boomerscout

our rent-a-scouts get around child labor laws because each is a self-employed independent. One can own their own business at any age. Most have gone through the babysitter certification programs, the house repair type merit badges or their equivalent. We do worry about them keeping their grades up, and have lettered their parents or guardians about this. During the school year we encourage working a half-day Saturday only (unless we are out camping, of course). It is common for the more experienced to bring home $20 to 40 each week. This is enough for their Scouting activities. They choose to pay for Scouting rather than hang out for free at the mall because of program, program, program

What? Your Scouts don't pay their own way? When our boys go to summer camp, they haul in the lumber they've milled from the trees they've cut down to build their own cabins and cookshack. They then use the money they make from selling the cabins to council to pay for the Cordon Bleu chef & his staff. Not! Ha-ha! I believe there are some mistaken ideas about paying his own way. It does not mean being able to open his wallet on the instant in order to pay Scrooge's bookkeeper. A better view is that the Scout gets things on his own hook rather than by begging. We haven't paid weekend campsite fees in years; we exchange conservation project labor instead. Camping gear is earned by doing low-level home handyman type chores for people (mowing lawns, cleaning garages, washing windows, etc.). Troop fundraisers, where everyone takes part, go for troop gear. And, yes, we pay for the electricity for the light bulbs by doing some chores around the CO building. Some parents do pay all their son's expenses -- which is fine. Our Friends of Troop ##, through their own contributions and fund raisers, do pay for upgrades over the basics, but they have no problems with that because it's for their own sons and his friends. What is really helpful is that each kid is presented with the info of what the outing would have cost if he had done no work on his own -- either for himself as an individual or for the troop as a whole. They are given to understand early that there is no Santa. Of course, for Christmas and birthdays they can hint for camping gear instead of Xbox. It may take all the relatives chipping in together to buy that new backpack Lastly, most all kids pay for their public school education. It's just that the payment is deferred until they start paying taxes themselves

I would not take non Scouts on any high adventure trips

You might write Boulder Outdoor Survival School and ask them for a brochure. I would only do this with older Scouts who have good Scoutcraft skills.

characteristic of a successful troop? Have enough funds so nothing has to be post-poned. Yeah, everyone needs to learn how to make choices. But, too often we hear "we're poor, we're poor" Well, get unpoor. Learn how to fund-raise effectively. Pick worthwhile fundraisers. Involve every parent. One may be an accountant and can help with the record keeping. Another may be a doctor and can help with camp physicals. Others may have super workshops and can help the Scouts build & repair their equipment. You don't have to be a rich in money troop. You do need to provide the opportunities for rich experiences instead of "we can't, if only, I wish, it's not for us, maybe someday..." Plan, plan, plan -- at all levels

Did this SPL have any experience as a patrol leader? I've seen too many comments here that maybe he wasn't given any leadership training, had no experience with a command position, etc. SPL is not a position for a newbie Back in the olden days, I was elected SPL because my younger sister was thought to be cute. I was a bit of a drill-sergeant (tyrant) until I pushed for leadership training and started reading books on leadership. If I had had experience as a PL first, my peers would have been much better off from the gitgo

"Accordings" can, and, many times, should be custom tailored to the individual troop. Our patrols elect their APL a half term out of step with their election for PL. The PL is then responsible for the initial training in leadership for the APL. When the term of office for the PL ends, the APL becomes the new PL. Can the former PL again become PL? Sure, although most go on to troop-wide POR and project leaderships. Whenever a PL becomes SPL, the APL becomes the PL and an election is held for a new APL.

"Is there a way to have a SPL ( if there are enought Patrols ) advance from a PL position? Know what I mean? You have a few PL's and the boys are ready to vote another PL...could one of the current PL's become the SPL?" Sure, why not? Patrol members elect their APL and PL. And, PLC elects the SPL Potential SPLs are already known throughout the troop, and are subject to recall for heading really boring program

Junior is fine. If you go to "US Scouts" then to merit badges, then to SCUBA it explains all this

Has he apologized to the troop? Has he apologized to the two adults -- without any prompting?

yes, immediately. Doesn't deserve any more chances after he threatened people. Suggest to his parents he attend anger management training. If you let him remain as "leader" after his lack, you are opening yourself up to lawsuits if he really goes off the deep end

I would encourage the rest of the aquatics merit badges as they include a swimmer test. Everyone wants to canoe the Quetico! So, they have to swim at camp to earn canoeing, and again at Northern Tier to prove it.

"You guys really have enough manpower in your troops to track such things? " I was thinking of giving the task to the troop Librarian, maybe with the help of the Scribe Lisa & Moose: Both good ideas -- emphasize the positive!

The only merit badge that I know of with a minimum age requirement is SCUBA. Depending on which outside agency the kid trains with (PADI, NAUI, etc.) one must be at least 15 (or 14 or 12 -- one does allow age 10 for junior status). The automobile mb -- in its various permutations -- used to be age restricted in that you had to earn a driver's license, but that requirement has been removed At our council camp Horsemanship requires a certain minimum inseam which kind of implies "older". We've told all our new Scouts that getting to first class first provides a solid foundation for the Scoutcraft category of badges which will make attaining them easier & quicker. Still, we basically allow their free choice. After viewing all the replies here, I'm going to suggest to my troop that we keep a merit badge feedback binder filled with notes from the younger Scouts on what the sticking points are for the various badges. And, if they had it to do over again, what would they have done differently. Any wanting a blue card for a certain mb will be asked to first peruse the binder or talk to Scouts who already have that mb, or both

SCUBA is now a merit badge. that may be the path for those interested

Many of you have mentioned referring to old handbooks for ideas on Scouting of the "good old days". Google Books has archived Boys Life back to the 1920s. I will start you off. Google the following: "Boys Life" featherweight chow the quotation marks seem to be important (at least until I spend more time on their site). To access other issues, click at the upper left. The issues from the late 30s, the 40s, and the early 50s were the most useful to me

"just because it's not a skill that is suggested by BSA literature doesn't mean you can't teach it to the boys." on the contrary! Boys Life for September, 1950 had a good intro to dehydrating food. The article is titled Featherweight Chow

6 month terms are fine, one year terms are fine, 9 month terms are good, too. I would suggest staggering the PL elections so you don't have all new guys all at once in the PLC

"Invest in a book that specializes in edible plants in your area and then spend a training time looking for them" Good idea! Euell Gibbons once fed a group of people with plants he gathered in Central Park. Many big city parks & rec departments put on nature walks. The ones on wild plants would be worth attending several times; could take the place of a troop meeting as a change of pace

Cutting the cost of equipment (we all know equipment wears) leaves more dollars for the rest of the program. Since Scouting is technically an educational activity, I do believe the troop can collect Campbell's soup labels and General Foods labels to be redeemed for new troop equipment. I don't know if the labels can be redeemed for camp fees. Hey, Basement: What festivals, special events are held within your immediate area? Is there a safe park nearby that people go to at lunchtime?

"But they'll definitely last for the several months between campouts." This is technically true as long as the canned goods are stored in a cool place. Leave them in the trailer, and the trailer parked out in the sun, canned goods will have such a high bacteria count -- well befoew the expiration date -- that Scouts at camp will get sick and no-one will know why

http://royalrangers.ag.org/aboutus/

Basement: I am impressed you can do all that for $10. Still, if you need to go cheaper, one breakfast could be of bulk cereal Shortridge: canned goods close to their expiration date have little nutritional value left; rotate looks like the answer is to work on non-sales fundraisers

yeah, but Klondike and council Camporee can be great fun. I think I would skip the troop food supply for now. As mentioned, food gets stale, gets infested. I believe I would try bringing food from home. With plenty of advance notice, each family might get told that on August 15th they need to donate to the troop 3 packages of hotdogs, or cans of tuna, or 2 boxes of pasta; on Feb 8th 2 pounds of burger, etc. This is not going to be convenient, will take co-ordination, may need topping off at the last minute to cover the families that don't come thru. It's just that buying one extra food item per week will be easier than $10 all at once.

I would probably skip the November camp and January cabin trips and use that time for service projects and Red Cross programs in first-aid and lifesaving Anyway, these Scouts eat at home when not camping, right? So, if they go on a campout Sat & Sun, could they not just bring the food they would've eaten if they hadn't gone camping? It's true your troop probably cannot do Philmont + Jamboree + Northern Tier at this time. Can they do one? Can they sub a cheaper alternative for Northern Tier or Philmont which can be just as exciting with two years of planning? My old patrol did a lot of fundraising separate from our troop. We bagged for tips at the grocery, did odd jobs as rent-a-Scouts. My old troop sometimes camped for free on state land in return for service projects at the state park. Can you have a monthly can drive having your church members save alum cans month by month?