boomerscout

summer camp law in Michigan: "(4) A person shall be provided with not less than 30 square feet of floor space in permanent sleeping quarters in a residential camp building. (5) When tents are used as sleeping quarters, and when they remain in 1 location for more than 5 days, not less than 30 square feet of floor space shall be provided for each person. LICENSING RULES FOR CHILDRENS AND ADULT FOSTER CARE CAMPS Effective Date: 5/4/2009 BUREAU OF CHILDREN AND ADULT LICENSING STATE OF MICHIGAN Department of Human Services

"NOTE - BSA does not allow it's members to raise funds for other organizations. A cake bake advertised as benefiting a specific charity would fall into that area." Oh, piffle! Our twice a year canned food drives are the same as raising funds (for the food bank, in this case).

It is because of the sticks, and the fire, that they want to go camping in the first place. If you are worried about their safety, you could teach them the art of fencing

get council approval; you will get better returns if the Scouts are in uniform for both the dropoff and the pickup. Send a before the event picture & article to all the papers, get mentioned in the community calendar (online version also), get mentioned on the community radio program, make a flyer to post in the library. After the event, send a pix of the Scouts collecting food with a short article thanking everyone for participating.

Don't discount a CO just providing meeting space. Rent & liability insurance on the building are a line item expense. Our official CO is the mens' club of our church. Some of these men are also our Scouters, and some just thought the church could help in setting up programs for the children. Other than also paying for the lights and winter heat, we don't expect any other financial assistance. Especially in this down economy, the church is hardpressed to fund its welfare type social programs. If we need money, we raise it As for council owning the troops -- I hope not. They seem to have enough work running council camp

for the medals, 18 months is not an unusual time period for the total project. Each separate project is to be about college level including the analysis, time for feedback and corrective action. If one project involves forestry, it is more than helpful to have the state forester for the proposed area monitor & signoff on the project. Similarly, if the project involves anything with wildlife, it is helpful to involve the state's fish & wildlife dept. or a similar person in a non-profit wildlife group. The short-term conservation projects required for the various conservation merit badges are simple child's play in comparison. Well worth doing.

"If a city was to sponsor a scout troop or venture crew as part of its youth activities, how much does that usually cost other than providing a place for people to meet, maybe some binders, pens, paper?" A great part of Scouting is camping. Some camp and cooking gear is provided by the troop, and therefore, the city. Your adult leaders will need proper uniforms, and to attend training. You will also need to provide transportation to campsites and other Scout functions. "What about the city being sued for being noninclusive, how likely is that and what is the probably outcome?" Very likely. Search "BSA learning for Life police and fire"

"we are going to need to replace $3k worth of tents." Do you need to replace every tent at the same time? We have both Scout owned personal tents, and troop owned car camping tents. The larger car tents are used for some Camporees where each troop's site is none too large. Can the old waterproofing be scrubbed off with a nylon pot scrubber, and then new waterproofing applied? Tips on how to do this are on Google. Just search "tent smells like vomit" Assigning each specific tent to each specific patrol does help a great deal. But, has each patrol quartermaster been actually taught how to service and maintain a tent? As simple as this may seem to an adult, remember we are dealing with children. I would set up the worse tent, have each Scout sit in it for a minute, and then lead into the new fundraiser for new tents

Do you deserve an explanation? Certainly! Does that mean you will get one? Not necessarily! What hasn't been broached: Is the new Scoutmaster male? Can you contact the SM that resigned before you stepped up? He may have some insight.

"a recent crossover or just signed up learn the patrol method when all boys seem to eat and do things together?" That is a large part of the patrol method for most. He will learn by doing as he is assigned chores (fire building, water fetching, etc.) I would suggest attending a campout with each troop to see how well he meshes/is accepted

you could appear before the PLC and promote some of these "new" activities with your powers of persuasion. Or, just tell them -- Hey guys, how about some new activities for a change?

"Does he decide how or what procedeures are used to let gear come and go or do you give them that." You get to drop a hint or two, but not too often. You also get to tell an illustrative story about logistics, but no more than one a day. Teaching the Scout quartermasters to plan by using scenarios may be useful. Before you buy any gear, quartermaster needs to consult with the PLC on upcoming activities. No sense in replacing a "wall tent" if troop plans to switch to ultralight hiking and camping. You'll also need to share with the treasurer before you commit to anything

help the troop quartermaster (a Boy Scout) take a written inventory of all the troop gear. Unpack/unfold all the tents to check for mold, mildew & rips. Note any missing items: do tents have enough stakes, is first aid kit full, etc. Check all cooking gear for cleanliness. Construct/buy/find enough shelving to keep everything off the floor Trailer: when were wheel bearings last repacked (if needed), do all lights work, sufficient tread on tires, does paint need touching up, who all has the keys to the lock, check trailer brake-linings, are the wheel chocks present? After you do all this, test each item: do all stoves work properly, all lanterns, do ropes need replacing, any food out of date Probably more to this; this is just off the top of my head

Stuff not used can be forgotten in three months time -- just ask any elementary school teacher. The first two months of any school year usually needs to be a review of what was learned earlier. The brain is energy efficient. So, if something is learned, but not later used, those synaptic connections are just going to dissipate. We like sending the troop to 2x a year camporees so they can participate in the skill contests. Same for the Klondike. Same for intratroop Scoutcraft contests on a regular basis while out camping - one time may be a treasure hunt, another rescue the plane crash victims, etc

We rotate all our patrol positions so everyone gets a chance to learn & grow. Patrol cheermaster always sounded silly unless he is the one in charge of the nightly campfire -- the organization, creating the skits, setting up any refreshments, planning the widegames. Since our CO is a church, we've also had patrol chaplain. Patrol pathfinder researches outings in depth before presenting them to patrol or presenting them at PLC if PL agrees. He also lays out the orienteering course. Patrol medic sounds good if someone wants to continue with advanced Red Cross training. I may suggest this to our troop

I am glad you did not run screaming into the woods. If I remember correctly, this was thrust at you without much lead time for prep and organization. One mistake was "people started arriving at 7 am, so you put up the sawhorses and tables". Next time, start volunteering some of these people; have them put up the tables, etc. As you've learned, no man can well serve two masters. Your trainees were part your students and part camporee Scouters. Next time, just say no; nothing bad will happen to you

I gave my local library a one year sub to Boys Life. The library displayed the issues in a prominent spot in the youth magazine section of the library. The librarian said it was the least read of all the youth magazines, so now I give them a homesteading magazine instead. Boys Life of the 40s and 50s seemed to have a lot more on Scoutcraft and DIY, while BL of today seems to be on spending the bucks

"The "knife incident" cumilated with the mentioned scout waving his knife ate other scouts in a threatening matter. The father stated it was his son's right to do this." yeah, this changes things a bit. I would tell the other SM right away about both the Scout and the father -- no value judgments, just the complete facts and how others on scene reacted

I would talk to the new SM, but only after 30 days had passed. The new people need time to make their own judgments afresh. Then, I would just stop by and ask how's it going, and only if it's not going well would I spill the beans. Would this be too late? I don't believe so. Otherwise every new Scout into the troop would have to come with a vetted pedigree before being allowed to join. If council wants to maintain a black list, that is their call

Love the Turkey in a Mailbox story! Any idea when that article ran in Boys Life? I believe Nov., 2007

let's get the Chief into an episode of Undercover Boss!

You were supposed to tie the ends of your neckerchief together with a square knot. When you did your good deed for the day, you were to undo the knot.

'How about going to one of those patch companies and getting a patch made with the business's name then sewing that to the kids backpacks" as long as the patch doesn't have any Scout symbols on it, or the words "Boy Scouts" or "Scouting", it should be OK. Maybe Beavah can give us the official word?

I should have added that the advancement committee, as well as the Scout's own PL and the Scout himself. needs to be aware of which boy needs a POR and when

"Four months in, we realized that APL doesn't count so his Star rank was delayed for over six months" That was terrible! Of course, APLs need to be active in leadership, rather than just wear the stripe. What could have been done: 5.While a First Class Scout, serve actively for 4 months in one or more of the following positions of responsibility (or carry out a Scoutmaster-assigned leadership position to help the troop): When there just aren't enough PORs to go around, our SM creates them out of APLs. For instance we frequently have a troop treasurer to assist the Scribe, other APLs can be put in charge of plan/conduct troop wide games for 4 months, etc. The APLs in such leadership positions are still APLs. Ours attend PLC; the newer ones attend as observers