Striking before the Iron Is Hot
It’s never too early to start planning an Eagle court of honor. In fact, Laszlo Acs starts before a Scout’s board of review ends!How? He makes good use of the time that he and the Scout’s parents are cooling their heels while board members are grilling the Scout. After reassuring the parents that the Scout will almost survive his grilling, Acs talks about how big a deal the court of honor is and what the... [More]
By: Scott Robertson On: 2012-04-19Thirteen Steps to Build a Campfire
1. Split dead limb into fragments and shave one fragment into slivers. 2. Bandage left thumb. 3. Chop remaining fragments into smaller fragments. 4. Bandage left foot. 5. Make a structure of slivers (including those embedded in hand). 6. Light match. 7. Light match. 8. Repeat "A Scout is Cheerful" and light match. 9. Apply match to slivers, add wood fragments, and blow gently into base of flames. 10. Apply burn ointment to nose. 11.... [More]
By: Scott Robertson On: 2012-04-17Finding the Perfect Eagle Scout Service Project
Do your Life Scouts ever struggle to come up with service project ideas for the Eagle Scout rank? Do you ever struggle to get them to think creatively? If so, you’ll want to check out http://www.myprojectfinder.com/.Created by Scouter David Harkins (who’s both a volunteer leader and associate director of business development for BSA Supply Group), the site stimulates Scouts’ creativity using a decision-tree model. Scouts answer a few simple questions (e.g., “Do you prefer to... [More]
By: Scott Robertson On: 2012-04-12Life is tough – Rules for teenagers
This was posted on one of the mailing lists I am on and I thought I would share it with you all. There is no cite to who originally wrote it or where it came from.Rule No. 1: Life is not fair. Get used to it. The average teen-ager uses the phrase "It's not fair" 8.6 times a day. You got it from your parents, who said it so often you decided they must... [More]
By: Scott Robertson On: 2012-04-10Summer Camp for Adults
High adventure can do wonders for your troop. It can help you retain older Scouts, give you something to prepare for during troop meetings, and energize adults who are sick to death of plop camping at the nearest state park.But how do you move from plop camping to high adventure? The best way is to send some of your adults – and older Scouts – to Powder Horn. Dubbed a resource management course, Powder... [More]
By: Scott Robertson On: 2012-04-05Creative Leader Awards
When you have a special leader you want to give a special award to but nothing seems right, you could do something like this...100 paperclips - keeping everything together 100 twisty pretzels - You are flexible 100 Hershey kisses - You deserve kisses 100 crayons - You have colorful ideas 100 puzzle pieces - You make all the pieces fall into place 100 50 cent pieces - You add value 100 tea bags - You... [More]
By: Scott Robertson On: 2012-04-03New tour plan coming May 1st
So a new online tour plan is coming. See scout wire http://scout-wire.org/2012/02/29/new-tour-and-activity-plan-to-be-unveiled/. Apparently councils are really going to stop approving tour plans. The app seems to be a big improvement over the current system. You can also badger you DE to let let you play with it now.Here is an excerpt:The new online tour and activity plan has been developed and will soon be ready for use. When compared to the former tour permit process,... [More]
By: Scott Robertson On: 2012-03-31How not to Step into the Breach
Nature abhors a vacuum – and so do strong leaders. When your senior patrol leader doesn’t react quickly enough to get the troop’s attention or deal with some minor problem, there’s always an adult around who’s all too happy to step into the breach with an authoritative “Signs up!”The problem with that (other than the fact that the Scout sign is supposed to be a silent signal, of course!) is that when an adult takes... [More]
By: Scott Robertson On: 2012-03-29Kid's Chili
This recipe was recently shared on a Scouting mailing list and I thought I would share with you as its sounds pretty good and came with high praise. Originally it came from http://www.food.com/recipe/kids-chili-15603#ixzz1npbZ9Clu Kid's ChiliIngredients:2 lbs lean ground beef 1 cup chopped yellow onion 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper , to taste 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 can mild chili bean (Bush's) 1 can dark red kidney beans (Bush's) 2 cans DelMonte stewed tomatoes... [More]
By: Scott Robertson On: 2012-03-27Gone from Pack Trainer to Committee Chair
Hello All,Been awhile since I last posted and there have been some updates. Yes, I am still a Den Leader and now a Webelos Den Leader, which is my primary position as an Adult Scout Leader.I have completed my Wood Badge Ticket in 2011 and since then have been asked to become the Committee Chair for my Pack and to also be the Cub Scout Roundtable Commissioner for my District. Scouting has filled up all... [More]
By: Steve O'Connor On: 2012-03-22