ScoutNut

How about if you divide up the boys into groups with 1 adult in each group to help if necessary. Each group has their own list of directions & compass. Each set of directions is different. They all go in different directions, eventually, after 2-4 course changes they each end up at a different skills station. When they finish that station they then follow 2-4 more course changes to find themselves at another station, and so on. Their last set of 2-4 course changes leads them each to their very own prize. You can intersperse fun stations with skill ones. This approach works well if you have a lot of room to spread out so that the stations are not all right next to one another. This is definitely more work upfront because you have to plot out where each station will be, when & where each group will be, & how they will get where they are going. We did this at our Pack campout the year before last & the kids had a ball! Their prize at the end was a hidden popcorn can with patches, certificates, & a treat.

I am sorry guys, but a REAL Chicago Dog has to have tomatoes (sliced in thin wedges-not chopped) on one side & cucumber strips on the other side. In the middle you have chopped onions. Hold the relish for basic, park dogs & the peppers for the polish! Buns MUST be poppyseed. And then there are the fries! Fries should be very crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. No steamy, mushy fries here please! Boy, I sure am getting hungry!

I agree, it is extremely unacceptable, & dangerous, for parents not to inform unit leaders of any serious medical condition their son might have. My niece has ODD. It can be a nasty thing, hard on both the child & those around them. It usually goes hand-in-hand with other problems like ADHD, OCD (obsessive compulsive), Tourettes Syndrome, learning disabilites & depression. It can be helped with medication & therapy.

Actually Ultimate is more like Frisbee Football. You have a 70 yard long field with two 25 yard end zones, & 2 teams who are each trying to pass the frisbee to one of their players in the other teams end zone to score a point. The team who scores then "tosses off" to the opposite team. Non-contact & very fun for all age levels.

Hopefully these boys are not just participating in a Troop to work on their Camping Merit Badge & then get out. This one requirement for this one merit badge should NOT be the only time they learn anything about cooking while camping. This should be an ongoing process (even if they do not do the Cooking Merit Badge). This requirement is more about stove use & what/how to plan for eating on the trail during a camping trip than about creative cooking.

"Bob, how is the lad expected to make french toast for mom on Mother's day if all he know is the glop method?" Is this mother's day feast going to be made on the trail? Doesn't his family cook at home all? What does making French toast for mother's day have to do with the Camping Merit Badge? Yep, that's right, we are talking about the Camping Merit Badge here folks. This badge helps teach boys about needed skills for camping. This particular requirement is to familiarize them with the safety & use of camping stoves. Specifically lightweight stoves used when backpacking. Freeze-dried "glop" would work fine to help them get the idea of cooking on the trail. If the boys are interested in learning more about different & varied means of cooking & foods, then they should take the Cooking Merit Badge.

Your Council should have a list of all of their merit Badge Counselors. Per the Merit Badge Fact Sheet at National BSA Website - MB Counselors "are selected, approved, and trained by council and district advancement committees". A Merit Badge Counselor Application must be filled out by EVERY prospective Counselor. This application does NOT go to the Unit. It goes to the Council, & is approved, & kept by the Council. The application is not permanent & should be renewed each year. There is a place on the application to indicate if the counselor wants to work with one unit only or all units. In order for a Counselor to work with all units, the Council has to have some method to let the units to know who is available. My Council has a list of all current Merit Badge Counselors, their badges & their contact info on the Council website. It is available to all & updated regularly.

Cub Scouts is all about progression. The boys gradually learn new things and then move on to harder, more complicated things or more in-depth. They also progress from complete parent dependence to almost complete independence. Repitition is also a major thing for young children (& us older guys too!). They need to repeat skills & ideas in order to master them or internalize them. Cub Scout skills & concepts start with the very basic. They are then built on, like layers, until the 5th grade Webelos is ready to face, & handle, the more complicated, independant world of a Boy Scout. Progression. Cubs learn the saftey rules for a pocket knife. Boy Scouts learn how to handle a hatchet & cut firewood. Cub Scouts learn to tie basic knots. Boy Scouts learn how to lash a bridge. BTW - Webelos are not & should NOT be in Patrols. They are in DENS. Yes they can progress from Den 6 into the Flaming Dragon DEN. This concept gets them prepared for patrols, but they are NOT patrols. Did I mention PROGRESSION?

From the fact that the Scout is doing a service project instead of a 6 mo POR, I would venture that this boy does not have 6 months left. If he followed Bob White's outline he would be Troop Guide for about 5 months at least & this might be to long of a timetable. I am a bit confused about the leadership project the SM is assigning this Scout. Is it just to be a Troop Guide, but not for 6 months? Is he supposed to be accomplishing something specific and/or original with the New Scouts? If you could give us some idea of just what the project entails it might help. Or, is the problem that the SM dumped this Scout on you & said "here's a Troop Guide, give him a project to do"?

If I had to pick one of your knots it would be "Type 2", but with a border of the same thread as the knot. The unofficial GS patch is/was blue because the Cadette/Senior uniform was blue. That is no longer the case. If Girl Scouts 11-17 years old wear a uniform at all, it is currently tan, but who knows how long that will last. The award will always be Gold.

"Taking the colors from the Gold Award badge" Do you mean the unofficial round patch for the back of the GS vest? The official Gold Award badge, worn on the front of the GS vest, is a gold pin. This is a nice idea, but because these are not official BSA knots, they really should not be worn on the uniform. Since they will be wearing unofficail insignia anyway, why not just wear the Gold Award pin?

And if you got 6 of the 10 to join your Troop how were they ruined? BTW - You did not mention what grade you were in (perhaps you did not know), but if they had "Den Mothers" it had to be at least 15 years ago or longer, and they did not have to be 11 to be in a Boy Scout Troop. Also, Cub Scouting is still SCOUTING, so I really do not understand why you were puzzled when they honestly answered your question.

Wow! Which merit badges did you do?

None of the Fast Start Trainings have documentation. Youth Protection & Safe Swim/Safety Afloat all have a print out certificate. In order to have the information go to your council you need to know exactly how your name is in Scoutnet so having your current membership card is a help. I have taken both the on-line & in person versions of Safe Swim/Safety Afloat. They are both good & a bit different. The on-line is nice because you can go back to it, although you do get handouts with the in person. One note of caution - Before you assume you are trained with the on-line Safe Swim, check with your council. Mine prefers that the in person version be used for qualification purposes.

Reasons - 1) SSN - Background checks are available in a variety of levels. The SSN is needed for the most thorough, in depth check. Many companies/organization are requiring SSN background checks now. 2) Date of Birth - Along with your SSN it helps identify you specificaly so the correct person's information is retrieved by the background check. Also, although you know you are over 18, & you might look like you are over 18, Many of the people who read the application in both the Charter Organization & the council have no idea who you are or what you look like. Not to mention the people who designed the application to be used by hundreds of thousands of volunteers 18 and above. 3) Ethnic Background - As stated on the application, "BSA receives inquires from various agencies regarding racial composition." This info is used by these agencies to determine 1) what money BSA might be eligible for 2) if BSA is serving the complete population in their area & 3) if the BSA is discriminating on the basis of race. 4) Driver's license number - Background Check - I did say it was thorough. 5) Occupation - Database information basically for the Unit level. Expertise in different areas can be used for teaching the Scouts. 6) Employer Info - Background Check References 7) Membership in other Organizations - Background Check References "The information that I have provided may be verified, if necessary, by contacting persons or organizations named in this application, or by contacting any person or organization that may have information concerning me, or by conducting a criminal background check. I hereby release and agree to hold harmless from liability any person or organization that provides infor-mation. I also agree to hold harmless the chartered organization, local council, Boy Scouts of America, and the officers, employees, and volunteers thereof." This is legalese intended to protect everyone from being sued by folks who were not happy with the results of background checks, with the fact that people & organization were contacted & questions asked, & on the off chance some info did get into the wrong hands. This is a pretty standard declaration used on most applications where any kind of background/referance checks are being made. This does NOT mean that people's information is treated without care. This means that anything can happen & I don't want YOU sueing ME (the volunteer who might have given you the application) because you are unhappy about something that was beyond my control. Bottom line - These questions are designed to protect YOUR SON & others like him, not just the BSA. If you are uncomfortable with the process & the questions, then do not do it. You can still help out with out being a registered leader.

"In this case, probably setting it up so both Scouts were either in their own tent, or in seperate tents with two leaders each in them already." Sorry Madkins007, but this is a YP no-no. No youth can sleep in a tent with an adult (or even 2) who is not his parent. Freddy, what position (youth or adult) do you hold in this Troop? If I were you, I would do my best to protect the privacy of BOTH the involved youth. Do not talk about this to the other boys or their families. If you have questions you should ask the SM. I hope this has a good resolution for all involved.

2 Deep Leadership is only BSA policy on outings, not for Den meetings. It's a good idea, but not policy. How many adults you would need would vary widely depending on the boys involved. Having a Denner & a Den Chief would help a lot without having to find more adults. Look at all of your families work & hobby experience. Use them to run specific meetings that are based on their area of knowledge. That would help free up Leaders to work with the boys. This works especially well with Webelos.

NJCubScouter asks - "I have never heard of the Seeker program, which organization is that a part of?" The Seeker Program is part of BSA's classroom based Learning For Life program. It is for kindergarten - 2nd grade. Learning For Life / Explorers have always been co-ed.

"This particular's boys parents "aren't into being parents right now" (a quote from dad himself)" What exactly ARE they into?? I REALLY hope he did not make that statement where his boy could hear him! Is there a chance this could be a non-BSA Youth Protection issue? Is this the Special Needs boy you asked about in another post? If it is then maybe you (if you are his Webelos Leader) could take him to visit your district's Special Needs Troop as one of his Troop visits. If not Special Needs, there might be a Troop out there that will be a better fit for him then the "regular" one the Pack usually feeds into. Help him (& the other boys) to shop around.

Well, once the boy turns 11, if the boy & his parents want to register him in a Boy Scout Troop, there is really nothing that you can do about it. I would hope that the boy would want to finish out Webelos with the rest of his group. Getting the complete Webelos training & experience, & moving to a Troop with his buddies will be the best way to keep him in Scouting. However, you can't force him to. Ultimately it is the choice of the family. What does the boy & him family want to do? (This message has been edited by ScoutNut)

You don't say what kind of facilites you have or the types of resources available to you. They have to stop just "winging" it, put together some kind of plan, and recruit more adults. You might think about separating into 5-6th & 7-8th age groups. Smaller groups will be more managable. Some activity ideas: Basketball Movies Excersise/Workout/Gymnastics Local Bands Board games Skate Boarding (is there room to build a mini skate board area outside?) Talent Night Twister Maybe mini classes on things like tie dying, crochet, bike repair, paper making, cooking, orienteering, photography. Depending on your resources. Also - Ask the kids! Put out a suggestion box where kids can tell what they are interested in doing.

If he is going into 5th grade as a 2nd year Webelos he is fine, even if he is a year older than the others, until the end of 5th grade. The good thing is, that even if, for whatever reason, he does not earn his AOL, he can still cross over to a Boy Scout Troop with his friends because he will be old enough. Does someone in the Cub Pack want this Webelos out now?

Your Pack Leader could not find any information on the committee's "voting rights" because there aren't any. No "votes" should be taken at all. Information on the Pack Committee can be found in the Cub Scout Leader Book (I can't find mine - the family "cleaned up" my scout stuff!). I suggest you purchase a current copy. I also suggest you sign up for training in your Council. You will need New Leader Essentials & Pack Committee Specific training. Fast Start Training states : "Although the Cubmaster, Tiger Cub den leaders, Cub Scout den leaders, Webelos den leaders, and their assistants are not members of the pack committee, they attend the monthly pack leaders' meetings and participate in planning activities." Nowhere does it say the committee members "vote". It says "participate", & it means just that. It is a joint effort by all to make sure your boys get the best possible program & to make sure everything runs smoothly & gets done. Your Committee Members are not the Pack Police laying down the law to the Den Leaders. Committee Members have specific jobs. Depending on the needs of your Pack, some of those jobs might be - Secretary, Treasurer, Advancement, Outing, Friends of Scouting, Public Relations, Training. Blue & Gold Chair & Pinewood Derby Chair. As Committee Chair it is your job to run the monthly Pack Leaders meetings & make sure each Committee Member does their job. Den Leaders are not Committee Members simply because they have enough to do being Den Leaders. Although, in Packs where there is not enough adult help, the Den Leaders end up doing Committee Member jobs on top of their Den Leader Jobs. Wearing to many hats is often the cause of Pack Leader burn-out. Work together.

I agree with Gavvin. Shorts, Day Camp T-Shirt & Cub Scout hat does not make an official Cub Scout uniform. Hat off. Wearing official Cub Scout shorts/pants, Cub Scout shirt, & Cub Scout hat - Hat on.

What kind of a prerequisite are you talking about? A complete medical history? An indepth listing of possible behaviours? If a Scout has ANY major problems (physical, pyschological, medical, etc) the parents should talk to the leaders who will be responsible for their child & give them a heads up on any possible accomodations needed or problems that might occur. There should also be an emergency number where a parent will ALWAYS be available. Kids (even perfectly healthy ones) are always saying stupid things. The problem is when do you believe them & when do you ignore it. In your case the ASM must have had some reason to believe what the boy said. The camp must have contacted the parents & the parents must have agreed the need was great enough to have their son placed on suicide watch. There is no one single type of child or set of behaviours that is ADHD. There are many, many variations of ADHD, and to add to it, ADHD seldom is the only problem. Here are some sites that might help you: http://www.chadd.org/ http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/adhd.cfm