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From SIr Robert Baden-Powell's 1920 book Scoutmastership : Two simple yet powerful aids to boy training exist ready to hand in (i) the wonderful enthusiasm inherent in the boy; (2) the trainer's own experience of life. One Scoutmaster has told me that he takes my weekly remarks in the Scout as his text for his week's…
A December 28 Associated Press article features a BSA National announcement of Hispanic outreach pilot programs launched in several cities to test ways to introduce scouting to Latino families . As part of the outreach, BSA will be running radio and television commercials , hiring bilingual speakers , and working with churches that serve Latinos.
#169-Polka Your Eyes Out Tonight-Lion Cubs, Pinewood Derby, Blue & Gold, a Pinewood Derby game review, online tour permits, and keeping Leaders focused. Links: Lion Cub pack started in Somerset area community- http://www.newrichmond-news.com/articles/index.cfm? Lowe's Pinewood Derby Dremel Package- Tonight's show sponsored by Badge Magic
18 Vote On Idea With regards to the process, we were just informed that the only individuals that are going to be allowed to submit an online tour permit are the Committtee Chair and Unit Leader (SM, CM, etc). This is conflicting with the efforts that professionals are making to create a stronger support network…
February 1st, 2009 is being advertised as Scout Day with the University of Wisconsin Badger Women's Hockey Team, however its more than just free admission for Scouts in uniform. Kids 12 and under are taking over the Kohl Center, when the Women Badger Hockey team takes on Ohio State at Noon on Sunday, February 1st.
No, this isn't a rant about the usual Commish issues or a Simon & Garfunkel song, it's about that time of the year, to start planning the Blue & Gold dinner to celebrate the anniversary of scouting. This is also when a lot of boys cross over to a Boy Scout troop, hopefully one that they have…
Ok, so I thought about the fact that I haven't had an actual post in almost 2 weeks, so I thought that I would catch a quick one 'tween Christmas and New Year's. It's not that I haven't forgotten, or don't care, I have some irons in the fire, and to be honest, with the…
Here is show number 3... I talk about the history of the Unit Commissioner and have a recorded interview with my friend, Keith, who is an Assistant District Commissioner. You can listen by clicking here Sorry about the sound quality, still working out the bugs
To go back to the last post about troop shopping, I don't want people to think that I am always right, I am not...I want parents to know that they have a choice. We all worry about our son's future, but with scouting, you have that choice...and that is something that you can do with…
No quirky taglines, no movie references or anything of that nature... I have to take a break for a bit...not due to burnout, not due to any one thing, but a combination of things. I will still be blogging, but maybe more about being a dad, not The Commish...
No, not our president elect, and this is a scouter forum. I have my political views, but chose not to expose them here. What I am talking about are den chiefs... A position that is overlooked as another leadership requirement for Boy Scouts or for a den leader to have a babysitter.
This is the time of year, where families get together, eat too much and talk about how bad things have been over the course of the year, and how much better next year will be. Well, it's next year, and what are you going to do about making the changes?
No, not me...Little Joe...my son...just loves that little lemur or rodent thing from Madagascar. Joe isn't a fool, more like a goofy, little 3 year old boy that doesn't know what it means to feel embarassed by dancing around, as we say, like a fool...
No major words of wisdom for today...gonna take a break from it. I think that my readers will understand that I don't have words of wisdom everyday, but today is special... It's Ms. Commish's Birthday today... It's also Sam's Birthday... So happy birthday, to both of you...I love you both...
I have received a bit of email and some encouraging comments...I just wanted to update everyone and let you know that I can be found on iTunes, by going to the Podcast homepage and typing in Commissioner's Corner in the search...
So I was commenting about the paperwork that is involved in doing a re-charter. You may be saying that "there isn't that much that is involved.." but there is. When your leaders are going through the information for the unit, some time and energy should be set aside as to how to fix some of…
It's true...in the bible, it says "In the big-inning..." The beginning...Cub Scouts. About 95% of the boys that are Eagle Scouts, started out as Cub Scouts. It's rare for the most part that a boy joins Boy Scouts without having experienced Cub Scouts...not an opinion, more of a fact, but not what I am here…
On to the Cubbies, not the ones from Chicago, but the Cub Scouts...the Little Boys in Blue. No, they aren't mini-cops or mini-soldiers, but I heard that phrase somewhere and I kind of like it. Parents out there look for resources and places on the net to get all the information for the Cub program.
As I was chatting the other night with Jerry, we got to talking about the program, mine and his, and on to the topic of venturing. From a previous post of mine, I mentioned that some of the boys from the troop asked about starting a Crew...I thought for all of about 2 seconds and…
I love Calvin and Hobbs, so I inserted a couple of my favorite cartoons
For those of you who don't know what NSJ is it is the National Scout jamboree. The National Scout Jamboree is hosted by National Council of the Boy Scouts of America is held held every 3 to 5 years. The Last one was held in 2005 at Fort AP Hill, Virginia.
Jamboree Tours Anything the Boy Scouts of America does requires promotional effort. Often, council and district activities are successful and well-attended, but many people register late and often try to register "at the door." That seems to be common in our movement.
The Boy Scouts of America's 100th Anniversary Jamboree-A Historic Event It is exciting for all of us to be involved in the 2010 National Scout Jamboree. This historic event will always be remembered by those who attend. The first Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree was scheduled to be held in Washington, D.C., in 1935…
Only 558 Days Left to to the Start of the 2010 National Scout Jamboree. Don't Miss your opportunity to participate in this centennial Celebration. Contact your local council as soon as possible. Yours in Scouting Service Mark W JASM Troop 1616
After Meeting Review January 12, 2009 Meeting This meeting our SPL was gone due to a family medical emergency, so our ASPL had to step up and take charge of the meeting. For being in charge of a meeting in a serious sense for the first time by himself he did alright but I realize…
79 Vote On Idea Each month, approximately 200 National BSA employees are mailed their payroll earnings statement by ADP, our electronic payroll company. I believe that they would set up access on the internet (password protected)to the same information, and do so at no additional cost for their service.
Another new Pinewood Derby item from BSA Supply Group– body skins ($6.49 each). These bodywraps can give your car a really cool colorful look without any painting . Link Posted in CUB SCOUTS, Pinewood Derby, STUFF
2 Vote On Idea On the Rechartering Management section why not add additional information such as:12/31/2007 Bluebonnet Troop 0205 1/30/2008 5-Submitted 2/21/2008 (Recharter month - Unit - Login Date - What stage they are in, date submitted) Also if we could ask for that information using a range of months instead of having to pull the reports by…
The Ten Essentials of Scoutmastership penned by William 'Green Bar' Hillcourt were part of the Scoutmaster's Handbook for many years. 3. An immense faith in Scouting as the program that will best serve to mold our youth into fine men.
It was game time during the troop meeting and the Boy Scouts were ready to play. It was a beautiful evening in the city park. The Scouts needed to burn off some calories. Unfortunately, the boys in charge of the game forgot to bring the gear needed to play it.
When I checked HalfEagle today I was very surprised to see just two sites filling the entire first page with posts! I quickly disabled both sites to find out what had happened. In one case, the blogger had simply posted four items during a short period of time on similar topics (so it looked like…
-6 Vote On Idea Female youth members of Venturing should have the opportunity to become members of Scoutings National Honor Society, more commonly known as the Order of the Arrow. Comments (0) Category/Tags : Venturing (7) Mark as duplicate
7 Vote On Idea Since 1998, Exploring Posts have been excluded from using High Adventure Bases in the summer months. They have access during the off peak months. Posts who wish to use the summer programs should not be treated differently as their counterparts.
A water based activity academdy will be running at Hawhirst Scout Activity Centre for members aged 18-25.
12 Vote On Idea I fax my trading post orders in every week. And every week when I get my order there's something missing or incorrect. The invoices show only what was shipped, not what I origianally ordered or its status.
A great article from Scouting Magazine, worth posting in its entirety; Scouting Magazine - January-February 2009 Let Your Scouts Lead By Mark Ray Want to achieve a youth-led unit? Find the balancing point between helping them succeed and letting them flounder.
The February 2009 ( American ABC's ) Program Helps pages from BSA National are now available (free) for download. Program Helps is a great resource for crafts, games, activities and more for pack meetings and activities and Tiger, Wolf, and Bear den meetings.
Eymard Orth, assistant scoutmaster of Melrose Boy Scout Troop 68, recently was recognized by Troop 68 for his twenty years of service. Eymard become an assistant scoutmaster when his son, Peter, was a member of the troop in 1988. Since then, Eymard has attended hundreds of troop meetings and weekend activities.
5 Vote On Idea Bring along a bearskin, place the bearskin over a bucket, and ask every Cub Scout to come up and "feed" the Bear an FOS pledge card. The Scouts get very excited about feeding the bear! This increased responses to the Friends of Scouting Campaign.
5 Vote On Idea The Belt Loop Midway is a District Event that offers a day of classes where Cub Scouts can earn up to 6 Belt Loops in that one day.This unique district event has grown over the years.
4 Vote On Idea Patriots Path Council holds an annual Fishing Derby for Mentally and Physically Challenged Scouts. The Scouts (last year we had 125) come to one of our Council Camps for Fishing, Nature, and Fun. Comments (0) Category/Tags : Other (61) Mark as duplicate
A scout is clean in his speech. When we talk with other people, it's like going on a walk through their mind, and as we listen to others, we let them walk through our minds. When we are with friends and people we like, that walk is fun and enjoyable.
-2 Vote On Idea One way to boost some year end membership is to offer a free week of day camp to any boy who signs up now and has not attended camp in the past year or is currently a registered Scout.
Every Friday five posts from Scoutmaster worth reviewing. This week the subject is Books; Nessmuk ' We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it we go to smooth it. We have it rough enough at home...'
A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were discussing their lives at a class reunion. They decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired, who was always an inspiration to them. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work, lives and relationships.
Our pack 2009 winter/spring schedules are now complete. Here are a few things to note: Our pack meets every Tuesday from 6-7 p.m. In a typical month, two weeks will be den meetings , one week will be a joint pack field trip , and one week will be pack meeting or pack event .
0 Vote On Idea Adults enjoy getting recognized with Awards in Scouting such as the Tiger Den Leader Award Knot or the Cub Scouter Award & Knot. Our support staff person in charge of awards gets the paperwork for the award and then has to go to the scout shop to purchase the certificate and knot.
0 Vote On Idea Teen programs (such as Venturing and Exploring) are, in my opinion, the areas of greatest ability to grow as an organization. I've been tasked with creating a sustainable TLC within my council. However, I have struggled to find comprehensive BSA-produced information on how to run a TLC (Teen Leader's Council)/VOA (Venturing…
0 Vote On Idea When printing out codes and reports need to be able to print all or just print by District. This will save time on cutting and pasteing. Comments (0) Category/Tags : Applications & Registration (20) Mark as duplicate
Hello fellow Scouters, In this installment of Webelos to Scout Transition, I want to talk about progressive Webelos camping. One thing that I've done with my two Webelos dens is introduce the boys to camping with Boy Scouts gradually. Thankfully, my council and district have given opportunities for this.
No longer a teenager………………….. Today my son turned 20. Another milestone in his life. I am very proud of you and all you have accomplished in your life so far son, and I look foreword to what your future has in store.
As you may see, I have a new blog logo...not that my hand was forced, but I had to do what is right. The District Commissioner called a meeting and decided that he no longer wanted me on staff, a move that was unfounded and a personal attack on yours truly.
Anagrams are cool. An anagram is a rearrangement of the letters of a word or phrase to form a new word or phrase using each letter exactly once. For example, you can rearrange the letters of "William Shakespeare" and get "I am a weakish speller."
Welcome to my first post. We are well into the month of January and it is time transition scouts to find their prospective boy scout troop that they expect to join when they make that all important step at crossover.
Scouting and competitions have gone hand in hand since the beginning of the scout movement. Boys vs. boys has it's merits as a way to check one's understanding of the values beging taught within the program. Knowing first aid, for instance, is not enough but being able to demonstrate that knowledge of first aid under…
I, Colleen, am a scoutaholic. It has been two days since my last meeting. To set the stage, I'll fill you in on the background of what has led to this confession. I've been nursing, what I'll lovingly call the Houston Crud (aka a cold caused by daily shifts between 40 & 80 degree highs) since…
It will soon be time for the 2010 National Jamboree . Boy Scouts have begun making their plans to attend, and save money to make those payments. Adult leaders are in training to become the scoutmasters and assistants for this huge event.
0 Vote On Idea Skype is a very useful tool that I've found can help save a lot of money. I just switched my cell plan to 500 minutes from 900 because of it. Here are some of the features Skype offers and how they could be helpful: Instant messaging: Skype offers instant messaging, but…
I have witnessed thousands and thousands of openings for pack, and troop meetings and they pretty much are all the same. Every meeting began with the flag ceremony and the Pledge of Alliegence, and then followed by the Cub Scout Promise and Law of the Pack, or the Boy Scout Promise and the Boy Scout…
A good positive attitude can truly change the way you approach life, and your future. Let me illustrate with a short story. A few years ago, there was a wildlife organization out west that offered a bounty of $5000 for wolves captured alive.
If you haven't signed up for the OA National Events Information Newsletter yet, you are missing valuable National Order of the Arrow Conference news! Another update went out on January 15th, here are the highlights: Chief Corps Looking for Chiefs to further their commitment to LIVING THE LEGACY of servant leadership.
One of the official suggested Webelos activity badges for April is Family Member . Here are the requirements for the Family Member Webelos activity badge : Do all of these: 1. Tell what is meant by family, duty to family, and family meetings.
0 Vote On Idea Why not have a national Venturing site that provides templates for Crews to have their own sites. If it had social networking capabilitites, it would be even better. This could be sold as just another program support offered for Venturing or an option in the charter that costs X$ per year.
0 Vote On Idea The Career Interest survey is divided into clusters, but from what I understand, it is not in the cluster groups that counselors generally recognize. When an executive goes and tries to sell the idea of running the surveys, the information gathered is not as useful to the counselors as it could…
0 Vote On Idea Why not have a special ceremony developed for Boy Scouts to Venturing? If Venturing really is Scouting's next step, couldn't we have a bridging ceremony at an Eagle Scout ceremony when a boy officially joins a Crew?
My Troop got back from a weekend campout today a little after 12. By the time all the Scouts were picked up and the Troop gear had been dropped off, I was pretty tired but also pretty excited. We have a lot of really great things happening in our Troop and a lot of cool…
Rocky Mountain Council, BSA announced record growth in 2008. 1,900 new boys, young men and young women have joined the Council giving it a membership of 5,173 youth with a total net increase of 29.7%. The Council saw a 5% jump in traditional membership during the year, with community programs rising 8.8%.
A Scout is helpful. A Scout cares about other people. He willingly volunteers to help others without expecting payment or reward. A crucial signpost in the road to maturity marks the point when we look beyond ourselves to the interests of others.
As you may all know, I have undergone some major changes in my life within the last 2 weeks...almost getting a divorce, resigning as The Commish are a couple that come to mind. Another one is my faith...I have found my way back to God.
Fast Tracks is a National BSA program which is designed to help dens make sure their boys are advancing in rank. Fast Tracks is a series of den meeting plans (two den meetings per month) designed to be used in conjunction with the youth handbooks.
As you have probably noticed from pack 19 schedule flyers posted here, I think flyers with fonts and clip art can be a lot of fun. Since most people do not have Microsoft Publisher , at the link below is a schedule flyer template in Microsoft Word format I made which you can customize.
When Pat approaches the teacher and says "John hit me!" the teacher talks to John and sends Pat to play with Bill. Later Pat returns to the teacher and says "Bill hit me!". Now the teacher had better talk to Pat.
0 Vote On Idea Currently the only Venturing Advancement report we receive is the Boy Scout ranks earned through a Venturing Crew. It would be beneficial to have a format for tracking the Bronze, Gold, Silver, Ranger, Quest, Quartermaster, TRUST.
0 Vote On Idea There are a lot of helpful reports when you go into the membership gadget and then the MS Analysis feature. Being able to pull up 5 year histories is a great tool which can be very helpful.
For every order of $50 or more you place between January 19th and January 28th at Scoutstuff.org , they'll send you a $10 Boy Scouts of America Gift Card. Use it at your local national Scout Shop or online at Scoutstuff.org .
Once again, I have to say thanks to all the positive calls and feedback that I have received in regards to my situation. I want to quote an email that I recieved from "The Hawk" "I feel that we are diminished by the loss of your voice in this position, but I am hopeful that…
I watch Cnet for interesting tech stories. Today I found a good one on utilizing a GPS to help get around better and faster. Here's the link to the story. Getting lost with a GPS? Unfortunately, yes For those that want the quick version.
This Summer, the Order of the Arrow will be piloting its first International High Adventure Program at Northern Tier's Donald Rogert Canoe Base at Atikokan in Canada. This program will be building on 10 years of success with Wilderness Voyage, the OA's presence at Northern Tier's Charles L.
I've always enjoyed the site twistori because it is such an interesting experience to watch the random connected together. Since I've been on somewhat of a Twitter roll this holiday weekend, I decided to see if I could make a similar experience for Scouting related tweets.
Shortly after I started writing this blog I registered it with a site called Blog Patrol which had a nice little counter for the site and kept statistics for one week. It was fun watching the daily stats climb, but not so fun watching them drop.
In 1984 62 year old Cliff Young took 7th place in one of the world's most grueling ultra-marathons; Australia's 543 mile endurance race from Sydney to Melbourne. The winner needs about five days to complete a punishing course usually only attempted by intensely trained world-class athletes half Cliff's age.
If you have been a scout leader for more than a few years, you probably remember the large BSA Supply Group annual print catalogs which were mailed to leaders and scout shops. For the past few years, Supply Group has opted instead to produce a few promotional print catalogs each year which are much smaller…
Congratulations to Trevor Davis of Troop 13 and Evan Neu of Troop 18, both of Central Minnesota Council, named the 2008 St. Cloud Morning Optimist Club Youth Award winners. Chartered in 1973, the St. Cloud Morning Optimist Club members represent a cross section of their community.
Apparently, something is happening in the USA today……! Just after the American Presidential election was over, I noticed that the Scout Association had put out a story about the new President having been a Cub in his youth and so I put up a post about it .
Today America welcomes our new President Barack Obama. A historic inauguration that embodies both a change of historic moment and a continuim of peaceful, democratic transition of, arguably, the most powerful position of leadership in the world. Until today the promise of an African American president was merely a conceptual aspiration, a vauge possibility of…
Seen today at Nick's Ramblings You don't have to be a Scout to lead a country but it helps… Today, Barak Obama becomes the latest in a long list of world leaders who gained their first taste of leadership at an early age as Scouts.
1 Vote On Idea This idea is from a volunteer in Loomis, CA. Now that BSA is collecting tour applications online, why not let units see when and where other units are going camping? Units that go for the first time to a certain place outside of the normal time of the year could have…
A Cub Scout who realized his cousin was drowning and pulled him to safety received a Heroism Award during a National Court of Honor Ceremony on Wednesday, January 14th, 2009. Zach Heatley, a member of Cub Scout Pack 531, chartered to the Kratz Elementary School PTO in the Ritenour School District, was recognized at the…
Imagine sleeping outside in a cardboard box during the frigid winter nights in Minnesota to call attention to the plight of the homeless. That is exactly what a Boy Scout from Plymouth, Minnesota Boy Scout has done since he was five years old!
2 Vote On Idea For the 100th Anniversary It would be neat to see the Boy Scout Handbook BACK on the Best Seller lists like it was back in the day...back in the Baden Powell days 'Scouting for Boys' was a best seller, and the book was a major way to recruit new boys, where…
The recent OA National Events Information Newsletter included information about the Order of the Arrow Ocean Adventure Program being sold out for 2009. Keep in mind that the Ocean Adventure Program is SOLD OUT for 2009! If you would like to participate in Order of the Arrow Ocean Adventure in 2010, you should sign up…
#170-New York Groove Tonight-Iraqi Scouts, Webelos to Scout Transition Tracking, Belt Loop Midway, Friends of Scouting Presentations Made Fun for Cub Scout Packs, and March theme ideas. Links: Local scouts get education exchange with Iraqi scouts- http://www.wrdw.com/homeandfamily/headlines/37395829.html Pinewood Derby Potential Awards- http://www.cubpacks.org/ks/cs/899/pw_2003_awards.htm Tonight's show sponsored by ScoutData.com
0 Vote On Idea When checking unit rosters or individual leaders, we should have the ability to see e-mail addresses. The current applications have slots for e-mail but having these available for ScoutNet would be very helpful. Comments (0) Category/Tags : Technology (91) Mark as duplicate
The Ten Essentials of Scoutmastership penned by William 'Green Bar' Hillcourt were part of the Scoutmaster's Handbook for many years. 4. A realization that to the boys Scouting is a game - to you, a game with a purpose: Character building and Citizenship training.
Computer Problems Well I have not been able to get online or have access to a computer that would allow me to access my blog. I tried at school but due to the filters and security protocols for student accounts blogs/personal web pages are blocked, which to me is definitely not the worst thing that…
This is part one of a two-part interview with the Co-Directors of 759: Boy Scouts of Harlem conducted by Joshua R. Godinez. This is Joshua's first, but hopefully not last, article on Scouting News, his website BoyandGirlScouts.com provides News, Opinion, Advice with the tagline, "Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts under one roof… with proper supervision…
As with all the Webelos activity badges, the best resources for Family Member are the Webelos Handbook and the Webelos Leader Guide . Here are some other Family Member resources that may be helpful: Meritbadge.org Family Member Worksheet (pdf) SCCC Family Member Packet (pdf) [ via Buckeye ] Scouting the Net - Family Member Hendra's Family Member Packet (pdf)…
0 Vote On Idea Can the link to support pages other than Onlin support be added to the MyBSA home page so you don't have to go through ScoutNet to get to it Comments (0) Category/Tags : Technology (91) Mark as duplicate
Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts." - Aristotle The Scout law tells us that a Scout is Brave. So what is Bravery and how are we as Scouts and Scouters Brave?
I received an email from my wife today (she does that from time to time as we sometimes work opposite shifts) and usually she sends me some funny joke or video. But today, she sent me a video about Nick Vujicic , a motivational speaker.
