perdidochas

I wouldn't say only, but I don't know of many organizations out there at a national level that allow 15 yr old boys to supervise a group of 11-15 yr olds in projects that cost thousands of dollars. There are few groups that allow boys to have true leadership of a group of other boys. In addition, there are no other organizations that promote safe usage of the outdoors.

Ironically, from what I can tell, the shift in Woodbadge probably worsened the problem. If anything, we would be more in a need for advanced outdoor skill training for our leaders than in the past.

A bit of an exaggeration, but I have heard Boy Scouts described as Hitler Youth by liberals, who I presume support gay marriage. How is this a wrong thread? I will admit my view of the world is colored by my local area, but around here, the supporters (and my supporters, I do't mean the people that simply don't object, but that actively want it) of gay marriage are pretty much on the far left. The less extreme wouldn't be brave enough to say so in the right wing area I live. Anyway, my point is that those actively supporting gay marriage (not just tolerating the idea, which is the majority nation wide) aren't going to be supporters of scouting anyway, IMHO.

Webelos are not in patrols, they are in Dens. The insignia sheet doesn't show patrol patches for Webelos for that reason. If you'll note, they show den patches.

I think they are experimenting with MB universities here, but they don't get much business, at least not from my troop. I will admit, we do have Merit Badge classes, but for the most part these are just times for the boys to get together with MB counselors. I have several boys who were in my Cooking MB class last year that still haven't finished. It's up to them.

So this boy likes to "camp" in the backyard, but is afraid to camp with family outside of the backyard? He needs to be toughened up majorly before Boy Scouts, and it's possible that he just needs another year. Ten may be too young for this boy to camp with other boys and gruff male Boy Scout Leaders. As a male Boy Scout Leader, my job isn't to baby the boys, but to make sure that they get back and forth from the campout safely, and don't hurt themselves or each other. I'm not going to tell a boy three times to get his socks on. I'm not going to cuddle him and sing "Soft kitty" to him.

I do not understand that MB class, except that whoever ran it did not really worry about the Boys in the Troop that the First Aid boys were in. First Aid is the most important MB, IMHO, for a scout to have. I tell my scouts to pay attention (and we review things all the time), because I know that there is a chance that they will have to do first aid on me :-)

1. The den cannot require that the badges be earned at summer camp. Requirements are done based on the guidelines. Nothing in the Outdoorsman badge says that it has to be done at summer camp. Here are the requirements: [TABLE] [TR] [TD]Outdoorsman requirements[/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=colspan: 2]Do two of these: Present yourself to your Webelos den leader, properly dressed, as you would be for an overnight campout. Show the camping gear you will use. Show the right way to pack and carry it. With your family or Webelos den, help plan and take part in an evening outdoor activity that includes a campfire. With your parent or guardian, take part in a Webelos den overnight campout or a family campout. Sleep in a tent that you have helped pitch. With your parent or guardian, camp overnight with a Boy Scout troop. Sleep in a tent that you have helped pitch. And do five of these: During a Webelos den meeting, discuss how to follow the Leave No Trace Frontcountry Guidelines during outdoor activities. Participate in an outdoor conservation project with your Webelos den or a Boy Scout troop. Discuss with your Webelos den leader the rules of outdoor fire safety. Using these rules, show how to build a safe fire and put it out. With your accompanying adult on a campout or outdoor activity, assist in preparing, cooking, and cleanup for one of your den's meals. Tell why it is important for each den member to share in meal preparation and cleanup, and explain the importance of eating together. Discuss with your Webelos den leader the things that you need to take on a hike. Go on one 3-mile hike with your Webelos den or a Boy Scout troop. Demonstrate how to whip and fuse the ends of a rope. Demonstrate setting up a tent or dining fly using two half hitches and a taut-line hitch. Show how to tie a square knot and explain how it is used. Visit a nearby Boy Scout camp with your Webelos den. [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] No camping at a particular event is required, and camping in a family campout counts, provided the boy helps pitch the tent. However, I would not recommend crossover for this boy. He doesn't need to be a Boy Scout until he (and his parents) have the courage to send him on a campout out of his back yard. Webelos shouldn't quite be boy led. Boys should have input, but a den leader needs to lead them. The boys need to be doing badges on their own as well. Three badges in a year is a little less ambitious than I would hope, but it's all they need for Webelos. They only have five more badges, including Readyman and Outdoorsman (and a mental skills and a technology and one other). The problem is you want to mother them. They are going to be in a world of pain when they are in Boy Scouts. There is only going to be a SPL who will not be kind waking them up--teens aren't as gentle as wimpy parents. You need to get them to do things on their own, whenever possible, but with guidance. Again, that young Webelos needs to be much tougher if he wants to be a Boy Scout.\ Finally, Scouting is not meant to be efficient. It is meant to teach and enable boys to become leaders. The most efficient way to run a Boy Scout troop would be to have capable adults micromanage them. I can guarantee, any troop I ran would be much more efficient than the great majority of boy-led troops. Forget about this patrol cooking, we'd do troop cooking. Forget about tents, we'd be in hotel rooms. Etc. Scouting is meant to teach. Teaching is inefficient when it comes to the actual activity being taught. In the long run, though, it pays off.

BSA 2014? What publication?

I've often talked with some of the other adult leaders about how to liven up the boys' cooking. One idea that often comes up is Patrol Iron Chef. Has anybody done this successfully? IF so, do you have any tips. Has anybody tried it, but failed? What do you think could have helped it to work?

I just haven't found that smart phone use has done much negative to the scouts in my troop. We have several with smartphones, and I haven't seen the games, constant texting, and distraction. Even cheap fliphones have most of those functions. I do know that most of our leaders have and use smartphones, and maybe we are modeling the appropriate usage of them. I just don't know. If we start to have troubles we'll just institute a cyber totin' chip.

Are there apps that take a picture and identify? My birding app surely doesn't. It's just like the book, except I can record the GPS coordinates of my sightings. I use my knot app all the time. From it, I've learned (not just for one time) the alpine butterfly, 4 different variations of the bowline (beyond the one we know and love as scouters), the sheepshank, and I'm in the process of theaching myself the prussik. Could I have done that with a book, sure, but with the phone and a piece of cord, I can practice and learn anywhere. I love the assumptions made about phone users and their lack of knowledge and total reliance on the phone. I think the ancient Greeks said the same thing about writing things down.

Actually that spork works fairly well as a knife--not for steak, but for softer meats-chicken, fish, porkchops,etc. I want the titanium version of it, because I break and melt the plastic ones.

You cannot PERMANENTLY confiscate electronic devices. That's theft. If I were a parent of a child who had a device permanently confiscated, I'd be on the phone with the police (and the Council). Parents are the only ones who can permanently confiscate devices. I would never claim that the devices aren't used--I've seen my son take pictures with his Ipod, I've seen my older scouts listening to music in their tents. I would say that the devices aren't detracting from a Scout's experiences. I haven't seen a scout use a device when it was time to do something else on a campout (I have in a troop meeting, but I nipped it, and it hasn't been repeated ). I would also venture that Scouts in no electronics troops are also hiding their devices/use from Adults.

That goes without saying, IMHO. Unless the kid gives it to me for safekeeping, the phone isn't my responsibility. (and for safekeeping, my answer would be leave it in my car).

How many smartphone opponents out there use one and like it? My guess is that those of us who use smartphones are in favor of them, while those who don't are against them. What I like it is that I can have numerous references at my fingertips. I guess I'm too lazy to carry around a dozen books.

I've never seen a scout in my troop on a campout who carries a smartphone to use it to the exclusion of other activities. Outside of scouts, I've seen a lot of youth do this, but not among my scouts.I think the pocketknife analogy is good. I have seen pocketknives misused.

My mummy bag barely has room for me, I can't change in it. I don't carry a blanket. I sometimese carry a poncho, and usually am camping in a hammock with a tarp.

Exactly. Have the senior scouts instruct, and the adults test (and reteach when necessary).

You can change clothes in a poncho (trick I read about from a woman who is a rafting guide). I hammock with a 12x12 tarp (same size as a Noah's 12), and it provides plenty of coverage for changing.

For Cubs, I agree, disposable works best. Yes, it's not LNT, but it is convenient, and safer than trying to wash 50 or 60 plates. For Boy Scouts, I'm 100% for the boys carrying a mess kit of their choice. We have everything from the Mess kits that Stosh likes, to the GSI plate/bowl/cup/utensils in a mesh bag, to backpacking style "origami" plates/bowls/cups to collapsible silicon to semi-disposable gladware, along with a variety of utensils ranging from sporks to folding fork/spoon/swiss army knife to lexan backpacking spoon/forks. I experiment quite a bit myself.

I pretty much agree with the Deputy CSE. I"m a smartphone user. I use it on campouts and even backpacking treks. It's very useful, within it's limits. Does it take away from the outdoors? Sometimes, yes. Does it make the experience more pleasant or safer? Mostly, yes. Our troop has transformed in the time I've been with it (4 yrs). Original rule was electronics only in the cars on the way to and from an outing. That worked fine, but over time it stopped being enforced. We didn't notice any problems with cellphones/smartphones, etc., except for one boy who called home during a Camporee because he wanted to leave early. Other than that, no big deal. We haven't had the play games with the phone all day. We haven't had any "borrowing" or loss or destruction. We've had no problems, up to this point during campouts. Did have a problem once during a meeting, when boys were supposed to be working on skills, we had three in a corner watching funny youtube videos. I addressed it with them, haven't had a problem with those boys since. Basically, until we have a problem, we will keep this up. If we start to have problems, our first idea is to institute the "cyber chip" similar to the way the troop I was in growing up, didn't use the totin' chip, until some boys started to misuse knives and machetes.

Kids these days don't see as much of Native American culture as they did when we were children. I don't see it as much of a draw as it used to be. That said, my sons enjoy that part of OA, and are in their ceremony team.