OwntheNight

I saw these in the Scout Store at the beginning of the year and then kicked myself for not picking one up then. Went back a couple of weeks later and they were sold out except for a couple of youth sizes. Apparently, the Scout stores are dealers for these products, and the company that makes them, donates proceeds of the sales of their products to the Wounded Warrior Project. According to their website (www.survivalstraps.com) if you have to unravel it for an emergency use, they will replace it at no charge. They just want your story of how you used it. I wonder if these are starting to replace the silver bracelets that troops use to wear, that had the name of a fallen soldier on it from past conflicts? They seem to have one designed for dog tags. It sounds like you had a PD that wanted to support this program, while providing a quick easy means of identifying Adult Leaders. Kudos to him, if that was his intent.

Very Nice, Thanks for Posting! Our Spring Campout is in May, and we will be having our bridging ceremony at camp. I will be "borrowing" these to use for that. Thanks Again.

Since I live near Dallas, I have had the priveledge of hearing Dr. Beck Weathers speak about his experience in 96. What a truly amazing and inspiring story, yet I still get misty eyed hearing him tell his story. In one instance, you feel like your listening to the narrative of another man's life, but your sitting there and you see his injuries and realize this is that man. He does add some of the dry humor to his talk, as he points out nonchalantly that surgeons had to grow his nose on his forehead, before they moved it. He is still a practicing pathologist with the Dallas Coroner's Office. What an amazing speaker, If you get the chance to hear him talk, take it.

OMG!!!! Glad you had a fun time with it, Now how do you raise the bar for next year?

I feel your pain Brutha! My 12 YO going on 25 has my wife and I at our wits end. But hey, what do I know? I'm the mean old parent who doesn't get what he's going through, and never will! As many times as I tell him that I was 12 once also, and I did almost the exact same things he's doing now. If he doesn't believe me, I tell him to go talk to his grandmother to get the scoop on ol' Dad. Still hasn't bitten on that one yet. You do the best that you can do, with what you've got! He may not hear the message you are sending, but if that message is the same from everybody around him, eventually it sinks in...So I've been told I can't tell you how many times I've apologized to my Mom for my behavior as a kid, after I had kids myself. If you do find that magic bullet, please let us know, I'm still searching for it!

'Fish, I'd figure since you use to be a VFD chief and SAR guy, you would still have some contacts with the FD about some classes, or at least to point you in the right direction. You might check some of the community centers or Parks and Recreation for classes offered to the public that are AHA or ARC certified. One of the Battalion Chiefs in a neighboring city offers CPR/AED to our Troop or any Scouting Group, (BSA,GSUSA, etc) for free. That's his gift back to Scouting for what it's done for him and his sons'. When we took ours, we got all the participants to chip in what would have been the cost of the course, and got the station Gift Cards to some of the local eateries and grocery stores. He actually taught real world situation backed by real world experience, instead of the "boring" film and brain overload on stats and figures.

You've gotten a lot of great advice so far. I'll try and add my $.02 worth. Take about 6 mos off to deprogram from Cub Scout mode. That doesn't mean you disconnect, just that you sit back and absorb what is going on around you in the troop. Watch how the Senior Patrol leader interacts with his PL's. Watch how the PL's work with their patrols. Let the boys learn from their mistakes (and they will make mistakes). What can you do to help, lots of things....Merit Badge counselor, Committee Member,(Hey, all the boys in the troop will need Boards of Review at some point. This is really helpful to find out what the boy has enjoyed in Scouts so far. It's a perspective you don't see unless your the Scoutmaster) Even helping drive boys to campouts or other events helps out tremendously! When my son crossed over a year and a half ago, I wanted to go on every campout, every activity, to be with him. Now, not so much, not because I don't want to spend time with him. I want him to grow and learn on his own and enjoy scouting on his own. It's the BOY Scouts of America, not the ADULT Scouts of America. This is his program, not mine. Will I still go on some trips, absolutely. I have a lot of good friends who are also ASM's in the troop, and I do like to spend time with them around the campfire. but I also enjoy working with our Instructors and Troop Guides on our First Year program. It's now about all the boys in the troop, not just my son. This is an excerpt from our troop website about what adults do in the troop. Boy Scout camping activities center on the patrol, where boys learn teamwork, leadership, and most camping skills. It is important that adults not be in the middle of patrol activities such as site selection, tent pitching, meal preparation, and anything else where boys get to practice decision-making and develop skills. A key difference between Boy Scouting and Cub Scouting/Webelos is leadership. Look for the word leader in a job title, and you will begin to appreciate the difference. The responsible person for a Cub/Webelos den is the Den Leaderan adult. The responsible person for a Boy Scout patrol is the Patrol Leadera boy. This isn't token leadership (like a denner). A Patrol Leader has real authority and genuine responsibilities. Much of the success and happiness of four to ten other boys depend directly on him. Boy Scouting teaches leadership. And boys learn leadership by practicing it, not by watching adults lead. The Boy Scouts believe that learning leadership is like learning to tie a knot: No matter how many times it's explained or demonstrated, a boy will never learn it until he tries it himself. So what do we adults do, now that we've surrendered so much direct authority to boys? Here are our troop's guidelines on the indirect, advisory role you now enjoy (no kidding, you should enjoy watching your son take progressively more mature and significant responsibilities as he zooms toward adulthood). The underlying principle is: never do anything for a boy that he can do himself. We allow boys to grow by practicing leadership and by learning from their mistakes. And while Scout skills are an important part of the program, what ultimately matters is that our Scouts become adultsthat is, what matters is not whether they can use a map & compass, etc., but whether they can offer leadership to others in tough situations; and can live by a code that centers on honest and ethical behavior. Boys need to learn to make decisions without adult intervention (except when it's a matter of immediate safety). Boys are in a patrol so they can learn leadership and teamwork without adult interference. You'll be surprised with how independently they can take care of themselves, when given the room to do so. If a boy approaches and wants help or advice about pitching his tent, cooking a meal, making his bed, getting his coat or with something else on the campout, direct him to his patrol leader, the senior patrol leader, troop guide, or another older Scout. If you intervene and help, no matter how well intentioned you are being, you are actually taking away an older Scout's opportunity to hone their teaching and leadership skills. More importantly, when you take the leadership of a group of boys in an activity you are taking away a leadership opportunity from an older Scout. Being an adult advisor is a difficult role, especially when we are advising kids (even worse, our own sons). Twice each year, the Boy Scouts of America offers special training on how to do this, which we expect our uniformed adults to take. And any adult is welcome, and encouraged, to take the training. If a parent goes on a campout, you are an automatic member of our Geezers (adult) patrol (so dubbed by Patrick S.). This patrol has several purposes: good food and camaraderie (of course), but more important is providing an example the boy patrols can follow without our telling them what to do (we teach by example). Since a patrol should camp as a group, we expect the Geezers to do so also; that way, adults don't tent in or right next to a boy patrol where your mere presence could disrupt the learning process. One logistical note: The Troop provides tents for the boys, but each man attending a campout should bring his own tent. Adults don't need to worry about bringing food or drinksan adult leader will bring food and drink for the entire Geezer patrol; we loosely rotate that on a volunteering basis. Quite simply, our troop policy requires adults to cook, eat, and tent separately from the Scouts (even dads & sons). We are safely nearby, but not smothering close. Sure, go ahead and visit the patrol sites (not just your son's), talk to your son (and the other Scouts), ask what's going on or how things are going. But give the guys room to grow while you enjoy the view. Please don't hover over the boys, especially while they are cooking, cleaning, making, breaking camp or building a fire. Avoid the temptation to direct them and avoid the temptation to give advice. Don't jump in just to prevent a mistake from happening (unless it's serious). We all learn best from our mistakes. And let the patrol leaders lead.Your job is tough, challenging, and ultimately rewarding, because your son will be a man the day after tomorrow.

Welcome to the virtual camp fire! Grab a chair, bring your coffee and pepper away! Glad to hear you stepped up as CM, I just took over as CM for our pack and am loving every minute of it! This forum has a lot of insight and I'm glad I found it. It has made things easier, knowing that somebody out there has probably seen the same things.

I used the SMART method on all my Tickets. Everything was written up in the same format and it certainly gave me focus on how those tickets were related to what I wanted to accomplish. Pictures were a big part of my verification. I also scanned some documents I received to add to the whole write up. It's not a Masters thesis, Keep it simple.

Congratulations and Well Done! Nothing like that feeling of getting the final nod! Now the work begins, use those tools to continue what you've started. OTN and a Good ol' Beaver too!

I have a 30 degree bag that I use, but then I have a fleece sleeping bag to stuff in it for extra warmth. I will probably use just the fleece this year for the warmer weather. That and my trusty thermarest!

The "GreatStuff" Expandable Foam sealant. Spray it like whipped cream, let it set up solid. Spray paint Dark Brown, add a little grass while it's wet, Voila....Meadow Muffins!

From the Scouting Insignia Guide: World Crest, cloth, No. 00143, all Scouts and leaders, centered horizontally over left pocket and vertically between left shoulder seam and top of pocket. May be worn by all members of Scouting to symbolize their membership in the World Scouting movement.

So tonight was my first Pack meeting as CM, some observations: I hadn't realized how late we had been starting our pack meetings, until tonight. I was at the church at 6:40 to start setting up, by 6:58 there were 3 leaders and boys in the gym, myself included. At 7:05 the rest of the families trickled into the building. Even had one show up at 7:15. Next pack meeting we have in the gym, 7:00 will be when "Scouts Attention" will be called. I changed up our opening ceremony a little bit. Instead of having 1 den call and bring the flags in, I had both dens bring the flags in and had one of our den chiefs do the opening and calls. That worked well because the boys weren't just standing there fidgeting around, but actually had an active part in the opening. Didn't have any advancements tonight, so I was able to take some time and interact with the boys about what they did during Spring Break. Boys were pretty well behaved and engaged in the conversation. Now the fun begins...After keeping the announcements brief (I could already see the glazing over after the first announcement) I got the boys going on 6 verses of the Banana Song. Had to teach them the song, but they started getting it. After we went through the song 1 time, I shocked everybody in the room by telling each boy to grab 1 parent and they would be doing the song with their parent along with actions! (Yep, social hour has ended!!!) By the middle of the second time through the song, all the boys were yelling as loud as they could and reminding me what part was next. They got some energy out but they were still engaged in the activity. Good to see! After our song, I was able to get them to sit and listen to a "play on words" story about a farmer and a bull. (That time in drama class finally paid off!) Finally I got them up for the game. Split them up into 2 groups and had them toss "meadow muffins" into baskets. This then just turned into the meadow muffin mosh pit and that's when the "stuff" started flyin' around!! The boys had an absolute blast and even got to take a "muffin" home with them. I hope they go to school tomorrow and tell their buddies that they got to throw "ploop" around at Cub Scouts. Whatever it takes to get them in the door! Think I'm gonna' like this job!

Very Cool!! One of the eaglets has kind of an attitude and likes to pick on the other other ones. until Mama comes home........Life imitating Life? Thanks, certainly beats watching the Panda's

Webelos wobble, but they don't fall down. That happens when they turn 14 and have the feet of small yachts, but the body of stick pins. Great for water skiing though! So What declension is Webeli? nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative, vocative, or locative Ok, that's all the Latin I remember from school

they were called for a British necker from a cute Scout making her way across the USA I didn't know there was a skill award for that! What are those requirements!

I've seen the "Yours in Scouting" signoff on letters and emails from Scouters all around the district and council. I tend to use "For the Boys" as my sign off on emails when I'm emailing the pack and I use the "Yours in Scouting" if I'm talking to people outside of Scouting, but they both are interchangeable. At least you spelled Webelos I and II correct!, That's my big hang up, It's not Webelo, Webeli, or any other off shoot. As Scouters, these terms become ingrained in our vocabulary. Just like our everyday lives, and our careers, we have terms we shorten because the people we're dealing with know what they mean. To the average lay person, they can be confusing. Sometimes we just need to stop and remember who our audience is when we're talking to them.

Ours is normally held in February, but due to the "lovely" weather we had in February, they have moved it back to the middle of April this year. Our council hosts 3 WB courses a year, so we have 3x the amount of participants trying to show the most WB spirit throughout the night! It ends up being good fun for everybody. The highlight of the evening is the unveiling of the official course totem that's to be hung in one of the activity or dining halls at one of the camps. (Our course still claims the title of LARGEST totem around, Hee,Hee!) We also honor the outgoing CD's and introduce the new CD's for this years courses. I kind of agree about the beadings at the dinner, wrong demographic, should be done to get people excited and interested about WB. I will say though, the beadings done at the dinner are impressive. They pull out all the stops and do the full ceremony, unlike some I've seen at RT where they just water it down, and move on to the next line of business. It's a good night to meet up with some of my course mates, whom I don't get to see often enough, but there are still a few of the "old guard" who show up and gripe about WB21C. I enjoy listening to their stories, but I've just learned to avoid conversations with them about the "old vs new" argument. It's not productive, and the reason we're at this dinner is to celebrate, have fun, and sing the song one more time with our mates!

I was hoping for Cactus and Grapefruit league updates I totally forgot I needed to renew my Hazardous Weather training every two years. Just another thing to add to the list. Thanks

We did a quick trial run at our last pack meeting. We ended up with mixed results.We did one of the medium level ones and the boys were having problems with it. We are probably going to have to use the $100 level games the next time. we are planning on having our Spring Campout activities centered around the MTWI format. So we're going through the games to try and figure out which ones will work for us. I'm excited about trying to put it all together. I hope it's successful, so we can start implementing them in recruiting and then bringing them to pack meetings. My wife's company did them this past year during their Customer Service Appreciation Week, they ended up doing the ones that use Office supplies and had a blast with it. Keep us informed for how it's going for you.

Couple of ideas for you. 1. The behavior candle- Have a small candle and light it at the beginning of the meeting, Let the boys know that if they behave during the den meetings, the candle stays lit.When they burn the entire candle out, reward them with whatever, ice cream, extra game time, little trinkets, whatever you want it to be. If they act up during the meeting, walk over and blow the candle out. Start with a tea candle to give them some motivation to do well, then work up in size of candle. 2.marble jar- same concept except your adding marbles to an empty jar for good behavior. 3. Akela's Talking Stick- Take a good size stick and decorate it however you want. Tell the boys only the person holding the stick may talk at that time. If they would like to talk, they need to raise their hand and wait for the stick to be handed to them. This works well until the boys reach for the stick and then somebody tries to take the stick out of another boys hand and gets popped in the head on accident. 4. Consistency- Start your meetings at the same time, every time. Go through the same ritual or routine at the beginning and the end of the den meeting. That way they know what to expect when the time comes. One thing I also did last year at the beginning of our Tiger year. I showed them the Cub Scout sign, explained it's meaning, and had the boys scream as loud as possible until they saw the Cub Scout sign. We did that a few times, until they figured it out. Now I don't have to say anything, I just raise my hand, make the Cub Scout sign, and the boys figure it out pretty quickly. Remember it's your room, your in control, not them. You'll do great!

That is very cool!!! It's stuff like that, that makes this the coolest "job" around! WELL DONE!

Pack, It is a good thing that pie is so engrained in our country. Everybody knows how to make it and by gosh I'm going to try as many as possible wherever the roads lead me! Now, If I can just figure out why my pants keep shrinking, thank goodness for the expandable waist in the centennial pants. Kudos for eating an entire pineapple, my wife tried that once while living in Hawaii, and said her mouth was on fire afterwards from the high acidic content!

And a Happy Pi day to you too! I'm hoping my folks will bring some Key Lime Pie from Uncle Bubba's in Savannah. Even though I don't think TSA will let them bring it on the plane!