Fourth in a series of thoughts about looking ahead: How will we reach and or maintain financial stability? Great Scouting is not dependent on a lavish budget; just ask your Council Executive. Every Troop, Pack and Crew I know of raises money to support its program. I am not concerned here with the specifics of […]
Program Methods
Recruiting Scouts
Recruiting Scouts from those who have been Webelos is very different than recruiting form those who haven’t. Much has been written on Webelos transitions so I will not retrench the subject here. Here’s discussions of retaining the Webelos you recruit and some notes on transitioning Webelos leaders. By way of review – Find all the Webelos Dens in […]
Scouting as Ecopsychotherapy
Things that stand the test of time. like Scouting, begin with instinctive inspirations before they are explained scientifically. A growing field of psychotherapy recognizes the benefits derived from direct contact with the natural world. Traditional therapies look inward for answers while ecopsychotherapy allows answers to be derived from contact with the natural environment. Scoutmasters have […]
Sewing Scout Patches
Sewing Scout patches can be a challenge! … let alone figuring out where they all belong! Here’s some information that should answer your questions about where those patches belong, how to sew or iron them on and some ideas for displaying them. Where to Sew Patches? Merit Badge Sashes How do you iron-on? Hand or Machine […]
Texting – 2b or not 2b?
Mark Bauerlein is a professor of English at Emory University. His latest book bears the unfortunate title The Dumbest Generation. I haven’t read the book but based on the professor’s recent opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal is seems to be another false diatribe similar to the grave predictions that comic books would foment […]
H1N1 Virus and Scout Camp
This article is from North Carolina’s Winston-Salem Journal Keeping Guard: Summer camps following a strict regimen to prevent the spread of H1N1 virus Getting dirty is as much a part of the summer-camp experience as campfire songs and swimming. But this summer, cleanliness has made its way onto the agenda, as summer camps try to […]
Managing the H1N1 Flu Virus for Scout Leaders
Below are several resources for Scout Leaders to educate themselves about how to properly and responsibly prepare to react to the H1N1 flu virus outbreak. In addition to monitoring these sources I will keep an eye on our school district’s webpage for announcements and check in at our local council for direction. Our scouts and […]
Age-Appropriate Guidelines Chart
What is age-appropriate has been a fertile subject for discussion, conjecture and urban legend in Scouting. Judging the suitability of an activity and which Scouts can appropriately participate is an important skill for Scoutmasters. This page on the BSA website explains how to determine what activities are appropriate for different ages of Scouts. Here are […]
Managing Risk – Maintaining Program Integrity
At the end of a portage last summer I met a party of canoe trippers who were beating a hasty retreat. One of them wore a bloody bandage around his right ankle owing to an accident with an axe. This sent a shiver down my spine as I silently congratulated myself on the ‘no axe […]
Webelos Visits to Troop Meetings
When Webelos and their parents visit one of our meetings we send the Webelos to our Senior Patrol leader who sees that they are welcomed and join in the activities. The parents meet with myself and a couple of Assistant Scoutmasters. I used to have a set program for visiting parents. I would sit with […]
Cold Water Boot Camp
The Boot Campers of Cold Water Boot Camp USA dive in and experience the three effects of cold-water immersion – cold shock, cold incapacitation, and even hypothermia. The project provides valuable information of how to survive an accidental fall into cold water. The demonstration forces the Boot Campers to face the indisputable fact – that […]
Deer Tracking
I must admit that every once in a while I cannot resist this bit of fun (so long as it is not demeaning my Scouts). There’s no ‘butt’ to this joke and everyone ends up laughing. Bring a box or bag of chocolate covered raisins on your next camp out. Get up early and place […]
Scout Games Backpack
Here’s a great idea from The Trainers Corner blog: A Scout games backpack is filled with games and various items for quick game ideas. As you can see from the picture, which has some of the contents of my backpack, there’s a lot of things that can be turned into games. Among the contents are […]
Patrol Outings
I would guess that one Troop in twenty schedules actual, independent Patrol outings. More likely than not the Patrols all go camping at once – AKA a Troop outing (like my Troop). I haven’t pursued independent Patrol outings for a couple of reasons; Logistics – Planning, supplying and launching three or four separate outings is […]
Storm Over Everest
The spectacular Frontline documentary on PBS by David Breashears on the 1996 Everest tragedy includes interviews with expedition members and interactive maps of the mountain and the accident. The documentary is a fantastic case study in risk management, judgment and decision making and is highly recommended as a Scouter training tool. On 10–11 May 1996 eight people caught in a blizzard died on […]
Cruel Kids and Tribalism
Dr. Steven Parker at Web Md writes about childhood memories of two schoolmates: In my defense, I wasn’t overtly mean to Billie or to Fred. But – to my eternal shame – neither was I at all friendly. Never did I tell my friends to cool it with the cruel taunts. Never did I attempt to […]
Kim’s Game
Kim’s Game is a game of observation and memory. In Rudyard Kipling’s 1901 novel Kim the hero, Kim, plays the game as a part of his training as a spy. Kim spends a month in Simla, India at the home of Mr. Lurgan, who runs a jewel shopas a cover for his real work as a […]
Laceration Repair in the Wilderness
By Jeremy Joslin, M.D. from Medicine for the Outdoors It always happens by accident. You’re using your new, lightweight pack saw to collect downed wood for an evening fire when the saw slips and slices into the back of your left thumb. Blood flows immediately, and you feel a rush of pain up your hand. […]
Fixing Your Feet – Immersion Foot
Hikers, runners, athletes, backpackers and Scouts all know that one must take care of their feet. Scouts are young enough to bounce back from blisters, strains and twists quickly but not the old Scoutmaster. It is worth knowing how to maintain healthy feet. Perhaps it is a sign of my ever advancing age (I’m fine […]
Poison Ivy – Toxicodendron Radicans
Poison ivy (toxicodendron radicans) is the most common of the urushiol producing plants in the eastern U.S. Contact with urushiol oil is the substance that causes an allergic rash in 90% of the population. Even a tiny amount (1 nanogram, a billionth of a gram) of sticky, resin-like urushiol oil will case a skin reaction. […]
Scout Program – Canned or Fresh?
Canned programs for Scouts are attractive because they are easy. They are also poor excuses for a Scout activity. Canned experiences require little preparation, skill development or leadership. In our part of the world there are whitewater rafting trips, ski weekends, museum lock-ins and similar activities that only require Scouts show up and be led […]
Blisters
Dr. Paul Auerbach discusses blisters at Medicine for the Outdoors: If a blister is caused by pressure (ill-fitting boots), you have a couple of choices. As mentioned above, prior to actual blister formation, you can protect or pad the area. Once a blister forms, the blister site can be padded with moleskin or other adhesive […]
How to Wear the Scout Neckerchief
This is all the official verbiage you will find about how to wear the Scout neckerchief – anything else you have heard is urban legend. From the BSA Insignia Guide : The Neckerchief Boy Scout neckerchiefs are optional. The troop decides by vote, and all members abide by the decision. If the neckerchief is not worn, then the […]
Boy Scout Neckerchiefs
Boy Scout neckerchiefs have been with us since Baden Powell published Scouting for Boys: The Scout Uniform is very like the uniform worn by my men when I commanded the South African Constabulary. They knew what was comfortable, serviceable, and a good protection against the weather. So Scouts have much the same uniform. … … […]
