Eagle94-A1

I went to summer camp in the 1980s, and MBs were a part of the program. I am going to stress PART OF THE PROGRAM, because summer camp was so much more than the MBs: free shooting, boating, swimming, goofing off staff manhunt and watermelon bounties, camp olympics, night time programs, etc. MBs tended to be outdoor oriented, and with few exceptions they were no daily nighttime classes except astronomy (go figure ) Sure you may need to spend a nite doing the Wilderness Survival overnighter, or may need to spend a few hours doing CPR certification, but nights were meant for the various programs and goofing off. Maybe it was just my SM, but always recommended leaving one afternoon class period free fro free swim, boating, or shooting. Only year I didn't do that was when I did the camp's "HA" program, and left the main camp Monday morning for a week of backpacking and trailblazing. Unfortunately some parents and leaders are focused on the number of MBs their Scouts get rather than on how much fun the Scouts have. So some camps have become MB factories. I remember the last time I was teaching a MB on camp staff, and I had leaders complaining because their scouts didn't complete the MB. Well when A) you put more people into the class than can be handled by the instructors and B) you got Scouts who don't want to be in the class causing problems, but you can't kick them out b/c they paid for the class, you will have issues.

Several troop's in my district use the neighboring council's summer camp as it is approx. 45 minutes away compared to the home council's camp that is 1.5 hours away. My pack and troop will use the neighboring council's scout shop as well since I work in the same town as the office. We've had folks from out of council attend our IOLS training and UoS.

Sorry for so long to respond. Been crazy around here. Thankfully JP posted and I saw it. One ring is has a dance area diameter of approximately 45 feet and total dance arbor of 55 feet. that's home council Council to the south of us has a dance area diameter of approximately 75 feet and total diameter of 100 feet. Hope it helps

I was a Scout when "Operation First Class" came out in 1989. I saw the stats then (and the stats were based on advancement with time requirements between T-2-1), and made this comment then and still do now: the stats do not tell you anything about the troop's program; if you are in a "hiking and camping troop," you have the opportunity for advancement. (all caps, underlining, etc are emphasis and not shouting). I've seen troops that do not focus on FCFY, and they are the ones that are the most active. I know of a troop that is VERY advancement oriented, lots of Scouts in it are Star and above in less than 2 years. BUT they have had 2 new scouts quit, and 2 new scouts transfer within 12 months of joining. Reason for this is the lack of outdoor program. Their meetings are MB classes and playing basketball in the gym. Their version of the "Patrol Method" is the SM appointing leadership positions, including PLs and SPL, in order for everyone to have a chance in a leadership role and avoid "cliques" (SM's word, not mine). When they camp, it's family camping or MB weekends. But acording to the JTE they are a "Bronze" unit. I know of another troop that advancement is not the focus. In fact they have guys in the troop 3 years now that are still Tenderfoot. Why? They don't care about advancement, and are a little afraid of the SM as "his bite IS worse than his bark" All they want to do is have fun. Now all of a sudden, they are focused on getting First Class, but I think winning the Philmont Lottery has now motivated them. Funny thing about this troop is this, after seeing their Scouts in action working on first aid, I'd take them doing first aid on me over the Scouts in the first troop. Their standard is "One and Done," whereas the second troop goes over first aid every year because they beleive it is that important. As for Merit Badges and the T-2-1 ranks, I'm an old fogey and believe that First Aid Merit Badge should be required for First Class rank like it was in the 1979-89 timeframe. I vividly remember just Crossing over to Boy Scouts, and encountering a first aid situation that I was put in charge of because the adult who first responded knew I was a Scout and expected me to know first aid that he didn't know. THANKFULLY it was something covered in Readyman and I was able to help. I am also a BIG proponent of getting either getting Swimming MB or having Instructional Swim while in the T-2-1 ranks. Ok done ranting. Got get the epi pen trainers that one of the Scouts will be using, and the mannaquins and AED trainers that I need to use fror Monday's First Aid training.

'99, I feel for ya. I was in a similar situation in that I helped get the troop started, trained its leaders, and worked with the Scouts via MBs and OA. When oldest was able to become a Cub, we visited their CO's pack first because of the troop, and oldest joined the pack. Between him joining the pack and crossing over, new SM and committee tookover. That changed the entire dynamics of the troop, and the troop took a 180 degree turn. The camping they do, when they do camp, is either family camping or merit badge weekends. They love cabins. Before the new SM took over, they had folks staying around until they went off to college. Now they "Eagle and leave." Out of the 5 Cubs who joined them last year, 2 quit completely, 2 have now transferred to my son's troop, and only 1 remains. And they have had a bunch quit or transfer to other troops. I admit I am a scouting addict and love the outdoors. I was fortunate in that the troop my son joined is an outdoor oriented troop. That is what saved my sanity.

Mixed emotions on this one. On one hand, I like the idea of this guy being gung ho and working on advancement. And from mine and others expereinces, I know how hard it can be active while in HS. So I like it that he's doign a good bit before HS. On the other hand, I do have some concerns. 1) does this scout really know his stuff? Does the badge he wear "represents what he CAN DO (emphasis), not what he has done? 2) Is he enjoying himself and having fun? Now from what I'm hearing, he knows his stuff, but is encountering new experiences in the area of leadership. I can deal with that. Sometimes leaders have to fail in order to learn. Our job is to make sure A) no one gets hurt and B) guide and mentor so they learn from the mistakes and grow. Now if he isn't having fun, that would really concern me and I would want to know why. Is he in the situation some folks are in, i.e parents are pressuring him to get Eagle? I've encountered to many folks getting Eagle because of the parents, or grandparents, then getting out as soon as they have their ECOH because they were not having fun. And I do know of 13, 14 year old Eagles who hang around a spell because they are having fun. Grant you you sometimes have to help them find opportunties for them i.e. "Hey you know Mr. Smith's troop? They got a few spots open for Philmont?"

Does the "reinstatement fee" include the dues for this year and next year? I was in one lodge that, if you tried to register, say for 2015, but were not registered for the current year, they would tack on the current year's fee.

I wanted to give you and update. First month has been a learning expereince for my son as plans had to be changed. But he's learned and overcame. Our campout for this month had to be postponed because only 4 scouts could make it. Long story short, schools have put mandatory stuff on the weekend, specifically concerts and choruses, that knocked out a bunch of the Scouts. Instead we worked on the trailer we just purchased. So we did have an activity, and the camp out will be in March now. He took up the mantle of leadership by having the Scouts not working on the trailer at that moment doing advancment work while they waited. Ok so he wasn't leading the troop from the front on the running, he was third in line, but he got them working on advancement. Yep, he did great. The troop conducted Arrow of Light and Crossover Ceremonies. For someone who is very self conscicous about speaking he did a tremendous job. Did he get hung up on a word or two, yes he did. Could you hear him and understand him from where I was sitting way in the back, yes you could. And I admit, I had a tear or two in my eyes when I watched him do his part, and again when I watched the video of it later that night. Yep, he did great. Now I admit I worked with him some preparing for the the PLC and planning the next 2 months worth of meetings. But he did the bulk of the work. He came up with what was to be done, how long, and who was doing it. However I was bad in typing up the agenda and emailing it to the SM for approval. One thing SWMBO is adamint about is that he does not have an email account. Yep he did a good job, and I was bad But last night was what made me extremely proud. It was his first PLC that he was completely in charge of, with little interference from the adults. And our interference consisted mostly of, "What date did you pick for that camp out?"; "Do you think a different weekend may be better since Mr. X won't be able to go?" "How are you going to raise money for the gear you need?"; and "Gentlemen, why don't we stick to the agenda as that topic is coming up?" The PLC liked how he assigned instruction duties to the scouts, how he thought about who should go into our second NSP (the 5 new guys from the 2 packs that just crossed over and out transfer Scout), and who their Troop Guide should be. The ASPL did ask a few questions and made a few comments that were incorporated into the planning. But it appeared that the ASPL was impressed with how my son thought through the process, and stated several times, "That makes sense." Again I was extremely proud of him last night. So in retrospect I think I may have made a mountain out of a molehill.

FYI E94-a1 January 17 Webcasts on the New Cub Scouting Program A new Cub Scouting program is launching June 1, 2015, that will be more fun and exciting for boys, and easier to implement for unit leaders. To ensure you are ready to make the transition, a number of webcasts will be hosted on January 17 to outline the coming changes, how to prepare, and when resources will be available. Cubmaster Webcasts Saturday, January 17, at 8 a.m. (Central), or Saturday, January 17, at 3 p.m. (Central) Den Leader Webcasts Saturday, January 17, at 9:30 a.m. (Central), or Saturday, January 17, at 4:30 p.m. (Central) LDS-Specific Considerations* Saturday, January 17, at 11 a.m. (Central), or Saturday, January 17, at 6 p.m. (Central) * It is recommended that those interested in the LDS session view one of the role-specific sessions first. Although the content will be geared to the roles listed, anyone with an interest in learning about the new Cub Scouting program is welcome to attend. The sessions will be recorded for later viewing. It's easy to attend! Just navigate your Internet browser to http://www.livestream.com/bsanationalcounciland you are ready to view the webcast! As always, for more information on the new Cub Scouting program, please go to www.scouting.org/programupdates. Help spread the word about the webcasts to ensure others are ready for the new Cub Scouting program!

This is from an email I got from national. Hope it helps January 17 Webcasts on the New Cub Scouting Program A new Cub Scouting program is launching June 1, 2015, that will be more fun and exciting for boys, and easier to implement for unit leaders. To ensure you are ready to make the transition, a number of webcasts will be hosted on January 17 to outline the coming changes, how to prepare, and when resources will be available. Cubmaster Webcasts: Saturday, January 17, at 8 a.m. (Central), or Saturday, January 17, at 3 p.m. (Central) Den Leader Webcasts: Saturday, January 17, at 9:30 a.m. (Central), or Saturday, January 17, at 4:30 p.m. (Central) LDS-Specific Considerations* Saturday, January 17, at 11 a.m. (Central), or Saturday, January 17, at 6 p.m. (Central) * It is recommended that those interested in the LDS session view one of the role-specific sessions first. Although the content will be geared to the roles listed, anyone with an interest in learning about the new Cub Scouting program is welcome to attend. The sessions will be recorded for later viewing. It's easy to attend! Just navigate your Internet browser to http://www.livestream.com/bsanationalcounciland you are ready to view the webcast! As always, for more information on the new Cub Scouting program, please go to www.scouting.org/programupdates. Help spread the word about the webcasts to ensure others are ready for the new Cub Scouting program!

J.edi, New books are suppose to come out 1 May. Current first year Webelos who earn their Webelos badge by May 31st can continue using the current program and book for Arrow of Light if they want to.

If memory serves, CS Roundtables in March, April, and May are suppose to be going over the changes to the program per the CSRT guidebook. Grant you, the CS RT book for 2014-15 was written a year ago and some of the info in the booklet may be out of date, but the book does give a link to the updates website and says to keep a lookout on it. I know at our UoS in late February 2015, I was told we were going to have sessions on the new program with one of the folks on the committee giving the presentations. I'm looking forward to that because 5 days later is my CS RT and I have to do the presenting then. As to BALOO, and OWL, until otherwise directed I'd keep to those syllabi. BUT I would mention changes as you know them, i.e.camping required for the ranks now, changes to the Webelos Activity Pins (WAPs) etc.

WOW. OK, I've known instances where the kids went home with somebody other than a parent, but usually it is known in advance.

Yes, LDS units do do things a little differently. Biggest differences I know of is that Cub Scouts is the old 3 year traditional program (8 year olds are Wolves, 9 year olds are Bears, and 10 year old are Webelos), 11 year old Boy Scouts do not camp and meet separately from the rest of the troop, and their leaders are appointed by their bishops.

Awesome!

Lots of good answers. A few more: When family obligations start taking a back seat to your Scouting addiction, it may be time to hand it in. When it's time to move along to another stage,i.e going from CS to BS, or as one SM is doing, BS to Venturing, it may be time to hand it in. Yep I quit one position b/c I was tired of the garbage I had to deal with. Another time it was because I didn't get the support I needed when a bad situation arose. But most time, I had to turn it in due to moves with work. Right now I'm debating turning in my CSDL badge. We got a strong pack and I know we can find a DL to replace me as I had to go back to Tigers twice before for my younger sons. As much as I want to stay with my youngest, he actually behaves better when I am not around. Yep he's the troublemaker in my den. But my oldest son's troop needs some help. The SM is getting on in years and has health issues. My wife was talking to his wife, and his wife mentioned he needs to step down. The heir apparent is back in Cubs Scouts, and may be there a while. Plus his schedule is absolutely crazy. He's on call a lot, and has missed meetings and trips because of being on call. To bad the citizens of my town won't behave.

The Tiger Cub device is actually the newest one, it was created AFTER the decision to merge all three DL awards into one. And it was pointed out that there was NO (emphasis) Tiger Cub device as originally there was no need for one. So that may be why the TC device was not mentioned; it wasn't around yet when the book came out. Also, the language in the notes have not been updated to include the the CS and Webelos devices for the Den Leader Awards. So it may have been overlooked by the editors. Not the first time that national had minor errors in it. SO, wear you knot with the brand new TC Device and old CS Device on it with pride!

I'm not aware of a standard size for a dance arbor. Depends upon on the number of dancers. Question: doe the 35' diameter include benches as well as dance space? I ask because 35' for dancing seems adequate, I'ld go with 50' diameter personally. But if that included benches as well dance space, I would say no. If you give me some time, I'll look up the sizes of two arbors at scout camps that I've danced in.

'Skip, May I Ripoff and Duplicate ( R&D)? That was AWESOME!

"So be it" J.edi WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!

I would wait until they move up in June to buy anything since everything Cub Scout changes to the new program June 1st. Or at the very earliest wait until May 1st when all the new, indepth information comes out, including books. Hopefully national learned from the fiasco that was the Centennial Uniform. I do not know if they are keeping the Tri-colors or not. But currently Webelos can wear the activity pins on the hat. BUT again that may change June 1st.

What were the parents thinking? Are they out of their minds? Sorry but the parents were flat out wrong, and you have every reason to be ticked off.