SlowDerbyRacer

My opinion is this is a weak project. At it's core it's just looking to donate his old toys to a school. That's not to say there are pieces he could build on, but as is, I'd be reluctant to say this is something to be proud of. Sorry to sound harsh, but that is my answer to your question.

Curious about your approach. Are the 600 homes a targeted list, or are you papering a neighborhood? I gotta think there's a more cost effective and efficient way to reach people. For us our main method is a table at the local schools' Back to School nights. That hits your target market straight on.

While technically true, people need to actually understand what Do Your Best means. It is not a license to simply pass a kid along. It does not mean a kid gets to check a box because he tried and didn't succeed the first time. It actually means do your best. Showing up and being present on the day a topic is reviewed is not doing one's best is 99.9% of cases. A kid must make a real effort. And I'll turn it back on the leaders - did the leaders do their best in helping a kid grasp the material?

I'm going to use your Scouting fatigue comment to jump in a slightly different direction because I think that fatigue is only going to get worse with the introduction of the Lion rank. That's another year of kids doing similar adventures across ranks. (Ho many police or fire station trips can you take?) I suspect adding Lion is going to lead to kids burning out well before Soy Scouts. And it could also lead to kids not joining in the 2nd & 3rd grades - "why should I join, I already missed 2 (3) years?"

Yep, it appears you and I see things along the same lines and operate similarly, CO differences aside. I'll also say I think there is an unintended benefit of the lighter Webelos/AoL requirements. Because there is less to do, and less of of a time crunch, more time can be spent on certain things. For example, we are implementing the patrol method and are really trying to let the boys take ownership of it. And because of the lighter schedule we can allow them to stumble on their own as they find their way. There's no rush to get something done so we can move on. It's tough at times to sit back and watch them trip over themselves and seemingly spin their wheels, but they still impress more than they disappoint.

Yep. I agree with you. I suspect the change was made to not lock out urban kids or others who may not have access to camping for a variety of reasons. If they are going to keep the ranks stripped of camping, maybe there are other ways to work in camping. Perhaps a Camping Chip, much like a the Whittling Chip?

Nope, you're good. That's why I made the LDS carve out in my original comment.

I agree the new program is light but argue that that's not the reason scouts are joining troops unprepared. The Scouting Adventure requirement for AoL is virtually identical to the Scout rank in Boy Scouts. If a scout earns AoL and still joins Boy Scouts unprepared, I put that on the cub leaders for passing along a kid who didn't really meet the AoL requirements as opposed to blaming the thinner rank requirements. To earn the AoL rank the scout must still "know how to function as a Patrol and can't recite the Scout Oath, Scout Law, and outdoor code properly."

This appears to be in violation of the Guide to Advancement. No leader, pack, etc can add/delete/change the advancement criteria. Unless you are an LDS pack which goes by age, you cannot impose restrictions like making a scout wait until he's 10 to join a Webelos den. You've mentioned other things of concern as well.

There are cases where it may be of value to cross over early. Take for example a kid who participates in a spring sport like baseball or lacrosse. If he crosses over at a traditional time, he may run into a bunch of conflicts such as not being able to camp on the weekends that first spring. If he starts BS in the fall of his 5th grade year, he can get some camping and other pre-reqs done as opposed to essentially waiting a year. Another factor to consider is the effect of the stripped down AoL program. When they eased it up a year or two ago they went way to far in my opinion. It's not unrealistic for a kid to be done with his AoL requirements before he even starts the 5th grade. Why just pass time running out the clock in cub scouts if you can get started in boy scouts?

It would be interesting to read momma den leader's version of this. I agree she is far less than ideal and I'd probably not want her running a den in our pack, but on the other hand, there are some positives. As bad den leaders go, she's not that bad (note I compared her to bad leaders, not good ones). She at least takes initiative in doing activities and outings, appears interested in directing the boys toward advancement, and is giving of her time to the boys. Her issues appear to be around the bureaucracy, formality, and structure of the cub scout program. From what you've said, and my own limited understanding of the girls' program, she's running it like that. It sounds as if there have already been attempts made to coach this leader and it appears she has not been receptive. If I had a vote, I'd be inclined to let her ride out the year and look to replace her as the den becomes wolves.

The red gives me the most concern. Potential of losing years of records that in some cases might not be written down anyplace else if a scout/pack/troop is 100% Scoutbook. The brown (offsite tapes) makes it more tolerable, but even that is frought with issues. Unfortunately their approach to handling disaster is more disaster recovery versus a true operational plan B. I liken it to the fire department. They depend on hydrants, but if there's a hydrant issue (main break, frozen, etc) they easily can use water stored in the pump truck. But using what appears to be the Scoutbook model, they'd first try to fix the water main and wait to fight the fire.

Really??? No data back up? Do you have a source for this? This is a huge deal.

We moved to Scoutbook this year. So far so good. Great feature is letting the scouts see the detailed info.

Northern Minnesota? Go find some local folks with physical and/or financial challenges (handicapped, elderly , etc) and shovel them out after a storm.