Maps (opens in a new tab)
On of the most useful skills a person can gain from Scouting is the ability to read and use maps. This skill is not only used when hiking, for example, but when going to a new place in the car.
Topic
UK Scouting
Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and the Network. Posts from UK leaders and The Scout Association bring a different flavor of the same movement, with plenty to borrow for any troop.
1,355 posts · 2006–2020
All UK Scouting posts
Showing 1151–1200 of 1,355 posts
Fundraising with an Unexpected Bonus (opens in a new tab)
Last weekend, we took the Group to one of the local supermarkets (M & S) to raise some funds by packing the customer's shopping bags (if they want us to!). We pack their bags and they give us a donation – at least that's how we hope it goes!
Being a Volunteer (opens in a new tab)
I give my time freely as a Scout Leader because I enjoy it, benefit from it, and am able to give back to the community through it. No-one who volunteers is doing it entirely selflessly; all volunteers gain from their volunteering in at least one way.
Cheshire Network (opens in a new tab)
I've just watched the below video from Cheshire's Network (18 – 25 year olds). It's an excellent advert to show what they get up to and is very professionally put together. Very impressive! Just a shame that our County's Network (Cheshire is less than 10 miles from where I live) isn't as organised or proactive.
Harrods Stops Scouts Wearing Neckerchiefs and Woggles! (opens in a new tab)
Bit of an own goal there Mr. Al-Fayed ! It appears that a Group of Explorer Scouts who were in London were not allowed into Harrods as they were wearing their neckerchiefs! They were asked to remove them before they could enter, but to the Explorer's credit they said no as it is a part of…
Keeping the Bills Paid! (opens in a new tab)
As we are all aware, life is getting more and more expensive. Running a camp site has never been a cheap task, but of course these days it is getting more and expensive. So it's interesting to read that on of my local campsites, Barnswood , will be hosting a music type festival aimed at young…
The Funeral of a Scout (opens in a new tab)
I wrote back in February about the sad death of Stephen Young. This is a news item about his funeral. This is a celebration of that young man's life. Thanks to Lotta for bringing it to my attention.
Baden-Powell and The Nazis (opens in a new tab)
On Monday 8th March various previously classified documents from the 1930' and 1940's were placed in the National Archive. One of these documents concerned the relationship between the Hitler Youth, Scouting and BP. Of course all the media then blew up and started implying that Scouting was hand in hand with the Nazis!
Honesty (opens in a new tab)
Yesterday as I was reversing my car to leave work, I wasn't looking properly and hit a colleagues car! Luckily all I did was break my fog light and did no damage to the other car (phew!). However, what did shock me was that my colleague was genuinely surprised that I'd told her!
Favourite Games (opens in a new tab)
I had an interesting email from a Polish Scout the other day, and one of the things they asked was what kind of games do we play. I thought about it and put down the following – Elephant Hunt All the Scouts stand at one end of the hall and two leaders stand at either side…
Competition Time! (opens in a new tab)
With the publishing of the book 'A Complete Guide to Scouting Skills' happening this week, Chris over at Jabbering has been able to launch a competition so that 2 lucky people can get their hands on a copy! Take a look at his page here , check out the rules and then enter by answering a…
A New Scout (opens in a new tab)
Kind of! One of the Scout's parents kindly knitted a little jumper and necker for Rachael when she was born and last night she wore it for the first time when she visited the Beavers and Cubs! She wasn't phased by all the noise, although she did jump slightly at the beginning of the Cub's…
Someone Needs to Re-read His Scout Law (opens in a new tab)
I was looking at the Scout Association's website this morning and an article on the front page caught my eye. It seems that National Chairman of The Ugandan Scout Association David Bahati, who is a member of the Ugandan Parliament, is the author of a Private Members Bill which calls for the death sentence for…
Safe & Legal Use of Computers & The Web (opens in a new tab)
One of the things my Scout Group has been considering for a while is getting a computer. We've been really lucky recently as I've been able to get a couple donated to us, so there is no cost to the Group.
A Complete Guide To Scouting Skills – A Review (opens in a new tab)
As I mentioned before, the kind people at Random House have sent me a copy of this book to review, so here goes. Although it is produced by The Scout Association and the foreword is by the Chief Scout, Bear Grylls, it's not specifically targeted at Scouts.
A Sad Loss to Scouting (opens in a new tab)
Back on the 18th December 2007, I wrote about an Explorer Scout who had just spent a year living in a tent to raise money for a children's hospice. Unhappily, it appears this young man passed away a couple of days ago whilst walking in the hills in Scotland.
An Interesting Book (opens in a new tab)
A few days ago I got an email from the publishers of the forthcoming book 'Scouting Skills: A Complete Guide' asking if I'd be interested in having a copy and maybe doing a review. 'Yes please!' was the reply, so it appeared in the post this morning.
Keep Calm and Carry On (opens in a new tab)
This is a poster that was produced by the Ministry of Information in 1939 and was to have been used if Britain had been invaded by the Nazis. We weren't, so it wasn't! However a copy was rediscovered in 2000 ( read about it here ) and has since gone on to be quite popular.
Happy 100th Birthday Boy Scouts of America and…. (opens in a new tab)
Today, Monday 8th February 2010, marks the 100th birthday of the world's second largest national Scouting organisation, the BSA . So, a big Happy Birthday to the whole organisation and to its many members! I'm sure that there will be a lot to hear and read about from my friends in the USA whose blogs and…
Trust (opens in a new tab)
The first part of the UK Scout Law states that 'A Scout is to be Trusted'. This law applies to both young people and Leaders alike, no exception. SM Jerry has posed something similar recently when he talks about honesty and setting a good example.
Old Film (opens in a new tab)
I found this site the other day which allows people to create their own videos by using old archive ones. So I had a look and came up with some that showed local Scouts in years gone by. There are, in fact, four videos here that I have stitched together.
A New Video (opens in a new tab)
I've recently found a few short videos of activities the Group has done in the past, so I've put them together and here they are. They are not that great and not to be taken seriously, but are quite funny to watch!
Supporting Assessors Project Team Vacancies (opens in a new tab)
The Project Leader for Supporting Assessors within Activities is looking to add to his volunteer project team to assist him with the delivery of his project.
The 'Cost' of Scouting (opens in a new tab)
It's that time of year, where after the annual Census has been completed, it's now time to pay up! For each Scout (& Beaver etc.) and Leader, the Group has to pay an amount to the District, which is then passed onto the County and finally the Scout Association at Gilwell.
Spam Emails (opens in a new tab)
I've recently been bombarded with spam emails on my Scout Group's email account. Some of these have been particularly devious as they pretend to contain new settings for my email account. And one of these nearly caught me out! Now I'd like to think that I'm fairly savvy about these kind of things, but I…
Very Quick Post from an Apple Store
I am currently at an Apple store in Cribbs, so I thought I would take advantage of the free wifi and make a post. I am here with my good friend Jess, who use to have a blog but never posts on it anymore. Well, that is enough silliness, back to shopping. TTFN K
Scouting in Madagascar (opens in a new tab)
The other day I got a comment on the post I made in February last year about International Scouting . As those of you who come by here often are aware, I am fascinated by the fact we're a worldwide movement and there are Scouts in virtually every country in the world.
Lots of Awards at Tonight's Troop Meeting (opens in a new tab)
I popped up to see the Troop tonight as we were pleased to have the District Commissioner join us to give out some awards. First of all, he presented a Chief Scout's Gold award to the first Scout in the Troop to achieve this award since we restarted the Troop in 2007.
Camping in the Snow! (opens in a new tab)
In the UK, camping in snowy weather is somewhat unusual these days and we don't get the same opportunities to do so as, for example, SM Jerry's Troop . However, the Scouts from my Troop are currently at a weekend camp and are surrounded by snow.
2010 Census (opens in a new tab)
Every year, each Scout Group has to complete a census. This is information that the Scout Association asks for each year to find out the numbers of young people and leader in each Group. Once the Group has filled in their details, the District then collates the information from each Group in the District and…
Happy Christmas (opens in a new tab)
To everyone that comes by and reads and listens to what I have to say, I'd like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Prophetic Writing (opens in a new tab)
I was looking in my bookcase the other day and came across a book by a hero of mine that I'd forgotten I had. 'Great Contemporaries' by Winston S. Churchill is a series of essays he wrote in the late 1920's and early 1930's about famous people (Douglas Haig, Adolph Hitler, Franklin D.
A Kind Gift (opens in a new tab)
My Group's Assistant Scout Leader popped round to see me last night to drop off some Christmas cards and let me know how the Troop was getting on in my absence (I'm taking a break from day to day Scouting for the next month or so for obvious reasons).
Thank You All! (opens in a new tab)
At some point on Monday, i recorded my 10,000th hit on my blog! This figure is based on the Wordpress stats that have been recorded since January 2008, although my Feedproxy stats give a totally different figure! So to everyone who has stopped by and read or listened to what I have to say – a…
A New Scouting Podcast (opens in a new tab)
Those fine folks at PTC Media have done it again and created a new podcast! The new one is 'Moms In Scouting Service' and is a podcast 'from the perspective of volunteering mothers'. Obviously, it has an American slant (odd that, as they are all Americans!), but it is still an interesting listen and puts…
A Scout's Anthem (opens in a new tab)
This is the song/poem my Scouts are performing for the Group Christmas Carol Concert tomorrow evening. It is a bit old fashioned (it refers to a Scout as male the whole way through, but the first verse is being read by a girl and the gender will be changed to suit) and refers to Scout…
Hello, Goodbye (podcast) (opens in a new tab)
‘I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello!' This is a quick update and Christmas greetings.
InTouch (opens in a new tab)
Following an extensive review and trials, InTouch has now been launched as the replacement to the Home Contact system.
A Couple of Bits of Good News (opens in a new tab)
It's nice to be able to mention a couple of items of good news from my Group this week. First of all, one of our Scouts has just completed all the requirements to gain his Chief Scouts Gold Award . This is our first Scout to gain this award since we restarted the Troop in March…
A Healthy Group (opens in a new tab)
At our Group's Leader meeting the other night, I put on the agenda that each of the Section Leaders were to report how things were going in their own section. However, before they spoke, I decided to go first. I had realised what a good position the Group is in and how we had improved…
Group Scout Leader Support Day (opens in a new tab)
Yesterday I went to the GSL Support Day run by the County. This was kind of a follow up to the one I went to last year and also to cover some of the topics for the GSLs who couldn't make it to the previous session.
Scouts and Food (opens in a new tab)
While reading Lotta's blog about the District Training weekend she'd just been on, it dawned on me how much thought we give to food and drink within Scouting. It could be the good food that Lotta and her colleagues have at their training sessions, Scoutmaster Jerry's quest to come up with great, but light and…
My Evening (opens in a new tab)
At the Troop meeting tonight I didn't actually get to do much with the Scouts themselves (although there were a lot there and we seem to have a lot of Cubs joining the Troop at the moment!). Once I'd taken in the subs, I had a chat with a parent who is going to become…
Something Silly (opens in a new tab)
After the seriousness of the last couple of days, here is something silly - On the Ning Nang Nong On the Ning Nang Nong Where the Cows go Bong! And the Monkeys all say Boo! There's a Nong Nang Ning Where the trees go Ping!
The Soldier (War Sonnets No. 5) (opens in a new tab)
If I should die, think only this of me: That there's some corner of a foreign field That is for ever England. There shall be In that rich earth a richer dust concealed; A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, Gave, once her flowers to love, her ways to roam, A body of England's…
The Remembrance Day Parade (opens in a new tab)
Today's parade at church went really well! When I got to church this morning, the Scouts who were there to carry the flag and escort it, were already there and looking very smart. The Assistant Scout Leader and I then went to have a chat with the stand in vicar.
Cooperating and Planning (opens in a new tab)
Tomorrow (Sunday), is Remembrance Sunday , which is an important date in the Scouting, and indeed the country's calendar. This is the time we remember those who have served and died in the armed forces in the various wars. As part of this people gather around war memorials and observe the two minutes silence at 11…
Bullying (opens in a new tab)
Not a very pleasant topic, but one we potentially have to deal with. A while ago I came back from a meeting having found out that my Group should have an anti bullying policy ( see here ). So I wrote one and the Group's Executive agreed it with some changes and it's now Group policy.
Cub Camp, Beaver Sleepover and Disappointment! (opens in a new tab)
This coming weekend our Cubs are off to camp with another local Pack from our old District. We've been doing a joint camp with them for quite a few years now and it's always an enjoyable weekend and the Cubs make new friends and renew old friendships.
Some Reflections on Podcasting (opens in a new tab)
It's nearly a year since I produced my first podcast and since then I've produced another 19. A few thoughts so far. As I reflect on the podcasts I've done so far, I know that the quality has been variable!