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Highlands Today features an interesting article about an Eagle Scout project: As long as they are not still feathered and squawking, Sebring High school freshman Joseph De Genaro wants your turkeys. The 14-year-old Boy Scout has launched an ambitious service project aimed at feeding hundreds of Highlands County families this holiday season by collecting or…
Photography is one of the forthcoming new Cub Scout belt loops for the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program. I have received from an unofficial source this set of requirements for the soon-to-be available award: Requirements Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts may complete requirements in a family, den, pack, school, or community environment.
Morrison, Brown, Argiz and Farra, LLP (MBAF) CEO and Managing Partner Tony Argiz was recently honored by the South Florida Council, Boy Scouts of America for his service to the South Florida community as part of Hispanic Heritage month. The 11th Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards Celebration also commemorated the work of Former Mayor of the…
Horseback Riding is one of the forthcoming new Cub Scout belt loops for the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program. I have received from an unofficial source this set of requirements for the soon-to-be available award: Requirements Belt Loop Complete these three requirements: 1.
Lots of hints for Works of Art - games, openings, closings, ceremonies, jokes, and more Items for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, too Ways to have your Cubs display their talent and Suggestions to connect the core value of Faith to the theme, Works of Art.
This weeks video is a commercial about cub scouting which involves a dad and his cub replacing the lock on the back door and they….. well you'll see.
The Bonner County Daily Bee has a nice feature article about Boy Scout Troop 111 which is celebrating its 75th anniversary: Troop 111 now has about 30 members according to scoutmaster Laszlo Suto, who said some scouts have moved to more conveniently located troops, including Cocolalla, St.
Here are the top 10 most viewed posts for October 2009 (other than those solely about monthly theme items): 2009-2010 Program Helps Full Download New Cub Scout Belt Loops Coming 2009-2010 Program Helps Kindergarten Lions: Pilot Description Scout Centennial "Year of Celebration" Patch Video Games Belt Loop Requirements New Tiger Cub Den Leaders Hiking Belt…
According to Hootsuite , 1434 hits were registered in October on items posted to Scoutsigns or that I just found interesting on Twitter . The Patrol Boxes seem to be the most popular items, and disappointingly the Merit Badge of the Week didn't do so well this month.
We're out of the office this week, so we're bringing you a special weeklong feature: Five Days of Patches. Each day this week, we're giving you one mystery patch. Your job is to identify the patch. On Friday, send us an e-mail with the answers.
During my tenure as Scoutmaster I have worked with 50 Scouts who have earned the rank of Eagle. Becoming an Eagle Scout is beset by difficulties and so should it be, it is supposed to be challenging. Unfortunately these normal difficulties are often compounded by totally unnecessary complications that we'll call drama.
-4 Vote On Idea Will 1910 'Throwback' uniforms be available for the Jamboree? Comments (0) Jamboree
8 Vote On Idea It would be great if every unit in a district or council would be 100% online Advancement. The current system does help Cub Packs because they can't add belt loops and arrow points. I know that its not advancement but important to all the boys and packs.
Recieved word from Subcamp 7 Cheif Dave and found out he still has spots avialable for staff. He said I could either be a dining, commissary, or environmental assistant. I responded that I would gladly take any of these three positions and I should receive confirmation and my LOA or Letter of Appointment in a…
We have been talking about winter camping at the Troop the last couple weeks in an effort to be prepared for some terrific Cold weather camping experiences. I talked extensively about the word COLD (Clean, Overheating, Loose in Layers, and Dry).
Abilities Awareness is one of the forthcoming new Cub Scout belt loops for the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program. I have received from an unofficial source this set of requirements for the soon-to-be available award: Requirements Belt Loop Complete these three requirements: 1.
Not a very pleasant topic, but one we potentially have to deal with. A while ago I came back from a meeting having found out that my Group should have an anti bullying policy ( see here ). So I wrote one and the Group's Executive agreed it with some changes and it's now Group policy.
Five Days of Patches continues with the patch you see above. Each day this week, we're giving you one mystery patch. Your job is to identify the patch. On Friday, send us an e-mail with the answers. Whoever gets the most correct will win a copy of " The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching, Second Edition…
Scoutmasters need to understand what makes Scouting different from everything else - why young men and women have been Scouts all over the world for the past century. Scouting's founder Baden-Powell envisioned a movement that would give everyone the opportunity to challenge and achievement based not on a single standard of performance but on a highly…
Our troop is running Troop Leadership Training in place of the normal meetings this month. We haven't had one in a while, we are about to have elections, and the SPL decided this was easier than trying to get everyone to attend a special session (or worse, do it during our campout next weekend).
Troop Leadership Training is happening in November for our troop (more here ). In a very timely email, this link appeared from the email ether: Troop Positions of Responsibility The following leadership positions count toward Boy Scout advancement. For more information, see the Senior Patrol Leader Handbook (#32501) and Patrol Leader Handbook (#32502A).
5 Vote On Idea Is it possible to set up Unit Money Earning Applications on-line, just as we do Tour Permits? Comments (0) Technology
2 Vote On Idea Let me access advancement off of Mybsa.org from a home PC (where I work out of). I'm a DE and can't get information to my Advancement chairman without having to go through the registar. Comments (0) District and Council Operations
When I was a Cub Scout leader, I absolutely loved taking training classes. So when our pack started to look for a Pack Trainer, I jumped at the chance. In a special single-subject episode, in my 9th Scouting podcast I discuss my time as our pack's Pack Trainer.
Hello fellow Scouters, When I was a Cub Scout leader, I absolutely loved taking training classes. So when our pack started to look for a Pack Trainer, I jumped at the chance. In a special single-subject episode, in my 9th Scouting podcast I discuss my time as our pack's Pack Trainer.
0 Vote On Idea As an employ of an organization that touts reduce, reuse, recycle it would be great if the national organization created a partnership with a recycling company. Many states provide free outdoor recycle bins, however finding the smaller version for your desk at no cost is impossible.
As noted previously , the 2009-2010 Insignia Guide refers to the following new additions to the Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program : 1. Abilities Awareness (17861-Loop, 14700-Pin) 2. Family Travel (17862-Loop, 14701-Pin) 3. Good Manners (17863 – Loop, 14702-Pin) 4. Hiking (17865-Loop, 14707-Pin) 5.
The sweet smell of gasoline? Chemistry. The sweeter smell of perfume? Chemistry. The bane of high school students all across the world? Yep, the same chemistry. Does physics get its own merit badge? Nope. Biology? Nada. This is the only science badge you can still earn in any high school in the country just by…
New Minute for Eagle scouts
The third test of our Five Days of Patches contest is above. Each day this week, we're giving you one mystery patch. Your job is to identify the patch. On Friday, send us an e-mail with the answers. Whoever gets the most correct will win a copy of " The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching, Second…
9 Vote On Idea With the increasing popularity of the food network and the fact that almost every local television station has it's own food spot on a morning or weekend news program there is a market here to reach out to.
Recently I had a chat with a number of the Scouts in my troop about their Eagle Projects. Landscaping, fence building, compost bins, flag pole/ memorials etc... were among the list of ideas that hit the table as these young men begin the process of completeling their Eagle requirements.
So far we have determined that needless drama can be caused when a Scoutmaster seeks to impose his ideal vision of an Eagle Scout on the advancement process. In addition we have discovered Baden Powell founded Scouting on the idea that it would offer Scouts a way to challenge themselves towards achievement on an individual…
At an Eagle Scout's court of honor, the scout is recognized for his accomplishments and presented with a nice Eagle Scout medal. As the Eagle Scout is created through a process of building smaller parts into a whole, the eagle medal goes through a similar process.
The Suburban Journal has an interesting feature on the company that creates the Eagle Scout Award Kits, check it out: When David Bouchein won his Eagle Scout medal in the 1970s he had no idea of the prominence that award would play later in his life.
12 Vote On Idea Is there a way that we can have the Policy and Procedure Manual as an E-Manual, this would save a lot of ink,paper, and less use of the printer which would save money in the shops budget.
CA Scouter comments: It would be interesting to hear your reflections on Scouts putting off Eagle til they're 17.5 years old and then trying to get their project and missing merit badges done in the small amount of time left.
Here's the fourth patch. Do you have all four so far? Each day this week, we're giving you one mystery patch. Your job is to identify the patch. On Friday, send us an e-mail with the answers. Whoever gets the most correct will win a copy of " The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching, Second Edition…
It is official, I am going to the 2010 National Jamboee as Staff on Subcamp Seven as one of there youth staff members. I am not exactly sure what I will be doing in regards to a specific assignment but I am sure it will be fun all around.
3 Vote On Idea Innovation Engine vote count used to let you hover your mouse over the 'Vote Up/Vote Down' box and it would show you the number voting up and the number voting down. This would let you know if the +10 were actually 10 people were voting something up or if 100 were…
You all may be wondering why there was such a drastic change in my signature after my posts. The reason behind this is that I am in the process of switching to a adult leadership role in Denver Area Council after my move to this area.
Iroquois Trail Council is mourning the loss of Austin J. Boyd who was killed in a traffic accident while traveling home from a camp kick off on Wednesday. Austin was the current Lodge Chief of Ashokwahta Lodge and had served on both the Camp Dittmer and Camp Sam Wood for the past four summers.
3 Vote On Idea Update the individual Scout record form to match the 2009 Boy Scout Handbook. Comments (0) Boy Scouting
3 Vote On Idea It would be nice if all of the BSA sites that require user names and passwords would allow us to use the same combination we use to access MyBSA. Comments (0) Technology
Open the Eagle Scout Project Workbook (opens PDF file) and you will find about 2 1/2 half pages of instructions about conducting the project written in less than 1000 words (966 to be exact). Google the words "Eagle Scout Project" and you'll get about 1.4 million references.
Scouting has been celebrated on postage stamps around the world. Some collectors only focus on those stamps. There is even an organization for it: Scouts on Stamps Society International . There was also a big drive on Facebook to have an official stamp created for our 100th Anniversary , too.
Here's the last patch. Identify it and then read on to find out how to submit your answers. Each day this week, we have given you one mystery patch. Scroll down to see the other four if you missed a day.
Fall is in the air, no doubt about it. Depending on where you are it might still be toasty warm during the day, or the trees might be at the height of color, or you have already had your fill of snow.
Hello fellow Scouters, Hallmark has their annual collectable ornaments, and we can have our own annual Scout collectable ornament! The great thing about our Scout ornaments is that they are made by our Scouts! Last year I wrote about a Scout-made Christmas ornament using paint for snowmen (you can find the blog entry here ).
1 Vote On Idea When running the District Advancement Report it would be nice to have the opption to sort by district by unit number. Comments (0) Other
6 Vote On Idea Merging names is USUALLY easy. It is supposed to move ALL information into the remaining name. This is NOT so!! If there is a middle name/initial in the name being merged (not the remaining name), that infomation is not copied into the remaining name. Why isn't this happening? Comments (0) Technology
Celebrate Scouting Stamp Unveiling at The Smithsonian National Postal Museum What: The U.S. Postal Service will be joined by the Boy Scouts of America to unveil a Celebrate Scouting stamp recognizing 100 years of Scouting in America. Who : Allen Kane, Director, Smithsonian National Postal Museum Sam Pulcrano, Vice President Sustainability, United States Postal Service Jim…
The Daily News has a nice feature article on Austin Boyd, the ninteen year-old Scout from New York that was killed in a car accident on Wednesday night. The story shows how the Scouting community is showing their respect, how friends and family remember Austin, and paints a picture of a young man that was…
Tomorrow (Sunday), is Remembrance Sunday , which is an important date in the Scouting, and indeed the country's calendar. This is the time we remember those who have served and died in the armed forces in the various wars. As part of this people gather around war memorials and observe the two minutes silence at 11…
I recieved word that Northen Tier High Adventure Base in Ely, Minnesota, still has some open slots for OKPIK Winter Adventures. This would be a great oppurtunity for a last minute adventure trip for your unit! The Okpik season begins Dec.
Today's parade at church went really well! When I got to church this morning, the Scouts who were there to carry the flag and escort it, were already there and looking very smart. The Assistant Scout Leader and I then went to have a chat with the stand in vicar.
Well, we got back from the northern reaches of Maryland about 11:30 this morning after a 7 am departure. Only one pit stop along the way . I am told the younger Scouts team placed 30th. That doesn't sound to good until you know that there were 190 other teams competing.
I'm always looking out for new way's to go lighter when backpacking, camping or just hiking, I have found something new. Colgate Wisp. A very small lightweight toothbrush with toothpaste built in with a toothpick at the other end. I take 3 to 6 these in my pack now depending on how long I'll be…
Well folks, Cub Scout College came and went and, I for one, had a great time teaching a class on Webelos to Scout Transitions/Selecting a Boy Scout Troop. The event was held at Lakeshore Technical University and what a beautiful campus in Cleveland, WI.
From Scouting Magazine's 'What would You Do?' department (formerly called 'Front Line Stuff') a question about a recent troop leader election: We recently had our troop leadership elections, and the Scouts elected a senior patrol leader who is inexperienced, uncommitted, and has no real sense of responsibility.
Want to make Cub Scout camps a great experience for boys? Then just make sure the camp has these 10 simple elements, courtesy of Dennis Kampa of the Rocky Mountain Council: Top-notch camp leadership and quality, trained camp staff Safe environment "Customer" service Emphasis on transitioning into Boy Scouts Ethical education Parental involvement Outdoor adventures…
#201-Why I Love Her Tonight we cover some online form suggestions, messed up rank patches, topping Gallagher, pinewood derby track suggestions and a lot of feedback in this extra long episode. Links: Scoutshopstuff blog post- http://scoutshopstuff.blogspot.com/2009/10/video-games-beltloop.html Den 5 Meeting Plan- http://www.ptcmedia.net/files/Den5mtgplan%20(2009).doc LEADER TRAINING MATRIX- http://www.ptcmedia.net/files/LEADER%20TRAINING%20MATRIX%20(blank).xls PATROL EMBLEM SUBMISSION FORM- http://www.ptcmedia.net/files/PATROL%20EMBLEM%20SUBMISSION%20FORM.doc Tonight's show sponsored by The…
Last week we brought you Five Days of Patches , a contest for a free copy of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching, Second Edition." Of all of our responses, we had six Scouters who correctly named all five patches. The correct answers were: Day 1: Venturing Kodiak patch Day 2: Sea Scout Ordinary patch Day…
What exactly do Webelos base their decision on when deciding which Boy Scout troop to join. I guess it depends. If the young scout lives in an area where there is only one troop, well I guess the decision is easy.
Many of you may be wondering, if you are a regular reader of Scoutingmaniac why I would change from the Boy Scout Troop Level to the Cub Scout Pack Level. There are several different reasons, some of them personal, some of them based on logistics, and some of them based on units that are taking…
Here is a short online story published by James Garner about a Cub Scout who joined a pretty much full Den already and taught the group the meaning of what it was to be a human and how everyone should be treated.
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.
I don't think of myself as particularly a persnickety or doctrinaire so what follows is probably out of character. I do like to write therefore I strive to observe the rules of grammar and rely greatly on my spell checker.
We asked, and you responded big time. After presenting Scouting magazine readers with a mystery location, complete with a photo and description, we asked a simple question: "Where Am I?" The feature appeared in our September-October issue. (If you missed it, you can read it here .)
1 Vote On Idea We are in the process of offering Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmaster Leader Specific Training. I've noticed there is some information in it that is inaccurate or needing updating because of updates to the program in the last few years and the updates coming in the future.
Bill S., our newest Eagle This evening Bill S. passed his Eagle Board of Review, which I had the honor to sit on. All of the board members were impressed with his answers, and feel that he is very deserving of the award.
The Scoutmaster Minute has now hit the big time.. errr.. well maybe not the big big time.. but at least 2009 and Twitter! I have been on twitter for some time now, but until recently have not really used it "to it's potential" as they say.
Political correctness has been killing truth, and common sence. It now looks like it has killed soldiers. As of today I am declaring war on Policital Correctness! I encourage all my friends to join me in this war. When you hear or see anyone with PC speech, stop them, and demand plain truth.
If I should die, think only this of me: That there's some corner of a foreign field That is for ever England. There shall be In that rich earth a richer dust concealed; A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, Gave, once her flowers to love, her ways to roam, A body of England's…
America loves movies. Even small towns have a movie theater with the latest films from Hollywood. Libraries loan DVDs and video stores abound. Netflix will deliver them to your mailbox or over the Internet. Need more? Youtube is one of the most popular sites on the Internet.
After many requests, I've finally added the ability to leave comments about these blog entries. Now, the two Den Moms in Florida and that one Scouter in California can drop me a note. If there's anyone else out there that wants to chime in, go right ahead.
On Saturday, the BSA released version 1.1 of its Boy Scout Handbook iPhone app. The app, which we gave a favorable review in early September, gets even better with this update. One of only complaints we had with the original version of the app was the lack of landscape view.
I would like to wish all of our Nations Veterans a Blessed Veterans Day! Our Nation maintains it's freedom because of those few that stand up and say I will serve. Thank you all. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live…
The December 2009 Cub Scout Monthly Theme is " Works of Art ." Here is the official BSA theme description: "December is a time of celebration and giving. This is a perfect month for involving friends in doing good deeds and creating holiday magic through art .
Here's an exchange from Ask Andy : Hi Andy, I'm a relatively new Assistant Scoutmaster. I've been instructed that Scouts seeking ranks beyond First Class, in this troop, are required to complete a "Scoutmaster Conference Worksheet" before their actual conversation with the Scoutmaster, which they then submit for their board of review.
Let us take a moment to remember all of the veterans out there who have served or are serving are country. Wish them the best of luck and be thankful to them for serving our country. Let us also remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in doing their duty to their country.
New Active Activity for All scouts
Think about it. It is truly amazing. We spend a lot of our lives in line or lanes. We wait in line at the bank. We wait with our shopping cart at the store. We drive in lanes, sometimes one wide, sometimes two wide.
0 Vote On Idea I propose to make Triathlon a merit badge. Swimming, biking and running are life long skills that every boy should know. There are many other elements involved in the sport. One must be prepared at any distance during a triathlon.
As today is veteran's day I wanted to take a moment to thank all of our veterans who have served in the armed forces. Without these brave men and women who spend their time serving our country we would not have many of the freedoms we enjoy today.
Thank a Veteran today, give them a hug, shake their hand, buy them a drink. Show your appreciation for their sacrifice to our country.
Tonights meeting went really well, we talked about what is Veterans Day and why is it important. To sum up the group decided that Veterans day was more than just honoring those who have served but it also includes those who are currently serving.
Final change to my signature, found out that I will be primarily working with Webelos Scouts, so I changed my position name again. Hopefully for the last time for a while but who knows it is hard to say what will stay current and what will not.
So if worksheets are a lesser 'form' of Scouting what are the alternatives? Short answer: conversations, dialogues, counseling, mentoring, listening and a selective memory. Longer answer follows. Note that I may not be perfectly correct in my invocations of classical history or methods of communication but I have attempted to lay out some broad concepts…
After the seriousness of the last couple of days, here is something silly - On the Ning Nang Nong On the Ning Nang Nong Where the Cows go Bong! And the Monkeys all say Boo! There's a Nong Nang Ning Where the trees go Ping!
The new Baloo's Bugle is out. 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 December " Works of Art " theme. For Webelos Scout den meetings, this Bugle also has activities for the Craftsman and Scientist Webelos activity badges.
Check your mailbox next summer for even more evidence that the BSA's celebration of its 100th Anniversary is on. It'll be on parade floats at the Rose Bowl and at the National Scout Jamboree , but it will also be on a U.S.
0 Vote On Idea The parking lot is in desperate need of a "face lift". The way the parking lot is now, there are too many opportunites for people to fall and sometimes seriously hurt themselves. Comments (1) Miscellaneous
The U.S. Postal Service today gave scouting 'a stamp of approval' to honor 100 years of the U.S. scouting movement. The Celebrate Scouting stamp, which will be sold in the summer of 2010, coincides with the Boy Scouts of America's 100th anniversary.
0 Vote On Idea When trying to input a new Unit Leader, CC, or CR, ScoutNET will not allow it if the unit already has someone registered in that position. This forces me to have to go in and manually change the position of the current Unit Leader, CC or CR before I can enter…
So Our Troop held our annual elections last night and we had a prety good turnout. We had most of the main leadership postitons filled and the few scouts that did not obtain a leadership position are inetrested in being patrol leaders.
This post to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast is the third of four videos featuring the open house held by the Central Minnesota Council on September 2, 2009, to celebrate the " A Century Of Values " tour. Where the first two videos in this series featured the special RV that is touring the country and the…
We'll be headed to Enchanted Rock this weekend for some climbing and rappelling. Mother Nature looks like she'll be providing the perfect weekend, middle 70's during the day and middle 50″s at night. I'll have my favorite troop leaders there with me and a couple others that are unable to join will be missed.
A reader asks: I would like to get your thoughts on how you evaluate Scout Spirit. Is it standard practice for a scoutmaster to ask a scout to write out what the scout's interpretation of Scout Spirit is? Each rank in Scouting requires that a scout "Demonstrate scout spirit by living the Scout Oath (Promise)…
Back in August we informed you that Detroit Area Council and Clinton Valley Council were going to merge . They did, and became known as the New Michigan Council until a name could be decided. Well that time has come, and the new name is Great Lakes Council.
