Dreamcatchers Native American Art Project
Dreamcatchers are an iconic Native American symbol. It is unknown exactly when and where they originated. They were first documented in 1929 with the Ojbwie tribe and spread to other tribes during the pan-Indian movement of the 1960s and 1970s. They are traditionally made of all-natural pieces, such as willow bark for the ring and sinew for the webbing. They are said to protect the user from bad dreams. According to Native American legend, all... [More]
By: InsaneScouter On: 2020-10-22Gates Foundation. Please Help Us
Shutterstock Image used under Fair Usage Guidelines See those smiling faces? I wish I had an image of smile Scouting youth and adult faces, but this will have to do for now.On 12 August 2020, the BSA's National teams working under the "Churchill Project" made some recommendations to the National Executive Board, the guiding group within the BSA responsible for all decisions on behalf of the national organization. While these recommendations are not binding, the... [More]
By: Mike Walton (blackeagle) On: 2020-10-19Scoutness
Original home of Earl Hamner, creator of "The Waltons." photo from WaltonsMountain.com I cannot remember if I saw this on as part of a television show or if this was one of my silly "television show dreams." All I know is that the show or dream is based upon Scouting heritage and lore and that I remember it being "true" in the application.So the backstory is that a guy gets hired to work for a... [More]
By: Mike Walton (blackeagle) On: 2020-10-12Scouting Circus Skit ideas
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay I remember when I was a young boy, and the circus would come to town. Posters would start appearing all over town, and they would tell us about the circus that had come to town that was going to appear in the arena downtown. The circus would usually be there for three days…Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I would take a city bus on a Saturday afternoon and spend a few... [More]
By: InsaneScouter On: 2020-10-05Some Dinosaur Skits & Songs & Story ideas
When I was a younger boy, one of the things I used to enjoy doing was going down into the #8 Woods and going rock hunting with my dad. He got me interested in looking for Indian arrowheads and also looking for fossils among the stones as we looked around the woods. There was a place at the edge of the woods that had been excavated a little bit, and the turned over soil was... [More]
By: InsaneScouter On: 2020-10-01Hey You! What's Next?
"So," the questioner asked me while I was sitting at the Starbucks. I had stopped by after attending a Troop's Court of Honor -- a quarterly awards ceremony and celebration event -- and I was "Jonesing" for a cup of coffee. At this Court of Honor, beverages were not served afterward, so after I spent some time talking with some Scouts, their families, and some Scouters who wondered why was I there (because, I said,... [More]
By: Mike Walton (blackeagle) On: 2020-09-28A new, old coffee table
My name is Amber, and I have always been creative and enjoyed little projects around the house. One day my husband found a coffee table on Facebook for $10! It was a little scuffed and used, but he didn’t care. He saw potential! Besides, we have had our coffee table for almost 15 years, it’s old, torn up, and looks like something out of a college dorm, but hey, it’s a good table! Anyway, he... [More]
By: InsaneScouter On: 2020-09-24For my Parents...or for Me?
Boy Scouts of America media photo used with permission (From "Patches and Pins..." (c) 1987 Settummanque)In the quietness of my classroom, I am asking myself why 12 years ago, I entered into a conference room at the University of Kentucky's Elizabethtown Community College and for 45 minutes subjected myself to one hell of a thesis defense.I had dreams after that event for a solid two weeks afterward, the three men asking me questions which I... [More]
By: Mike Walton (blackeagle) On: 2020-09-21Common Scouting Abbreviations
Image by Joshua Miranda from Pixabay Several of our readers have mentioned that they wished that someone would post a list of the abbreviations and acronyms that are regularly used in Scouting… So we got to thinking that this would be an excellent place to do just that. Also, it may be that as your kids who gotten involved in Scouting, you have already discovered that Scouting is full of abbreviations. If you like abbreviations,... [More]
By: InsaneScouter On: 2020-09-14I Really Can't Swim
Image provided and used by permission of Elizabeth Reid Here's a good illustration of why *meeting the requirements as written* and not shortcutting them for any reason is important. This is a good example also to those of you NOT in Scouting as to why you need to assess your team members periodically and ensure not only that they *say* they have the skill sets you need but ask them or review their *application* of... [More]
By: Mike Walton (blackeagle) On: 2020-09-10