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Painting Merit Badge Scouting happens in the strangest places and ways. I'm at the 111th Virginia Knights of Columbus State Convention, and Scouting keeps popping up. The Knights of Columbus have encouraged Scouting, sponsoring a unit as early as 1913.
Took care of today's Scouting business early. Went over to the Scout shop to hand in camporee registration, summer camp roster and registration and new Scout applications. While I was there I also picked up patches for PL, APL and Quartermaster and 3 Scout rank patches. I also found a map & compass (orienteering kit)
You've enjoyed listening to all the recruiting topics we've covered over the years, and now here's a new one for you. Oscar Santoyo, program specialist on the Program Impact Team at the national office in Irving, Texas, joins us to discuss the importance of recruiting Tiger Cubs.
Remember the old adage "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again"? Caren Tamkin, a 20-year active volunteer and current San Diego–Imperial Council commissioner, joins us to illustrate this concept to our Cub Scouts and show us how they can have fun while they are learning.
For 82 days I've wondered what the significance of this post would be as 83 is the number of both our Pack and Troop. Ironically, as far as Scouting goes, today was light. In significance it was not. I managed to find a Scout application I misplaced and a few merit badge books I also
Personal Fitness Merit Badge Last day of the 111th Virginia State Knights of Columbus Convention. I was surprised by two positive mentions of Scouting while I was there...and this morning's session did not disappoint either! The State Deputy had a strong encouragement for the Knights to consider Scouting units if they didn't sponsor one already.
Today I went to our District's St. George's Day Parade in Newcastle . We had our Beavers, Cubs and Scouts there, but this year we had something extra to add. Drums! Our Scout Troop used to have a Scout band in the 1930's to 1950's, but not a lot is known about it.
I sometimes think I do not fit the typical requirements for holding the position of scoutmaster. For example, I do not drink coffee. I do not need to have a cup or three of java to get going in the morning.
This was a VERY Scouty day for me. Got summer camp info together for the patrol leaders so each patrol can figure out their merit badges and activities at the PLC tomorrow. Attended the Court of Honor for three Eagle Scouts.
Lots of Innovation Engine activity, recruitment, Day Camp, national website consistency, and lots of other fun stuff is on tap for the show this week. Links: Social Media Guidelines- http://bit.ly/eRFTWd Tonight's show sponsored by The Boy Scout Store Join the forum discussion on this post Share with Others:
I know there have been quite a few books written about that magical place we Scouters know as Philmont Scout Ranch. I own a few of them. Four to be precise. Here is a quick description of each of them.
The Leave No Trace Teaching Activity Guide is a great resource for those who wish to teach others about Leave No Trace but have little to no experience or training in Leave No Trace themselves. The Guide provides good background information on the seven Leave No Trace Principles along with time-tested activities designed to introduce…
It was my birthday Friday and I went off line for a few days to get some work done around the house that just needed to get done... So here is the quick list: Friday: - finalized campout prep with SPL and Outdoor Chair - met Troop at departure, talked to a bunch of Scouts, introduced them…
Well its been about a week since the last post.. Gilwell called, and I answered! I got back last night from a week out on the Oregon Coast for Wood Badge W1-492-11. It was the first session of the course and my first shot at staffing Scouting's best training course.
Here is a great video that is inspiring and leads you to that next level of finding your High Performance life! Have a Great Scouting Day!
I really hate to blog about "nothing" but that's pretty much been it for the past two days, at least as far as Scouting. Day 84 had my head filled with memories of 9/11. I worked at the Towers up to two weeks prior to the bombing and when it happened it did a major
In this Podcast: Action, Reflection, Discovery – a simple method for training youth leaders. Scout service projects for rank advancement – what counts and what doesn't? Subscribe to the Scoutmaster Newsletter Advancement guide PDF Call and leave a voice mail comment or question at (484) 734-0002 Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes Podcast Music null
Multnomah Falls, OR. On Sunday, May 1st, we joined Mt. Hood Search and Rescue at Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon to celebrate Earth Day. What better way to give back to nature than to spend a few hours cleaning up trash around the falls!
It was a weekend to remember for the United Kingdom's Scouts, with the Royal Wedding on Friday and the annual Queen's Scout Parade at Windsor Castle on Sunday.
Personal Management Merit Badge Pretty hectic day today, getting caught back up with life after the convention. The news was pretty interesting, too. Wow, finally. Today I: Cleaned more Scouting stuff out of the shed. Scheduled time to meet with a Scout about Citizenship in the Nation merit badge.
You can not escape the Wood Badge experience without hearing "Game with a purpose" at least 100 times and the reason is that all of it is a Game with a purpose. Scouting is a Game with a purpose and so when you do Scouting you should always play the game.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW The trek or "quest" is a 5-day and 4-night excursion that will follow the North Country National Scenic Trail with optional rendezvous with the Muskegon, Pere Marquette, Pine, or Manistee Rivers for day or overnight float trips. All treks will be accompanied by a trained Owasippe trail guide.
Organization is essential to running a successful committee meeting. Nothing says that you are unprepared like not having the agenda, reports, documents of past actions, troop or pack policies, and other essential items. Here are some things you should bring …
Many people know about Leave No Trace from seeing signage or information at a park/natural area in their region. We come in contact with a number of people that are surprised to find out we are a nonprofit organization with not just a national reach, but an international one.
It is PLC Prep day... Looking at the month, getting together the agenda and putting on there the issues the PLC needs/wants to address... Yours In Scouting Bryan Permalink | Leave a comment »
New Funny Skit for All scouts
It was not just the weather that had a great April, Scouting's month enjoyed great publicity throughout and finished with a flurry of activity over the past weekend which saw Wayne celebrating achievements in Lincolnshire, Scouting's involvement in the Royal Wedding celebrations and another fantastic day in Windsor. Oh, and a lesson in knot tying…
Come check out the latest from Dave, Alice, Wendy, Jim, Felicia, Jay, and Joe!! Baloo's Bugle for PERSEVERANCE - May RT and Hune Core Value on-line Lots of OUTDOORS and PERSEVERANCE ideas. Den Edition highlights several Supplemental Meetings for outdoors (those with letters versus numbers) for each rank.
Pets Merit Badge Do you ever get frustrated because other people in your life don't live by the Scout Oath and Law? Today was that day at work. Frustrating to work with people who lack a little accountability...and courtesy. Maybe we should add it as a new Eagle merit badge?
Well, I am just going to post when I can…too many thoughts running through my mind to put them into words and post them here. I have been a pretty hearty blogger at times, other times, not so much…and the task of doing the 100 Days has kept me a bit more on task.
Many of you that follow the Scouter gang on Twitter and at PTCMedia know my good buddy Scouter Adam. Well, Adam got stuck in the F150 recording studio with me on our way home from Wood Badge. This is our chat on the way home.
Many of you that follow the Scouter gang on Twitter and at PTCMedia know my good buddy Scouter Adam. Well, Adam got stuck in the F150 recording studio with me on our way home from Wood Badge. This is our chat on the way home.
The PLC Meeting is the most important meeting of the month...it is the planning for the Troop that happens here! We've had a little issue with noise during the meetings and the PLC is taking some steps to make sure we follow the 'see one show one' method of Signs Up :) It is great to…
The Scout Motto tells us to "Be Prepared," and here's why. A Louisiana troop trapped for two days by a rising river in southwest Arkansas survived by making smart decisions and planning ahead. Officials inside and outside the BSA praise the four Scouts and two Scouters of Troop 162 for their impressive performance in the…
Photography Merit Badge Today is the best day of the week! Sun is shining, birds are singing, and Scout meetings are in the works. We are coming into the end of our Cub Scouting year, so I'm working hard on wrapping things up and planning a great crossover ceremony for the last pack meeting.
The habitually elusive Bigfoot has recently come out of hiding and graced various communities around the United States with his presence. Sightings are random as they occur at camps, state parks, national parks, schools, universities and even parades! One common theme in the Big Guy's cameo appearances is that the events are always in support…
• heard from a father that he had dates confused and son would like to go on next weekends campout. The irony is that last meeting I ha a discussion with the scout on why he should still take part in the planning even if he couldn't attend. • got my next series of time
Photo by Harris Hatcher Someone will win our Where Am I? reader contest for May-June and a $100 BSA Supply Group gift card. Shouldn't it be you? Take a look at the photo of the swamp at left, and then click here to examine some clues we've provided about the mystery location.
AllGearAnnotated CampBoxSmallPacked ChairFoldedUp ChairSetUp02 Cooking02Annotated DuluthTradingRollClosed DuluthTradingRollOpen LightMyFireKitAnnotated Here's two camping boxes that house some essentials I like to have on hand when we are out with the troop. The smaller is a 8 gallon and the larger a 24 gallon Action Packer by Rubbermaid.
If you've been following the blog for a while you probably already know Larry Geiger . Larry is a Scoutmaster in Veira, Florida who started commenting on the blog frequently some time ago. His well-reasoned and thoughtful comments often sparked a conversation.
Oh the week is winding down... Wednesday was a great service project. The Troop worked with a local Homeless Organization and put up 1800 Cut outs of boys and girl representing the 1,800 children that will be homeless in the city of Indianapolis this year.
Bear Mountain, NY - Team East and our partner, The North Face , are kicking off the 2011 The North Face Endurance Challenge season this weekend in the Catskill Mountains of New York state. Check out the video to learn more about the event or better yet come on out and visit in person!
The Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers as well as the e-tour are conducting the following training events across the country in May. For more information about these or to attend, visit their calendars. Team East May Calendar – http://tinyurl.com/62zpg9u Team West May Calendar - http://tinyurl.com/5ty8ac9 Leave No Trace e-tour Calendar – http://tinyurl.com/66uow8x Colorado: • Shining Mountain School – Boulder • Legacy…
April 18, 2011, Seattle, WA: The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics conducted a Backyard Session in Seattle, Washington to discuss this year's Hot Spot at Mount Rainier National Park's Paradise Area. Mount Rainier National Park rangers, Jordan Mammel and Christine Czazasty, presented an overview of impacts related to recreation at the popular Paradise…
Pioneering Merit Badge Thursday is always the calm after the storm. Wednesdays meeting night is a flurry of activity, getting from one meeting to the next, preparations, setting up, tearing down...whew! Thursday is the day for catching your breath...all while Scouting!
We often receive questions about soap use in the outdoors, more specifically, how damaging or not "biodegradable" or castile soap is to the environment.Our take on the situation is as follows: Generally speaking, getting any soap in a water source is not acceptable or recommended.
The USDA Forest Service Ninemile Wildlands Training Center and the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics jointly hosted the second of two pilot Master Educator Courses focusing on frontcountry-specific equestrian issues and impacts. The course was held in mid-April on the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois.
Click to view slideshow. The recently updated " Guide to Safe Scouting " is a vital tool for Scout leaders. But it doesn't do you much good if it's on the coffee table and you're at a troop meeting or on a campout.
Scouts in the south-west of England are bracing themselves for quite a weekend as the Chief Scout, Bear Grylls is preparing to visit as many Members as possible in two days.
The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been. - Henry Kissinger Boys join Scouting for a variety of reasons, mostly because their parents think it is a great idea, but then they come to the realization that Scouting is fun and that hanging out…
Hello all, I know that it has been almost 1 year to the date since I last published a post, hopefully this will not happen again or at least if I need to take a extended leave of absence from writing posts I will keep you guys informed.
Daniel Carriveau's busy schedule is about to get even more hectic. The college freshman, Eagle Scout, and Silver Award recipient is double-majoring in resort management and accounting at Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wis. He also spent the past year as Central Region Venturing President, a role that had him at 62 different Venturing events over…
If the Patrol Leader's Council (PLC) is supposed to be responsible for planning meetings and outings for their Troop how does this happen in practice? There is no universal model, agenda or method but there are some broad underlying principles: Give them the tools A little bit of training, a lot of questions and a…
Thursday night is Troop meeting night. On my way home from my office I got a text message from my son asking me NOT to show up to the meeting until 7:05. Needless to say I was a little suspicious but not overly so as it was my birthday and I figured it had something
Printed off some information on the location chosen by the troop for june campout. It's a bit of a haul as far as driving distance (especially with current gas prices) but I gave them the choice so now let's see if we can make it work. Mailed out a couple of shelter box scout patches.
Plant Science Merit Badge Today is a crazy day. Work is busy, I'm supposed to leave early to head down to my daughter's college graduation tomorrow, and still Scouting duties are there. What a great life. Today I: Followed-up on my Life's transportation for summer camp staff training this weekend.
Now that we know how a committee meeting is run, what are the normal functions of the troop or pack committee? Areas of Responsibility The committee is responsible for the business aspects of the unit's operation. In other words, this …
Tonight I was invited by the Patrol that I am the Troop Guide for in W1-492-11 for their Patrol meeting between sessions. They held their meeting at one of the Patrol members place of employment, Coffee Bean International. It was a neat meeting as they embodied the Scouting Spirit of learning something new.
Recently I got into a discussion with another blogger about numbers, subscriptions, readership etc. He is all wrapped up in the "numbers thing" and extremely passionate about boosting his ratings, getting more readers, and taking over the internet, ok so I made the last one up, but needless to say he does in fact have…
Plumbing Merit Badge Attending my daughter's graduation today, so not much Scouting to report. I did get to speak with my Life though, who finished up a day of training for his summer camp job.
Today during a hike that my Troop went on I started thinking about a subject that hadn't really crept into my mind for a fair length of time. That subject happens to be physical fitness as the title of this blog post says.
We have tradition in our family that Mother's Day weekend as much as possible (weather permitting) is spent outside. This usually means getting the garden planted for summer and trying to get the landscaping a little nicer than the year before. So yesterday was garden day because that's what makes the mrs happy. My son
When I was a young Scout there was no better moment at Courts of Honor than being able to pin the "Mom's" pin on my Mom. Having earned a rank and being able to share that with Mom was a special thing.
Well, the 100 Days Blog will be done on the 20th of May…it's been a goal of mine to blog more often and I can say that with certainty, I have. I started to do daily posts, but then started to fall short.
Three years ago the troop began building a treehouse at our Camp Watchamagumee. It was to be an eight foot square house with three foot sidewalls, built eight feet off the ground. It was to be built between a few trees along the main path of the camp.
Pottery Merit Badge Still traveling due to my daughter's graduation from college. Only Scouting today was speaking to my sister-in-law about my nephew, who has dropped out of the Boy Scouts after working all the way up from Tigers as a Cub Scout.
It was a case of 32 hours, 15 events and thousands of Scouts, as Chief Scout, Bear Grylls took to the skies on the third stage of his UK tour, Bear in the Air.
This past week really got away from me and time to post was lost. Hopefully, it was a burp and not a lingering situation. This past week, I ... had 4 scoutmaster conferences attended a PLC meeting participated in the district Roundtable meeting got presenters for Scoutmaster Specific training presented CPR presented Wilderness First Aid helped…
Not a lot in the way of actual scouting happened, but I did put my entire archives of True North here on the blog. It should make it a bit easier to listen to all the shows right from here.
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Innovation Engine and Day Camp are on tap for this short show. Tonight's show sponsored by Badge Magic Join the forum discussion on this post Share with Others:
Another few days of Internet silence. So sorry! It was a busy weekend for everything. There were 2 Eagle Projects this weekend. One Scout cleaned and repaired a Food Pantry. He did a fantastic job and had several Scouts and volunteers help him out.
Here they are, the four photo contest finalists of last month! One of these photographers will win a $100 Gift Card from ClassB April Photo Contest Finalists Revealed! is a post from: ClassB® Custom BSA® T-shirts Blog This post is © ClassB, Inc. and cannot be reproduced in whole without prior written permission.
At the 2010 Indy 500, great communication between Alex Lloyd and his crew helped propel the No. 19 BSA car to a fourth-place finish. What's this summer's hottest sequel? It's gotta be the big return of BSA IndyCar driver Alex Lloyd, last year's Rookie of the Year.
A big thanks to all of those that participated, retweeted, blogged and otherwise spread the word out about Stadri Emblems Jeopardy! Contest . Your help made the contest a smashing success! Hopefully the Boy Scout Handbook wasn't needed to play the challenge but here are the answers before we announce the winner: The theme: A Scout…
It has been said that Boy Scout leaders will do nearly anything for a patch. I guess I may fall into that grouping. I have been to many camporees and Scouting activities over the last three decades, and yes, I attended a few of them just to get the patch, but I have to add…
No Scouting today. Today all the attention was where it should be – on the mother of my Scout (and non-scout child Happy (belated) Mother's Day to all the MISS's and Mom's out there in Scouting. How has your mom influenced your Scouting career? I remember my Mom being a Den Mother when I was
Public Health Merit Badge Back from a long and hectic weekend. My daughter is officially a college graduate, and starts on her Masters in a couple of weeks. Came home to a bunch of Scouting email and gardening chores to get done.
An interview with Alex Kosseff author of the AMC Guide to Outdoor Leadership. We discuss leading teens, expedition behavior and risk management for outdoor leaders. AMC Guide to Outdoor Leadership on Amazon Alex Kosseff's Outdoor Safety Institute AMC Leadership School National Outdoor Leadership School Subscribe to the Scoutmaster Newsletter Call and leave a voice mail…
Whilst Bear has been out and about in the South West, Wayne set off for a busy weekend of visits in Norfolk. He needn't have packed the waterproofs and hoody as the sun shone throughout....
Here is a quick video on me getting the Hammock ready for my week up in the Oregon Coast Range for the 2nd session of Wood Badge. I removed the stock Hennessy suspension from the hammock and replaced them with Whoopie Slings.
Getting the scouts outside sure makes for a more energetic troop meeting! The SPL had his plan all laid out with skills, patrol time, and troop game all outsite. The weather cooperated, and there was a lot of noisy activity so I'd say it was a success.
Now I can't hardly wait…the first of the communiques from the Wood Badge Staff…nothing major, but it's the first of many letters that I will be getting leading up to Wood Badge. The letter outlines what needs to be done, primarily needing a physical and sending contact information, along with the times and simple "ground…
PROGRAM OVERVIEW Climbing and Rappelling from several heights ranging from 50 feet to 110 feet Mountain Biking on a 10.2 mile trail with elevation changes of over 600 feet Shooting Sports with rifle, pistol and shotgun Whitewater Rafting on the Oocee River Sailing and canoeing on our 21 acre lake Backpacking All Treks at Latimer…
I have to thank Scoutmaster Jerry from the SSM Blog for this video suggestion. He posted this video on his blog and I agree that it is a great one. To quote the description on the video's page: "Inspiring video on persevering no matter how many times you have failed in life."
In the last part of our series on committee meetings, we'll look at ways to recruit new committee members and keep them active in the unit.
Less than 10 to go. As before, the #100Days process has me wondering what's next. 100 days of anything could be a major step in my life – if I was passionate about it. 100 Days of Reading…. 100 Days of Fitness… 100 Days of Family…. Today I: picked up the District Eagle recognition certificates
T minus 10... -Talked with a Life Scout helping him with his Eagle Project...'discussed' the project and I think it is pretty good. Now he has to develop the plan, fill out the workbook and get the signatures for approval.
Photo by Daniel Giles. Rappers Jay-Z and Eminem, the musical "Promises, Promises," and the Boy Scouts of America. An odd trio, sure, but they all have one thing in common: They're among the winners of the fourth annual Excellence in Live Design Awards , handed out last week.
Bear Mountain, NY - Team East caught up with the Big Guy at The North Face Endurance Challenge last weekend to enjoy the sunshine and festive atmosphere of the first endurance challenge of the 2011 season. Bigfoot signed up and and had a lot of fun in the Karno Kids race and for photos and laughs…
Public Speaking Merit Badge I confess, I took advantage of a quiet day today. My folks are in town, visiting to see my new grandchild. Beautiful weather has the garden calling. Scouting is everywhere, and more to take advantage of there, too!
Scouts across the UK are signing up for an initiative to help change lives with the click of a mouse and it's not too late for you to get involved.
Inspired by a recent topic on Scouts-L I've been researching Wilderness First Aid training. There was mention of an online option that is interesting: http://advanced.profirstaid.com/en/ As much as I'm in favor of what can be done online should I've got mixed feelings on this one. I didn't see a WFA course but there was CPR
Here's what we had falling from the sky this evening! 1 3/4 inch hail, that's the biggest I've personally collected. Luckily, there wasn't much of it, around here anyway. But, they did let the sirens wail for awhile. I was inside having a scoutmaster conference at the time.
In this show we talk about Patrol Spirit and how it moves the Patrol to becoming a High Performance Team! This show is sponsored by The Boy Scout Store . Be sure to let us know what you think about the Podcast.
Good administrative skills go just so far when leading a group in an extended outdoor experience. What works at a Troop meeting or in the boardroom does not always translate well on a week-long backpacking or canoeing trip. Scouting offers great administrative training and valuable supplemental training in outdoor skills and safety.
2010-2011 National Venturing President Jennifer Lowe predicts that her successor, Daniel Carriveau, will be a "great leader" for Venturing over the next year. It's almost time to pass the baton. But before National Venturing President Jennifer Lowe's term ends in about two weeks, she has taken time to offer praise and some advice to her…
Troop meeting night. Great job by all! We covered gun safety for the up coming campout. I did 2SMCs and one for Eagle. Two scouts had BoRs and I handed out one 1st Class badgeand signed one Eagle App and 1 Eagle Project workbook.
Bigfoot prepares for the 49er Days Parade Winthrop, WA. This past week Traveling Trainer Team West has been enjoying the quaint western town of Winthrop, WA, located just east of the North Cascades Range. Our week started with a visit to Liberty Bell Middle School, where we worked with the 7th graders.
Pulp and Paper Merit Badge Wow, only a week left! Day 93! Getting ready for my meetings tonight and tomorrow night. We are winding down our Wolf meetings, and the big crossover into the next den level is only 2 weeks away.
