mikecummings157

We've used the worksheets from Meritbadge.com also, but as a place to organize & record work the boy has completed, not as a test.

I've had 2 sons go through Webelos and we followed monthly themes based on the activity pins. We just made sure to complete the required ones early in the scouting year so the boys got their Webelos rank in year 1 and the AOL in year 2. We were also successful in getting parents to sign up to run the activites for the different themes. It gave me a break, gave the boys some different people to work with, and the parents gained some sense of ownership for the program.

I watched all of the episodes and found it interesting, although I do agree that sending a bunch of folks who have little outdoor experience was pretty dumb. How about sending out a group of Eagle Scouts as a control group if they film a season 2?

Road Kill Stew (Tune: "Three Blind Mice") Road kill stew, road kill stew. Tastes so good, just like it should. First you go down to the interstate. You wait for the critter to meet it's fate. You take it home and you make it great. Road kill stew, road kill stew.

Ditto what Gunny2862 said.

We had a scout set up a Blood Drive who exibited great leadership a fews years ago. As part of the project, he and other boys in the troop got the word out on the project, including getting on local TV and radio to promote it. They also spent many hours actually signing people up all over town, as well as worked with the Red Cross the day of the actual donations. They also took care of the physical atrrangements for the day of the donation.

I have the same thoughts as many posters; add Orienteering, Pioneering, Cooking, and/or Wilderness Survival. Eagle Scouts should have advanced skills in these areas. We promote these in our Troop throughout the year and at camp. Maybe eliminate Personal Mangement or Family Life? Perhaps make the Citizenships a 2 out of 3? I think it's important to not grow the # of required MB's over 12, as the boys like to explore other areas of interest through the Merit Badge program, but they sometimes perceive that it's not a good investment of their time if they alreay have their 9 "filler" MB's.

Our Troop is considering a trip to Antietam in the spring to camp on and tour the battlefield. Has anyone done this? Please share your experience.(This message has been edited by mikecummings157)

Yes, the Scoutmaster can delegate this to one of his (or her) Assistant Scoutmasters. I have done this in place of the Scoutmaster in the past when the candidate was his son.

We've been going out of council for 8 years now and are thrilled with the camp we selected. Our council tries to guilt us into coming back every year or two, but there's nothing they can do to force us to go there. Bottom line; we're trying to provide the best program for our boys and staying in council doesn't allow us to do that. Selling popcorn and promoting FOS is enough support for us.(This message has been edited by mikecummings157)

Try Yawgoog Scout Reservation in Rhode Island. It's a first rate camp! We come down from Central New York every summer. http://www.narragansettbsa.org/yawgoog/ http://www.campyawgoog.org/

As many others have pointed out, the Den Chief is a very important position and good ones are hard to find. Bottom line; the Scoutmaster can't add additional requirements to this if the book allows it.(This message has been edited by mikecummings157)

The husband & wife going in this case does meet the minimum requirements, but many folks have posted the risks of going on a campout with this thin leadership. Another problem would be if an emergency at home came up, both spouses may have to leave, so the boys would have no leadership left. For practical purposes, from my experience, a mimimum of 3 unrelated adults should go on a weekend. It's a tough call to cancel an outing, but it may be the right thing to do.

Our troop had a boy very much like this a few yearsa ago. He was well on his way to Eagle, but then lost interest due to a Scoutmaster change. He started showing back up a few months before his 18th birthday, but through his behavior clearly demonstrated he didn't want to be there. A few weeks before his birthday, he handed in his last merit badge and asked for a Scoutmaster Conference. The Scoutmaster, to his credit, didn't sign him off, as he'd seen no leadership or mentoring of other scouts, or any scout spirit at all. His father appealed to our Council, who after some investigation, backed up the Scoutmaster. This doesn't mean the boy won't be a fine young man, he just isn't an Eagle Scout. It seems to me that the biggest mistake was the Scoutmaster signing off on the conference. However, if the boy isn't living by the Scout Oath and Law and other Scouts don't look to him as a good example, turn him down. Becoming an Eagle Scout is more than merit badges and camping, it's possessing character that follows you your entire life.

Our Troop is having a Wilderness Survival Theme next month. Can anyone share what they may have done for meeting activities and their campout using this theme? I would also be greatful if anyone had a copy of a "survival test" to use with the boys.

Class of 1979. Currently ASM.