Ramblings Blog


  SM Tip - Connect With Special Merit Badge Opportunities

The Scoutmaster’s Other Handbook has always included a section on merit badge programs at museums, and I’ve long maintained that the best counselors are men and women who have a passion for a badge’s subject matter. (Scouters who are a chapter or two ahead in the merit badge pamphlet just can’t offer the same experience.)Case in point: the Engineering merit badge program at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee (http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Content/Pages/HD_Museum/explore/programs-and-tours/boy-scout-merit-badge.html). I can’t think of a better... [More]

By: Scott Robertson On: 2013-08-14

  Eagle Tip - Picture This, Part 2

My last tip introduced Wikimedia Commons, a source for (usually) free images that you can use in court of honor programs and slideshows. It’s not the only source for free photos online, of course. Another, and my personal favorite, is Stock.XCHNG, whose URL is the odd http://sxc.hu. The site features hundreds of photos of eagles, mountains, and other images that would be appropriate for courts of honor and other Scouting uses. In most cases, the... [More]

By: Scott Robertson On: 2013-08-07

  Eagle Tip - Picture This, Part 1

Like most things in our world, Eagle courts of honor have become multimedia affairs in recent years. For example, slick (and easily produced) slideshows do a great job of chronicling the journey new Eagle Scouts have taken since their Cub Scout days.But you might want to include other pictures in your ceremonies or printed programs, such as photos of bald eagles or American flags. Where can you find such photos? A great place to start... [More]

By: Scott Robertson On: 2013-07-31

  Washing Dishes

Most people are not aware of how to wash dishes while camping. Scouts definitely are not a dishwasher! So they should be aware of how to wash dishes by hand in camp. It is important to practice proper dish washing techniques in order to maintain healthy scouts. It can be refreshing and enjoyable to wash dishes, shifts eyes around, yeah uhm....Materials needed for washing your dishes: 3 sets of plastic wash basins, pans, etc Dish... [More]

By: Scott Robertson On: 2013-07-29

  Eagle Scout Scholarships

Are you an Eagle Scout, there are many college grants for you. Being an Eagle Scout Scholar, like any prospective college student, requires a lot of work. For starters, you will need to apply with granting organization.There are many organizations that make grants available for Eagle Scouts. Here are some of them: The National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) is a society of men who attained the Eagle Scout rank and who trust to engage their... [More]

By: Scott Robertson On: 2013-07-27

  SM Tip - A Sense of Wonder

This week, for an upcoming Eagle Scout Magazine article, I had the pleasure of speaking with Mohammed Al-Jumaili, who is apparently the first refugee of the Iraq War to become an Eagle Scout. I also talked with his Scoutmaster, Steve Bauer. Mohammed has a unique story, but Steve told me something that contains a bit of truth for all of us who are longtime Scout leaders. He said that on one of Mohammed’s early camping... [More]

By: Scott Robertson On: 2013-07-24

  Dan Pallotta: The way we think about charity is dead wrong

Todays post comes to us courtesy of the Ted Talks. It is about how we think about charity and "The O Word". The talk is done by activist and fundraiser Dan Pallotta who calls out the double standard that drives our broken relationship to charities. Too many nonprofits, he says, are rewarded for how little they spend -- not for what they get done. Instead of equating frugality with morality, he asks us to start... [More]

By: Scott Robertson On: 2013-07-22

  The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Recently I was talking with one of my friends daughters, who is six-year-old, about the old fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”. As a result she wrote this little story and draw this picture. We also watched the video below, of the original story being read.The boy who cried wolf is a story about a boy who cried wolf. One day there was a boy named Jack. He owned the sheep in a village. The... [More]

By: Scott Robertson On: 2013-07-20

  Eagle Tip - Going with the Flow

Submitted by James ShepherdDespite your best efforts, something will go wrong at your court of honor. The color guard will put the American flag on the wrong side of the stage, the sound system will produce eardrum-piercing feedback, a presenter will flub his lines. Whatever happens, the best thing you can do is go with the flow.James Shepherd figured that out before his son’s court of honor and talked to his son about it. James... [More]

By: Scott Robertson On: 2013-07-17

  Selecting Saws

This is part three of a series written by Jon Melick in Quincy MA who is an Eagle Scout, Vigil in the Order of Arrow, and Assistant Scoutmater with Troop 20. I would like to personally thank him for allowing us to republish his "Wood Tools" document. SAWS “Leave ‘em Home/Limited Use”Here, I group these classifications together because there is little distinction between them. Carpentry saws are obvious “leave ‘em home” candidates; but while I... [More]

By: Scott Robertson On: 2013-07-15


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