply dragging their feet. I'm disgusted at the horror stories you and others have posted here. Do they think they're doing boys some kind of favor in approving a project? Do the job or get out of the way!

Have to agree with Twocubdad. A project built with a permit will be a whole lot safer and have a lot less liability than a bootleg job. A permit ensures the project will be designed, engineered, and built to code. The work will be inspected as it progresses by the official building inspector to ensure the work is being done correctly and the finished project will be safe. If the district is worried about liability, they should instead insist on only projects with permits, not without.

On a go-see-it outing, what kinds of jobs does a Tiger cub need to do that require a sheath knife versus a folding pocket knife? Same for the dad. What do you suppose the dad's thinking was when he strapped on a sheath knife, and provided one for his son too?

What is the purpose of the policy?

Sounds like a great SM minute. Where can the boys learn about the "three parts of the Scout Law"? You probably mean the Scout Promise. The three parts may have been explained in old Handbooks, but there is nothing in the book boys now use that discusses it.

When setting up the tent, drive in a stake at each loop. When taking down the tent, pull up a stake at each loop, and lay it on the ground cloth. Stakes are "lost" when the boys don't bother to pull them up and/or put them in one spot. A Stakemaster would make the problem worse because the boys would learn that someone else is responsible for that part of their tent and they would be even more careless. Our troop hasn't bought a stake in years. We collect them from campsites we use.

"By the way, Id like to know what little Tiger Cub thought he was going to do with a big knife??" Either he's being prepared to skin a buck, or he's learning to be macho, like his dad.

I wouldn't put my kid in the car with him, if for no other reason than for the example he demonstrates. Apparently the committee is OK with this, seeing as how they sign off on the tour permit with his name on the back. If he gets three tickets just on Scout outings, how many does he get with all his civilian driving? Do you know that he has insurance?

People usually choose to do the activity they prefer.

"A knife cannot hurt anyone while in it's sheath." Trouble is, boys being the way they are, the knife will spend more time out of the sheath than in.

The great thing about those blue jeans and wal-mart pants is that they are immune to growth spurts.

OGE - You didn't know? We can better reach more Scouts, without losing the big picture, by each leader re-defining the uniform method and re-defining the camping method. Boys in one unit are not the same as boys in another unit. It takes the wisdom of the unit leader to re-define the methods to fit the uniqueness of the boys in each specific unit. BSA hasn't realized this yet, but someday they will surely come to their senses and turn those rigid inflexible methods into loose guidelines to be interpreted at will by individual unit leaders. Excuse me now, I just got a new idea to fix the uniform problem and need to write it into the bylaws.

Gotta set the example! What kind of example is set by awarding a prize for wearing whatever pants the pack decides upon? The methods should be adjusted to fit the circumstances. An entire unit in full Class A looks spiffy, but that's not the point. Under what circumstances should the uniform method be ignored (adjusted)?

I'd spend more time with the Grange youth program, the Town Council, and my genealogy research.

Part of the purpose of a board of review is to give the boy an opportunity to relate to the board any problems, questions, and comments about his experience in the troop with boys, boy leaders, assistant Scoutmasters, Scoutmaster, etc. How can the boy bring up a comment about the Scoutmaster if the SM is sitting on the board? How can the committee learn about issues in the troop relating to the adult leaders, if the committee members aren't sitting on the board? How can they learn there may be a problem with the SM if the boys get "the look" from him during the review? For what reason is the SM insisting he sit on the board of review? Why would he want to do that, when BSA makes it abundantly clear that he must not?