perdidochas

We divvy out the food that needs to eaten in the next week or so. Now, coffee or other shelf stable stuff gets put into a cabinet in our Scout Hut. We keep things like syrup, mayonaise, mustard and ketchup in the fridge we have in the Scout hut.

Just testing

Wow, I can't imagine a boy wanting to be SPL again and again. Our troop elects the SPL and PLs. The other PORs are the SPL's "cabinet" so he appoints them (with the advice and consent of the SM).

To join OA, your son first has to be First Class, and have done 15 nights of camping in the past two years, which includes one week (but not more than a week) at summer camp. In addition, he has to get the approval of the Scoutmaster and the Troop (Voted in by at least half of the troop). For an adult leader, you have either to be an OA member from your youth, or selected as an adult. As an adult, you have the same camping requirement, and I believe that there can be 1 adult per troop per year (may be related to unit size).

Yes, and no. The District has to approve all MB counselors, but a MBC can work with only one troop, should they so desire--hence, in effect, a Troop MB counselor.

Scouting doesn't allow for secrecy. The only info that should be kept to certain people is medical information.

Now, Cub Scouts is a different thing. It's Lord of the Flies when adults aren't around. Thankfully, in BSA, we have the older boys civilizing the younger ones.

I agree with you. I think I talk to the boys more about courtesy and manners than I do almost any other single thing. We do have to do that heavy lifting, or at the least we need to reinforce it in our troops.

I find the opposite to be true, when it comes to my Troop. That said, I also find the boys in my Troop to be far more well behaved, considerate and respectful than the boys in most other Troops. Any time I'm involved with other Troops, I am very happy for mine. What have you done to foster the values that you hold dear? If you're a Scout leader, and think so badly of your troop, why haven't you done something about it? Or if you have, what have you done? I'll put my Scouts up against any group of kids. They aren't perfect, but most of them are living by the Scout Law. (admittedly, we've got a few that don't, but ironically, they are the ones into a lot of club sports.)

While I do agree that the permission slips don't mean much, I can just imagine what a lawyer would do in the case of an absence of one. The permission slip doesn't protect you from the suit, but not having one will be just that much worse.

I don't know the nature of those particular locks, but my gut tells me that portaging is a better option for inexperienced canoers.

Parents are welcome at any and all functions, per BSA. We usually have parents and/or committee members on campouts. That said, it is far from family camping--no siblings, and the adults camp/cook in our own area separate from the scouts. Also, the ASMs (and SM) keep the other adults from interfering with the scouts.

I'm not sure. I do know that we just had another boy from the CO's Pack join that far off troop. Thankfully, we recruited the other ten (and no, we didn't just assume they were coming over--we provided them a Den Chief, and invited them on two campouts (both of which they attended)).

A. What else can the council do? How will that letter help? The aggressor is no longer a Scout, it seems like the problem in terms of Scouts is over. B. That is a school issue. Parents of the bullied boys need to deal with this in the school. It's not a scout thing anymore.

Excluding kids from a certain Cub Scout pack to join a troop? What kind of crap is that?

Read my post and go to the G2SS link. Here some of what you will find. Cub Scouts are encouraged to camp as packs--Pack overnighter or council camps. They aren't encouraged to camp as dens.

Well, the Den leader I mentioned claimed that we didn't do anything with their den at the Camporee--this was strange, as I and a few of our scouts took most of them on a nature walk (and I even put a bandaid on his son's finger). I do agree with you, that the goal is to have Webelos cross over to Boy Scouts, and then stay a while. I'd rather they join any troop than no troop.

Technically, only Cub Scout packs are allowed to camp. Only Webelos Dens are allowed to camp independently. I'd go with Stosh's advice, and treat it as a non-scouting event. http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/GSS/gss03.aspx

I wouldn't get a cot. Get a good sleeping pad, or try hammock camping.

It gets complicated. Last year we lost all of a den, except 1, from crossing over from the pack that is sponsored by our CO. (Notice, I don't call it a feeder pack, because I don't believe that Scouts joining different troops is wrong, nor that we are entitled to those boys). I know why, it is because their Webelos Den leader and I had a falling out years ago. He didn't want his boy to join a troop that I was involved with, and he took the rest of them with him. I'm fine with that, as long as the boys that crossed over don't get turned off from scouting because their new CO meets 40 minutes away from us. Our troop is doing well, and after our crossovers this year, will be about twice as big as we were 4 years ago.

I pretty much think to count as a campout, camping is done either in a tent, a hammock, under a tarp, under the stars or a 3-sided Adirondack (i.e one without doors). In terms of the cooking, I would say it has to be a campout to count for the T-2-2 requirements. Now, for the Cooking merit badge, cooking while on a day hike is acceptable (per the specific guideines) for the trail cooking requirement.

Ideally, yes, but a lot of troops would be angry with someone "poaching" their crossovers. We're at a point where I think we would welcome another troop taking some of ours. We've got 10 crossovers from one pack, one from another, and a Tenderfoot that is unhappy with his troop coming in this month.

My oldest got his Eagle about a year ago. He always has a position of responsibility, but not always an official one.