Stosh

Or what's worse is when the parent is in on the prank. Stosh

Hmmmm, a pop-up that sleeps eight would limit the size of the patrols. Would they still have to be 300' apart? Stosh

This might sound flippant, but here goes: Anytime one puts on a scout uniform, in my book, it is a scout activity. If adults organize an activity, no problem, why would it be any different if the scouts organized it? If the boys like to camp on this parcel of land, have a great time, practice their skills, and want to wear their uniforms, I have no problem camping every weekend and calling it a scout activity regardless of the "opinions" of the adults. After all, it's the boys' program, they should be calling the shots anyway. If a patrol wants to camp without adult supervision and have parental permission for each scout, they don't wear scout attire. Then I would open up the discussion with the boys as to whether or not it counted as a "scout activity". If they came back and reported they camped, did the cooking, hiked, and did scout like activities, I might, as SM, relent and count it as a scout activity even though the adult supervision wasn't there. Now, however, under the new rules, I would, hmmmmm, probably do the same thing. Stosh

1910 reproduction scout uniform with collar brass and correct buttons. Wore it for the Centennial Scout Jamboree. Stosh

Just make one. There's nothing in the rules that designate what a slide should be for any scout of any age. It's nice to have a CS necker slide, but if the boy wants something unique he makes, have him go for it. Same for adults. Making a nice one out of parachute cord using the Turk's Head knot (same as the WB woggle) is quite easy. A quick Google search will have plenty of models/patterns to use and makes for an interesting afternoon. I make them all the time. My favorite is using tan and green cords, but I've used all kinds of colors that I could find. Always look nice. I once took a looooong week and made woggles for all the boys in the troop for Christmas presents. Cheap gift, and the boys really liked them. Stosh

OR???!! the Scout badge gives the new guy something to wear on his rank pocket like everyone else while he works on TF rank. I always have the parents sign off on the Child Protection pamphlet. It gives the boy a bit of "homework" to do, take the responsibility of setting down with his parents and going through it. I had one over-achieving boy that didn't get his pamphlet signed off and we had a little discussion and he informed me his parents "didn't have time." We talked about it's importance and his parents came in finally and thanked me. They said the boy insisted at dinner time that they get this done, scheduled a time when to do it and made sure his younger sister sat in on the discussion. Always expect the best out of your boys and you will get it. I always let the new Scouts go through a BOR for the Scout rank. It didn't count for anything and it gave a chance for each boy to sit down with the Board and learn what they are before anything became official. My committee people liked it too because they could show the boy that this is not an inquisition but a friendly chat to review their scouting experience. It helped them work up the courage to ask for a BOR, schedule one, participate and go through the motions without the pressure of it being "for real". Some boys opted out of this saying I couldn't add to the requirements, but over the long run, they tended to me more nervous with the BOR's than the boys who took me up on it. As far as the requirements go, I do think that the speed at which the SM's tend to rush the boys through leave them lacking in basic skills down the road. I have even experienced Life scouts that can't start of campfire and would starve to death in the field. The skills that are taught should prepare the boys to be used for future activities, not demonstrated once and then forgotten. Along with every requirement, I would also give examples of where this requirement would come into play at a later date. The physical fitness requirement was not just a test, wait 30 days and then retest. It is supposed to be a test, practice every day for 30 days and then retest. The boys were all informed that this practice everyday was going to be the same thing they would do for 6 months as they prepared for a Philmont trek in a few years. Once it made more sense to them why they were doing it, they would retain the information better. We teach HOW, but not very often WHY. Big difference in the attitude of the boys. Unfortunately we as adults don't often know why. The TF requirement on the Buddy System. It's not just for safety reasons, it's the first step in Servant Leadership. All the boys are expected to be able to take care of themselves and should be there by FC. However, taking care of somebody else, i.e. their Buddy, starts the process of eventually taking care of a half dozen others i.e. PL, and when they get really good at helping others, SPL, QM, etc. These positions take on functionality if properly trained. Just my 2 cents worth. Stosh

"I am confused and frustrated.....Scouting isn't fun for me any more......" Ever since Tiger on through to where your boy is, you have forgotten one very important issue that a lot of people (often referred to as helicopter parent) forget. The program is not designed for adults. It is for the boys. In the beginning it strives hard to develop a strong family orientation basis for the boy to build on. It's scary going out into the world all by oneself. Yet at the boy matures, theoretically(!) he is supposed to be moving away from one's family into a life of a family of his own. It's also referred to as growing up. Yes, there are still ties to his original family, but the goal is to allow him to be independent enough to be a good husband/father/citizen in the world where he will end up. The BSA program walks the youth through every step of the way. It starts out with Mom/Dad close at hand as they begin to explore their world. Then as they mature, they work with them to draw them into the world that they can learn and develop. Eventually as the boy (theoretically as an Eagle Scout) a full grown man capable and prepared to face the world on his own. It is the parent who goes along for the ride expecting something for them in the process and when it isn't there, they are disappointed and it's not fun anymore for them. Like real life, to a certain degree parents do get left behind as their children grow, develop and mature. The day will come when they are expected to leave the nest. This is not something that any parent looks forward to. Every parent wants their baby to stay that way and never grow up. I was fortunate enough to have parents who understood this. Now in my waning years, I am guardian for my aging father as he regresses back due to dementia. The roles have been reversed and had I not learned to take care of myself an others, he'd be locked away in an state institution somewhere. Life ain't easy and one cannot protect their children as they grow and develop. It's not easy and it isn't fun, but it is necessary. Let the process work. Some stories are successful, others aren't. The role of the parent often times has a large impact on the outcome. Stosh

No one. Stosh

perdidochas, Those things will never happen, this is a troop that has a council reputation for high adventure, thus the bunks, A/C and generator aren't necessary. They crank out 2-3 Eagles a year in a troop that averages about 20-25 boys at any given time with another 15-20 on paper. They have the trailer so packed with troop junk that it is difficult to find room in the center aisle for the boys' backpacks. Stosh

The ultimate troop trailer: Grey with 5'X 5' pictures of the many activities the boys have done in the past, Eagle names and sponsors too. Big BSA logo on sides and back along with pictures. Side door and rear doors. Floor to ceiling shelving both sides. Gas hook up with multiple hoses to cover 2 camp stoves and 3 gas lanterns. Stainless steel shelf that runs the full length of the non-door side of the trailer for food prep. Awning off that side so cook doesn't need to worry about the rain. Hooks on the poles for the lanterns 2 folding tables for the buffet serving of the troop for all meals. Plenty of room at the back end for the folding dutch oven table, too. Patrol method means the boys stand in patrol lines to gain access to the buffet table. There are a lot of green-eyed SM's out there that would trade their right arm for a rig like this. I'm thinking there are a few catering and luncheon outfits out there that could use an upgrade like this. Stosh

Put the filters on the front of the fan so everything blows away from the motor. For those who do not prefer the whole house to smell of beef jerky, put the whole thing outside. Make sure it's a dry day with low humidity and it will speed up the process. Otherwise, I do it inside where the A/C has a chance to reduce the humidity. Stosh

OGE, Your experience is the #1 reason for my rules posted earlier. I was small for my age in early scouts and had the endure the traditional hazing of a half-century ago when such conversations along these lines always ended with "man up!" If a scout is about to play a prank on another, he must have first have had it played on him. This assures the prankster that they realize the emotional impact that such a prank will have on the victim. This is why the SPL approaches the snipe hunt far different than with the idea of victimizing the newbie. As you indicated in your post, most of the newbies idolize the older boys at first. What better than to take them out into the woods on a snipe hunt, led by a boy who knows first hand how they once felt when they went on their first snipe hunt. It really changes the emphasis especially if your SPL is there because he earned it and isn't just a bully who has intimidated everyone to voting for him in the first place. If that be the case, the SM has more problems than just hazing. Stosh

No, bonding is an SPL going out in the woods and sitting with each boy as they wait for snipe to come along. They talk quietly about all the neat things they see in the woods, and how much fun the next few years is going to be for them. The joke is always that there really are snipe, but they're as rare as hen's teeth here in this part of the country. Of course this also means that any of the new boys can take out their future newbies like the SPL did to get to know them on a snipe hunt too. Doing camporee competitions in a downpour will pretty much guarantee the newbie will not come back. The only way I would agree that camporee competitions in a downpour do any good is with older boys that have the experience and need for adventure before it draws them together in a common difficulty. Getting your newbies out there at a camporee competition in a downpour is like taking them down to the water front and tossing them into to see if they can swim. Ain't gonna happen on my watch. Stosh

The dialect I was referencing is the fact that I learned "ASL" from a half dozen deaf/mutes with whom I worked. I was very proficient having worked with them every day for a couple of years. However, when I took the ASL class from the local tech school, I basically had to start over from scratch because whatever it was they learned at the School of the Deaf in Wisconsin, wasn't was being taught at the tech school for the non-deaf student. Some of the daily short cuts they used with me was they would sign "tomorrow" and then sign in the present tense, or sign "yesterday" then sign in the present tense. Literally I would see "Tomorrow I go to the store." or "Yesterday I go to the store." It worked, but to try and talk to someone who uses all the correct tenses could be a bit confusing. Stosh

I guess it all boils down to what, if any harm, is being allowed with the prank. The SPL taking the boys out on a snipe hunt is just fun for most of the boys. Here they have one of the older boys taking interest in the new guys, the new guys think it's great, then one has to take that bonding into consideration. If one is to carry the logic of this to it's extreme, then every parent in the country needs to be held accountable to the whole issue of Santa Claus, the biggest snipe hunt of them all. Stosh

RumRunner, Thanks for the insight. I didn't know there was a universal sign language. I have used a slang version of ASL for 50 years and never tried to communicate with someone who did not have an English background. As one who has only a basic vocabulary, I do need to spell out certain words and I'm sure that would cause problems for someone who doesn't speak English, or me who doesn't speak whatever language is their native base. Stosh

La Voyager, Like any other universal code, i.e. Q codes, one assumes that there still is a common language upon which the message is based. It's a bit like the text abbreviations used by cell phone and computer chatters. I can LOL all I want and the person may or may not know what the means. In Japanese or Chinese they may through repetition know it's meaning, but that's a pretty short conversation if I don't know Japanese and they don't know English. Sure computers can translate pretty easily, but if I'm doing Morse Code with a flag or flashlight, that's not an option. Maybe they need a Text Message interpreter's strip. I could use that with some of the forums/emails I get. Stosh

Buy the plastic one if you are worried about the rain. Buy the diaper and press board if you don't. Or, you can simply let the hat take on a character of it's own like they did originally. I have an oblong shaped head that when I put the hat on touch only in the front and back. Within a half hour it would give me a headache. Eventually it got wet in a rainstorm, it conformed to my head but if you take a flat brimmed hat and pull the inside front to back it will put a nice curve in both sides. I love what the hat has become and hated it when it was new. Of course I bought just a $30 knock off and put the insignia on it along with leather hatband. Seems that I get more compliments on my hat than those with the flat brim and diaper. Stosh

Dehydrating food is simple and cheap way to go with DIY food prep. Oven? -> too much heat, you are supposed to be dehydrating, not cooking. Ovens cannot get the temp down low enough and there is not circulation. Dehydrator? -> pricy and limited sized batches. Solution? Yep! Paper furnace filters, box fan, and bungie cords. Works great. Fill up the filters with meats (no fat), fruits, vegies, etc. stack them up on top of the box fan laying on the ground. Bungie down filters to the fan. Stand up the fan, turn on high and let it dehydrate the food. Stosh

The only pranks allowed in my troop were those that had once been played on the person doing the prank. If someone hadn't played the prank on you, you couldn't play it on another. If you only saw someone play the prank on someone else, you couldn't play it on another. That way the prankster always knew the consequences of the prank and understood how the other person was going to feel about it, he knew first hand. That policy brought the pranks to a minimum with only a handful of the benign ones left over, i.e. smoke shifter, etc. Even those pranks were fully escorted. For example, the SPL always would lead the snipe hunt himself and help point them out when they got into the woods. It turned into a fun bonding time for our senior leader to get to know the new boys. Of course, as SM, I also issued the warning that over the years since I was a 98#, 4' 11" scout, I knew all the practical jokes played on me were fair game. Every scout was warned that they had better bring on the big guns and always be watching over their shoulder. My SPL took me up on a prank once and within a few minutes was screaming like a Girl Scout. I can't remember what his prank was he pulled on me, but I faked an injury and had him run frantically to my backpack to retrieve my first aid kit in the front pocket only to find my two pet minks packed it there. Take it from me, I know, nothing is worse than reaching into someone else's backpack pocket in the dark only to feel something furry/fuzzy. He wasn't a happy camper, but I did notice on his display table at the ECOH, he had a pair of mink pets of his own. I'm thinking he may make a pretty good SM someday. Stosh

I took a group into the BWCA and needed backpacking type foods for the lengthy portaging we would be doing for a 9 day trek. No replenishing possible. Had to take the whole thing. Everything we took we got from the grocery store. Of course we needed to do a lot of repackaging, but nothing was all that difficult. We ate rather well and didn't have any freeze dried foods at all. Stosh

Doesn't sound like the interviewer was actually interviewing you as much as he was indoctrinating you to the way things are done in that council. Usually during the interview process the interviewer is truly interested in what the interviewee is going to say. Doesn't look like that was on his agenda for you that day. You need a second interview to check out what these people are really looking for in a candidate. Stosh(This message has been edited by jblake47)

Morse Code is no more a language than binary ASCII. Two people can be experts in Morse Code, but if one is an English speaking person and the other only knows French, you're screwed. The same holds true for sign language. American Sign Language only applies to Americans. Stosh

One has to also take into consideration that the Tea Party tends to draw the attention of an older, more conservative following. The Occupy Party tends to draw the attention of young, more liberal following. Couple that with a more mature way of reacting to things and one can see an obvious and almost predictable reaction from each group. I don't see a whole lot of difference today than the political environment back in the late 60's and early 70's with the Vietnam War. However, the more subdued reaction of the younger crowed actually was more effective in bringing the war to a close than the tactics of today's Occupy Party being successful. Interestingly if it worked for those people back then, they are the ones today that make up the bulk of the Tea Party. Their tactics haven't changed and they know how to work the system, they've been doing it for 50 years. When there was political conflict based less on age and more on other issues, the reaction was totally unpredictable, i.e. the race issue of the mid-60's. Race involved persons of all ages and thus the reactions were often times way off the chart. The only positive thing that came out of the race riots was urban renewal. Equal rights have continued to fester for 50 years so that issue is still on the table for a few. Stosh

srisom! You got it. It means nothing except it is the easiest and shortest message to send if you are in an emergency situation! Well done! Stosh