Tampa Turtle

(sigh) yeah. My wife and I's slogan is "The responsible will be punished". I see why some Scouters bring "scout juice". Your son saying that is a big payoff.

Welcome. Lots of good ideas here. I solved the go see it problem by having a Mom who did special events. Actually we delegated it to the parents as much as possible. The hardest part is finding the places to go when you are meeting.

I would done this at the meeting, maybe while telling a scouting story.

I did the velcro thing when I was an ASM one day and a Webelos DL the next. The boys loved it. One used to peel it off and turn it upside down when I had a big fail.

I have one like that too. But more early birds ended up dropping out over issue that in retrospect was largely maturity.

Welcome. I have gotten some good ideas here.

I think most of us can see the value of a small unit but the question is when is a Troop too small to be viable. In this Troop I wonder what mechanisms are in place to keep things accountable, balanced, and fair. I know in our Troop the Committee keeps the big picture planning and lets the SM concentrate on the boys.

On the one hand it is usually a shock to visit a boy-run Troop for the first time. On the other hand if your boys were not having fun that is a red flag. I visited some "Lord of the Flies" Troops and most of the boys had a good time being fellow savages. 2 Hours loading sounds pretty pitiful. Chalk it up to the variety of Troop cultures and keep "shopping". Really the goal is to expose the boys to enough Troops that they can find the right fit.

We had a great Pack but we found the "natural demand" to be 2.5 Campouts a year. So we eventually moved to 2. One thing we did was have a Pack obstacle course and each Den contribute part of it. Setting up and running it kept a lot of folks occupied. Did a "carnival" with a similar set up the other time. Got to have some planned activities. 5 is too many. Do not want to burn them out before Boy Scouts.

Agree folks were pickiest about breakfast--so I saw Pop-Tarts/Cereal all the way to heart stopping " Full American." We always told folks about the hot dogs so if they were vegetarians or picky they could bring an alternate.

We also found many of the younger cub parents had NEVER camped. This was a source of much anxiety especially Mom only households. So we had a special tutorial at our pack meeting on what to take and what not to take--with props. (Take: Sleeping Bag, Tent, Flashlight. Not to Take: Guns, Fireworks, Booze). We showed how to set up a simple tent and said Webelos and Leaders would be available to help newbies setup. Stressed the 10pm lights out. Did our awards at the campout to boost attendance and fill time.

Agree. And throw in Ranger suggested service project while you are there and sometimes they will spot you some good "bonuses"--best time to visit next time, special trails, or schedule for demonstrations. We budget food at $10 a head for the boys for the typical 4 meals and a Friday night cracker barrel.

We have an Aspergers boy who has yelled a few times. On the other hand he may unexpectedly hug you as well. One time I was doing a sign off with him and was standing up (I sit all day). He yells "SIT DOWN" at the top of his lungs. He then says in a meek voice "I want you to be comfortable". So he was trying to be considerate. That was real progress--up to the last year he showed little concern for others. I'll take a boy with some disabilities who really tries over a super-scout with a bad attitude any day. The pay off (which can be slow in coming) is awesome.

First of all its WEBELOS. And I agree about the peripheral learners. Also kids with sensory issues will often divert their eyes so they can concentrate on what is being said without visual distractions. My own son would do this and I would challenge him on paying attention--he could repeat much of the instructions verbatim. That said they can be rigid and can lag behind in motor activities. So salutes etc can take a while. My son needed folks to position his hand in the right place--his "body orientation" was not where he thought it was. But he did lean it. I think that it is reasonable to ask for a parent to help out with the den if you are taking more time with their boy. You need someone to take up the slack--and it is useful for an autistic kid's parents to learn that some of their kids "problems" are similar to "neurotypical" boys. That was very helpful to me. IMHO boys who are on the Autistic spectrum who are rigid really benefit the most from the varied activities and campout locations later in Boy Scouting, It really stretches their envelope and builds up their tolerance to change. You will also find there are some areas they will excell--my own son turned out to be a knot savant--show it to him once he could repeat it, figure it out, and show alternate ways to tie it. Ended up as a knot instructor,

My Troop always have an experienced ASM have a special "gear discussion" with the new scout parents. We usually have a handout as well. I imagine other Troops do too.

IMHO the "early birds" often don't stay. If they are just not quite ready they can be put off at several points along the cub scout trail. I did have one "former Eagle Scout" parent press me on this. I think he was starting on an "early Eagle quest"!!! I did suggest he sign up for ADL and never heard from him again.

I always hate these questions. If he is not in 1st grade and not 7 I would tell him to just wait. All parties would benefit from the extra time. But yeah as the DE.

Welcome. I get a lot of good discussion points here for committee meetings here.

That would be cool. I have an old 1970's GI Surplus one and one I made from am old Lemonade Container. I use the GI once for show and the other one I use all the time.

Is there a minimum number of boys as a Troop?

We average $25. We try to do as many trip as possible on the local Water Management District lands. It is usually primitive camping. Also if you can get the boys to start backpack camping you can drive costs down. We do a lot of aquatic campouts but we have our own (or can borrow) canoes and kayaks. There is a vast number of areas to camp near us but you really need to ask other Troops/outdoor guys for where the good deals are. There is some economy of scale involved, sometimes. We did an Iron Chef cook out that was popular. We bought the ingredients and went to a nearby campsite. Had to create a main dish with meat, a side-dish, and a dessert from what we gave them plus they got to pick 3 bonus items. We also do a lot of dutch oven cooking, We even take out dutch oven in an old 50 caliper ammo box on some canoe trips (it floats). A Wilderness Survival campout shouldn't cost much. A fishing one could be good too. The minute you decide to "farm out" planning to another organization (be it non-profit or not) you will see your prices go up.

IMHO stay away from mess kits. All you need is a good lexan bowl and spoon. You have the "big 3" sleeping bag, 2-man tent (but some troops provide tents), sleeping bag. Will need to but that anyway. May wish to ask Troop you may be going too for recommendations. Ditto the BSA swim trunks--I found some at $13 at the scout store. Might consider one-man backpacking tent or sleeping hammock if he is up to it and careful with his gear. A good headlamp is always handy. If you get a backpack realize that he will grow into a bigger one. My 2 sons had completely different camping styles. Son#1 likes heavy military surplus gear and roughs it. Son#2 likes ultralight gear, making his own, and comfort. Son#1 has a Hennessy Hammock and Son#2 an Eureka Apex 2-Man tent. Different strokes and all that. I am kinda in the middle. Socks are important but not the sexist gift. I did get Son#1 some surplus Czech Army green wool socks from Sportsmanguide.com. That said I'd go for a good 40 degree bag that compresses small first priority. Make sure he learns how to properly care for it, drying and hanging when not in use. I have found a good fleece vest and raingear/wind breaker very handy. One thing is once a boy joins a Troop he will see a lot of different gear that boys and adults bring. So you do not want to so-completely outfit him that he can't add items later that he thinks are really cool. Also remember that while the knife you got him is cool he is likely to be beginning a knife collection. Happy Hanukkah from this Goyim house!

I watched with my sons who thought, while cool, how was this scout related at all and where were the scouts? I felt it was a BSA fail.

Our pack was hsyr as huge (150+) and this is how we dealt with it: 1-We only did 2 or 3 Pack campouts a year. We did do other activities. Dens were encouraged to family camp other times. 2-Dens had to tent together and were responsible for their meals. Occasionally we might provide at (most) one meal--usually hot dogs, etc. 3-We expected our Webelos, especially W2's, to be helpers in setting up tents, keeping a lid on running, cleaning up. 4-We sent a warning message with a sign up sheet telling folks we would send them home if they were difficult. We rarely did but the expectation is there. I think with such a big group you got to spread the tents out. Renax I think you are just burning out, Tigers to Webes is a long road (I did it too). Concentrate on your boys first--you want them to have a good time and hopefully cross over. I feel your pain..

I'm gonna start carrying around blanks for them to paper over them.