perdidochas

They already have. From what I have read on other discussion boards and an article on the internet from a major news source linked in Drudge, they are putting cannabis oil in these so that they can discreetly smoke pot anywhere.

Just like any other tobacco product, shouldn't be used in front of the Scouts.

Sentinel, I agree totally, as a Catholic. That, and if our Catholic church sponsored troop just had Catholic boys, we'd only have 4 or 5 out of 30.

Last night, the SPL was teaching the troop some First Aid techniques (he had just gone to a Wilderness First Aid Class and is hopped up to share). The SM noted that sometimes knots/lashings are a necessary part of first aid, for example if you have to splint a broken leg and then build a litter/stretcher to carry the victim. We are currently on a knot renewal program for our First Class and up boys. We are requiring they tie the knot of the day before coming into the Scout Hut. Last week was the square knot, this week was the sheet bend. I'm accepting the challenge as as ASM myself. I'm tying the knots with my eyes closed.

Wow, not sure how a council can get away with such stuff. I'm a devout Catholic and the Troop I'm ASM in is chartered by my church, but I would have no problem with any religious person of any religion being a leader with me, provided that they had the other qualifications. Ironically, I think the CO should have the right to make the decision about leadership and their religion, but clearly the Council does not. BSA is not a Christian organization, it's a youth organization with religious overtones. In terms of the former marine teacher, that's the danger of working in private schools. They follow the Golden rule, which is that the person with the gold makes the rules.

The rule is that a merit badge patch can't be bought until an Advancement Report for it is filled out. I think it's up to the Troop, but in my Troop, we give out Rank patches right after the BOR, but wait on the MBs for the Court of Honor. We can only do this because we have a supply of rank badges from before the new rules.

I might get rid of some of the one hour merit badges--fingerprinting comes to mind, but in general, most of the MBs are good subject matter that will motivate some scouts to want to learn. The troop program should be to concentrate on certain skills and knowledge retention. I'm a big fan of all the nature type merit badges, for example. If I had my druthers, Nature would be a required MB. I have said it a lot of times, but I agree with Moosetracker about Citizenship. One CItizenship MB would be sufficient.

Quayze, the scoutmaster handbooks says that a JASM has to be 16 or 17.

The leader's guide indicates that the lake is still the place to swim, and that it's cold. I have a feeling my youngest son is going to be the only Scout in our troop to regularly swim there :-) He loves swimming, no matter the temp. We have a tradition of doing the mile swim every year, so this one might be challenging. Thank you for the response.

It also says that if less than three committee members are available, parents or other adults over 21 can be part of a BOR. This should not be the routine, but is allowed.

From 2013 Guide to Advancement: 8.0.0.3 Composition of the Board of Review A board of review must consist of no fewer than three members and no more than six, all of whom must be at least 21 years of age. For further specifi cations, see “Particulars for Tenderfoot Through Life Ranks (or Palms),†8.0.2.0, and “Particulars for the Eagle Scout Rank,†8.0.3.0. Unit leaders and assistants shall not serve on a board of review for a Scout in their own unit. Parents or guardians shall not serve on a board for their son. The candidate or his parent(s) or guardian(s) shall have no part in selecting any board of review members. And 1. The board is made up of three to six unit committee membersâ€â€no more and no less. In units with fewer than three registered committee members available to serve, it is permissible to use knowledgeable parents (not those of the candidate) or other adults (registered or not) who are at least 21 years of age and who understand Boy Scouting’s aims. Using unregistered adults for boards of review must be the exception, not the rule. Registered committee members familiar with the unit program, who have had a background check, and who are Youth Protection trained are preferred. Scheduling boards of review when and where committee members can attend usually alleviates the problem of not having enough committee members for a board.

Our troop has decided on going to Camp Daniel Boone in North Carolina this summer. Glad we decided early this year, because I think they are no longer accepting troops, as they are full. Has anybody else been there? What are some tips that would be helpful?

The council removed the active leaders? I know that the COR can remove leaders, but what did those leaders do to deserve being removed by the Council?

You can carve soap with a disposable plastic knife. That's what we had our Bears do when they were working on whittlin' chip. It makes them follow better technique, or the knife will break. Plan at least two knives per boy.

PS.. Seriously how many scouts AIM for earning all 134 meritbadges? In my lifetime, I have met a total of zero. I've met one scout that was aiming for all 134 merit badges. he got to 45, and hasn't earned a badge in years. has been a life scout since march 2010.

I see a homeschooler who spent most of his time working MBs. Not based on facts, just on similar circumstances that I've seen.

6 months into Fifth grade, actually means 6 months after finishing the first grade. IIRC, BSA treats June 1 as the beginning of a grade. So basically, December.

As a BSA leader (former WDL), I would recommend trying to cross over at least a buddy pair at a time. It would be hard on a single boy to crossover, especially if more are coming. Boys can cross over at age 11, 5th grade complete or not. We had a boy come in last year who had been a Cub for Tiger and Wolf, but didn't particularly care for it. He turned 11 last December, and joined the Troop then.

Depends on his age. He can cross over at age 11, AOL or not. If he has AOL he can cross over at roughly 10 1/2

Read up on them on whiteblaze.net They seem to be the in thing for AT thru hikers.

1) It is hard to deprogram Cub Scout Leaders. My recommendation (as a former DL who became an ASM) is to have the former DL become Committee members with a specific focus--I was asked to be the Advancement Chair. That gave me enough to do without giving me license to interfere. I did that for three years, and am now an ASM. It was a good way to refocus my energy. The first year, I caught myself almost going into WDL mode when the NSP (my former Webelos) were making I think the menu for their first campout. It worked for me.

Well, can't be a requirement, so I would ignore it.

Palmetto fronds are one of the best firestarters, IMHO. Combination of tinder (leaves) and kindling (stem) in one piece. Our former SM used to get irritated when my son would use them for firestarting, though. Don't know why, because they work so well.

Stosh, As I think about it, I have some teaching left to do for my sons. They've fished for ages (not particularly successfully), but we haven't really gone into filleting or cleaning fish too much. I'll have to work on that with them. I think too many Americans these days have gotten too far from the organism in terms of food. We don't know much about cleaning animals, or even just taking the meat off of the bones. We don't do much in terms of going from vegetables on the plant to in the pan.

The thing is there are different sets of LNT guidelines. The guidelines for backcountry are different than the guidelines for frontcountry. The guidelines for common areas (i.e. parks and public land) are different than the guidelines for private land. The whole building shelters from natural materials for a practice exercise is appropriate with the landowners permission. Doing it on public land isnt'. I pretty much agree with TT. Let's aim for the stars, and a high outdoor standard. Maybe we will achieve an overall moderate outdoor standard. Also, it seems that most LNT critics are ignorant of the idea of sacrificial sites. Yes, we "make a trace" by things like established trails and campsites. However, we are sacrificing those areas for the greater good of the area as a whole. LNT guidelines are not strict rules, they are basic guidelines for what we should be trying to do.