twoodcox

I think most boys think that it is the Uniform not the program that is not cool. My son who is an Eagle Scout and a sophomore in college used to look for reasons not to wear his uniform. However he rarely missed an opportunity to praise the scout program to his friends. most of them thought that the things that he knew how to do, wilderness survival/no trace camping, winter tent camping, swimmong, canoeing and the like, were very exciting. Now that he is an "adult" Scout he has more Scout spirit than he ever had as a youth. So I think all boys in the program have Scout spirit to a greater or lesser degree, it just takes longer for some of them to realize it.

If you are not in an area that lends itself to a nature hike you can still combine nature with a hike around your available area. Take a dozen or so empty coffee cans and place some kind of nature item in each one. (Pine cone, Birds nest, acorns, etc.) Place the cans around your hike area and as you come to each one stop and explain and or discuss the contents. This is a good way to use up your available time as I have found that trying to sit and talk to Cub age boys is kind of frustrating. By discussing the items as you come to them you avoid long periods of just talking. Good Luck

Our Troop works on the Learn, Do, Teach method. Once you have mastered a skill, perfprmed the skill yourself, and taught the skill to someone else then you are qualified to sign off on that particulr skill. Some Boys are tougher than others but for the most part it works pretty well.