Looking back, looking forward, looking in… Even as our Scouts are looking at what they need to do, what they have done, and what they think they can do, we should be doing the same thing. Evaluating our performance, reviewing our goals, and reflecting on the difference between the two are important aspects of leadership…
#165-Go Your Own Way Tonight-A Pinewood Derby computer game, some ideas from the paid folks, a lack of Unit Commissioners, setting up a big recruitment affair, video uploading solutions and much more. Links: Scouting Innovation Engine- http://ideas.scouting.org Pinewood Derby Game- http://www.pinewoodderbygame.com/ Tonight's show sponsored by Badge Magic
10. You get to live in the woods once a month… 9. Sometimes you get to act 11,and get away with it… 8. Road trips… 7. You get to wear a uniform…with a pound of patches and 2 pounds of thread and hot glue to hold them on….
Welcome back to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast. (You know, I think I made the title of this podcast waaay too long.) It is time for the Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 to entertain you once again with another song from one of their Laughs For Lunch Shows.
Looking back, looking forward, looking in… At every opportunity, a Scouter needs to evaluate what he or she is doing. The Scoutmaster needs to evaluate how effective his Scoutmaster Conferences and Scoutmaster Minutes are. The Committee Chair needs to evaluate how good a job the unit committee is doing.
This scout law element couldn't have come during a more appropriate week. We always tell our kids that Christmas is more about giving than receiving, but do tell them how wonderful it can be for them to be helpful? Let's all remember to be helpful during this holiday season and not get so caught up…
Get rid of Council Flash in MyBSA (The pro one that is)
-3 Vote On Idea This Welcome to My BSA from 2005 is a waste of space. ..."This Council Flash window shows information that your council can post for other council employees using My BSA. It's a bulletin board for council news and is especially useful to employees who work away from the office..."
2 Vote On Idea Please allow us to access Unit Meeting Info by a URL Feed. XML would be nice. For example: http://scouting.org/xml/unitmeetings/[council#] will give information like: *Note: please replace scare brackets below with angle brackets. [council number='047' name='Golden Empire Council'][district number='011' name='Iron Horse'] [unit type='troop' number='1'] [meeting place='LDS Church' street='100 Main St' city='Sacramento' state='CA…
Looking back, looking forward, looking in… In almost everything we do, we spend most of our time looking forward, so you may ask why it's so important to talk about it here. Well, think about the last time you drove to work.
For all those sending scouts off to Winter Camp, there are a few things you can pick up for them to make their stay nicer…. in case Santa forgets. Gloves, thin and flexible do nicely Warm Hat, to sleep in Chap Stick, 5 days of wind can be rude to the lips Hot Chocolate, one…
The National Wildlife Federation website Green Hour advocates "...giving our children a "Green Hour" a day -- a bit of time for unstructured play and interaction with the natural world -- we can set them on the path toward physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
#166-Join Together Tonight-I hear from the Council, finishing the year, Follow Me Boys come up again, phone trees and getting fired. Links: BSA Branding of Council websites- http://ideas.scouting.org/akira/dtd/6361-2119 Standardized Council Sites Coming Soon – http://www.sitecore.net/en/News/Press%20releases/2008/Boy%20Scouts%20of%20America%20Leverages%20Sitecore%20CMS.aspx?nav=s Jostens will help Eagle Scouts® celebrate their achievement with customized and personalized rings under license from the Boy Scouts of America®…
There were 14 great entries to the first Scouting News Caption Contest . The task at hand was to provide a caption for this photo: After the contest closed yesterday, I worked to narrow down the entries to one winning entry.
Looking back, looking forward, looking in… Reflection is as important as, and sometimes more important than, evaluating and reviewing. Reflection is what helps a Scout learn to tie a bowline. Evaluation helps he see the mistakes he makes on his first couple tries.
Three Fires Council has a great Cub Hiking Program. It encourages packs to have a Saturday hike each month , to keep track of each boy's miles hiked , and to do recognition (such as a patch) at each hiking milestone. The suggested hikes are usually two to four miles each .
Injury, illness, troop ski trip, 3 family trips, shopping for 8 kids and 4 grandkids, pack meeting, troop "cookie and hot chocolate" meeting, and my employer's super-helpful idea that the holidays are a great time for the finance people (me) to accelerate the end-of-year close and processing (but we "can still be off by 5…
Birthday wishes from the Chief (or District/Council)
1 Vote On Idea Lots of organizations send birthday wishes by email on your birthday. Why not the Boy Scouts? It would be a nice touch. It might make the National organization seem just a little more personable. And it would be a nice opportunity to thank volunteers for their service.
[Scouters in Dallas-Ft. Worth TX area--please share in Comments if you have any more data!] OK, this requires some explaining. I saw a comment posted related to "Boy Scouts" and "Architecture". I've tried multiple times on separate occasions to get a link to work for the Museum of Nature & Science in Dallas TX.
3 Vote On Idea I am in search of any survey resources that have been created for a company to use in throughout their employees to identify lost Eagle Scouts or even alumni at large. If such resources exist it would be great to have a location that they could be accessed from.
-2 Vote On Idea I work in the Development Department and we need to produce invitations and cards for our many special events, and the printing costs certainly add up. My suggestion is to design your own invitations, Christmas cards, etc.
If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it. Margaret Fuller We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.
One day in 1909 in London, England, An American Visitor, William D. Boyce, lost his way in a dense fog. He stopped under a street lamp and tried to figure out where he was. A boy approached him and asked if he could be of help.
Be prepared to fight in the defense of your country. The majority of us will not be called to go join the military but all of us are called to be defenders of our country. Being a defender of your country means that you actually defend and protect your rights as a citizen.
Looking back, looking forward, looking in… A normal program year in a Scouting unit provides plenty of opportunities for evaluation, review, and reflecting. We, as Scouters, should take full advantage of these opportunities to ensure we are doing the best we can for our Scouts.
I must admit that every once in a while I cannot resist this bit of fun (so long as it is not demeaning my Scouts). There's no 'butt' to this joke and everyone ends up laughing. Bring a box or bag of chocolate covered raisins on your next camp out.
It's Not Winning Or Losing Scouting is a game. At least that's what it's supposed to be. Some would even say it's supposed to be a game with a purpose, but it seems to me that there are an awful lot of people out there who tend to go to extremes.
It's How You Play The Game Imagine what football would be like if all of the effort involved in the game was focused solely on the aims of the game, with no regard to how the rules expect the game to be played, or what is allowed or not allowed.
In early January 2009, you will be able to fill out and submit tour permits online via the BSA MyScouting system . At the link below (via the Atlanta Area Council website) is set of instructions on the new online tour permit system. Link (pdf) Posted in ADMINISTRATION, CUB SCOUTS
Barring some bizarre accident or something, I will be online live Christmas Eve. I'll start spinning music around 9:30 PM CST and will join the show when I can; hopefully a little after 10. Chat room will be open and I'll take what Christmas requests I have.
Dr. Architecture contacted me a while ago with more resources for those pursuing the Architecture merit badge . Here are his recommended resources: Becoming an Architect: A Guide to Careers in Design --Amazon link Summer programs listed (Summer 2009 to be updated by the end of January 2009) National Architectural Accrediting Board ( NAAB ) provides a list…
If your family member is an outdoorsman (or woman) and you don't know what to put in their stocking, let me help you. Several of the items were on my post the other night about things to consider for winter camp: chap stick, hand warmers, etc”¦ Here are a few more: Carabiners; whether they climb…
If your family member is an outdoorsman (or woman) and you don't know what to put in their stocking, let me help you. Several of the items were on my post the other night about things to consider for winter camp: chap stick, hand warmers, gloves, small flashlights, etc… Here are a few more: Carabiners…
BSA National has unveiled a new Annual Health and Medical Record that replaces all previous BSA medical forms. Here are some things to note about the new Record: Parts A and C are to be filled out annually by youth and adult members of all BSA units (including Cub Scout packs).
Hopefully your holiday is going great but Scouting for certain individuals never stops and will continue through the holiday Season. As this is the case, National Council of the Boy Scouts of America has released a New Health Form which will replace the under 40 standard health form, the over 40 standard health form, high…
Another few spare hours, and a few more improvements to HalfEagle! First, this image to the right here has been annoying me for sometime. Why? Because to speed up the site, HalfEagle has to do some caching of Flickr images.
Especially this time of year we talk about doing good deeds for others, giving of ourselves. While out today in drizzly wet weather, there was traffic, crowds, bad drivers, bad walkers, and people that just couldn't push a grocery cart any better than they could drive.
Merry Christmas or happy Holidays whichever you prefer. Please as you go through the rest of the nigth and christmas day please remember what the true spirit of christmas is. Yours In Scouting Service Mark W Junior Assistant Scoutmaster Troop 1616
One of the official suggested Webelos activity badges for June is Traveler . Here are the requirements for the Traveler Webelos activity badge : Do five of these: 1. Get a map or timetable from a railroad, bus line, airline, subway, or light rail.
Late last night, on Christmas Eve, several of us from around the country joined Chris for his live " An Hour A Week " Christmas show. The chat room was very lively as we listened to Chris and the various Christmas music he was playing.
Twas the Night before Christmas, and all through the Camp Not a creature was stirring, not even a cub Scout; Our backpacks were hung by the campfire with care, In hopes that St. nick soon would be there; The scouts were nestled in their sleeping bags so warm Visions of smores and Dutch Ovens danced…
Merry Christmas from Scouting News! While things have been quiet on the news front, I just wanted to remind everyone we are still here. Hopefully everyone had a good Christmas Day with family and friends and will have a joyous holiday season!
Hello fellow Scouters, I hope you all had a great Christmas. As Scout leaders, we are in a competition - we are competing with other youth programs for the increasingly divided time of parents and children. This is not news, as we deal with this all the time.
For your February Blue and Gold Banquet, you may want decorations fitting the official " American ABC's " theme . Here are some Flying Colors party supplies available at the Factory Card & Party Outlet on Amazon.com: 10 1/2″ Paper Plates (8 count) - $2.75 Paper Luncheon Napkins (16 count) - $2.07 9 Ounce Paper Cups (8 count) - $1.77 Shipping is…
Troop 483 is off to Winter Camp at Camp Strake today. Looks like their week is going to start out warm and rainy. We'll have about 28 scouts and 6-7 adults attending, along with 3 scouts from Troop 658 camping with them.
Be Prepared… the meaning of the motto is that a scout must prepare himself by previous thinking out and practicing how to act on any accident or emergency so that he is never taken by surprise. - Sir Robert Baden-Powell
Centennial Quality Commitment and Achievement Form for Unit Award Sheets
3 Vote On Idea Since the Centennial Quality Commitment and Achievement Form for Unit Award report sheets are set up by the National Council BSA - and since most of the necessary information to fill them out is in ScoutNet - it seems there should be a way for that information (percentages of membership and training, etc.)
Welcome to Friday Funny! Every Friday, Scouting News will share a Scouting related joke with our readers. Hopefully you find it just as funny as we did! Sorry this one isn't Scouting related, but it is Christmas related. Rudolph and his wife, Hilga, were shopping in downtown Moscow one day.
As one of our Troop's eight COPE facilitators, I've been very proud of the six boys who are not only Boy Scouts but also members of the Crew. They have had going to COPE as one of their primary goals since inception a year ago.
Scouting has long been a positive, constructive influence in the lives of young people. This vast potential for good lies in simple, direct methods that have been applied effectively across widely different cultures and systems of belief. These methods need little adaptation, modification or complication - they only require application to create opportunities for Scouts to…
It is the end of the month, and that means it is time for another ten questions from the 1984 Scout Mania trivia book. The theme this month is "Basics and Badges". In other words, basic BSA Scout knowledge. Keep in mind though, these questions are based on the 1984 Boy Scouts of America Scout…
Gerald R. Ford Council is able to thank the heavy snow in Michigan for making a tough property decision easier. The Council was debating whether or not they should expand the main dining hall at their Boy Scout Camp, Gerber Scout Camp.
It never seems to fail that no matter how little rain an area can get for a season, if you book a campout, it will come. Apparently, this test wasn't failed for Troop 483. Yesterday, a cold front moved through the Conroe and Houston, TX area dropping the temperature and bringing with it rain.
I am sure that you have heard the story and sang about Little Bunny Foo Foo at some point in your time involved in Scouting. You may have even lead the song during a campfire or pack program. Cub Scouts love the song.
The National Order of the Arrow (OA) Planning meeting is currently taking place down in Dallas, Texas (TX). Part of the meeting is the election of the 2009 National Officers. These young men will represent the Order of the Arrow across the country for the next year, and will have an integral part of running…
1 (8oz) pkg. Tony Chachere's jambalaya mix 1 (6oz) pkg. frozen, cooked chicken breast strips, thawed 1 (11oz) can mexicorn 1 (2.25oz) can chopped black olives In a lg. pot, combine jambalaya mix & 2 1/4 cups water. Heat to boiling, reduce heat and cook slowly 5 min.
Almost all of us have either had the personal experience of working with someone who displayed bad apple behaviors ... When this process starts to unfold at work, it consumes inordinate amounts of time, psychological resources, and emotional energy. ... such circumstances underlie many people's reluctance to fully commit to teams...
The National Advanced youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE) Website has been updated with information for the 2009 courses. What is NAYLE? The National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE) is a course offered by the Philmont Training Center that is based at the Rocky Mountain Scout Camp.
As with all the Webelos activity badges, the best resources for Traveler are the Webelos Handbook and the Webelos Leader Guide . Here are some other Traveler resources that may be helpful: Meritbadge.org Traveler Worksheet (pdf) SHAC Traveler Packet (pdf) [ via Buckeye ] Scouting the Net - Traveler Hendra's Traveler Packet (pdf) [ via MacScouter and scoutingthenet.com ] Pack 152…
0 Vote On Idea It would be great if a report could be run that shows the number of adults who were trained in the year by county. United Way always ask how we used their funding and if we could EASILY tell them the number who received training it would help with the application…
Move Membership & Unit Searches to Home Page of MyBSA
1 Vote On Idea The most frequent item that I and many professionals need to access on MyBSA is the Person and Unit Search functions. However, those functions are located three layers deep on MyBSA (log-in, click on "Membership", then click on "MS Analysis").
0 Vote On Idea I've gotten this suggestion from several volunteers and I agree with it myself. On the unit rosters and on the internet rechartering, it would be great if the youth in Cub Scouts could be grouped by grade and then by last name.
5 Vote On Idea As units complete their online re-charter process, there should be a field for them to update their meeting schedule, time and location as stored in Scoutnet. Having accurate information would make it much easier for U.S.E.s and commissioners to gather that same information for use in planning unit visits, recruitments, FOS…
#167-Problem Child Tonight-Losing Scouts to the economy, New Year's resolutions, Medical Forms and Scout Sunday. Links: Some Ohio Cub Scout Packs See Drop In Numbers- http://www.nbc4i.com/cmh/news/local/article/some_ohio_cub_scout_packs_see_drop_in_numbers/11134/ Tonight's show sponsored by Badge Magic
BSA Supply Group now carries wide body side panels ($2.99/pair) which you can use to add extra width to your Pinewood Derby car. Once they are glued on , the panels add an extra 3/8″ over the wheels , but do not cause the car to exceed size regulations. Link Posted in CUB SCOUTS, Pinewood Derby
-9 Vote On Idea One of the highlights of the jamboree is the arena show. One of the tough decisions has to be who will perform. You need to have someone who will appeal to a broad spectrum of people while still doing a "family" show.
15 Vote On Idea There should be a space on all Training forms and Progress records to include the persons BSA ID number. This would eliminate errors and increse processing time. Comments (0) Category/Tags : Volunteers (20) Mark as duplicate
Palindromes are a lot of fun. A palindrome is a word or phrase that has the same spelling backwards. (Variation in spacing and punctuation are permitted.) Some examples of palindromic words are: radar , rotor , and level . Here are a few palindromic phrases : "Was it a rat I saw?"
The internet has many ways to be "social" in this online world. What began with simple emails has developed into something much more. Now we have sites like Facebook and Myspace to keep in touch with friends and family. One social site I have been using for several months is Twitter ( http://twitter.com ).
4 Vote On Idea Place the current membership total on the Scouting.org web page. Similar to the total hours found on the Good Turn for America web page. There could also be counters for: Alumni, Volunteers, Charter Partners,and even Eagle Scouts.
Well, Scouts, did you make any New Year's resolutions? I hope some of you resolved to bring up your grades in school and be more helpful around the house. I'm sure your parents would be delighted with those resolutions. In Scouting, we make a resolution almost every time we meet.
Ten Essentials of Scoutmastership - A Belief in Boys
The Ten Essentials of Scoutmastership penned by William 'Green Bar' Hillcourt were part of the Scoutmaster's Handbook for many years. A belief in boys that will make you want to invest yourself and your time on their behalf. As Plato said " Of all the animals , the boy is the most unmanageable ".
I had the rare opportunity to be able to visit the troop at Camp Strake's Winter Camp a few days this week. All our scouts were having a good time and I saw lots of smiles. The first few days started off a little rough with wet weather but the week ended with clear skies.
3 Vote On Idea ...and now is no time to stop. With a shrinking economy and shrinking contributions on the horizon, we can take steps now to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, reduce our carbon footprint AND virtually eliminate our monthly electric bills.
0 Vote On Idea Add a count up timer to the Scouting.org web page that says the BSA is this old. Comments (0) Category/Tags : 100th Anniversary (14) Mark as duplicate
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