Twocubdad

"Branded! Marked with a coward's shame. What do you do when you're branded? Will you fight for your name?" I always thought breaking the sword over your knee was pretty bad-assed.

A few of my more organized guys have Scout notebooks they use to track such stuff. They have a tab for each open MB and keep paperwork related to the MB there. Some will print requirements and/or worksheet off meritbadge.com just as a reference. A zippered pencil pouch is a good place to keep important stuff like the incomplete blue cards. The same notebook gets used for patrol info, calendar, phone lists etc. Once the guys make first class, this tends to replace the handbook. I do NOT suggest keeping finished blue cards or rank cards in this notebook. This is a working notebook carried to meetings and campouts and is subject to getting lost and/or rained on. Put the completed cards in baseball card sleeves and leave them at home.

Hey Pack! I finally got the old maps to our Scoutmaster Emeritus and he had a blast going through them. He ended up taking the roll home with him so he can go through them in detail. He had worked in several of the areas down east and was very familiar with the details. He's planning a session on map reading with the Scouts this fall, but just his enjoyment was certainly worth the enjoyment. Thanks again!

"... but why can't they be a group discussion?" Oh come on, you know the answer to that. Because there will be two or three guys who dominate the discussion, some who sit there without much participating and a few who just totally zone out and pay no attention. The point of the discussion is not to simply have a chat on the topic, but to engage with an adult, presumably someone with a good knowledge of the subject, in a substantive exchange of knowledge on the requirement. It's about building a relationship with that adult. It's about the Scout formulating his thoughts on the subject and sharing them with the counselor who can say, "yeah, well, that's not quite accurate" or "well have you thought about this" or "but then what if this happens?" The one-on-one conversation is where the real teaching and mentoring takes place. I hope sometime in you life be it in school, scouts, college or your career you have a relationship with someone like that. The problem is your plan for taking notes and having those notes graded completely misses that opportunity. That's why you've run into such a buzz saw with the folks here who are passionate about doing it right.

"Um, here's your Cyber Chip. Congratulations."

I just joined the 21st century as well. Anyone have an opinion on the best iPhone app for astronomy? I don't mind paying a couple bucks for a decent one.

I thought one of the big selling points of the Summit was it's compactness, compared to AP Hill. Everything was supposed to fitted onto a few hundred acres, not the thousands at AP Hill. No more four hour hikes to arena shows. What happened to that? And because it was built on a reclaimed strip mine, there was not more that 100 feet of elevation change across the entire site. All this directly from the lips of Jack Furst.

What does the Scout think? Is it an issue for him of just something which concerns you? Personally -- and this is only my personal opinion, I know of no BSA policy on the topic -- if the young man doesn't feel right about pledging allegiance to a country of which he isn't a citizen and (unless you know differently) has no plans to become a citizen, I would give him a pass. He should stand respectfully while others in the troop recite the pledge, like we do (or should) when they play Oh Canada during Expos games. Frankly, that he has enough respect not to merely mumble through a pledge which he doesn't take seriously would show me more character than faking it or going along to get along.

Question for you, 441: Why do you play chess? Why is there almost always someone at summer camp up for a game? Spit-balling here, but I'll guess it's because you enjoy it. So go with that and focus on the fun, not the merit badge. Merit badge classes are the bane of a great troop program. There are volumes of threads here as to why troop meetings should never include MB classes, so I won't repeat it all here. But I encourage you to search the site and read them. Much better is to focus on learning skills and having fun and let the merit badges come as they will. Several years ago I ran a month-long program for the troop on home repairs. The guys learned to rebuild toilets, we wired switches and outlets, learned to caulk a neat joint and -- the best part -- how to solder copper pipe. The boys had fun and I had moms dropping off dads for the lessons. But at the end of the month NOT ONE Scout earned the merit badge. A failure right? HECK NO! We learned stuff, had fun (who doesn't like playing with molten metal) and got something out of the program. Your focus for chess should be similar. Counseling the merit badges is an adult problem. Let the adult leaders deal with it (although as a youth leader and Eagle, I agree you should be guiding [or maybe dragging] the adults toward a more appropriately-run program.) You asked for help in planning the program -- here 'tis: involve the other Scouts in teaching the program. You said there are a number of guys who play chess, so use them. Organize the guys you know to be good players and put together a program. Break the rest of the guys up into small groups based on skill levels. Maybe you work with the best players or maybe your skills are best applied to giving the novices and good foundation -- but you decide. Break up the lectures among lots of hands-on playing. Next, make it part of the patrol program. The grand-finale could be a tournament with the patrols competing against each other. Rank the players so that only top-ranked players play against each other. Then devise a scoring system so that each patrol has a fair shot. You may even consider allowing the bottom-ranked players to play checkers. But everyone participates and everyone contributes to the patrol's success. This is how you build a good troop program. (OBTW, at the end of the tournament, mention that there is a Chess merit badge. You could even distribute a sheet listing the requirements and mention to the Scouts that if they've paid attention, they've probably gained the skills and knowledge to complete the badge. If they are interested, they should see the SM for a blue card and make an appointment to meet with the counselor. THAT'S the way the MB program should work.)

I'd find another troop, too. But for the sake of any Scouts who remain this needs to be reported to the Scout Executive -- the top professional scouter in the council -- not the DE. Actually, it should have been reported to law enforcement at the time it occurred.

Don't know why you would feel like an idiot. Your OP has the answer: he really didn't care about Eagle until recently. If you don't care about advancement, why waste the time jumping through the hoops of the MB? As to the photographer and band director -- that's the way we've evolved the merit badge program. Kids earn elective merit badges based more on opportunity rather than interest. If you can sit through a summer camp MB class rather than go through the whole process for meeting with a counselor and completing the requirements individually, who would? And given that most boys can complete nine electives in a couple weeks at camp, there is little incentive to earn more than the minimum -- even in a topic which interests you.

Despicable. These women should be jailed for hate crimes. How dare they publicly utter something so hateful as professing their love of God.

Been there twice. At the heart of our troop's traditional presentation is our CC reading a bio on the Eagle, the COR reading the "Eagle Charge" to the Scout and me telling a pithy (okay, I think they're pithy) story, sometimes a like a SM minute other times just something noteworthy or exemplary about the Scout. The Eagle medal is then handed down the long line of Eagles and then I give the medal to mom, who pins it on, dad presents the certificate, then the Scout does the Mom, Dad and Mentor pins. For my sons' ECOHs, I told my story, then made a point of turning the remainder of the presentation back over to the CC. I became "dad" again and the CC took the SM part of the ceremony. So I sorta had it both ways. Being the Scoutmaster's kid is like being the teacher's kid or the minister's kid. It has its pluses and minuses but it's a special relationship. Both my boys were up in the air about my participation. They wanted me to be dad, but their dad is the Scoutmaster. In other words, their ECOH was just like the rest of their Scouting career. We all agreed it would be weird for me to show up in a coat and tie and ignore the fact that Scouting has been something we've done together. Besides, half the troop wouldn't recognize me out of uniform. It worked for us. Talk to your son and find something that works for you two.

Two units (of which I'm aware) in our district which seem to be in flux. One seems to be the unit leaders leading the charge, the other it seems to be the church doing the pushing. Leave, don't leave, I'm over it. If a Scout shows up looking for a new home, we'll welcome them. If you need me I'll be at the Scout House every Tuesday night, camping the first weekend of every month....

Q -- there is BS and there are those who will take advantage of other's good will and willingness to help. I've got that patch and the tire marks on my butt to prove it. I'm not saying S2B is doing that, just saying....

Roger that, Stosh. It's good to keep the big picture in mind.

You guys do know this dumbass isn't Governor of Nevada, right? Just some wingnut with a web site.

You see it a lot, but according the Insignia Guide, the proper location for the NYLT patch is on the right pocket, not above it. Jamboree patches, interpreter strips and name tags are the only thing which go over the pocket. Used to be, but I don't see it anymore, an exception for the yellow female Cub Scout leader blouses. The only ladies I know who still wear the yellow blouses are on staff at National Camping School and they, properly, wear a NCS patch above the pocket.

Info Scouter is on the right track. Pack camping is organized by a pack (duh) under Guide to Safe Scouting policies and the supervision of pack leadership. Family camping is run by a district or council. In addition to G2SS, there are camp accreditations standards it must meet, just like a day camp or resident camp. From the new National Camp Standards: family camp. Family camp is a council-organized overnight or longer event for Cub Scouts (including Webelos Scouts) and their families that involves more than one pack where the council provides the staffing and program. These events are often referred to as parent/pal, mom and me, or adventure weekends. Family camps for Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts, Venturers, or Sea Scouts may also be accredited upon application of the council. From the stand point of a family attending the event, it doesn't make much difference, only for the people running it.

So Scout attendance by youth participant was 75% of anticipation and still the greatest complaint was with long lines? Makes you wonder what the financials will look like.

I think we strike a reasonable balance. In addition to what's in the program materials, my SM minutes nearest Memorial and Veteran's days always relate to the holidays. As a troop, we made a big deal of the return of one of our Scout's brother from combat in Afghanistan. We have a Blue Star flag in the window of our Scout House (now two stars) and for years have sent a couple hundred pounds of soldier boxes overseas at the holidays. No, in the end, it's not a lot, but I think we do keep service and those who serve in the minds of our Scouts.

When you say stakes I assume you mean the anchor points you drive in the ground, not staves or spars you would use to build the actual project. Any hardwood should be fine. Honestly, not many people can tell the difference between oak and hickory after it's been cut. Strength has more to do with the size of the stake and the quality of the particular piece of wood (no knots, cracks, etc.) than the species. This recommendation probably goes back many, many years when woodsmen had intimate knowledge of each wood and knew the best wood for any application. Hickory would have been recommended for it's strength and resistance to splitting when you pound it into the ground. To me, I would probably use dogwood for the same reason and because dogwood trees don't get much larger than the size I would want for stakes. You're going to have to cut hickory to the size you want. Most commercial lumber yards aren't going to have what you need. Any hardwoods at a lumber yard are probably going to be expensive cabinet grade and are unlikely to be in the thicknesses you want. Maybe they have some old pallets they would give you? Pallets are usually make of hardwood and the cross beams may be good for this purpose. Better yet, you need to find a friendly land owner who will let you -- um, your Scouts --cut the timber they need. This discussion on which trees to use and cutting the stakes for themselves is part of the experience.

So the "fun trips" are the ones where you abandon the BSA program? What does that say about the trips where the Scouts plan things, cook for themselves, build fires, go climbing, hiking, canoeing, etc.? Yeah, absolutely spend the extra money to get the party bus. (Sorry, labeling the anti-Scouting activities as the "fun stuff" is a pet peeve of mine.)

Or staples. We've had a couple moms do instruction nights on how to sew, including sewing on patches.

Teach something. If Scouts show up to meet with you with a completed MeritBadge.com worksheet and all you do is grade their paper, you're not a counselor, just a bureaucrat. The best MBC we have is for Personal Management. He teaches the MB once a year to a small group of 5-6 Scouts. Classes are held over 4 or 5 Saturday mornings for an hour or two with later follow up to review their budgets. The classes FAR exceed what is covered by the merit badge. Pay attention here, the CLASSES far exceed what's included in the MB; earning the badge is still judged only on completion or the requirements. This fellow embodies the ideal of Scouts learning from adults of good character who are experts in the field. That should be the standard for all merit badge counselors.