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I have received a few inquiries as to where more information could be found on "The Chiefs Corps", that was referenced in the NOAC Update - 1/15/09 . Since I was unable to find additional information on the 2009 National Order of the Arrow Conference website , here is the full article that was sent out in the…
Did you know that the 1957 Jamboree was second of three Jamborees held at Valley Forge. During this jamboree there was 50,100 scouts and the theme for this jamboree was that of "Onward For My God and My Country" The 1950 Jamboree held at Valley Forge was featured on the July 24, 1950 cover of…
Author and Instructor Peter Kummerfeldt conducts outdoor safety skills seminars for his company OutdoorSafe . he writes: The tendency to hold optimistic opinions of our ability seems to be a part of human nature. No one wants to be "average," we want to believe that we are "better than average."
When Tony Townsley, chief financial officer for Hokanson Companies Inc. and Assistant Scoutmaster for Del-Mi Troop 152, and his wife set up an allowance system for their children, they knew they wanted to impart the values of personal financial management and philanthropy.
You can now order official Cub Scout checks ($13.95/box) from Identity Check Printers. Each box includes four different check designs : Cub Scouting's 12 Core Values, 10 Purposes of Cub Scouting, Cub Scout derbies, and Cub Scout rank badges. ICP also has these items for Cub Scouters: Cub Scout checkbook cover ($19.95), Cub Scout labels ($9.95/set)…
Hmmm”¦ We all tell the scouts to live by the scout oath, but sadly, I'm afraid we don't always practice what we preach. While I'm certainly in far better physical condition than I was two years ago, I have a very long way to go.
0 Vote On Idea Is there not a way for the system to automaticallt send an e-mail to the council's tour permit adminstrator letting them know there is a new tour permit that need's to be approved? Comments (0) Category/Tags : Technology (91) Mark as duplicate
OK, I've been busy . 2009 is looking a lot better, and I have a lot of plans for the blog in the new year. Pick up the " Weekend Patrol Box " series. Continue the " Merit Badge of the Week " series. Add a "Cub Theme of the Month" series.
I have thought about it... George Bush isn't in office anymore, but he is still President Bush... So, I may not be in office, but I am still Commissioner Cleary.... More to follow
Twenty years ago, when I worked in a lumber yard in Melrose, a salesman came in to speak to one of the owners. I explained that she was busy at the moment but should be available in a minute or two.
This is the second part ( read part one here ) of the 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…
-1 Vote On Idea I would like to see us be able to pull up a ward roster out of scoutnet in the same way we can pull up individual units. Comments (0) Category/Tags : Technology (91) scoutnet Mark as duplicate
0 Vote On Idea I would suggest to put a Phone Number box on the Advancement Report. 90% of the time when I am entering advancements the kids are not registered. It would be so much easier and faster if they put their phone number on the form so I don't have to look it…
So most of you have read what I wrote my previous post...in a nutshell, the District Commissioner was wrong, and I decided to dedicate my energy to my wife's unit, instead of fighting someone who needs to be educated on district operations.
Each month, the Boy Scout Roundtable has a plan to highlight the monthly themes for the following month. The idea is to give you a "leg up" on material to help your Scouts expand their horizons a bit. I wish they encouraged the units to use it more.
Sometimes you stumble on something that is worth sharing. Well in my never ending stumbling.. I found this gem and need to share it. ATTITUDE by: Charles Swindoll The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
At our Venture Round table tonight after the first hour my mind started to drift away from the conversation we were having about scuba diving and how each crew is different. I started reflecting back to all the years I spent in Scouting with my son from the night we signed him up as a…
Every Friday five posts from Scoutmaster worth reviewing. This week the subject is Cooking; Pineapple Upside Down Cake Next time you go camping make a pineapple upside down cake. No, really, it is easy, fun and delicious. The Venerable Foil Dinner A mainstay of any Scout's arsenal of cooking methods the foil dinner is simple…
Murphys Laws of Camping Any stone in a hiking boot migrates to the location of maximum pressure. Remaining distance to a given campsite remains constant as twilight approaches. Number of mosquitoes at any given location is inversely proportional to the volume of remaining repellent.
Klondike Derby: How much fun can you stand? By B. James Voorhies Deseret News Staff This is a fun winter camping story from the Salt Lake City, Utah evening newspaper called the Deseret News February 5, 1987 AIRPORT SOCKED IN?
Before television became dominant, kids tended to aspire to the careers they were exposed to in real life. But today, children develop a picture of the adult work from what they see on television. As the Center for Media Literacy points out the article " When I Grow Up: Children and the Work-World of Television ," tv…
The Mid-America Council, Boy Scouts of America is recognized as "Centennial Quality Council" for 2008, for providing youth members with the highest quality program experience possible. For nearly 100 years, the Boy Scouts of America has created a strong foundation of leadership, service, and community for millions of America's youth.
We have all heard of Murphy's Law which states, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." Mark W. at ScoutingManiac has recently blogged about a list of Murphy's Laws of Camping which he found at the Boy Scout Trail website.
As mentioned before, I've been busy . Or maybe it was the number 13? Camping kind of comes to a standstill during the Christmas and New Year's seasons. Too much work, never enough family, and an endless parade of Scouting paperwork.
0 Vote On Idea With the aim of improving the success of a new pack and assisting existing packs that are stuggling with leadership collapse, would it be possible to form a district team, say 3 to 4 experienced adults, who could be called upon to to run the first couple pack meetings, help identify…
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! I finally figured out why some Scouts have a problem keeping the Scout Oath and Scout Law straight.
Many packs and dens find the monthly themes useful. They help to integrate the program with fun ideas and twists to keep the boys engaged. [I wish the Program Helps covered Webelos--they always seem to get left out of the theme.] One of the first things I do in June is email out the list…
3 Vote On Idea This suggestion is both technological and cultural. For decades, Charter Renewal has been the time for units to fill gaps in their leadership and register new adult leaders. But many years have now passed since background checks of volunteers has become part of Scouting.
0 Vote On Idea Sail away with the BSA for an incredible week of training, fellowship and Scouting fun!! This adult experience is aimed at volunteers who want to incorporate Scouting into a mid-winter get-away. During our seven day cruise, you will enjoy three full days at sea - filled with a variety of training programs…
Since I am a gear junky and live by the axiom that "If you take care of your gear, it will take care of you", I am always aware of where my gear is. Particularly when it comes to the Friday nights that we are departing on camp outs.
Hat Tip: BoyandGirlScouts.com: Play the Merit Badge Game Sporcale has a Boy Scouts Merit Badge Quiz Game on its website. The goal of the game is to list all 121 Boy Scout Merit Badges in under 10 minutes. About Sporcle Originally begun as a sports pick'em site, Sporcle changed directions with the response to the…
1 Vote On Idea now that the new uniform came out, it seems Venturing is stuck in the past. Any possibility of updating the recommended Venturing uniform, too? Comments (0) Category/Tags : Venturing (11) Mark as duplicate
When thousands of composites manufacturers, suppliers and consultants converged on the Tampa Convention Center last week for COMPOSITES+ POLYCON 2009, 31 local Boy Scouts joined them. On Saturday, January 17, these young men attended the conference and trade show as part of "Think Composites," an outreach program for students developed by the American Composites Manufacturers…
At the close of life the question will be not how much have you got, but how much have you given; not how much have you won, but how much have you done; not how much have you saved, but how much have you sacrificed; how much have you loved and served, not how much…
1 Vote On Idea Would it be possible to modify the adult application so we can note which merit badges people are counselors for? This way, when we go to Scoutnet, we could run a report on who the counselors are for and what subjects there are counselors for.
4 Vote On Idea When volunteers fill out the adult application, they almost always seem to forget to fill out the right hand column unless specifically instructed to do so. Could this column be highlighted or at least question number six, so that we don't have to go back to as many folks and say…
Ethan had a den meeting the other night, Sam had the week off from Den meetings, only the pack meeting. We got to his den leaders house and I got set up. He had emailed me earlier in the week wanting to know if I would be interested in going over Boy Scout stuff with…
Twenty years ago the volunteers at Mel-TV, our local cable access television station, filmed a program in which five men who were Scout leaders were interviewed about their Scouting experiences. I took that old vhs tape and transferred it to a dvd.
Over 430 businesspeople from Southeastern Wisconsin converged on the Country Springs Hotel for Potawatomi Area Council's 11th Annual Leadership Breakfast to learn more about Scouting in the area and hear Mike Huckabee's views on leadership. Mr. Huckabee was the 44th Governor of Arkansas, serving from 1996-2007, and campaigned for the 2008 Republican nomination for President.
Ever wonder what your Pinewood Derby car experiences flying down the track? Thanks to the Pack 336 News Van you don't have to wonder anymore! This creative Pinewood Derby Car, or van, was submitted by Cub Scout Riley during Cub Scout Pack 336's Pinewood Derby.
0 Vote On Idea Considering that the only place that Cubs can earn the shooting sports belt loops/pins is at organized district/council events (which for many is only at Day Camp), and considering that because many day camps are held in public parks which may not allow archery or more notably BB shooting, could a…
I have been a part of the BSA program for 20yrs (give or take a yr) and I started my career in Cubs and then Boy Scouts and now I am an adult leader on the volunteer level. Through the years I have heard the same comments about scouting that never change.
Hello fellow Scouters, Nothing sucks the life out of a pack meeting like a dry, boring ceremony. I've seen ceremonies that were so boring that they put a halt to a pack meeting - they can be like putting a car in Park when you are still driving.
One of the most amazing things I have learned about the scouting program is that the people you meet that will step up and be counted when a fellow scouter asks for volunteers is astounding. The photo on the left was taken at the first Webelos Outdoors Event that I hosted and these people pictured…
The principles of Leave No Trace might seem unimportant until you consider the combined effects of millions of outdoor visitors. One poorly located campsite or campfire may have little significance, but thousands of such instances seriously degrade the outdoor experience for all.
4 Vote On Idea this was posted in the Scouting Community group called "Innovation Engine for Volunteers": The main page of scouting.org has no phone numbers on it. No postal address. No physical address. No map to the scouting museum.
In the spring of 2008, the United Way of East Central Iowa (UWECI) reduced funding to Hawkeye Area Council by $116,500 annually, a 54% reduction in their previous allocation. This represented an 8.1% reduction in the Council's operating income. The full effect of the reduction begins January 1, 2009 with the start of the reduced…
Funny story. When I was teaching my older son's 5th grade Webelos den the Scout Law five years ago, they would get stuck. A believer in word play for memorization, I reminded them all they were ‘kind of obedient' to get them over the hump and so they would always remember what comes after Kind.
What has over 28 million registered members in 33 countries? If you said members of the World Organization of the Scout Movement ...give yourself an A. Yes, that's right more than 28 million scouts and scouters populating the earth and all running a program similar to which our founder Lord Baden Powell started back in…
Saturday was a terrific day of Scouting, let me recap it for you. The day started with Training. Our District holds "Super Saturday Training" about 3 or 4 times a year, depending on what the Council activities look like. Super Saturday training allows leaders to get their training done in one day (Expect Scoutmasters and…
Winter time is no time to forget about leave no trace. In fact, winter time is a great time to teach and reinforce those Leave no Trace principles with your Scouts. Winter camping offers a pristine environment where every day there can be new trails, things tend to disappear in the snow, and camping takes…
The Spirit of Daytona Racing No. 09 Porsche V8-powered Coyote sported signage from Boy Scouts of America as the team kicked off the 2009 Rolex Sports Car Series season with a run at the famed Rolex 24 At Daytona this weekend.
One of the official suggested Webelos activity badges for July is Aquanaut . Here are the requirements for the Aquanaut Webelos activity badge : Do these: 1. Jump into water over your head. Come to the surface and swim 100 feet, at least half of this using a backstroke.
A Scout is friendly. A Scout is a friend to all. He is a brother to other Scouts. He offers his friendship to people of all races and nations, and respects them even if their customs are different from his own .
Long ago, somewhere in Africa, a little place called Koolamunga had a Scout troop but no Cub Pack. When the missionary, John Cristy, sent out word that he was going to start a pack, all the boys who were too young to be Scouts rushed over to join.
Here is a new Scouting for Food participation patch ($1.19) available from BSA Supply Group. In our pack, we usually give a patch to all the boys who participate in the annual Scouting for Food drive. Most boys love getting patches. Link Posted in CUB SCOUTS, Patches, Service Projects
4 Vote On Idea Offer a $2 savings on the BSA adult registration fee if the Scouter chhoses to receive Scouting Magazine electronically. Comments (0) Category/Tags : Applications & Registration (21) Mark as duplicate
I was once asked, "What does it take to get the Eagle Medal?" My response was that you don't " get" the Eagle Medal but rather you earn the right to receive the Eagle Scout. There are 3 things that I believe that are key to earning the Eagle rank: 1.
-1 Vote On Idea Given the challenging economic times at both the Local and National Council level, any meeting that can be postponed or cancelled this year will save money needed for the advancement of the Scouting program and membership recruitment.
Following a conversation on Twitter about Eagle Scouts, I ended up running across this list of Fictional Eagle Scouts and found it very interesting. Here are a few Fictional Eagle Scouts: - Jonathan Archer and Malcolm Reed of Star Trek: Enterprise - Professor Roy Hinkley of Gilligan's Island Gilligan's Island pilot episode "Two on a Raft"[30] the…
0 Vote On Idea Currently the District Advancement Report does not include Venturing advancements. Since the Crew shows up on the report, it would be nice for their awards to be included on it as well. When you look at the report it appears that they have not earned anything.
Those of you who follow this blog know that I produce a video podcast known as Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast ( MSPP ). I have recently been asked to produce an audio podcast based on the material found in those video podcasts.
I didn't want this to wait for the next "Patrol Box". Part of "mentally awake" is learning the basics of managing your money. It doesn't get any more basic than this--and the techniques used are still valid. This video is as true today as ever--and with the continuing slide in camera prices, it isn't too…
0 Vote On Idea This may be available, but I am not sure where to find it. I would like to see a form which could be shared with my advancement chair that cross-referenced each boy's birthdate with their current rank.
This past month's edition of "Scouting Magazine," had a wonderful article on Adult Leadership Knots and Knots scouts can earn for accomplishing various requirements above and beyond the call of duty (meaning that these awards are not required for rank advancement and do not determine the final outcome of one aspiring to reach Eagle Scout)…
-1 Vote On Idea I know up until around 1965 it was possible for an adult to earn the eagle rank. Out of the first nine eagles earned, at least one was an eagle scout. I know some of the arguments for and against allowing this.
Discipline is a part of leadership, and a good leader keeps that in mind. It isn't always pleasant, but it is necessary, and if done in a spirit of love and concern, all are better because of it. Sometimes we need to be reminded that there are two reasons why a leader must discipline those…
From an article in Outside magazine: Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht, the world's leading authority on freezing to death, believes the best way to study the effects of cold on the human body is to get intimate with the elements. Along the way to claiming numerous research firsts, the 45-year-old physiologist and director of the University of…
This story was written by Mrs. Betty Stephens of the 917th Wing Public Affairs office. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mrs. Betty Stephens) During Unit Training Assembly for the 917th Wing, Jan. 10, Airmen were rushing from place to place to engage in their required training, but this weekend they were joined by a group of Boy…
Before any BSA group may have a swimming activity, there must be a Safe Swim Defense trained leader in charge. As with all the Webelos activity badges, the best resources for Aquanaut are the Webelos Handbook and the Webelos Leader Guide .
0 Vote On Idea Include Scouting Heritage as a Merit Badge. Many of our Scouts do not know about the movement of Scouting. Requirements could include some of the following. 1. Write an essay about one of the Founders of Scouting 3.
#171-All Those Years Ago… It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepp.. wait, that's not right. Four years ago today, I grabbed a freebie microphone and started babbeling. This show is all about the history of An Hour A Week.
For 15 minutes, or a couple pages in Boys' Life at least, Troop 479 gets to be famous. At our troop meeting last night where we went sledding at a local park rather than meet at the normal place, one scout ran up saying, "Did you see it?
0 Vote On Idea There is a National Summertime award to encourage units to continue meeting and doing activities during the summer, why not have a webelos to scout transition award nationally? Many volunteers tend to put focus and priority on opporunities when there is an incentive attached.
0 Vote On Idea There are many Scout Shops that service parents and volunteers far from a Council office. It seems to me that these shops should be able to order Youth and Adult Applications to hand out. I'm told that currently Scout Shops are unable to order these Membership Applications.
Well, here it is...my first show... I talk a little about myself and answer a few questions that I was asked. You can listen by clicking HERE Click the pic and let me know if you like the new logo
Well, I did it...now I have 2 shows, but it will actually be 3, as this show is a two-part show. The topic for the show is Webelos to Scout Transition, but I had some help, with my good friends Commissioner Keith and Scoutmaster Jerry....we went so long that I made it into 2 shows…
Since HalfEagle started tracking links almost ten days ago , over 300 links have been visited! Interestingly, the tracking script has had over 3,000 hits, but those are mostly search engine spiders, robots, and scrapers. After filtering out those about 10% are actual people and about 10% of those came from twitter!
http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34605_Letter.pdf This is the new Annual Health and Medical Record form. It is replacing the current Class 1, 2 and 3 health forms. The major differences are - Everything is now in one place. It is a fillable, and savable, pdf form.
The height/weight chart has a purpose. The purpose is to protect youth and leaders alike from being put into a life or death situation. BUT! What if you are just a few pounds over the max? What if you are physically fit, and healthy?
The Ten Essentials of Scoutmastership penned by William 'Green Bar' Hillcourt were part of the Scoutmaster's Handbook for many years. 5. A knowledge that to your boys you are Scouting. "What you are speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say!"
One big issue that your scout troop could be facing is dealing with leaders that are slackers. First off lets define the word slacker: Slacker: a person who evades his or her duty or work; shirker. Being a slacker in scouting is normally okay for the majority of things like advancement and merit badges but…
Hopefully the majority of you will be able to realize that there is a difference between a boss and a leader. These words in everyday society are used interchangeably but should because they are most definitely different. Which do you think works best in scouting?
Word search puzzles are a lot of fun. One must find hidden words in a grid of letters. The letters of the word will be in order and in a straight line, but they may be written forward, backward, up, down, or diagonally.
When the Arizona Cardinals take the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl 43 on February 1st, an Eagle Scout will settle into his place on the Arizona offensive line. Starting guard Deuce Lutui (#76) will add his 330 pounds to the Cardinals' downfield push, as he has for three seasons.
It is that time of year again when we start thinking about paying our commitment to Scouting forward to the future. Friends of Scouting is the Council's annual fundraising campaign. I won't go into great details, but lets leave it here...
1 Vote On Idea We have two postions included in the other registrant postions that I have had unit leaders express a desire to have: Scouter Reserve and College Scouter Reserve There are several scouts that would like to remain registered with their unit and are away at college or have significant ties to a…
0 Vote On Idea One of the most powerful things I've heard on the radio (NPR) lately is the ongoing collection called StoryCorps. The format is simple: two people are recorded as one recounts a personal story that the other was involved in.
1 Vote On Idea Professionals, ADCs and District Commissioners need to have access to the unit visit comments without having to export to an excel document. It is very cumbersome. It would be best if there was a link to a pop-up window at the end of the visit line.
I have found that through my new found free-time with the scouting program, that I don't always think about scouting anymore. I have taken to spending my time doing other things. I actually feel bad that I don't think about scouting as much as I did, although it was consuming a large amount of my…
0 Vote On Idea Would it be possible for some type of communication to be shared with all parties involved concerning the ordering of the BSA dress uniform? National Supply Group is working with Men's Warehouse on this project. Our newest professional staff member visited our local Men's Warehouse to spend over an hour while…
-1 Vote On Idea With unit, non-unit, district, and council rosters available online from ScoutNet is it really necessary to print expire rosters for archive storage? Think of all the resources we could save by printing these items on a per request basis. Comments (0) Category/Tags : Applications & Registration (24) Mark as duplicate
0 Vote On Idea Since contribution statements should be mailed for donations of $250 or more, we should look at how ScoutNet generates them. For example, if I donated $25 ten times during the course of a year, a contribution statement would not normally be generated because no single gift was over $250.
Not everyone has the right depth and kind of snow to build an igloo as shown above. How to Build an Igloo: And Other Snow Shelters by Norbert Yankielun contains instructions on how to build snow shelters adapted to your local conditions.
Outdoorsman / Woodsman Skills - Homemade Fire Starter Vaseline and Cotton Ball Fire starter This fire starter is easy to make and cost next to nothing, it has the extra benefit of being nearly waterproof. Simply place a small amount of Vaseline in a microwave safe dish and melt on medium heat only until it begins to…
Here is a new generic Reading patch ($1.19) available from BSA Supply Group. This could be a fun patch for those who take part in a library field trip. Link Posted in CUB SCOUTS, Field Trips, Patches, Reading
1 Vote On Idea Every month Boy's Life has several stories of Scouts who have responded to a crisis. We should create a web site that has all of the S.I.A. stories ever published. We should also add a where are they now follow up piece to each story.
When I was a Scout singing was a big part of our meetings, camp outs, and of course camp fires. I have noticed lately that Scouts don't really like to sing that much. Why is that? What ever happened to singing?
I don't know about you, but I take plenty of pictures when I am on an outing with the Boy Scouts. It was not too bad when I used a 35mm camera. If I filled one roll of 24 pictures on an outing I considered that a lot of pictures.
2 Vote On Idea Can we approach the nationally syndicated cartoonists and have a 100th Anniversary cartoon celebration for Scouting Sunday 2010. Snoopy, Garfield, Flintstones, etc. have used Scouting in their story lines, how about a tip of the hat back to us? Comments (0) Category/Tags : 100th Anniversary (17) Mark as duplicate
