Weekend Patrol Box #24

Hallowe'en is coming up fast, and there are plenty of Haunted Houses in our area to go to (including at Camp Rock Enon this weekend).  This fundraising effort by our council shows the kind of project that can be accomplished when folks make an idea happen.

If you are in the area, stop by--there are G and PG-13 versions so that little kids can enjoy it, too.

What do your Scouts do for Hallowe'en?  

I heard about a Cub Scout pack that dressed up in costumes and then conducted a regular meeting learning CPR basics.  


Not sure which was scarier, Cubs doing CPR or costumes...;-)

That definitely puts the "fun" in Scouting though!

Wet or dry, warm or cold, enjoy this week's Patrol Box.

1. How to build an igloo--Boy's Life online
2. Most of us have heard of Venturers and Explorers, and maybe even Sea Scouts--but how about Air Scouts and the Senior Degree Honor Society? Try Senior Scouting History for all of the programs Scouting has offered to older Scouts over the years.
3. New (to me) YahooGroup for Venturing--if you have a crew or are considering one (like me) this is a good resource to learn more about the program.
4. NASA has new hardware for us to get excited about--might not help with your campout, but it will surely inspire them--Ares is scheduled for a test flight on 27 OCT. (via Twitter @NASA_Ares_I_X)
5. Wearing your uniform to "trick or treat"? Cracker Barrel blog wants to know what you think.
6. Scoutstuff.org is really cleaning house:  how about "Den Meeting in a Box" kits (made for 10 Scouts and a month of work) for $9.88?  I hear uniforms are $6-8 in the older style now, too.
7. 4th Grade Webelos Scout Fast Tracks program--very neat stuff going on now for Webelos Scouts.
8. Art of Manliness blog has a book now--received mine this week and it is great reading.  Lots of information to share on "Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man".
9. An Hour A Week podcast #199--I'm about to listen to this, but it promises news on the NEW Academics and Sports belt loops and pins. From PTC Media.
10. Have you reached out to Scouting alumni yet?  Try the Alumni version of the "A Year of Celebration" patch and ribbons.  Let's get 'em back!

Hope your weekend goes well, and that you get to crack open that patrol box!

Comments or thoughts?  What do you think of podcasts and blogs for Scouting?  Leave word below or @Scoutsigns on Twitter.

May Tweets

These were the most popular tweets for @Scoutsigns in May:

1. http://ow.ly/5sXl	BSA Speaker http://ow.ly/5sXl	106 Clicks
2. http://ow.ly/5gC5	Rocket Launch to Be Watchable On the Entire U.S. Eastern Seaboard Tonight http://ow.ly/5gC5	68 Clicks
3. http://ow.ly/55eH	Your Scouting Twitter List is Ready! http://ow.ly/55eH	51 Clicks
4. http://ow.ly/7BUv	The Accidental Webelos Scout to Boy Scout transition program...http://ow.ly/7BUv (parts 2 and 3 later this week)	43 Clicks
5. http://ow.ly/3rZL	Positive essay on the Boy Scouts! http://ow.ly/3rZL	37 Clicks
6. http://ow.ly/9KqN	Weekend Patrol Box #17 http://ow.ly/9KqN	32 Clicks
7. http://ow.ly/4PsG	Too Cool Not to Share http://ow.ly/4PsG	29 Clicks
8. http://ow.ly/8AwM	ScoutSigns: Weekend Patrol Box #16 http://ow.ly/8AwM	26 Clicks
9. http://ow.ly/5769	The Power of Tweeting (Leave No Trace blog) http://ow.ly/5769	21 Clicks
10. http://ow.ly/5oZl	The Compleat Gentleman: The Modern Man's Guide to Chivalry http://ow.ly/5oZl	18 Clicks

Which did you like best?  The essay is still a strong shower, a month later!  Leave a comment or tweet.

Weekend Patrol Box #16

National Honor Patrol Award, cloth, No. 00367, Boy Scout, beneath patrol emblem of patrol that has met the standard.--Scouting.org

Great way to begin the weekend!  

One of our patrols has earned the National Honor Patrol Award, which they will receive at our Court of Honor next weekend.  They worked on it as a patrol, with little interference from the adults.  It is a great example to set for our new patrol of former Webelos, the Bloody Sharks.

Here are a few spices to enjoy with your Memorial Day Weekend patrol box:

1. The Best Patrols from Scouting magazine.  Includes National Honor Patrol requirements.
   
2. Prone to blisters when hiking?  Everything you wanted to know about taping them.
   
3. Finally, it's back--Merit Badge of the Week:  Automotive Maintenance
   
4. Great series on Webelos to Troop conversion at The Trainer's Corner.
   
5. Immersion training for the New Scout Patrol--part 1, part 2 and part 3.
   
6. Webelos Scout, not Webelos--got it.  Thanks KISMIF.
   
7. Arbor Day Foundation--BSA tree for the 100th Anniversary.  You buy one, and another will be planted in the "newly created Boy Scouts of America Centennial Forest" for each tree you purchase.
   
8. Be a BSA Speaker--easy to do, and I'm all signed up.  Anyone need a speaker?
   
9. Name that council! Each week, BSA's Cracker Barrel blog posts a council shoulder patch with the words blocked out for you to try and figure out.  Patch hounds will probably know, and interesting for the rest of us.
   
10. In honor of Memorial Day--everything you always wanted to know about it.
    

How will your troop or pack spend the Memorial Day weekend?  Anything exciting?  Share your plans with us in the comments.

Scoutsigns on Twitter.

Webelos Scout to Boy Scout, part 3

Continued...

What we accidentally learned was that:

1. 11 year-old Scouts can handle the Wilderness Survival merit badge. 
   
2. This was a great way to stress the importance of the 10 essentials.
3. Wilderness Survival merit badge can be taught well and effectively as a group.  The more experienced Scouts had plenty of leadership opportunities to teach and demonstrate skills.
4. The Scouts figured out how little they really need to go camping or backpacking.  Subsequent camping trips have had gear slashed food is well thought out (usually) to account for weight and necessity.
5. They have figured out how to make each thing they bring do 2 or 3 jobs.

We were able to test out new-found theories out a few weeks ago.  We brought 5 newly crossed-over Scouts camping with us.  Each patrol was able to get their own campsite, all within 100 yards of each other.

The weather was a lot better (sunny and 60s during the day, 30s at night).  The new Scouts were greener than the previous year, so that balanced the weather out.

The older Scouts were anxious to get started, and build much better shelters this year than last.  I challenged them to really pretend they had gotten lost with just their 10 essentials--no sleeping bag.  Some of the shelters I would have gladly slept in--they were well constructed, water resistant, and downright roomy.

The new Scouts were a different story.  We used the same format as last year--instruction, followed by building shelters and having the older Scouts provide advice and encouragement.  Two of the new Scouts were nervous--homesickness and fear crept in.

You could tell that they were considering bolting back to their tent and campsite once it got dark out.

Command decision:  "Guys, let's save some time in the morning, and break down the campsites tonight."  A lot of "deer in the headlights" looks from the new Scout patrol.

An hour later the van was packed, and as the sun went down, they trudged off to their shelters.

...and loved it!  No one had any trouble sleeping, no one woke up afraid in the night, and they had a great new level of confidence and experience to draw on.  

Word has already trickled down to next year's Webelos Scouts that this adventure is waiting for them next April.

What does your troop do to help "break in" the new guys?  What worked well?  What didn't?  Share your experience in the comments.

Webelos Scout to Boy Scout, part 2

Continued...

...I rousted the SPL a little before 7.  He in turn got the woodstove going and the patrol cooks moving.  They cooked for the new guys to give them an idea of how it happens and some options that didn't involve instant oatmeal.

We launched into an aggressive session of Wilderness Survival.  We would spend the day mixing the action items (build three fires without matches, demonstrate three ways to purify water) with the "book work" (memorize the seven priorities of survival, first aid, discussions on panic and good morale).  

Mid-morning we had our first eye-opener:  hail pounding on the windows and metal roof of the cabin.  Outside the cabin door, it was an inch deep in spots.

"Are we spending the night out in THAT?!?!"

Our training on building and finding adequate shelter took on a whole new meaning after that.  

A quick lunch and the Scouts were turned loose to get their shelters set up for the night.  Older Scouts were to do it, too, even if they already had the merit badge--and they were expected to inspect and make suggestions for the new Scouts.

Each Scout was allowed their sleeping bag and 10 essentials.  That's it.

They were given until dinner time, then much cooking happened, campfire stories were told, and they trucked off into the dark to find their shelters and settle in for the night.  It was supposed to get down to 30 degrees overnight, and I expected a few to straggle back to the cabin.

But not one did.  A Coleman lantern burned from the back of the cabin to help orient them in case of emergency.  All Scouts were within 150 yards.

More freak weather--high winds kicked in overnight, adding windchill to the mix.  Still, no one came in.

The following morning at the crack of dawn, I headed out to check on everyone.  (Plus I was tired of keeping the woodstove going...)

Each Scout was found sleeping soundly, warm and in good spirits.

What we accidentally learned...

Webelos Scout to Boy Scout

"The Trainer's Corner" blog has been running a series on getting Webelos Scouts ready and into a troop.

Over the last two years, I've stumbled across a method that is working well.  On paper, it might seem a little drastic.

We are fortunate that our council has a Webelos Crossover weekend in early April.  Webelos Scouts from all over come to shoot a rifle for the first time (as Boy Scouts anyway) and cover virtually all of the Scout badge and Tenderfoot rank requirements.  

A lot of dedicated volunteers come out to help make this happen.  Scouts travel from station to station from breakfast early to a post-campfire crackerbarrel after 9PM.

The transition weekend is a blend of Boy Scout material in a Cub Scout format.  Honestly, that is the only downside of it to me.  With the number of boys to process, that might be the only way to handle it, too.

Our troop though takes a different approach after that weekend:  Wilderness Survival merit badge.

Last year, our program plan called for Wilderness Survival in the early spring--always an unpredicatable time in the mountains of Virginia.

The troop arrived at Camp Rock Enon in nice, cool weather.  There had been rain earlier in the week, and the usual shoe-sucking mudholes were easy to identify.  A number of the Scouts were brand new, and this was their first campout with the troop.

For ease, we used a large cabin with a great woodstove and covered outdoor shelter to teach the basics of Firem'n Chit and the Totin' Chip.  With dinner preparation and getting camp set up, that filled most of Friday night.

Our new SPL called it a night, and everyone hit the sack.

The next day...

2009 Cub Scout Monthly Themes

Many packs and dens find the monthly themes useful.

They help to integrate the program with fun ideas and twists to keep the boys engaged.

[I wish the Program Helps covered Webelos--they always seem to get left out of the theme.]

One of the first things I do in June is email out the list of monthly themes to our den leaders, with the expectation that the themes be used. They are great skeletons to build on.

2009 Monthly Themes

January--"A-MAZE-ing" Games
February--American ABC's
March--When I Grow Up
April--Jurassic Pack
May--Leave Nothing But Footprints
June--A Camping We Will Go
July--Be A Sport
August--Fun In The Sun
September--Cub Scout Pockets
October--Jungle Safari
November--Cub Scout Salute
December--Works Of Art

June's theme is special. My youngest son will finally be a Tiger Scout, spending the last 5 years watching an older brother move through the pack and into the Boy Scouts.

Do you use the monthly theme in your pack or den? Do you have trouble (or a good solution) for integrating the them with your Webelos Scouts?

Share your expertise in the comments.

Weekend Patrol Box #3

The Patrol Box is clean, stocked and ready for another weekend of fun and Scouting.

There are a lot of goodies below, waiting to help your program out. Merit badges, a fire building video, popcorn sales, and lots to ponder--have a good weekend!

Ropes and Poles strikes again! (This is quickly becoming a favorite website.) Troop 423 will be trying out the Simple Friction Lock Bridge this weekend.

Scoutsigns introduced the Merit Badge of the Week Program--and the first week is American Business. Find lots of resources to help a Scout, or Scouter turned merit badge counselor.

The Scoutmaster Minute points out the value of your money in Scouting. A Scout is thrifty. This doesn't always mean "cheap".

Speaking of value: how are your popcorn sales going? See another tip--4th one!

Social networking is a growing part of your Scout's life: now the BSA has joined Facebook to connect with them.

Backpacker magazine demonstrates starting a fire with one match, a great survival skill to master. Video clips grab attention, and men are definitely visual--use them in your meetings.


BoyScoutTrail lights up a Webelos activity badge ceremony.

The Boy Scout Trail blog also highlights Confluence.org, where the intersections of latitude and longitude are photographed for an unique look at the world.

Let me know if there are other sites or news you would like to see. I'd love to read your comments on any way you use this material.