The Bloggers
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One of my goals for summer camp was sharpening my skills at identifying and understanding rocks and minerals. I started by reading ‘Rocks and Minerals', one of a series of handbooks published by the Smithsonian Institution. Author Chris Pellant explains the basics and offers a guide for identifying rocks and minerals with excellent photographs and…
I'm pretty confident with identifying trees and wildflowers, even with a lot of the understory plants we encounter but I draw a blank when it comes to ferns (the best I can do is ‘that's a fern!'). To increase my fern identifying skills I purchased the Fern Finder before we left for summer camp this…
In this edition of the Scoutmaster Podcast a rebroadcast of my interview with Distinguished Eagle Scout, author and canoeing guru Cliff Jacobson. Links in this Podcast: Cliff Jacobson's website Expedition Canoeing – 20th anniversary edition Here's my review Camping's Top Secrets 3rd edition Here's my review Woodcraft and Camping by Nessmuk Here's my review New Way…
Once he's completed the last requirement for First Class a Scout opens an application on his smartphone or tablet. He scrolls to his advancement records (past his membership records, training records, camping log, OA information and the weekly messages he get's from his patrol leader) and has someone virtually sign off the requirement.
This edition of the Scoutmaster Podcast features an idea about neckerchiefs and uniforms and answers an email question about the Patrol Leader's Council Plans; should they repeat things they did last year?. All this and you messages in the mailbag. Scoutmaster Podcast 181
A Scout vacation doesn't fit most people's definition of a ‘vacation'. We were out walking uptown at our hometown art stroll last night talking to our friends (most of them present or past Scouts and Scouters). We chatted about the usual things; how the kids are doing, vacations, the weather.
A belated happy World Scarf Day! Scout neckerchiefs are the only unique element of the Scout uniform, I don't know of any other uniformed group that wears neckerchiefs other than Scouts. As our group prepared for our trip to Switzerland in 2011 our Scouts first asked if they needed to bring their uniforms.
Students from Basic Education High School 3 Dawei cook rice at Maungmakan Beach in December 2012 under a scouting program being trialled by the Ministry of Education. (Cherry Thein/The Myanmar Times) During a State visit to Canberra, Australia the President Myanmar Thein Sein expressed the desire to successfully re-establish Scouting in his country (It was…
Mike Rowe at the National Jamboree telling scouts to "work smart and hard" encouraging something I have been trying to tell Scouts headed to college for years – find something you love and don't ignore the idea of working with your hands as a career.
For this edition of the Scoutmaster Podcast I am away at summer camp so we'll share a rebroadcast of the story ‘The Boy from Aarhus' – I'll be back next week! Scoutmaster Podcast 180 – The Boy from Aarhus
Scouting laws, like the laws of physics and those recorded by Murphy, reflect the way things are rather than the way we wish they were. Andy is a Unit Commissioner who answers Scouting questions though his online column, Ask Andy with a pithy, direct style that has helped many Scouters find their way out of…
I am sure that the wilderness rescue volunteers and professionals in Ontario are the nicest people you could ever meet, but I'd like to avoid them. Well, at least in their capacity as SAR (search and rescue) folks. Here's a recent article from Ontario Parks that shares eight tip[s to avoiding wilderness rescue taht should…
A Scout Fundraising Project will help our Scouts get to Kandersteg International Scout Center in Switzerland next summer. We discussed lots of different ideas, did a bit of research and settled on selling coffee. We contacted a local coffee roasting company and set up an arrangement where we could buy coffee at their wholesale price…
It's a little difficult to get ultralight backpacking explained in a simple, straightforward way. Thankfully there is no International Convention of Backpacking Standards and Terminology. We are left to our own devices to individually define "Lightweight" and "Ultralight" backpacking and argue endlessly over our definitions with other zealous backpackers (that's half the fun of it…
Reading the requirements for sustainability merit badge got me to thinking about merit badges as tools to achieve the aims of Scouting in general and Eagle required merit badges in particular. Faithful readers will understand that I like to think about these things and write about possibilities, take it all with a grain of salt.
Before long (January 1, 2014) the list of Eagle required merit badges will change slightly with the addition of cooking as a required merit badge and the new sustainability merit badge as an alternative to environmental science. Here's an overview of the current and new lists: Current list of Eagle-required merit badges Earn a total…
Frustration in organizations begins with someone saying "If I only had the authority to I'd … (fill in the blank)". When someone says this one of two things are happening ; they are either expressing a strong propensity for leadership, innovation and initiative, or just cloaking a complaint in language that doesn't make them responsible for change.
Here's a clever idea from Camp Wanderer that combines a canning jar and the top section of a solar re-charged garden light to create a lighted container for things like matches at camp. While I am at summer camp I'll have a jar sitting on my picnic table with a spare headlamp or small flashlight…
Clarke, I would like to hear your thoughts regarding association with adults as a Scouting method, and how Baden Powell's own statements are applied in the context of the Patrol method. I think some leaders have a hard time striking the right balance, because the adults are not supposed to be affecting what Scouts are…
This edition of the Scoutmaster Podcast features email answers about getting started as a Scoutmaster, Ist class requirement 3, and uniform choices. All this and you messages in the mailbag. Edge of the Firelight by Gordon Bain Scoutmaster Podcast 179 – Email Questions
‘Bannock" is a name for quick flat bread that originated in Scotland and was adopted by most Native Americans, voyagers, mountain men and pioneers. With a minimum of fuss and bit of practice anyone can bake a bannock loaf in a frying pan or wrapped around a stick.
If you are headed out into the wild and run into a real gully washing, frog-strangling rainstorm here's ten more tips for camping in the rain that should help you get through the storm in style (the first ten tips are here .)
Wisconsin Scoutmaster Gordon Bain authored this collection of eleven campfire stories for his Scouts. Imagine hunkering around the fire and hearing a very credible account of someone you know, or a place you have been. Just enough factual information to draw you in, but with an eerie twist that raises the hair on the back…
This edition of the Scoutmaster Podcast features a discussion of what all Scoutmasters should be trained to do from someone who ought to know exactly what that is. All this and you messages in the mailbag. Mike Malone's book Four Percent Win Davis's book Men of Schiff The video of Green Bar Bill discussed in…
For Better or For Worse Comic Strip, July 06, 2013 on GoComics.com . Scout Camp – For Better or For Worse
Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe is a perfect game for a rainy day under the tarp, or an evening lazing around camp. All you need is a clear patch of dirt and a stick, or a paper and pencil. As you may have discovered yourself, tic-tac-toe is terminally dull.
Click the image to see full sized Any good outdoorsman knows how to make a fire in the rain. Once you've mastered the skill of building fires when the weather is dry you'll want to hone your skills for starting a fire when the weather goes bad.
click the image to see full-sized On Independence Day we celebrate; We celebrate the trust our nation's first leaders invested in one another. We celebrate loyalty they mutually pledged: their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. We celebrate the helpfulness of those who aided our fledgling country.
What, precisely, is the promise of Scouting? No one would know better than William Hillcourt: Your Life as a Scout You are an American boy. Before long you will be an American man. It is important to America and to yourself that you become a citizen of fine character, physically strong, mentally awake and morally…
A fascinating artifact found at Win Davis's website In April of 1987, Bill Hillcourt came to Central Florida. He visited for an evening with Scouts and leaders from Boy Scout Troop 46 in Longwood. What he had to say is pretty interesting.
the This edition of the Scoutmaster Podcast features a discussion of the Main Aim and email answers about who appoints some youth positions, who signs requirements and a youth protection question. All this and you messages in the mailbag. Scoutmaster Podcast 177
A number of people follow ScoutmasterCG.com on Google Reader, and Google Reader will be discontinued in a day or two. If you haven't already found an alternative here's a good rundown of the other services available (after trying a few I've settled on Feedly ).
What are Scouting Skills? Can you throw some things in a pack, step off the road into the woods and live comfortably for a few days without getting lost? Can you build a fire, lash a tripod together, set up a shelter, cook your food, stay warm and dry and leave no trace of your…
In addition to the program-oriented courses offered through MyScouting.org completing these six online training courses are a worthwhile way for any Scouter to improve their safety IQ. As a young Scoutmaster I was much more reluctant to have anyone impose any limitations on my Scouts.
TO ANYONE: I don't think it could get any hotter. I don't think it could rain any harder. TO THE CAMP DIRECTOR: Hey, can you turn on the air conditioning? Hey, can't you turn off the rain? TO THE SCOUTS: Does anybody feel homesick?
Two recent events prompted me to make a lightning safety infographic. Yesterday evening we held our Scout meeting at a park nearby during a powerful thunderstorm. We took shelter and played games for most of the hour and a half (this was one of our ‘summer sessions' and we usually play a bunch of games…
This edition of the Scoutmaster Podcast features a discussion of the dreaded "Troop Program Death Spiral" (dramatic isn't it?) and an answer to a related email question. All this and your messages in the mailbag. Remember to have a look at Clarke's new book! Thoughts on Scouting Scoutmaster Podcast 176
I've spent some time reviewing the new Outdoor Ethics materials published by the BSA. Outdoor ethics have always been a part of Scouting. While the basic ethical imperatives have remained constant, our application and interpretation of them has changed and evolved over time.
Perhaps "Troop Program Death Spiral" is a gratuitously dramatic title but it describes something that does happen. Got your attention, though, didn't I? How and why do troops get off track and loose Scouts? There's a predictable sequence of events that spiral down into a crash.
AVAILABLE NOW Thoughts On Scouting Ideas, Insights and Inspirations for Scouters Authored by Clarke Green I have a fondness for sayings, maxims, adages, mottoes, epigrams, proverbs, and aphorisms. There's poetry and beauty in expressing a complex thought with a few well-chosen words.
Here's a Scouter's summer camp schedule: Time Scouts Scouters 6:45 AM Awakened by the SPL and PL's. Flag is raised and all Scouts go to polar bear swim as a group. I used to get up and go to Polar Bear swim years ago (like 15 or so) but I think it's important for the…
Taking Scouts caving is a popular, adventurous and exciting activity, but it's not something to approach casually. The National Speleological Society, A volunteer organization dedicated to the study, exploration, and conservation of caves has made it clear that untrained, unprepared cave explorers endanger themselves and cause irreversible damage to fragile cave environments.
This edition of the Scoutmaster Podcast I share ten things that will help make your summer camp stay this year a success and answer an email question about the patrol leader's council. All this and your messages in the mailbag! Visit our YouTube Channel ! Scoutmaster Podcast 175 – Summer Camp
Wanigan is borrowed from Ojibwa word for "storage pit" as a name for a storage box like the ones shown here. In some regions a houseboat, temporary hut on a log raft, a small house, bunkhouse, or shed mounted on skids may all be called a wanigan.
How well are we applying the patrol system? I often ask myself this question and I am constantly looking for ways to improve the experience for our Scouts. I've set up a patrol system survey to see how the patrol system is used in other troops, ( there aren't any ‘right' answers).
Here's some summer camp advice from a former camp director to anyone fortunate enough to spend a week at summer camp as a Scouter. Your camp director's biggest difficulties aren't caused by Scouts or their staff but by ‘adult' leaders who accompany the Scouts to camp.
Marbles Camp Axe Great fit and finish for a very good price. The marbles is a bit larger than most camp hatchets or axes and it's a quality product. Available from Conoho Creek Outfitters available at Amazon Sarge Boy Scout Knife Well made pocket knife with a classic, utilitarian design.
Two key skills for Scouters – sometimes we all feel that plate spinning and/or cat herding is just about all we ever do! Click to see full sized image PDF version of Two Key Skills for Scouters Two Key Skills for Scouters
Effective Scouters are alert to possibility, to the challenge of the moment. If we aren't watchful, though, those transient moments of possibility become obscured by our preoccupation with competence. There's no inherent virtue in being an experienced Scouter, after all if you stick with something long enough you become experienced.
This edition of the Scoutmaster Podcast features the third installment of ‘The Colorado Experiment" as we continue to track the first months of a brand new Scoutmaster with a brand new troop. All of this and your messages in the mailbag.
