The Bloggers
Showing 851–900 of 1,800 · page 18 of 36. Each title opens the post in a new tab.
IN THIS PODCAST Fourth in the series about the steps of Scout advancement ‘A Scout Is Reviewed'. We discuss the Scoutmaster conference and the board of review. Answer to an email question about keeping advancement records. Also your messages in the mailbag.
Here's some more Scouting gift ideas and gear deals - REI has a one day sale (Sunday December 9) of 20% off selected Big Agnes Products combine this with a $20.00 gift card for a minimum purchase $100.00 and free standard shipping for a very good deal.I recommend you look at Big Agnes sleeping pads, I…
No volunteer is expected to be an expert with an encyclopedic knowledge of Scouting (see the links to Scouting resources below). All we really need to is the will to learn and the good sense to accept and apply what we learn: We ought to take advantage of as many training opportunities as possible.
No volunteer is expected to be an expert with an encyclopedic knowledge of Scouting. All we really need to is the will to learn and the good sense to accept and apply what we learn: We ought to take advantage of as many training opportunities as possible.
Frank Maynard's blog Bobwhite Blather is a must-read resource written form the perspective of a troop committee chair. Here's his take on top-down organizations: The problems with a top-down organization are that its leaders never get the real picture because people tell them what they want to hear.
Here's a few things that I haven't had a chance to review but look like excellent ideas – they're on my Scoutmaster gear wish list. SnowMiner Headlamp/ Lantern Switches from a 80 lumens headlamp to a lantern with soft, diffused light.
Third in a series of articles about the four steps to Scout Advancement. Articles will be published each Tuesday beginning November 20, 2012 (Click on the titles above to read the articles) … the standard of proficiency is purposely left undefined.
IN THIS PODCAST Second in the series about the four steps of Scout advancement ‘A Scout Learns' and an email question about holding scouts ‘accountable and responsible'. All this and your messages in the mailbag. Christine Lavin's song "Camping" and a bit of Camping by comedian John Pinette are featured in this podcast – follow the…
Many of you have enjoyed the Kindle e-book edition of Michael S. Malone's Eagle Scout history Four Percent – the story of uncommon youth in a century of American life . A number of you have waited and I am happy to tell you that the book is now available in a hardcover edition .
Here's fifteen thoughts for Scout leaders that I hope you find helpful. 1. Trust the Program. 100 years of proven results – Follow it! Seek to understand and embrace changes. 2. Conduct Activities that are Age Appropriate. Respond to the specific needs of each developmental stage: don't push Scouts into activities for older, or hold them…
Horace Kephart was born in Pennsylvania in 1862 and found his way to Hazel Creek in western North Carolina (later to become part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Kephart campaigned for and is considered one of the fathers of the national park.
Here's another Scoutmaster gift guide of gear and accessories that I think any Scouter will enjoy. My kit for dutch oven cooking is included below, cooking in a dutch oven is great fun and serves up some great food! Lodge Dutch Oven Lodge dutch ovens are the industry standard for fit and finish (and they…
Second in a series of articles about the four steps to Scout Advancement. Articles will be published each Tuesday beginning November 20, 2012 "… It is in fact nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not entirely strangled the holy spirit of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation…
IN THIS PODCAST Second in the series about the four steps of Scout advancement ‘A Scout Learns' and an email question about holding scouts ‘accountable and responsible'. All this and your messages in the mailbag. Past editions of the show are available at the PODCAST ARCHIVE Scoutmaster Podcast 147
I am not a scientist, so tell me if this makes sense. There are about 40,000 Scout troops in the B.S.A., they go camping (this is a very conservative average) of six weekends a year. 40k * 6= 240K weekends I'd guess, conservatively, that two-thirds of these troops own stoves or lanterns that use disposable gas…
Before I begin this Solo Stove review I need to explain that I think building a campfire is an important skill. It connects Scouts to many things, sharpens their ability to plan, and is almost always a group activity. I once thought that we ought to do all of our cooking over fires and not…
Over time I have managed to get my weekend backpack down to around 25-30 pounds. I am not an fully anointed apostle of the ultra-lightweight sect but I have certainly benefited from a lot of their ideas. The backpacking cook kit described here weighs in at well less than two pounds depending on your choice…
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The right troop first aid kit is large enough, but no too large, arranged for easy access, outfitted with components to meet the most common needs (cuts, scrapes and burns) and won't break the bank. Campmor's Advanced Medical Kit is the best option I have found.
There are four steps to Scout advancement described in the Scoutmaster's Handbook PP. 124-127 Before we look at these steps let's contextualize advancement within all the aims and methods of Scouting; Advancement is simply a means to an end, not an end in itself.
IN THIS PODCAST We begin a new series on the four steps of Scout advancement and answer email questions about signing handbooks and dietary restrictions. All this and your messages in the mailbag including a great story from Scoutmaster Shane Stillwell. Past editions of the show are available at the PODCAST ARCHIVE
Twenty years ago (or more) the B.S.A. concluded that Scouts ought to earn First Class rank in the first year based on a statistical ‘leading indicator', a connection between when Scouts become First Class and how long they stay in Scouting.
What if? Two very powerful words. Our Scouts are are digital natives – they aren't simply ‘dependent' or ‘addicted' to technology, it's a part of their world. They don't see a dichotomy of real and virtual – it's all kind of the same.
When humans participate in ceremony, they enter a sacred space. Everything outside of that space shrivels in importance. Time takes on a different dimension. - Sun Bear Every ceremony or rite has a value if it is performed without alteration. A ceremony is a book in which a great deal is written.
IN THIS PODCAST This month's Scoutmaster panel discussion we talk about starting a new troop and the changes announced to merit badge requirements for Eagle. All this and the winner of last week's trivia contest. Commissioner Service Chartered Organization Representative Troop Committee Guidebook Past editions of the show are available at the PODCAST ARCHIVE
Why do we volunteer? How many volunteers are involved in Scouting and what do we do? A 2011 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report notes that 64.3 million people volunteered last year 29.9% of women and 25% of men in the U.S.
Cold weather camping in very cold weather from Northern Tier where crews regularly face temperatures lower than -20F. That's cold! A double sleeping bag, techniques for keeping clothing from freezing, and drying out boot liners; some good advice. Okpik , (Inuit for Snowy Owl, pronounced OOk' pick) is a winter cold weather camping program offered at…
Here's a great idea for making campfire potatoes wrapped in foil. Alternating slices of onion and potato? Why didn't I think of that? Campfire Potatoes Ingredients: large baking potatoes whole onions, red or yellow dill, parsley, bacon bits Directions: Slice potato almost all the way through, but leave enough to hold it together.
Here's an easy way to introduce visiting parents or new adult volunteers to the concept of youth leadership – a Scout leader business card that explains things simply, politely yet directly: THANK YOU FOR LENDING A HAND Our Scouts are on the field playing a game.
Here's a simple formula for how to build a campfire, it's easy to remember. ‘Gather' and ‘Build' are the key concepts: GATHER …everything before you strike a match. The sizes and amounts are rules of thumb, don't over-engineer things. For some reason my Scouts always seem to break the sticks they gather into tiny pieces…
Campmor is offering great discounts on some of my favorite gear. These sales usually are limited to stock on hand and go pretty quickly, so if you are interested act fast! Note that the group discount of 10% does not apply to sale items, so you won't benefit from a group buy on these items…
Since one of us falls into a particularly desirable demographic we've had ten or twelve robocalls a day for the past week or so, we've had folks knocking on the door, we've seen the saturation coverage of the election on the television, we've received the flyers and emails, we've talked about the candidates.
IN THIS PODCAST The third installment of a three part series on Youth Leader Development, email answer about positions of responsibility. All this and your messages in the mailbag. Commissioner Service Chartered Organization Representative Troop Committee Guidebook Past editions of the show are available at the PODCAST ARCHIVE
Scoutmaster survival can hinge on these three P's – proportion, perspective and preparation, every Scoutmaster should know: Proportion You can only do so much, you have limitations and you have a breaking point. Having a sober estimate of these things about ourselves is important.
I have long admired the association of the King of Sweden and Scouting. This article was recently published by the WOSM; His Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf, the King of Sweden, has been actively involved in Scouting since his childhood days.
Don't assume your Scouts know how to sleep warm while camping, it's important to instruct them and be sure they are properly equipped. In especially cold weather changing clothes before getting in a sleeping bag can make a big difference, as can having a pair of loosely fitting wool or fleece socks just for sleeping.
Two of the effects physicists describe apply to our work in Scouting: The Observer Effect Changes that the act of observation makes on the phenomenon being observed. A tire pressure gauge releases air from the tire thus changing the pressure we are testing.
Campmor is offering good discounts on Eureka tents and sleeping bags. These sales usually are limited to stock on hand and go pretty quickly, so if you are interested act fast! Note that the group discount of 10% does not apply to sale items, so you won't benefit from a group buy on these items…
IN THIS PODCAST The second installment of a three part series on Youth Leader Development, email answer about maintaining a ‘yell-free troop'. All this and your messages in the mailbag. Past editions of the show are available at the PODCAST ARCHIVE
Scouts and whittling evokes a vivid boyhood memory of sitting on the back porch steps whittling a green stick with a steak knife purloined from my mother's kitchen. Since then I have always had one kind of pocket knife or another and whittled when the opportunity presents itself.
A Scoutmaster minute about discouragement: If a bird landed on your head what would you do? Run? Brush it off? Maybe both? Nobody can keep birds from flying over their head but we can keep them from making a nest in our hair.
Advancement is like a suntan; something you get naturally whilst having fun in the outdoors." Baden-Powell Scout advancement is not a goal; it is an indicator. Our aim is not that Scouts attain a certain level of skill or expertise but that they have fun in the outdoors doing things Scouts do.
When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.
‘Adultism' can be a loaded term but I think it would be useful to consider it in the context of our work in Scouting. Adultism is the broadly defined as valuing the ideas, initiatives and direction of adults over that of youth.
IN THIS PODCAST The first installment of a three part series on Youth Leader Development, email answers about the Unit College Scouter Reserve designation and what to do when we miss the mark. All this and your messages in the mailbag.
As the contents of the ineligible volunteer files released recently come to light Scouting volunteers and the families that they serve will be justifiably upset and unsettled. They will ask questions. They will want to know that their children are safe.
Frank Maynard is a blogging troop committee chairman, he recently published this excellent article outlining how to work with Scout parents; Parents who aren't as involved in Scouting as you are sometimes don't understand the program as well, and can see a unit working normally as being dysfunctional.
William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt is the man who wrote the book on Scouting, literally. His Patrol Leader's Handbook is, without a doubt, his best and most influential work. His understanding of scouting was simple, but not simplistic. To an outsider, Scouting must at first appear to be a very complex matter.
On my honor, I will do my best To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight Be Prepared Do a good turn daily How do Scouts advance ?
IN THIS PODCAST A few words about divisive times and answers to email questions that touch on positions of responsibility, what ‘active' means, keeping older boys involved, Den Chiefs, Webelos dens camping with troops, new scout patrols and how patrols are formed.
