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Wear em proudly show us old guys up sometimes we need it.

By your own statement you are involved in a lawsuit with the council. I am surprised that your attorney did not tell you not to be involved in scouts until it was settled. When one files a suit one needs to accept that a previously friendly relationship is now an adversarial one.

Usually by the time all cross overs are done the push is on for day camp and summer camp. Most ASM are not trained it takes them a while with the troop to realize they need training. We had SM specifics in October and will be doing IOLS the last weekend of this month. The most tactful way I have heard is to have new parents not camp for the first several outings except for specific family events. The boys first summer camp is useful in getting them over the homesickness hump providing that mom & dad doesn't cave to the come get me phone call. When parents are along have a little meeting and explain to them that the dad/mom hat needs to be at home that little Johnny should be referred to his patrol leader for his every need.

http://www.bocajava.com/ Roasted to order with coffee fresher is better. This company has a support the troops program. The great majority of my coffee is made and drunk at home in a one cup at a time maker. I have never ordered from this outfit as I am too frugal to do so plus I have many cans of Chase and sanborn backup left.

We had our annual Turkey Shoot today. Fundraiser for shooting sports at SHSR. Could not have asked for better weather nice and cool with very little wind until afternoon and an exciting finish a shootoff between a veteran sheriff's deputy and a 17 year old 4H er for the individual skeet trophy.

The troop I am associated with owns 4 bbq size propane tanks. along with 4 trees hoses and equipment for each tank to operate a stove, small table top grill and a lantern. One set of gear is issued to each patrol. The small propane tanks are easily filled or exchanged for full and last for a couple of trips before needing filling. We have some small disposable butane tanks for the once a year canoe trip. This is Florida we do not have much in the way of cold issues. Of the last three severe reprimands of scouts delivered in our case by the troop committee all three have been for fuel violations. All three were older scouts that definitely knew better. Two were reprimanded for using charcoal lighter in an attempt to rekindle a dying fire one for using a can of pam as a blowtorch. If you have fuel in the trailer they are going to find it and try to use it not always as it should be used. For adults use what you like. I have several white gas stoves, plus two lanterns, and a can of fuel as part of my hurricane kit. I bought a couple of them from a local troop at a sale of equipment that they were discarding they went with propane similar to the above setup.

http://www.scouting.org/healthandsafety/resources/19-171/index.html Chances are the troop will have propane/butane fueled stoves which are much more user friendly. Old leaky stoves are a recipe for disaster. Many camps do not allow liquid fueled ones any more and some councils have banned them as well. What good is an item that requires "strict adult supervision" when we are trying to teach patrols to be self sufficient.

Yes these grants are available from various sources on yearly basis. It is how most councils fund their shooting sports programs along with earmarked contributions and fund raisers. The politics of guns make most shooting sports programs the red headed step child in most councils budgets. They expect only profits and don't want to invest in equipment. Fortunately there are programs like this one along with special incentives from the Gun manufacturers for scout programs. If an individual or troop wants to help shooting sports ask the shooting sports directors what could be done to help. Some camps have sponsored firearms where a troop buys a gun for the camp.

http://home.comcast.net/~papadutch/ http://www.idos.com/ Two great web sites with great info. I would start with an inexpensive 4 QT model. Dutch oven is mot for making a meal for one or two people it is more campings answer to the crock pot. As I am sure your BALOO instructor mentioned D.O. is considered advanced cooking and ok for boy scouts or adults not recommended for cubs. The ideal use of a D.O. is cracker barrel in cub scouts an adult or den chief (boy scout) can make them a cobbler or cake for their after campfire b4 bed snack. This whets the cubs appetite for the taste treats that await them in boy scouts. another good activity for cubs is visiting a DOG see the idos web site this is a gathering with DO enthusiasts coming together cooking a favorite dish or dishes to share with one and all. A good DO for the almost disposable price can be found search dutch oven at: http://www.harborfreight.com/

Scouting free here too. October was just packed otherwise. We had council encampment the first weekend. We did family stuff kids and I cleaned house Sat AM went to a church fall festival in the afternoon and went to a play in the evening. Church service Sunday AM Soccer games in afternoon and they went to youth group in the evening. Troop is having a halloween thing tonite all the boys wearing costumes should be scary.

Easy slides are created by cutting 2" long pieces of 3/4" PVC pipe and then having the boys decorate themselves. A bag of craft feathers and assorted beads for American Indian, rocks or plastic dino's for geology inexpensive matchbook size cars for pinewood derby. Have the boys do the design and an adult or den chief manning the hot glue gun.

More than you ever need to know about dutch oven cooking is available here: http://www.idos.com/ If you want to know how to cook a particular dish ask a question in their recipes forum. Lots of expertise for the sharing just like scouting. There is probably a chapter somewhere close to you. They put on a show at our Univ of Scouting every year and had a cookoff at the scout camp a couple of years ago the members are also drafted as judges for the camporee cookoffs quite often.

As I am seriously knot impaired myself I did not tie knots for neckerchief slides but my webelos den had custom slides all the same we took 3/4 " PVC pipe cut into 2" sections and glued various items to same with hot glue gun the slides with cheap matchbox style cars for the pinewood derby were a big hit. we had colorful dinosaur ones and flag versions also it was a quick enough craft that even webelos were willing to do it. This really helps as the boys are constantly losing their regulation slide. Thank God we are in a no necker troop.

There are two sides to this equation. I do understand the troops concern and the adult leaders should be showing up at summer camp MB's just to have a look see. I would however be in extremely displeased if a troop denied a scout a shooting sports MB. All of these have specific scores that need to be achieved to qualify. While some scouts find them very easy others struggle and struggle to qualify. Most troops lack the venue, trained personnel and equipment to do any of these on their own. All of us must remember that a MB is an introduction to a subject. A little longer and more detailed than a simple introduction hoping to strike a cord in a young man of an interest which may become a lifelong vocation or avocation. The idea is to expose them to different disciplines and along the way different adults that are masters or journeyman at that discipline so they may find something that they excel at. To expect a young man to master any of the merit badge disciplines is a stretch. For example the young man that shoots 5 qualifying targets for rifle merit badge has done so from the least demanding position under close to ideal conditions. Is that young man ready to be a rifle team member or a range official? Not yet but if he is interested and continues to learn and improve maybe some day down the road.

Go to a janitorial supply house and get the acid based cleaner used to clean aluminum frames,equipment,or wheels etc spray on hose off. That is why I prefer my dutch oven out of old fashioned cast iron.

Some kids just go through phases where they don't eat much. That usually does not apply to an active 13 year old boy, mine eats everything there is and is still looking for more. The most popular place in the dining hall was the PB&J seconds table not only with him but most of his troopmates.But some of them were very light eaters. Looks are deceiving as well the chubby kids seemed to be lighter eaters than the thin as a rail ones. My 10 year old is going through a non-eating phase at least half of her already small portion seems to be on her plate at the end of the meal. Maybe the way we were raised to clean our plates has something to do with the current levels of obesity.

Real world we are apt to give permission to anyone for any badge their little heart is inclined to work on. Hardly any of the boys except those in a real stretch run for Eagle work on any MB outside of summer camp or a MBU setting. We do offer counsel along the lines of thats great that you want to work on the composites MB to make your own skate board but how about taking a closer look at the Eagle required list also cause you are just one Eagle required away from Star. I thought I was a jack of all trades master of none until I read about some of these boys that earn all 130 MB's.

This weekend is our University of Scouting weekend. Just returned from being on the team that did SM/ASM specifics all day class for 14 dedicated SM/ASM that wanted to be trained leaders for the boys sake. It's a lot more fun to take dutch oven cooking with samples provided. My son ate very well at the outdoor cooking class in between his annual program planning and trail to Eagle classes and I hope learned a thing or two to bring back to the troop in keeping scouting green and patch collection classes. Tomorrow we will stop in at the local Ham radio club where one of the other ASM's in our troop will be manning the afternoon shift for JOTA before the 2:30 soccer game.

I would try to find one or more den chiefs ASAP. Den chiefs are boy scouts that volunteer to come work with cub scout dens. You can split the den in this way have half doing physical activity (game, PT, etc} outside with the boy scout and the other half doing an inside activity with the Asst den leader. Halfway thru allotted time they swap. The entire den will be together for opening and closing only. This leaves the den leader gently supervising both groups and available to talk to adults and cubs as needed. Resource surveys are also helpful as you can draft parents in to teach an activity related to an interest area of theirs.

I was amazed at the powerpoint presentation at our roundtable with all the female boy scouts from around the world at the international jamboree they went to. I don''t think the US is ready for COED groups of teenagers tenting together. Must be our puritan roots I''m sure the youth would love it.

Maybe some investigation into the life expectancy of a child molester put into population at any prison would be helpful. Felons dislike them every bit as much as other citizens I was trying to point this out as a credit in this person''s favor although a small credit. If I was still in cub scouts which I am not. I would be adamant that Tigers were free to go to council provided 4 X per year family camp if they wanted to camp but that the pack was not going to be involved if they wanted to do further camping. When my son was a tiger many moons ago we went to family camp the council we were in only offered 2X per year we camped one other time in someone''s back 40 and I vowed then and there not to camp without potable water and sanitary facilities again. This whole story is sad to me here is a boy that could be reached through the scouting program. My reading on the adult may be a little different than the rest I see a guy who has had his hard knocks but he cares enough about the kid to ask his P.O. for permission to take the kid camping. I don''t think most in his shoes would do that.

"Already made calls to the DE this morning and we have spoken on the matter. He has said the person is DQd from being a leader and is not allowed to attend anything but den/pack meetings and district events." Translation the DE knows that he cannot prevent a "parent" step or otherwise from attending the regular meetings or from registering and attending a district event but says you are free to ban him from your campout because it will be you on the lawsuit not him. That is why council run family camps are so popular because no one has to make any troublesome decisions. What if the guy was no longer on parole and no longer needed permission to be away from home overnight? What if the guy had been is trouble years ago but had turned over a new leaf? Maybe some investigation into the life expectancy of a child molester put into population at any prison would be helpful. Felons dislike them every bit as much as other citizens.

What everyone has been fussing about are the boys on your roster that no one has seen for a couple of years their parents pay their dues to re-up every year but attend no meetings and maybe an occasional campout then appear like mushrooms a month before their 18th birthday and want to know if they can still make Eagle.

http://www.freewebs.com/activescout/activescout.htm At least it has finally made it to the printed version. The copy posted above was the heads up to the local troops from our District advancement chair that I kept referring to and everyone wanted to maintain that their X% of meeting attendance was the ultimate standard. Don''t get me wrong I like the boys to come to meetings too but the way to accomplish that is to put the meeting more in their hands and make them fun and exciting. We adults tend to spend a lot of time being boring by the troops definition.

To try and answer Dave''s question the first answer is the troop currently and you have experience with what that got you. In this particular case where the troop is choosing to backpack and canoe I would put the ball back in their court. My discussion with the PLC would be along the order of well the troop has provided you with tents that while not in perfect condition have some life left in them do you guys want to put together a troop fund raiser to buy new troop tents or would you each like to buy your own tent.