Oak Tree

requirements, #33215, revised 2004 The Interpreter Strip award can be earned for any foreign language. However, the BSA only sells strips for more common languages. Interpreter Strips for other languages are sometimes available from sources outside the BSA. Oak Tree

foreign language or the sign language for the hearing impaired by: Carrying on a five-minute conversation in this language. Translating a two-minute speech or address. Writing a letter in the language. Does not apply for sign language. Translating 200 words from the written word. Source: Boy Scout Re

While not documented in Cub Scout materials, the requirements are laid out in the Boy Scouts Requirements book. You can see this requirement, among many others, at the meritbadge.com web site: http://www.meritbadge.com/awd/interpreter.htm Boys and adults may wear this strip if they show their knowledge of a

This requirement is clearly the bottleneck that would cause Scouts to back up in our troop as well, when you have a full patrol of new boys. We, like Twocubdad, also have various months where the outings are not organized in a way to allow for patrol cooking. One can imagine a variety of methods to deal with this. A couple that we've done are 1) to have six-meal campouts, where two Scouts can fulfill the requirement, and 2) to throw in an extra patrol campout or two, just for the New Scout Patrol. An obvious option is to: 3) Start assigning a head cook on campouts as early as possible. If not the first campout, then the second. And then there are solutions that go along with creative interpretation of the requirements: 4) Allow them to cook for other patrols. 5) Break up the patrols into smaller groups (e.g. a patrol of 9 could become two patrols of 4 and 5) 6) Break up their meals over multiple campouts I would not be surprised at all if there are troops that have multiple "patrol head cooks" that work together on a campout in order to allow more boys to check off this requirement, but that seems to clearly violate the spirit and letter of the rule. Oak Tree

the blue jacket or Supply Division would stop selling it, but you couldn't tell that from what I see. Oak Tree

In our district I've only seen leaders wear the red jacket. Your idea to see what everyone else wears in your area is probably the simplest solution. The red jacket does seem to be a better match for the color scheme, and it will continue to work for you as you/your boy move into Boy Scouts. Presumably someone is buying

I had the same question, and after hunting it down, I agree that the references are somewhat ambiguous in most places. The insignia guide does not mention it for Cub Scouts, which would lead you to think it's not available. However, I found what I consider to be the definitive answer that it is available. In the Sports and Academics Guide, the requirements for the Language and Culture pin start off like this: Earn the Language and Culture belt loop, and complete seven of the following requirements: 1. Earn the BSA Interpreter Strip. 2. Write the numbers 1-10 in Chinese or another number system other than the one we normally use (we use the Arabic system). and so on. So the answer is "Yes". Oak Tree