Basementdweller

We only have a snack on special occasions, Guess who ends up cleaning up the fellowship hall after the Pack meeting......I got tired of hauling the carpet cleaner out after every pack meeting to clean up spilled juice or milk....... You ask why do I do it......Because all of the other Pack leaders need to rush home and get their kids to bed because they have school in the morning.

And now his sons are taking a ball bat to school to kill a class mate. WOW. Where do you think they learned that behavior? Guess what those boys earn their whittle chip this year........What might happen if they get mad?????????? I would drop the entire den leader issue with him.

Oh I got the giggles.....Important and Demanding?????? If it is knots your after be a den leader there are three available and then you will know important and demanding.

As Paul Harvey says.........the rest of the story. Follow your gut...... A loner who is not good with people as a den leader. NO

I understand why......... We get them in Scouting before Little league or flag football starts competing for their time and interest.... Do I like it....Not with out other changes...... I would love to see crossover numbers to the troop. Edited for reading the links.....It is a learning for life program in the first link Then the second link...... the angelfire link sounds like a rogue unit.... The article says the first sanctioned to receive the lion award.....but interestingly enough their award is for webelos aged boys and not kindergarteners. Take a look at the unit picture at the link and read the story.....How does a bear den also earn another rank.....The leaders in the picture are very clearly untrained. My favorite quote from the article.... "over the next 5 months, the activity hungry boys would all go on to earn, or re-earn the Bobcat Patch, the Wolf Patch with Gold arrow, and silver Arrow, Bear Patch with Gold arrow, and an average of 11 silver arrows each. " Really in 5 months......I DON"T THINK SO(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

We call it a full service date.....Same deal. I live in the inner city and deal with this a lot. Most of adults when confronted with a background check that maybe problematic usually will turn down becoming a leader..... kudos for him wanting to be his sons scout leader. My Pack, Troop and Crew CO, IH and COR's position is no violent or sexual convictions period. the point is as a SM or CM or CC it isn't our decision. it belongs to the CO. I fully agree and support the CO's position..... Is it worth the risk of someone with a violent or sexual past being involved with your scout no matter how repentant they are?????? I am curious if Council or National has ever rejected an application. Never heard of one.(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

those issues have nothing to do with software....... Irregardless of software you still need to reconcile money..... Make sure that the spreadsheet matches the check book.

Just shows how inconsistent program delivery is.... I did not participate in the t21 program as a youth either....somehow I fumbled my way to eagle......

Son and I cook on pepsi can stoves when we go out outside of scouting......It killed one of my webelos craftsman projects.....oh well. Eagle.....we can get nostalgic about what used to be........But it was the stupidity that gets such great scouting tools banned. I speak of stupidity of leaders and youth. From the idiot leader that gives an eleven year old a cat can stove and then is surprised the youth tips the stove over dumping the alcohol all over himself and gets burned.... To the recklessness of youth throwing the alcohol storage bottle into the campfire, with it exploding in the process...... Heard stories of a kid in a neighboring troop throwing a full jug of tiki torch fuel on the fire resulting in an explosion that looked like a mushroom cloud.....It resulted in them being ban from that camp...... I love homemade gear... (This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

Our Council scout camps are too expensive to house the troop for a week.....In council for a troop our size would be $80 a night with out pool or shower access.

Nonsense, because you have not given the parents time to even begin to understand cub scouting......They have no knowledge of the program....... We have a ACM who is assigned to be our Tiger coach.......One of their roles is to find a suitable den leader, I will tell you from experience the first volunteer may not be your best choice.... I like to have the position filled by halloween with a den parent

I agree with blake..... It is about priorities......The scouts I serve are working poor, yet mom and dad all seem to have the latest cell phones and tech toys.

Well I am a hiker.....I stopped wearing boots in the summer an typically wear trail runners..... They look very utilitarian, ugly gray with orange lettering, but hey they fit and were on sale for 70% off....... He didn't like them...... I do have some nice boots for winter and wet but not to a troop or pack meeting. Blanc....thanks for the laugh.....I just shake my head some times

Rope and a sheet of plastic is all you really need. Sticks for stakes.... most of our boys already sleep in blankets and not sleeping bags. cat can or pepsi can stoves are great except they are now forbidden. You can get all your grocery's form you local krogers, or walmart. Mac and cheese, Ramen, Granola bars and fixings to make what ever you want. I love hudson bay bread and peanut butter. They offer spam single serving and non refrigerator bacon.....apples do ok...... Limitations.....your imagination. lots of canned meats...you can make your breakfast cereal by pre adding your nido to it in the zip loc back and just add water for your milk on your cereal. Cheese and crackers. And amazingly I find I eat less backpacking than at home. Scoutfish...I think he was referring to less gear and not more.(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

That bag is on steep and cheap regularly at 58% off retail. $40 I think

Shortridge......the camp calls it T-2-1 program.....and says that they will complete their tenderfoot on the first year with them......I was disappointed with my sons skills when he returned.....he could not tie the tauntline and two half hitches. Yet it was signed off. I did not go to resident camp with the troop last year to give my son some time with out dad. I was told that the SM or ASM is with the soon to be tenderfoots and was signing off requirements. he had all sorts of stuff signed off, that he did not retain the knowledge on.....same goes for the entire New scout patrol.....yet they had everything signed off on the tenderfoot. So are my expectations too high????(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

I cannot find anywhere as to who is allowed to attend. Voting rights are CC and Committee members. I cannot find anywhere whether the SM has a vote or not, I imagine that is a local troop decision. I would hope that everyone would be welcome.

I love the idea and have proposed the same thing to our PLC for their consideration. Their discussion centered around finding a campground with a Pool, I mentioned we could backpack or canoe for a week as well and do rank activities in the evening or at lunch. Not sure where the boys are at with it...... The CC is mad because our troop has a TRADITION of going to the same Resident camp and staying at the same camp site year after year after year...... Boring..... this is my son's second year. The Last Committee meeting had some aggressive discussion about resident camp...... The only thing I said is.....This is one of many reasons we don't have any boys over 14 in the troop. I suggested offering two summer camps, one at the resident camp and one "high" adventure for those of First class or higher rank.

Seattle........I understand stosh's reasoning.....how many boys want to be patrol leader then once they get the position understand it is a lot of work and want just to ride a long as a member of the patrol......A lot.

Well the summer camp the Troop attends has a T-2-1 program. I am not real happy with the results of the program. The SM and ASM that went to camp came home all proud of the boys, everyone advanced one rank while at camp. Fantastic let the BOR commence. The BOR's were ugly. Questions like have you used your personal first aid kit yet were met with I don't have one. Other questions like do you find the bowline easy to tie were met with equal cluelessness. Later the lack of actual skills were confirmed during a Troop meeting. I asked a couple of the scouts about their first aid kit, it had been signed off at summer camp, and they said they all made a first aid kit and then the camp staff collected them at conclusion of the session. First off, they were supposed to take the first aid kit on a hike, second, Just don't sign off on the requirement if it isn't completed This year we have talked about the first aid kits and the new scout patrol collected $5 from each scout and the PL is going to purchase the supplies to put them together at the next PL meeting. As we approach summer camp again......I wonder at the Value of these programs and the quality of scout they turn out. Or is my expectation too high??????

Lots of I's and me's in your post moose. You understand their are other scouters that will help if you ask.....right???? Like the food and coolers post. I bet someone has a trailer and troop coolers that could be borrowed. I am going to guess that Participation equals pass. You also understand that the people you are instructing will be taking our scouts out into the outdoors with the skills you are demonstrating.....notice I said demonstrating.....because there is no way they can learn outdoor skills in a couple of hours on a saturday. I pray that none of leaders you are demonstrating IOLS to are New or inexperienced SM, this training style is completely inadequate for them. An example First aid....the group shows up 10 minutes late because of potty breaks or they got lost.......that means 20 minutes of instruction..... they don't want to be late to the next station because this instructor spent 5 minutes lecturing them about being on time, so they start backing up 5 minutes early....so out of a half an hour of scheduled class time they get 10 minutes of meaningful instruction. Hopefully where ever you schedule this has class rooms with doors......Been to a few classes that share a common haul or auditorium it is too loud for learning. Patrol size is the right size for learning (This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

Non sense....You cannot pick a den leader in a single night. We have a ACM who is the tiger den coach. the tiger den is co leadership.....usually by thanksgiving we have the den leader for the den.

I do a CM thursday evening hike every week except the three weeks of summer camps.....different metro park every week.... usually between 5 an 10 scouts and famillys We do creeking with the Naturalist Minor league baseball game. Fishing Derby Raingutter Regatta Disc golf with a local club....

Spring recruiting is a huge waste of time.......just that simple. Boy talks, tents and displays......everyone is just ready for summer. Zero sign ups.....well except for the lady who thought she was going to use us as a day care.....uhhhhh no.

big can also be a waste of time. Big does not allow for individual attention Big does not allow for discussion I would rather run multiple IOLS courses of 10-20 participants instead.