Cooking Merit Badge Earned in Half a Day!

[Rock Doc]

This weekend, a local council held a merit badge college where scouts were able to earn the Cooking Merit Badge in half a day! Apparently they followed some "Nationally-sanctioned" program. Anyone heard of this?

[qwazse]

1 hour ago, Rock Doc said:

This weekend, a local council held a merit badge college where scouts were able to earn the Cooking Merit Badge in half a day! Apparently they followed some "Nationally-sanctioned" program. Anyone heard of this?

Nope. I send scouts wanting the badge to a counselor who is more than happy to verify his activities via Email. None of my scouts have asked for exceptions on account of the pandemic.

[SSScout]

 Might be a lot of "Pre-Requisites"  to meet. 

 

[Rock Doc]

3 hours ago, SSScout said:

 Might be a lot of "Pre-Requisites"  to meet. 

 

Several reading/written requirements, but nothing hands-on.

[DuctTape]

I was asked to be be a Camping mB counselor for a Merit Badge U. The director said it would be focused on first year scouts with little/no experience. She asked me if I wanted a 2hr or 4hr morning session for them to  get the badge. 

After explaining that I would be happy to do an "intro to camping mB" session but that camping mB for new scouts could not be done in that time frame. She then asked if another session in the afternoon would suffice for them to get the blue card signed off. Grrrr.

[mashmaster]

Uh, no.....  this is stealing the opportunity from the scouts to actually learn from doing the requirements for the merit badge.

I am so tired of Merit badges that are just hand waved, Eagle projects that are just a bench, and positions of responsibilty where the scout doesn't actually do anything for six months.

My scouts know that I am "a hard grader" but they also know that when I sign of on a requirement, they know it and are proud that they earned it.  There are too many people that are awarded merit badges and ranks that they don't deserve. 

[Eagle94-A1]

I would rather see the bench and birdfeeders than the Lego Model. https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2017/12/08/eagle-scout-creates-lego-models-of-historic-hotels-for-his-eagle-project-and-for-fun/

 

[mashmaster]

1 minute ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

I would rather see the bench and birdfeeders than the Lego Model. https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2017/12/08/eagle-scout-creates-lego-models-of-historic-hotels-for-his-eagle-project-and-for-fun/

 

WOW

[SSScout]

18 hours ago, DuctTape said:

After explaining that I would be happy to do an "intro to camping mB" session but that camping mB for new scouts could not be done in that time frame. She then asked if another session in the afternoon would suffice for them to get the blue card signed off. Grrrr.

Yep. Point to the REQUIREMENTS.   

I can vouch for the same angst in Cub Scouts.  Cub Scout Day Camp:   "And of course the Cubs will  pass the 8 knots...."  Sorry, in one fifty minute session, they will LEARN about ropes, cords , the fourth law of motion (You can't push a rope), and MAYBE learn three knots and how to use them.  And maybe a few "magic knots"  (chain knot,  etc.  )  It ain't school , people,  KiS MiF.  AND the parent escorts (Den Walkers !)  learn them right along...

[Eagledad]

I thought the 4th law of motion was "a scout is always hungry". Hmm, I can't seem to google it..

[Owls_are_cool]

Quote

In the outdoors, using your menu plans for this requirement, cook two of the five meals you planned using either a lightweight stove or a low-impact fire. Use a different cooking method from requirement 3 for each meal. You must also cook a third meal using either a Dutch oven OR a foil pack OR kabobs. Serve all of these meals to your patrol or a group of youth. **

This is an example requirement that cannot be completed in a morning at a MBU. There are similar requirements for back packing meals and cooking at home. These cannot all be completed in a morning at MBU either.

[SSScout]

On 4/12/2021 at 12:32 PM, Eagledad said:

I thought the 4th law of motion was "a scout is always hungry". Hmm, I can't seem to google it..

Tsk, tsk,,,,    You are confusing the thirteenth Scout Law:  A Scout Is Hungry.   GreenBar Bill testified to this often, as did my Scoutson (he's 6'3"  tall now).

 

Nope.  Newton sent his four laws of motion to the printer, but the idiot spilled his coffee on the manuscript and so there are now only three "official"  Laws of Motion.

I do know  and thus teach at CSDC Scout Skills, that the fourth Law was, in fact,  "You cannot push a rope".   Buckminster Fuller knew this, and thus his Tensegrity structures became possible. 

Math and physics.   All other science is subservient. 

 

[Eagledad]

13 minutes ago, SSScout said:

 

Math and physics.   All other science is subservient. 

 

My two favorite subjects. 

Not to be confused with accounting. Seems math is not an exact science with accountants. 😂

Barry

[MattR]

It's easy to push a rope. Get it wet before going to bed on a cold campout. They push just fine the next morning. And that's about all they do. The same idea holds for boot laces and tent lines. 

[Jameson76]

On 4/11/2021 at 10:12 AM, Rock Doc said:

This weekend, a local council held a merit badge college where scouts were able to earn the Cooking Merit Badge in half a day! Apparently they followed some "Nationally-sanctioned" program. Anyone heard of this?

We held our own summer camp last year (don't know if you heard but there was some sort of pandemic or somesuch) and I did the Cooking merit badge.  Prerequisite was the home cooking, or they did it after camp and we reviewed.  The class planned the meals, good discussion ensued.  Then we loaded up the Scouts and headed to the store, shopped for the goods from a list, looked at budgets, and secured the food.

They cooked some of the meals for the camp (35 Scouts and leaders).  For the backpacking part we looked at stoves we took a hike and cooked meals.  

There is a lot to cooking.  Just the discussions on jobs, meals, safety, etc can take a couple of hours.  The cooking and cleaning, getting feedback takes time.  It can be fun and not onerous, but it does take time.