Scout advancement is not adults judging Scouts… … it’s Scouts meeting requirements with the support of adult volunteers – in Scout advancement we are all on the same side. We did not write the requirements. We don’t personally embroider patches to present to them. It’s tiresome and self-defeating to devise our own hoops for Scouts […]
Scoutmaster Podcast 345- Active Scouts and Scouters
We encourage active Scouts a number of ways … … but at the heart of the matter there’s only two things that make a difference, and I’ll discuss those two key points in this week’s podcast. The same things that make active Scouts can help us increase activity at roundtables and other functions like courts of honor. […]
Podcast 334 – Do Parents Understand Scouting?
How well do Parents understand Scouting? Should we expect them to? Most of us didn’t understand it either for our first two or three laps around the track. There’s an understanding that comes with having things explained, and an understanding that comes from experience – two entirely different things. This week I’ll discuss how authentic Scouting provides […]
Scoutmaster Podcast 333 Scout Parents
Do you have quarterly Scout parent meetings? I’ll answer an email question about parent’s meetings in this podcast. On our quarterly Scout parent meetings that include a court of honor. Everyone arrives at about 7PM, the Scouts go outside to play a game and the committee chair and whomever needs to (depending on what is going on, […]
Scoutmaster Podcast 321- Brownsea Island Moment
21 boys boarded a boat in Poole Harbor… … they had no way of knowing they were pioneering a movement for millions of young people around the world. Several lived well into old age to vividly recount their experiences decades later. Scouting’s pathways are now worn by travel, but each new Scout today has a “Brownsea […]
What is Your Scouting Legacy?
You probably can’t appreciate what your Scouting legacy will be a few years from now. Today you have your hands and your head full of getting things done; looking into the future may not be high priority. No matter how hopeful or difficult things may seem at the moment, no matter how well or poorly you imagine […]
Scoutmaster Podcast 312 – Summer Camp!
How about your Scouts? How about their parents? This podcast features advice for Scouters attending summer camp and parents who are staying home. I’ll discuss ten things that will make life at summer camp smooth sailing for you and your Scouts, and also share some things parents can do to prepare their Scouts and themselves for […]
Scoutmaster Podcast 310 – Parents 3
We work with our Scouts as they come to us…. I’ll discuss two different parent-related issues in this third (and final) in a series of podcasts about Scout parents – First we’ll acknowledge getting parents to understand the way advancement works can be a big challenge. I’ve worked with many parents who I would consider […]
Scoutmaster Podcast 309 – Scout Parents 2
The single most important thing a Scout parents need to know is … This is the second of three podcasts about Scout parents. Scouting is not simply another activity on the schedule, it is a process. Once Scout parents understand the process they become allies, until they do we can find ourselves working at cross purposes. In Scouts […]
Scout Master Podcast 308 – Scout Parents 1
What should Scout parents do if a child want’s to quit Scouts?… This is the first of three podcasts about Scout parents. Just about every child will reach some impasse along the way that will make them reluctant or downright adamant about participating. What Scout parents do next is important. It’s more than likely that this is going to […]
Podcast 291- No Time for Scouts?
A lot of our Scouts are subject to many demands on their time… .. and some are under extreme pressure from their parents. What if one of our Scouts wants to quit because they say they have no time for Scouts? Scouting ought to be challenging, but not impossible, nor should it become something stressful […]
Scoutmaster Podcast 281 – Parent and Scouter
Things can get tricky when you are both a Scouter and the parent of a Scout. In this week’s podcast I’ll answer email questions about occupying the role of parent and Scouter, how small troops work, and what qualifies as service for the ranks of Star and Life. The Big Three Resources every Scouter should read. […]
Scoutmaster Podcast 267 – Email!
It’s catch-up time! In this week’s podcast I’ll catch up on email questions concerning approving requirements, relationships between Cub Packs and Troops, moving to a new Troop, unit policy manuals, how Scouts address Scouters, and determining what activities best achieve the aims of Scouting. Links in this podcast The Big Three Resources every Scouter should […]
Podcast 265 – Scouting Source Code 2
Who was the voice of Scouting? How did a Danish Scout become the voice of Scouting in the United States? He knew the source code! What must we have to have to call what we do “Scouting”? This podcast is the second installment of a great story that ought to inspire us all to think about what […]
Bedwetting and Scouts
Every so often I hear from a Scouter or parent about a Scout who has a problem with bedwetting. It goes without saying that I am not a medical expert, but I did a little research and several sources agree an estimated 3.75 -5.25 million boys (and a smaller number of girls) in the United States have a medical […]
Podcast 251 – Make the most of being a Scouter
Once you become a Scouter, what’s next? What five things can you do to make the best of your opportunity as a Scouter? Whether you are just starting out, or have been around for awhile, let’s get the new year off on the right foot by thinking about making the best of our opportunities! This podcast […]
Podcast 245 – The Emperor has no clothes
When the Emperor has no new clothes… it’s sort of embarrassing for everyone isn’t it? Listen to my response to those (thankfully few) troops who decide to create their own requirements. Adding to the requirements is as misguided as subtracting from them, and sends a mixed message to the youth we serve. In the email segment […]
Podcast 237 – Patrol Method 3
What, exactly, is the Patrol Method? Why did our founder emphasize the importance of the patrol method over all else in Scouting? In this week’s podcast the third of four installments that discusses the typical objections raised when the patrol method is applied. Three different email questions on the theme of focusing on the individual Scout, one […]
Podcast 236 – Patrol Method 2
What, exactly, is the Patrol Method? Why did our founder emphasize the importance of the patrol method over all else in Scouting? In this week’s podcast the second of four installments that describes te adult role in applying the patrol method. I also answer an email from a Cub Den Leader and parent who is concerned […]
Little League and Scouting
Contributor Dave Klein lives in Southern California with his wife and two Boy Scout sons. He has been involved in numerous adult leader positions within both Cub and Boy Scouts for 11 years. Dave is Woodbadge trained and has served as Assistant Scoutmaster for eight years. He is also the Troop Activities Chair and Webmaster. […]
Podcast 233 – Patrol Leader’s Council
Sponsored By ScoutmasterCG.com Backers Working with the patrol leaders’s council is a Scoutmaster’s single greatest responsibility… …listen in to a recording of my patrol leader’s council at camp this summer. I answer emails about motivating older Scouts, dealing with interference from parents, and helping define Scout camping for new parents. Join me in Kandersteg next summer! […]
Podcast 228 – Parents & Summer Camp
Sponsored By ScoutmasterCG.com Backers Parent’s spend a lot of time preparing Scouts for summer camp, but have they prepared themselves? Do parents know what goes on at camp? This week I offer some advice directed at parents (especially of younger Scouts) that will help make the experience for them and their Scouts a positive one. […]
Three Things Scout Parents Can Do
This infographic explains three things Scout parents can do to help Scouts with their gear (and save a Scoutmaster’s sanity). Put your Scout’s Name and Troop number on everything. If they are attending an event with dozens or hundreds of other Scouts and misplace a piece of clothing or gear there’s a much better chance it […]
The Overprotected Kid
In her Atlantic Monthly article, The Overprotected Kid, Hanna Rosin writes: It’s hard to absorb how much childhood norms have shifted in just one generation. Actions that would have been considered paranoid in the ’70s—walking third-graders to school, forbidding your kid to play ball in the street, going down the slide with your child in your lap—are […]
