The Bloggers
Showing 151–200 of 415 · page 4 of 9. Each title opens the post in a new tab.
________________________________________ Dear Andy, Can the Hunter Safety certification count for the Rifle Shooting merit badge requirements 2K and 2L? (Alison Sunderland) The very best answer to your question will be from a qualified and currently registered Rifle Shooting Merit Badge Counselor.
________________________________________ Hi Andy, Our troop was having its regular weekly meeting and, while the other Scouts are busy with how to make a pizza in a Dutch oven, the Senior Patrol Leader and ASPL walked over to where we parents are sitting around yakking with one another.
________________________________________ Dear Andy, One of the participants in our Wood Badge course asked for some advice with a particularly challenging Scout. This young man’s parents are regularly in and out of jail; he’s largely cared for by his grandparents. Apparently prone to ADHD, his need is to be the center of attention; he instigates other Scouts…
________________________________________ Last week (Issue 516) District Training Chair Chris Way asked if being Wood Badge-trained supersedes the need to also get Scoutmaster-Specific and IOLS (Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Skills) training. In Chris’s council, these two aren’t mandatory for Scoutmasters, and I offered that while it’s certainly true that this training isn’t mandatory, it’s certainly valuable.
________________________________________ Hi Andy, Can a young man who’s no longer in a Boy Scout troop but is now a member of a Venturing crew continue to earn merit badges? (Ben Hayes) If he reached First Class rank as a Boy Scout before becoming a Venturer and he’s working toward Eagle rank, then certainly!
________________________________________ Hello Andy, Our troop is looking to do a service project that will require using power tools, possibly including miter saw, table saw, electric drills, and maybe something else we haven’t thought of yet. I’m trying to find BSA information on whether Boy Scouts (ages 10-18) can use equipment like these with adult supervision, but…
________________________________________ Last week, Joe from Connecticut asked if I had any tips for a Philmont trek first-timer. Two readers reached out, one with and offer and the other with some great suggestions. Here they are… Hi Andy, Please share my e-mail address with Joe.
________________________________________ Hi Andy, Any tips for a dad going on a Philmont trek? I know my son will have no problem this summer; it's me I'm worried about! Unfortunately, so far I've taken "Be Prepared" to the extreme and I've wound up a "maximalist" when it comes to packing-right now my pack looks like the Beverly…
________________________________________ Good Morning Andy, The charter- and JTE-year run from January 1st through December 31st but the actual, operational Scouting runs essentially from September through May (with a smattering of events plus summer camp during the summer). As the Cub Scout Roundtable Commissioner for my district, I need contact information (e.g., email addresses) so I can…
________________________________________ (I first wrote this story-it's a true one-in 2007. Today, nine years later, we have, in addition to long-time readers, a whole new generation of Scouters, Scouts, and parents reading. So it occurred to me that perhaps it's time for our newest readers to see this particular tale…which I offer with very best wishes to…
________________________________________ Several regular readers wrote to me about the pack finances problem Kevin, in the Longhorn Council, was having. Check these out (they may help you, too!)… Hi Andy, This is for Kevin. Start with a pack budget; it can prevent the type of problem you're having.
________________________________________ Hi Andy, About David Ball's question (your November 11th Issue) about adult support on outings, let me share something our Senior Patrol Leader and his ASPL did a couple of years ago… They were having issues with outing preparations in general, so they asked our Scoutmaster if they could call a parents' meeting.
________________________________________ HOW WORDS CAN DIRECT-OR MISDIRECT-THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS The great semanticist, S.I. Hayakawa informs us that, "of all forms of symbolism, language is the most highly developed, most subtle, and most complicated." He correspondingly advises that "there is no necessary connection between the symbol and that which is symbolized."
________________________________________ (This should have posted automatically last Tuesday… Obviously, something went wrong. Please help out fellow Commissioner Paul Geissler ASAP, with my thanks!) The message and request below is from fellow Commissioner Paul Geissler, of the Laurel Highlands Council in the Pittsburgh, PA area.
________________________________________ VETERANS DAY The aftermath of an appendectomy gone bad, producing a lower intestinal infection that plagued me for several years, I was physically rejected by the U.S. Army on three separate attempts to enlist, which effectively eliminated any possibility of military service for me, even though I was otherwise healthy.
________________________________________ (Here are two letters that follow up on last week's troop "horror story"…) Hi Andy, Thanks for sharing the letter from "Puzzled & Confused" last week. Sometimes, when I think our troop is all messed up, I open your column and when I compare ours to others, I realize we're doing more things right than wrong…
________________________________________ (This conversation is from early September…) Hi, Andy, I'm a Den Leader entering my second year and having a grand time. My den has grown to a good size-12 registered and about 10 showing up regularly, and continuing to receive inquiries from prospective new members, too.
________________________________________ (Nope, this isn't a pre-Halloween horror story… It's real.) Hi Andy, Our son joined a troop of his choosing when he crossed over as an Webelos, and my husband (an Eagle Scout, former Assistant Cubmaster, Wood Badge) and I (Pack Committee Chair, Wood Badge) followed along as Assistant Scoutmaster (my husband) and Committee Member (me).
________________________________________ Dear Andy, My son is working on Camping merit badge and I'm wondering if there's any guidance as far as what constitutes "planning and carrying out a snow camping experience." Is the goal specifically pitching a tent and sleeping when there is an accumulation of snow on the ground?
________________________________________ The rumors of my… Well, you know the rest. Been traveling out of state and out of the country for the past several weeks. Back in the saddle now, so here we go… Dear Andy, Thank you for your commitment to Scouting.
________________________________________ Today my 500th issue coincides with my very first, published 15 years ago this month. That first issue was published in the monthly newsletter of a single council. Today, these columns are regularly read in every one of the BSA's nearly 300 councils, including the Direct, Far East, and Transatlantic.
_______________________________________ This issue is an extension of my earlier column this week (No. 499-8/30/16), thanks to four dedicated Scouters who have information expanding on or fine-tuning answers to three issues in that column: Bob Elliott, Bob Firriolo, Mike Walton, and Robby Wright.
________________________________________ In my previous column (Issue 498-August 16th) a parent had written about her son, a Life Scout, who was told that work on his project for Eagle "must have Scouts as helpers" and "a troop leader must be present to observe how well he leads his project."
________________________________________ In my previous column (No. 497 – August 3rd), Jim Byers asked, "In Venturing and Sea Scouts, if you have a coed group on an overnight outing, you need both a male and a female adult leader. Okay so far, but then what's the reasoning that says a Boy Scout troop (or team) can go on…
________________________________________ Hi Andy, Can to explain to me the rationale behind this anomaly in the BSA's GUIDE TO SAFE SCOUTING? Here it is: In Venturing and Sea Scouts, if you have a coed group on an overnight outing, you need both a male and a female adult leader.
________________________________________ Hi Andy, We held a Tenderfoot board of review last night for one of our newest Scouts. We had two committee members present. I had sent out an email to the committee last week, right after I'd conferenced with this Scout, stressing the need for a review ASAP, but these two were the only ones…
________________________________________ Dear Andy, I think your advice to that granddad about uniform wearing (Issue 494 – July 5, 2016) was perfect. My 14-year-old Star Scout son didn't want to wear his uniform pants to a den meeting where he was the Den Chief.
________________________________________ Hi Andy, I have a problem with my grandson, who's a Star rank Scout. I'm an "old timer"-been in Scouting as an adult since 1988-and still proud of my Scout uniform. My wife (his grandmother) and I pay for my grandson's Scouting experiences: all except summer camp, which his mom pays for.
________________________________________ Hi Andy, My question is about the 1910 Anniversary Ring patch that goes around the World Crest. At first, the 1910 patch was available to anyone who was BSA-registered at the time it was issued. But what about now? It's six years later.
________________________________________ Hi, Andy, I have a question about the Camping National Outdoor Award that you probably have addressed before, and I'm not sure where else to go. I have done an internet search, but have not found a source to answer the question.
________________________________________ Last week's column (June 9th – No. 490) about "earned awards" versus "participant recognitions" sparked a whole bunch of responses. Here are a few, to give you all a perspective on not only how boys feel about this issue, but how their parents feel as well… Hi Andy, I'm a regular reader and I LOVED your…
________________________________________ Hi Andy, I've just finished my first year as a Cub Scout adult volunteer-Tiger Den Leader-after several decades as a Scout and Scouter. We finished this year with ten Tigers, of which eight were with us for the entire year and two for the past six months (these two participated fully for the months they…
________________________________________ Dear Andy, You recently answered a question about where the Doctorate of Commissioner Science patch could be worn. There is, in fact, a DCS "square knot" that can be worn on the uniform. It's Item #18093 in Scoutstuff.org and the BSA Uniform Guide and it can be worn above the left pocket flap of the…
________________________________________ Dear Andy, My thesis for "Doctorate of Commissioner Science" has just been approved; I've received my certificate and the "DCS" patch. But although I've asked, nobody seems to be sure about where it's worn. Some say it's a "temporary patch" for the right pocket.
________________________________________ Some wag once said, "The good guys always finish last." Wrong! If you're a regular reader, you'll remember this letter from a Scout parent in my April 19th column (abbreviated here)… Hi Andy, Out of the blue, our troop's Chartered Organization Representative out of the blue started tearing apart our troop.
________________________________________ Dear Andy, I'm a new Boy Scout parent, trying to get familiar with the 2016 rank requirements. Can you help me with the requirements for camping to reach First Class? There seem to be a couple of opinions regarding the statement, "participate in 10 separate troop/patrol activities, six of which include overnight camping" (page 445).
________________________________________ The term "Inner City" hadn't been invented in the late 1940's and through the 1950's, when my neighborhood pals and I grew up in America's third most densely populated city (bracketed by numbers one and two). This was likely a good thing, because it meant we had no idea we were supposed to be "underprivileged."
________________________________________ Hi Andy, I hope you can guide us! In just this past week, our Chartered Organization Representative ("CR") out of the blue started tearing apart our troop. First, he removed our Scoutmaster, replaced her with one of his friends who was an Assistant Scoutmaster.
________________________________________ Dear Scoutmasters, I've just received another letter inviting me to a court of honor for your troop's newest Eagle Scout-the most recent in a string of several hundred in the past ten years alone. Your letter lauds this Scout's service project and gives great detail of all the work done.
________________________________________ Dear Andy – My grandson has just completed his Eagle project and wants to place a commemorative sign at the location. When my two previous grandsons were completing their Eagle projects, I remember seeing Scout signs for this purpose; however, we can't seem to locate them on the Scouting.org website.
________________________________________ "Boy Scouts" have been featured in just a few movies in the past 60 or so years. Back in 1953 we had "Mister Scoutmaster," with Clifton Webb as his usual crusty self, but his role plays off a boy who's a Cub Scout.
________________________________________ Dear Andy, Do we have to have at least one CPR-certified person if we're taking a troop on an overnight camp-out? I can't find any reference that says if it's required or not. (Name & Council Withheld) It's not required, but it's sure a good idea if you have someone with this training.
________________________________________ Hello Andy, Can an older (age 21) Eagle Scout wear his old Scout uniform and Eagle medal to his younger brother's Eagle court of honor, even though he's no longer active or registered in Scouting? (Ray Pietersen, their dad) All adults who are Eagle Scouts can and should wear their Eagle medals to courts of…
________________________________________ Dear Andy, I've noticed that the activities qualifying for certain segments of the National Outdoor Awards have been changing rather quickly, but a few BSA activities still seem to have been left out. Specifically, can dog sledding at Northern Tier be counted for toward the mileage requirement for the "Riding" activity?
________________________________________ Dear Andy, I'm the Chartered Organization Representative for a Boy Scout troop. Recently, our Scoutmaster started demanding access to the troop's checking account. We said no, as it's been our policy since the troop started. But he somehow went around us to the District Executive, who got him placed on the troop's checking account without…
________________________________________ Dear Andy, My district has established an "Every Leader Trained" emphasis to encourage volunteers to train for their position. So far, training is up four percent. Looking at individual unit size and the number of adult volunteers, we noticed several units with very large adult registrations and discussed how this would affect training emphasis and…
________________________________________ Bunch of years ago, while living in southern California, I had the delight and honor of being the first Scoutmaster of a brand-new troop. These young Scouts-recently graduated from nearby pack-just ate up the Boy Scouting program! We started small; just two patrols of six Scouts each, plus a popular and knowledgeable slightly older Scout…
________________________________________ Dear Andy, One of our troop's Assistant Scoutmasters asked the Scouts to assist in filling in pot holes in the parking of our troop's Scout house. The Scouts are expecting to earn service hours credit for the work they did.
________________________________________ Dear Andy, There's a young man (let's call him Jack; he's coming up on his 16th birthday) in our troop who has struggled with maturity issues. About nine months ago, my son mentioned that Jack had been talking a lot about marijuana use with some of the older Scouts.
________________________________________ Dear Andy, A tradition in our troop is to have a Scout who's about to age out do the Scoutmaster's minute at his last meeting as a youth member. I think what our most recent "Scoutmaster-for-the-moment" and Eagle Scout had to say to his fellow Scouts.
