Merit Badges at Meetings

[wiseskier]

I am the SPL of my troop and am working hard to change things. Meetings used to be completely meaningless, but I want scouts to be interested and to have a purpose to come. I also want new scouts to join our troop and we have a few Dens interested right now.

 

Would I be allowed to work on merit badges with the whole troop at meetings? I want to use the packets that many sites have for MBs and then have a councilor sign off at the end.

 

Suggestions/Comments?

 

Thanks

[OldGreyEagle]

first off my understanding of a wise skier is one that stays comfortably close to the lodge fire all day

 

Next, it will be a big mistake, to start using merit badges as your meeting program. What if I have the featured merit badge? What do you do with me? What if I am not interested with the featured merit badge? How do you keep me interested ? Making meetings fun is hard work, (fun is work, what a concept)But I am sure this forum can help you with ideas and suggestions. And you may ever ::cringe:: have a few people disagree with me

[SR540Beaver]

Welcome to the forums Wiseskier. There are troops that use meeting time to do this. I'd suggest against it. Does your troop do a JLT with each new round of elections? Part of that training should be teaching you how to design and run meetings. Also, do you have a copy of the SPL handbook? If not, get one. It will have sample meeting agendas that will help you learn how run fun meetings. Also, there are at least a couple of "Troop Resource" books you can get from your local scout shop if the troop doesn't already have them. These are broken into different themes such as pioneering, backpacking, orientation, etc. These lay out a months worth of meeting agendas leading up to an outing based on the theme. They even discuss which requirements can be met, have different activities listed for younger and older scouts and even games. If you are not very creative, this gives you ready made agendas and ideas....or you can take it as suggestions and rework it to the PLC's liking. I see them as training wheels to get you started until you figure out how to do itt on your own. Good luck and save the merit badges for the boys to go after on their own as they are designed to be done.

[wiseskier]

Thank you for your input. The merit badges I had in mind were Crime Prevention and Safety kindof things because I could have guest speakers like the local Police and Fireman.

 

I don't have an SPL handbook, I'll look into it. I am trying to run the meetings better because before they had no purpose.

 

I may try to kick my PLC into actually working and have the Patrol leaders brainstorm program ideas.

[dan]

Have the policeman or fireman come in and give their presentation. After the presentation tell the troop what they just leaned is a requirement(s) for the Safety/whatever merit badge. If they want to run with it great, if not they still learned something. Instead of using merit badge to fill up a meeting, use the time to teach skills, some will be able to be used for merit badges if the scout wants.

AND

Do not forget to have games at the meetings, Keep it Fun.

[anarchist]

Wiseslier,

 

First a big round applause for wanting to do something...great to have a desire to improve meetings... but leave the M.B.s where they belong in the program...something for each boy to explore as he find need and interest. I am assuming you have little or no formal youth leader training (Y/N?) There are a host of resourses the troop (SM)and/or CO could help you obtain. The SPL handbook is a great place to start. The next place to apply yourself and get ideas for meetings is pull out your troop activity calendar. One great way to fill meetings with purpose is to pick the next two or three outings and generate ideas on what boys need to know or be able to do to be successful.

 

example: many troops have frost-bite campouts in February and early March...so what do the boys need to know?

"everything about cold weather camping"...what and how to pack, cold weather first aid techniques, meal planning for the cold as well as cooking in the cold weather, snow shelters?, wind breaks?, wilderness survival strategies, sleep systems, water management (how not to have to thaw your drinking water)...and so much more. Each of these "topics" can furnish a meeting class (or two) and each can be made into a game or patrol competition...just a little thought and imagination (if you please).

 

What ever is on your Troop schedule should be supported by training the boys for the event (and planned to death). In this process you can teach pioneering skills to train for shelter building and give your scouts multiple opportunities for 'picking up' advancement skills. Spend time at the local pool for swim training and water rescue...for a canoe or white water rafting trip, and you can offer your boys creative contests and games designed to help them learn the scout skills they need to succeed.

 

I was simply amazed, years ago when I watched two older scouts carry two hefty spars off the back of a pick up truck and proceed to "teach" timber hitches by having a "hitch and drag" relay race between three groups of younger boys...The young scouts had fun racing...and probably didn't even know they were "learning" (hitches and teamwork) until it was "too late"...

 

ANY "scout skill" your guys need can be turned into a game, contest or race. Most skill-oriented rank requirement (sign offs) can be incorporated into a meeting filling -class and game...

sit down with the scout master and if necessary go on line to BSAs web site and check out their manuals and training aids. Then discuss with him what you think sounds helpful.

Don't expect to build rome in a day...we all know it took two weekend campouts.

good luck and come back to chat...often.

 

Anarchist

 

 

[CNYScouter]

Hello Wiseskier,

 

You should use the Troop meeting planner outine to plan your meetings

it can be found at:

www.scouting.org/forms/34425.pdf

or your Scoutmaster can get this out of the Scoutmaster Handbook and shouls also be in the SPL handbook.

Each Troop meeeting should consist of 7 parts.

and by following the outline your meetings should end up to be fun and challenging for your Troop

 

Good luck

 

[Lisabob]

Welcome to the forum Wiseskier,

 

My son's troop is doing a "CSI" campout this weekend that the have been building up to for several weeks. As part of it, they've had local police come to a few troop meetings to do presentations and teach the boys about crime prevention and finger printing (ah, both merit badges). At the campout they have several local, county, and state units including a mobile forensics lab group working with them (wish I could've gone, sounds like a lot of fun!). Many of the things they've been doing in the troop meetings and at this camp out will count toward those two mbs; some will not. In order to complete the mbs there are also a few things that the boys would need to do on their own. Most of the boys have elected to do the mbs in conjunction with this month's CSI theme, but a few are just along for the ride and that's their choice - they're still having a good time with it.

 

I don't know what others think but it seems like this is a good set up and a good mix between teaching/structuring worthwhile meetings and yet letting the other scouts decide for themselves whether they want to do the mbs. By the way the PLC planned all of this.

 

 

Lisa'bob

 

[wiseskier]

Thank you all for your great suggestions.

 

I do have the meeting planning sheet but alas I have absolutely no formal Junior Leader Training. The only thing that came close was the ASM asking the former SPL to come to the PLC to help me through it. (He must have forgotten I'd been a PL and knew how the PLC worked). I've basically been going on the leadership skills I developed in school and during my Eagle Project.

 

Truthfully my troop could care less whether or not I do a good job since meetings used to have no strucure or purpose, the boys were just allowed outside with an adult to supervise and that ate up the whole meeting.

 

I'll try and stop by the Scout Shop and pickup the SPL Handbook.

 

My Scoutmaster had mentioned themed months to me before and I have sort of planned it for March by doing Compass work and orienteering leading up to our trip to Valley Forge (where the boys will do the 5 mile compass hike and other compass requirements) as well as how to pitch a tent and what to pack (and how) for our new boys. Then the weeks after that are knots and lashings.

 

For February, I am working on an activity for a certain meeting. A den that was interested in our troop is coming back to make the final decision. Naturally I want to do something fun that will make them want to join our troop. Also that night are OA Elections, so they might be able to see how that works, get a gist of what the OA is (but not vote). Any ideas for activities?

 

Our other two meetings in february are youth protection and then a crime prevention thing with the police.

[CNYScouter]

wiseskier,

 

You may also want to pick up the Boy Scout Troop Program Features.

There are 3 volumes and each of these outline 12 months of troop meetings.

 

Monthly themes are outlined along with all weekly meetings.

You can do these in order or pick and choose which mo ths to do.

they are $5.95 each.

 

[SueM]

If you are using the Troop Program Feature manuals to help you plan your meetings, it's quite easy to pick out a Merit Badge "theme" for the month..which you can then use your meetings to plan the outing for the month from and know what skills need to be taught to each group of boys.

 

My boys like to and specifically ask to work on MB's during meetings, especially some of the Eagle Required ones like the Citizenship's and First Aid. We sometimes do work on multiple ones at the same time so that the boys who don't need one, can be working on the other..but that doesn't happen often. The MB work shouldn't take up the whole meeting though obviously.

 

sue m

[wiseskier]

I'll look into the program books.

 

I guess my real dilemma is, some scouts have the initiative to be working on the merit badges and others just want to sit around and do nothing. The problem is that when you then start up a game for the scouts doing nothing, the scouts doing MBs want to stop and play the game.

 

Any one else have this problem?

[Lisabob]

Sure. Can you make the game into something that revolves around scout skills though? I like one of the previous poster's examples regarding teaching timber hitches, for example. Alternately, the mb portion of the meeting should be so cool that everyone wants to participate. A while back a county sheriff came to one of my son's troop meetings to prep them for a rifle and shotgun camp out. He brought several guns with him (unloaded of course) and did a hands on kind of talk. Guys were hanging on his every word. First Aid mb is another - after teaching the basics the guys were splinting and "rescuing" each other from a mock disaster. Lots more fun than just sitting around being lectured. Some mbs it is harder to do this with, but for the most part I think it is all in how things are presented.

 

Also - how about asking the scouts who don't want to do anything to give a couple of suggestions of specific things they'd like to do?

 

Hang in there with this. Change may not happen right away and you may have some bumps in the road but it sounds like you really know what you want to accomplish here, and that's great.

 

Lisa'bob

 

 

[anarchist]

Wiseskier,

 

from the responces...I am getting somewhat concerned ...does your troop have a yearly planning calendar? (you know, the troops outdoor ativities ...from like "now" until August?) Those "activities"( campouts treks etc.), should be the rough theme for most of you meetings. Having boys work on merit badges during meetings kill any continuity in your ablity move the meeting along...

 

Quickly review the "contruction" of a good meeting (CNYScouters "7 parts"), sit down and IN WRITING list what YOU (as SPL) need to get done in each of the meeting "parts". Alot time accordingly.

 

You will quickly see that having scouts working all night on merit badges while you try to help the rest of the troop move forward is going to be conterproductive in most cases. Get together with your PLC and map out the rest of you yearly activities...then in the program sections of each meeting "fit" what you need to accomplish into your weekly meeting structure... Work from a agenda, always! If you have a plan, it makes handling the "unknowns" that do happen ...easier...

 

I'll repeat .."M.B.s" should not be done in Troop meeting- Keeping in mind that merit badges were specifically incorporated into the BSA program to encourage boys to try new things -on their own, i.e.,(boy decides on MB, requests blue card from scout master, gets name of MB councelors and makes phone call...note here; it is the scout, not the SM or SPL doing the deciding and/calling calling)...the M.B. work should usually be done outside of the meeting time so as not to slow down the rest of the troop in working towards the next troop (or patrol) Activity.

 

If some of the requirements "are in common" with your troop needs, great! But it is hard enough getting the group to stay on task without adding in the fact that some boys are not "participating" because they are "working" on merit badges.

 

If you can not find agenda forms PM an email address to me and I'll ship you some formats our SPL uses...

 

finally...while it is probably too late the OA and a WEBELOS visit should not have been scheduled together...the OA election can/will eat up a bunch of time...something easy for the Web IIs would be to have Knot races... (and they might do it better than the boy scouts (if the Web II leader is sharp). set tables with five (or more ropes pieces) each scout or patrol then trys (either against a clock or in a head to head race with other scouts/patrols) to tie five knots (square, clove hitch, bowline, sheet bend, two half hitches, and taunt line) for extra credit toss in a sheep shank, rolling hitch, timber hitch, etc...(whatever turns you on)

Prizes of candy or cup cakes will go over big with the Webs (and many of the older Boy Scouts)and If you are smart the cubs will get the cup cakes anyway....

two cents here

anarchist

 

[wiseskier]

Okay. I have given up the thought of using merit badges as the program activity, but if we are doing something along the lines of a MB, I will let the boys know the reqs could count.

 

Yes, our troop does have our calendar planned and as I said in my last post, I was planning the March meeting around our Valley Forge camping trip.

 

The OA Elections have been scheduled for 2 months. The webIIs recently wanted to come again, having come earlier in January. I want to do something where they can participate and use their knowledge and have fun.

 

Also, I have been incorporating candy as prizes during games. I think I might try a survivor theme for knots (sort of a knot relay) and I like the idea of having like a mock disaster for scouts to respond to with their first aid skills.

 

Thanks for the suggestions.