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Ordinary people think merely of spending time. Great people think of using it. Author Unknown Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year - and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!
Here is a description of the DSA or Distinguished Service Award: The Distinguished Service Award was created in 1940 to honor those who rendered service to the Order beyond the lodge level. The award is presented to those Arrowmen who have rendered distinguished and outstanding service to the Order on a sectional, regional, or national…
Wow, that is all I can say. My scouts did awesome...this is why I do this...so content right now, I can't describe it...I love this job!!! G'nite, world...
A healthy Patrol Leader's Council (PLC) is the heart of a youth led Troop. It should gather often to discuss and plan the Troop's program. The Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) chairs the PLC, the Scribe keeps minutes and the meeting is open to Patrol Leaders (PL) and any other youth leaders.
The 2009 edition of Cub Scout Outdoor Program Guidelines (510-631) is now available at the BSA website. This 8-page pamphlet provides a great overview of the full range of Cub Scout outdoor activities including camping , hiking , swimming , and field trips .
The boys are up and have been for an hour...it looks like it will be time later on today for that time honored tradition of the "Scoutmaster's Nap"...
How'd you do with Friday's Name That Council challenge? Hopefully, you noticed the green witch flying off the patch on the left side. That clue was all you needed, really. Follow the jump for the correct answer. "Green witch" sounds a lot like Greenwich, doesn't it?
#187-Fight Fire with Fire Tonight we talk about the new Parent Information Guide, the American Heritage Girls ?joining forces? with the BSA, the BSA Anniversary coin, beer at a soap box derby, Tour Permit sorting, a sale on Boy Scout rings, when are you ?trained?, double-dipping on Cub Scout achievements, how are your Summer activities…
#187-Fight Fire with Fire Tonight we talk about the new Parent Information Guide, the American Heritage Girls "joining forces" with the BSA, the BSA Anniversary coin, beer at a soap box derby, Tour Permit sorting, a sale on Boy Scout rings, when are you "trained", double-dipping on Cub Scout achievements, how are your Summer activities…
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My latest podcast is all about gear and what's in your Backpack. A good discussion with the Assistant Scoutmaster's of Troop 664 and me. We had a blast recording it and think that there is some good information in the show for you.
0 Vote On Idea As with viewing multiple addresses in a search, I believe it would be beneficial to also see a Nickname for an individual. Many times a person submits their legal name for registration, but is submitted for FOS using their nickname.
The Executive Board of the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America unanimously passed a resolution at its business meeting on May 22, 2009, to increase the traditional membership registration fee for all youth and adults to $15 from its current $10, effective Jan.
1 Vote On Idea Could we somehow have people in the system under their given name, but indicate they have a "prefered name" which could appear on FOS billings, reports (perhaps as an additional line on reports) or other materials?
2 Vote On Idea I had a leader ask me about how to know which merit badge books and their requirements are up to date and which are out of date. I told him that probably the easiest way would be to look in a current edition of the merit badge requirement book and take…
Hello fellow Scouters, One game that my two dens used to enjoy playing was a game we called "Sweep Potato". It was a fairly easy game to play, and the boys always enjoyed it. I picked up a couple of cheap brooms from a discount store, and a couple of large, similar-sized potatoes (one broom…
The new BSA rank requirements will have the Scouts using EDGE to train less experienced Scouts. EDGE is taught in the National Youth Leadership Training course. This is offered in councils all across the country. EDGE stands for: Explain, Demonstrate, Guide and Enable Explain--tell the Scout what you are going to do, how you will…
Tasty stuff...
I got back from camp saturday and I've been taking the last few days to get re-organized and catch up on my sleep. But, not to worry, my summer camp recap posts will be coming in the next few days.
1 Vote On Idea How about the BSA or the World Scout Association partnering with Rotary International on its Polio Plus project to eradicate polio in the world? Rotary has made great progress and is working to meet a challenge grant from the Gates Foundation.
It's 11:30, end of another great day...the boys really came together as a patrol, I am so lovin' this job! One downside...had an adult leader from another unit try to over-ride my authority of the boys...the boys were fine, he decided that it was his call to step in...needless to say, I don't think that…
Now that you are an observer rather than a participant, a listener rather than a talker, a coach rather than a player your observations will reveal strengths and weaknesses in the way things are done and those that are doing them.
This is totally a non Scouting post.. but it speaks volumes about Character. I got this in my inbox today and it asked to forward it and keep it going. Well... I hate doing that.. so I thought I would use my blog to fufill the promise of " Fowarding it".
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As anyone who reads these pages regularly will know, I find the combination of the internet and international Scouting most fascinating (hello USA, Canada, Sweden, South Africa, Bradwell (!) and anyone from any other location who happens to be passing by!)
Technology: You gotta love it. It allows Scouters to stay connected and helps the BSA reach new audiences in interesting ways. Most importantly, without technology this blog wouldn't exist. But when it comes to enjoying the outdoors, many packs, troops, and crews choose to limit or ban most high-tech items.
Twenty Enterprise Rent-A-Car employees turned out for a work day at Alpine Scout Camp on June 19th, where they spent the day painting the interior of the pool shower house, in preparation for hundreds of children this summer. The Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation funded this and another project to take place with additional Enterprise volunteers on…
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One of the coolest things about Cub Scouting is introducing boys and their families to hiking . You can recognize the boys in your pack or den who participate in Cub Scout hikes with this new 2009 hiking emblem . It is $1.19 from BSA Supply Group. Link Posted in CUB SCOUTS, Hiking, Patches
0 Vote On Idea BSA must improve communication between departments! This is especially important with regards to volunteer/national office/website development communications. When massive website changes occur such as the change June 1st to user id's, more should have been done to notify volunteers beforehand to prevent the overwhelming number of helpdesk requests for login assistance.
-1 Vote On Idea To enhance the council's 2009 Family Friends of Scouting campaign we designed a family specific pledge form and envelope. The pledge form contained suggested giving amounts each connected to helping to support a Scout. Pledge forms were personalized for each family using the data from MyBSA fundraising.
7 Vote On Idea With the increasing popularity of e-book readers such as Kindle, Sony, etc. we should make the purchase of an electronic version of our handbooks, merit badge pamphlets, etc. available in these formats. Many other devices such as the I-Phone can be used to read e-books.
OK, what do you get when you get too many of your life's threads tangled up? Yep, a USB port powered chainsaw ! Even more reason to bring my laptop to camp in a few weeks... H/T: @WorthyD
I got another update on the 1st Gilwell Scout Group / Troop 1 Gilwell website today - The website for Members of the 1st Gilwell Park Scout Group is almost ready after a very long wait. There will be a testing period at the beginning of August which we will be sharing with you.
Wow! The Davis Mountains are absolutely beautiful. I think my favorite view was when the early morning sun came creeping around the edges between peaks. Watching the sunlight slowly edge closer, instead of over, was breathtaking. Despite the dry heat, we managed to have little issue with dehydration, however, we had more than our share…
Wow! The Davis Mountains are absolutely beautiful. I think my favorite view was when the early morning sun came creeping around the edges between peaks. Watching the sunlight slowly edge closer, instead of over, was breathtaking. Despite the dry heat, we managed to have little issue with dehydration, however, we had more than our share…
On Monday, July 13, 2009, the Israeli Scouts friendship caravan performed an hour long concert at Congregation Cnesses Israel in Green Bay. For over 35 years the Tzofim (Israeli Boy and Girl Scouts) have been sending troops of 10 Boy and Girl Scouts to North America, called the Tzofim Friendship Caravan.
Another awesome day, I will be home tomorrow with a full report...probably a show about it... We could be in for a storm tonight, gonna batten down the hatches...
2010 Rank Requirement Changes 2010 Rank Requirement Changes The centennial edition of the Boy Scout Handbook will soon be available, and with the new handbook come several rank requirement changes that will be in effect as of January 1, 2010.
Scouter Spotlight returns this week with a volunteer who wears many hats-a phrase we hear a lot with so many active Scouters out there. This week we're introducing you to Jamie Niss Dunn , from the Northern Star Council in Minnesota.
Baloo's Bugle is a great monthly unofficial publication with games, activities, ceremonies, puzzles, crafts, and other ideas for den and pack meetings. This one covers the August " Fun in the Sun " theme. For Webelos Scout den meetings, this Bugle also has activities for the Naturalist , and Forester Webelos activity badges.
The website address for Simon Kenton Council's Buckeye District has changed. I am working on getting updates to affected posts and links, but it could take a few days. Thanks for your patience. Posted in CUB SCOUTS
Nothing Ventured... Nothing Gained.. That is pretty much how the advancement program in Boy Scouts works. If you don't do the work..you don't get the rank. It's that simple. Unlike advancing in Cub Scouts where the Group works together to achieve, Boy Scouts is different in that it challenges the Scout to do the work…
More than 300 young men and women in the Greater New York Councils' Law Enforcement Exploring program spent June 29th touring the city with various law enforcement agency officials, predominately those of the NYPD, in siren-flashing patrol cars to visit locations where young adults in this highly-regarded program will learn about law enforcement careers.
This weekend a young man I know is getting married. He's a great guy whom I have known and worked closely with for many years. These days I don't get to see enough of him but we can usually pick up where we left off pretty easily - he's a good friend.
1 Vote On Idea We use plastic cards that resemble credit cards which can be preloaded with money to be used at any of our summer camps by Scouts and adults. This year we actively promoted that parents could pre-load the cards with money for their Scouts.
ClassB is kicking off it's first ever photo sweepstakes! We want you to show off your t-shirts in action, and we've got lots of prizes to give out toward that end. In fact, you have a chance to win from 17 different prizes given out over the next 7 weeks.
1 Vote On Idea We new this year was going to be a difficult year for fundraising. We started working early on our Family FOS campaign because we knew it was a weak spot for us the previous year. We did a Indiana Jones theme and put together a really great script that included props…
1 Vote On Idea We had several issues with our day camp program. One of the biggest was the management of equipment and trying to make sure that we were able to have enough of the correct equipment at each day camp.
The Boy Scouts of America has launched a comprehensive licensing program. Any Pack, Troop, Crew or Council must purchase any item bearing a BSA trademark from an officially licensed vendor. From the BSA Licensing Opportunities website: "For some, this will be a significant change in the way products, like T-shirts or patches, are purchased.
Bill Smith Roundtable Site Before Being Hacked Bill Smith is a lifelong Cub Scouter who has put together a great online resource – "Bill Smith's Unofficial Cub Scout Roundtable." Recently, Bill posted on Cub Scout Talk that his site ran into serious problems when it was hacked and then got erroneously labeled by search engines as…
Sorry to tell you this, but you probably can't earn this week's Knot of the Week. That's because the Silver World Award is only available to Scouters who are not registered members of the BSA. So why is it this week's featured knot?
You may have seen the news about Cayuga County Council losing its charter , I wanted to wait until there was a little additional information out there before posting anything. The national council did not renew the Cayuga County Council's charter when it expired June 30, Director of the Northeast Area Steven Smith said this week.
2 Vote On Idea Help councils develop sideways/combined communication of goals between; Finance, Membership, Program, Training and Field teams. So that the managers, team leaders, advisors, and volunteers are communicating their plans prior to advertising and ececution. the military calls this Combind Arms: the use of Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines all working together…
23 Vote On Idea As millions of our countrymen lose their jobs to unfair labor practices overseas, it seems less than appropriate that our uniforms are made in China. If cost is an issue, maybe we could provide an American made product alongside the foreign product, and give everyone the option to "buy America".
So I'm back from camp and (mostly) everthings back in order so I thought I'd take some to tell you all about my week at camp. If you have read my summer camp post from before http://boyscoutblog.wsr3.net/2009/06/25/summer-camp-2/ you know what a typical week at camp is for me and my troop.
I've been following and, to a lesser degree, taking part in a discussion on the Escouts forums about Scout Groups not accepting girls into their sections. Now first of all, I have to make two points - 1. Policy, Organisation and Rules ( PO&R ), rule 3.6 states – f.
Sorry . I posted the videos on the YouTube account but totally forgot to put the links here. Those that were clever enough to go there, saw the videos already … if you didn't, you had to wait until now . It's been hectic since I got back.
The Scoutmaster Blog is nearly four years old. I have published just over eight hundred posts viewed by about 500 readers on an average day. Starting in August I will also be offering a bi-weekly email newsletter that will feature posts from the Scoutmaster Blog, information for Scoutmasters and others involved with Scouting and an…
In this show we wrap up a great discussion on gear. Join Scoutmaster Jerry and his Assistant Scoutmasters as they continue a discussion on gear. In this show we talk about our camp kitchens, raingear, clothing, and much, much, more. Join the forum discussion on this post - (8) Posts Share and Enjoy:
Plan now to attend the 2010 an Order of the Arrow High Adventure Program. The 2010 applications for OA Trail Crew, OA Wilderness Voyage, and OAWV: Canadian Odyssey have been posted on the OA High Adventure website ( http://www.adventure.oa-bsa.org ). There will be nine sessions of each program, including the new Canadian Odyssey Voyage, running from early…
Sports fans might recognize the location depicted on this week's patch as the site of a recent major athletic event. If not, the landmark is recognizable enough that it shouldn't throw you too much of a curveball. Think you know the answer?
Breakfast in Camp In this show we wrap up a great discussion on gear. Join me and the Assistant Scoutmasters as we continue a discussion on gear. In this show we talk about our camp kitchens, raingear, clothing, and much, much, more.
3 Vote On Idea The history channel has pulled together some great specials over the years, why not present one on the BSA in the USA? There's certainly plenty of material to cover, and without a doubt plenty of "historians" and collectors out there with insight to offer.
T minus less than 40 hours before I will be departing for our Troops Trip down the the swanson river. The route we are taking is 24 miles long and we will be covering this distance in three days which will be really easy for the unit to complete.
One of the things that I noticed from my summer job working at state parks is just how much people don't care about public facilities. Here are a few examples of what I am talking about in pictures: The first Example I have is ATV abusing their privilage of using state parks by trampling veggetation…
I was saddened to read that Henry Allingham passed away in his sleep early this morning. He was the oldest surviving British World War 1 veteran, the oldest man in the world, the last survivor of the Battle of Jutland , the last original member of the Royal Air Force and the world's oldest Scout!
According to one of our comment posters, the 2009-2010 Roundtable Planning Guide has this announcement about the end of monthly themes : "New for 2010-2011: Begining in September 2010 and the 2010-2011 program year , the method of presenting Cub Scout den and pack meetings will undergo exciting enhancements with big benefits for boys, den leaders, and…
Governor Bill Ritter signed HB-1151 into law on June 5, 2008 and the new Boy Scout License Plate is now officially available at all Colorado Department of Revenue locations beginning Wednesday, July 15, 2009. The license plate was designed in honor of the Boy Scouts of America, commemorating 100 years of Scouting in the United…
Hello fellow Scouters, Songs are an important part of the Scouting program. Hopefully you are a pack that sings Scout songs. If you aren't singing, you are missing a wonderful part of the Scouting program. I have a feeling that this is one of the toughest areas for a leader to do if they (like…
Raising money for a scout group is always very important and hard work – and its even more important with the threat of the rain tax hanging over our heads. My group has our own hut, on grounds rented from Watford Community Housing Trust (with whom we are trying to get a new lease – our current…
Commissioner Keith's Tent-Not!!! I am going off to camp and I am returning to Camp Bear Paw and I haven't been there to camp since I received my Eagle medal 33 years ago. Oh I have visited Bear Paw since that time, serving as a staff member on a few Mom and Son camp events…
The August Scouting Safely survey is up on the National Website. http://scouting.org/sitecore/content/Home/HealthandSafety.aspx This month they are asking the following questions: Please indicate whether Health and Safety or Risk Management should provide an award for the following. - Poison control - Driving safely - Climbing safely - Shooting sports Are there any other areas not listed above for which Health…
2 Vote On Idea As the personal and professional use of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, blogs and other social media/new media tools increase, the BSA should consider developing social media guidelines to assist employees in the proper and acceptable use.
3 Vote On Idea BSA's Licensed and Custom Products team has had a number of requests in recent years for fun, temporary, tattoos with Scouting and related symbols to support recruiting. To date, we have not created these items due to public perception of tattoos; however, as our culture changes it seems to be time…
Here's the latest from Ask Andy - I think his take on Advancement in Scouting is spot on and important enough to publish here in its entirety: B-P described "advancement" as like a suntan: something you get naturally and effortlessly whilst having fun in the out-of-doors.
On Friday, the Name That Council patch featured a prominent Midwest landmark that should have been a nice gateway toward identifying the secret council. Plus, the sports clue was practically a slow pitch right down the middle. So, how'd you do?
Back in January, we informed readers about the Words to Live By Marketing Campaign going National . Well it is now there. If you haven't seen the themed advertisements in your area you can still get in on the action. The National Council has placed a good selection of resources for the 2009 recruitment campaign on…
1 Vote On Idea I recently had to tell a Home Schooling Parent that their son could not yet join because he was not yet seven years old, and had to wait another year to join, even though he had completed Kindergarten already.
Simon Kenton Council's Buckeye District roundtable packet for August 2009 is now available at their new website . The Buckeye District assembles a great roundtable packet each month. This one has games, cooking ideas, crafts, songs, skits, ceremonies , and more for the August "Fun in the Sun" theme.
Try not be become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value." - Albert Einstein. Your worth is not measured in cars, houses, and money. Your worth is measured by the time that you give. The time that you give selflessly to others.
I keep a lot of my important files (including ones for Cub Scouting) on USB flash drives so I can use them at different computers. But this week I could not find my flash drive case. I looked everywhere for several days, but to no avail.
While you've been busy taking your troop to summer camp, preparing for next year's jamboree, or getting Cub Scouts ready for an exciting program year, we've been kinda busy ourselves. What has occupied our time? Oh, just a complete redesign of Scouting magazine.
The June - July 2009 National Jamboree Bulletin is on the BSA Jamboree Website . A few of the highlights: Lower prices from BSA Supply -There are lower prices on some items in the 2010 Jamboree package plans. The new prices are located on www.MyBSA.org (Internal Scouting Profesionals Website).
What would your Scout Troop look like without a manual, by-laws or a reasonable facsimile thereof? Would anybody notice? B.S.A. literature, to my knowledge, does not mention such documents so one wonders where they came from? In my case as a young Scoutmaster I encountered the usual litany of problems and disappointments.
I've been meaning to mention more about this, but other things came up. On Wednesday 15/07/09, St. Swithin's Day, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers were in London to lobby MPs and OFWAT about the proposed Water Tax (read all about it here – explained better than I could!)
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New Dutch Oven Recipe for Boy Scouts
3 Vote On Idea With Randall Stephens serving as our National Centennial Chair can't we work with his company (AT & T) on a National BSA Plan? I would much rather send my 160.00 a month to a company that has endorsed our organization as a whole.
The Scouts have just come back from playing a wide game in Bradwell Woods. The idea had been to let off some rockets that the Scouts had made for their Astronautics Badge , but it was raining and there was quite a strong wind.
In honor of the anniversary of the first moon walk … did you know that of the 12 men to physically walk on the moon's surface, 11 were involved in Scouting? In fact, of the 312 astronauts since 1959, 179 were Scouts or have been active in Scouting: 39 Eagle, 25 Life, 14 Star, 26 First…
It was a nice warm morning on Sunday, July 12, when eight Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 met to spend a week at Many Point Scout Camp which is located north of Park Rapids, Minnesota. Unfortunately, the nice weather would not stay with the Scouts, but did they let that stop them from having…
Effective August 1, 2009, the national office will no longer accept Eagle applications prior to the 2009 printing. The new Eagle Scout application (512-728) can be found on scouting.org. http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/512-728_web.pdf .
When representatives from the vast network of chartered Scouting organizations speak, the BSA listens. Want proof? Look no further than the Community Organization Award . It began when a group of delegates from several chartered organizations told the BSA how they wanted to recognize adult leaders-with an award similar to the religious knots that represent the…
I saw this video and decided I just had to share it.
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Here is show 8, about my experience at camp with the current Webelos, soon to be the first members of my new troop You can download it HERE Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts Share and Enjoy:
4 Vote On Idea We really need to be able to give our volunteers report updates on a regular basis that we KNOW are accurate. The reports in MyBSA for Training are never accurate for everyone, and we don't have a report that shows what Advancement Chairs need.
Podcast number 13. On this one I talk about the ways my Group spends and raises its money. If anyone has any other good ideas for fundraising, please let me know.
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