MrsBasil Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 Ds just joined Cubs Scouts as a Wolf and is getting his Bobcat tonight. He's also learning how to sell popcorn and all about the importance of popcorn. ;) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor_dad Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 (edited) DS10 earned Arrow of Light and is moving up to Boy Scouts in April. Figuring out timing on this was complicated. DS is in 4th grade and 1st year Webelos but with a very early Sept. birthday. He completed all of the reqs for Webelos and Arrow of Light this year and we were going to move him into BS in the fall at the latest. He had technically finished the AoL adventures and did the Bridging ceremony at Blue and Gold in late Feb. He met the 6mos since 10yo for AoL in early March. He finished doing the last AoL adventures(which he didn't require) with the Venture crew they've been working with last weekend and will do the cool ceremony with them shortly. He's been going to the BS meetings for the last several of months. He's going to officially become a Boy Scout after Pinewood Derby at the end of the month. He is so excited. In April, he'll do the combined Webelos/BS campout as a BS. There might be a couple of Webelos. Then in May, He'll do the council Camporee with the BS instead of the Cub Scout campout. Our troop runs their own 2 week summer camp and DS isn't going to both weeks, but depending on how the April and May campouts go we may send him for the second week. Edited March 21, 2017 by raptor_dad 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 My 11 year old had his first court of honor last week and was awarded the 5 merit badges he earned last fall :) Which reminds me he should get started on some new ones. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 My Dd11 is an AHG Explorer about to level up to Pioneer in a month. Turning in her paperwork Thursday. BoR in three weeks. No more badgework til Camporee in April, but lots of service hours at her volunteer activities. This one has her eyes on the prize and is headed to Stars and Stripes, unless I am greatly mistaken. My Ds 9 is completing his first year as a CS and has thoroughly enjoyed it. Great pack! Father-Son campout soon. He will be 12 by the time he goes up to BS, but that is okay. He needs the time to mature. He is looking forward to Webelos camp this summer. Dh, not so much. ;) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 (edited) Nice to see this post again! We are winding down here with AHG. Only a couple more weeks to get any badges and sports pins we plan to get signed off. I do want us to get some done, but it means getting into the manual and seeing where we are. I'm so busy these days. I can see one or the other or both ready for a pin or badge in gymnastics, musical performance, travel, horsemanship, and probably others. I don't see us having time to do all of them though. They did/will finish 4 with their troop this school year. They also finished one 10-hour service star. My ideas to do more service have not really materialized yet, but I'm still hoping to get that going soon. They finished the work for the religious emblem at their level. Now we have to get a pastor or deacon to sign off. I asked the kids' teacher, who is a church deacon, but he has not responded, and my kids are too scared to follow up. The pastor is overwhelmed and just had a death in the family, so I didn't want to bother him with this. We have a campout coming up around Father's Day. Then our AHG troop takes summer off. We don't have any sleep-away scout camps planned this year, but I hope we will use the time to finish some badges & service so next year will be relatively easy. (One of my kids will cross over next year, and we need to finish some build-on required badges such as financial planning.) I am thinking of trying a 4H small animals program this summer which could be done alongside the "pet care" AHG badge. I've been recruited to do the newsletter for another year. I'm going to do a "lite" verson though. It's harder than it sounds. :p Edited March 24, 2017 by SKL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen3kids Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 My youngest finished up his Personal Fitness MB and now only has Cit in the Community left. He earned his Life rank in the late fall. Our SM likes everyone to have a go at being the SPL. My oldest did not and I'm not sure this boy will either. He's happy to be an ASPL and offer support and leadership in that role. He's not a big planner, so we'll see if he steps up to do it in the fall..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel-in-CA Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 DD is a Pioneer in AHG, but not for much longer. She had her Board of Review this week. 8-) She's been the only jr hi/high school girl in our troop this year but has finished 3 badges as well as helping weekly in the Tenderhearts and leading a Class B meeting -- showed them how to use water color and re-create a Monet painting). She'll end this year with 2 service stars (30 hr) plus having completed her Harriet Tubman service project, which was another 15-20 hours of service. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 DD is a Pioneer in AHG, but not for much longer. She had her Board of Review this week. 8-) She's been the only jr hi/high school girl in our troop this year but has finished 3 badges as well as helping weekly in the Tenderhearts and leading a Class B meeting -- showed them how to use water color and re-create a Monet painting). She'll end this year with 2 service stars (30 hr) plus having completed her Harriet Tubman service project, which was another 15-20 hours of service. Congrats to your new Patriot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor_dad Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Pm your address and I'll send your new BS some vintage patches. I forgot[1] how important ceremony and tradition were to kids this age. I remember asking my very goth/nonconformist BiL what he liked about karate at this age and he replied that he liked the feeling of being linked to a deep historical tradition. I think scouts has that element for a lot of kids. DS's troop does a good job incorporating that. At crossing over, he received a handbook, a custom red neckerchief and slide. At 1st Class, he will get a yellow neckerchief and troop and patrol(?) leaders have an green neckerchief... all with ceremonies. One of the reasons I want to get him to camp this year is they have a first camper or something ceremony, where they send the new kids out on their own to pitch a tent and build a fire and hang out by the fire for a hour or so and then bring them back for a big ceremony at the nightly campfire which I know DS would love this year but find a little hokey next year. [1]I would claim I was never interested in this sort of thing when I was a kid, but I think I'm being jaded. I can remember being cynical about the ceremony as an older scout. But, I can also remember wanting to get the older patrol to wear the red berets to be like the Airborne/Rangers/SF back in the day when that was a thing. So I assume I forgot my earlier love of ceremony. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felicity Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 My oldest is kind of stuck--he has one more Eagle MB to go but we have to trek to a historic site and we just haven't had time lately and probably won't until the summer. We also want/need him to get thinking about a project which I'm sure in his mind he's doing but I have yet to see any evidence of said thinking. I'm walking that thin line between being annoying and helpful. Mostly though I just fall over to the annoying side I think. Unfortunately he also has track practice and Academic League the same night/time as Scouts so he's just losing motivation because he's not able to go to meetings. My younger ds needs one more mb to get Life and he's doing the work but then we have the hardest time getting anyone to email him back about being his Counselor. He does have time though but I'd like him to get moving a little faster than his brother. Older dd is chugging along with her GS troop. She's in 6th grade where GS feels more embarrassing than fun. Luckily her troop is still together, they haven't lost anyone this year and they made a ton of money on cookies. Knowing they can do almost anything they want definitely helps keep her motivated to stay in. So does being silly and making this meetings low-key and relaxed. Younger dd's troop doesn't make nearly as much on cookies by about half which is sad. They are still Brownies so they have the cuteness factor still but it's going to wear off soon. They have some camping trips planned and a whirlwind of badge earning through the spring, so I'm anticipating they'll have a lot of fun. She doesn't actually love being a Scout unless she's actually at the meetings/activities but has pledged to stay in until she's 14 and can go visit the pandas in China with the GS Destination program. She just needs to earn $3400 plus airfare to go. But hey, whatever it takes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutingmom Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Let's see... My son's Scouter asked him about setting goals (one of his requirements) - and he has set a goal to finish the Pathfinder Scout Award by October... He worked out dates to complete (goal) each badge he still requires. If I remember correctly, he has everything works out to be done by June except for the environmental project he has to plan and organize. That leaves him next year to finish up the Chief Scout Award. He also had to make school goals, and has been working hard on them too. My daughter is in the same scout group and set her goals for earning the Voyageur Scout Award by December. Most can be done by June, but there are outdoor skills requirements that they usually do at campus that I don't know when she will earn them. My next daughter made the goal in September to earn the 6 Star award in cubs in one year as the program is changing and she wants the plaque like her siblings have. She has earned 4 stars already. Unfortunately cubs g has kind of stalled a bit... I need to see what else she needs to do. My youngest daughter enjoys beavers, although the group is struggling a bit this year. She has earned a couple of badges (new to beavers this year) but hasn't received them yet. All the sections are supposed to be on the new "Canadian Path" -so everyone except the oldest (they have time to complete the old program) but that hasn't been happening. I need to look at what else my beaver should be doing as I'd like her to earn a good selection of badges and the new Award before she moves on to cubs. And.... My cubs (the cub pack I lead, not the one my kids are in) have been doing cub cars... Feels like forever. Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry in OH Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Ds1 is working on his Tenderfoot requirements. He is also thinking about whether he wants to participate in the Brownsea program for first year scouts at summer camp or the regular program. If the later he must select the merit badges he would like to earn this summer and complete the prerequisites. Ds2 has finished his rank requirements for Bear and is working on the Robotics elective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry in OH Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Sherry-does your troop regularly cover advancement requirements during meetings? If so, I'd probably have him focus on mbs he can't get elsewhere. Many troops have a hard time coming up with mbcs for things like Rifle Shooting. Margaret – The older scouts have been helping ds work through his rank requirements. Since February, he has earned Scout, completed about a third of Tenderfoot, and the swimming requirements for Second and First Class. I don’t know if this is typical for the troop or if it is because ds is the only younger scout. He was the only scout from his pack to choose this troop. The packs that usually feed into this troop don’t bridge until next month. I am very familiar with Cub Scout requirements. Boy Scouts is a whole new world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Ds earned his badges in Chess and Communications and is working on Citizenship in the Community right now. He was made senior patrol leader and so will be focusing on having better meetings! This has been a source of frustration for him so he's looking into how to have a good (producitve!) meeting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arliemaria Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Oh scouts! How I wish I had more enthusiasm from my husband. We started last summer with my son as a Tiger cub in a protestant/evangelical homeschool pack. It seemed like a pretty good fit. Then we quickly decided to buy and bought a house at the end of August. We moved and the scout meetings were now 45 minutes without traffic away. With 7:30 meetings and preschooler and toddler in tow this seemed really crazy. We decided to see if there was a closer group. We found one just a block and a half away at the local elementary school. This just never seemed to work out for us. We missed lots of meetings and then were sick and never got to meet up with the few gentlemen who were helping with the Pinewood Derby. Then we missed Blue and Gold. During all that time the new BSA statements were released. We have a few friends who are now leaving BSA for other organizations. Part of me thinks maybe we should just do 4-H which I grew up with, but there is something so fun about earning badges. The nice thing about the 4-H club is that they have daytime meetings. I could actually take them and not give up an evening from our schedule. I wouldn't have to worry about swim class, etc. Helen will be old enough for AHG in the fall and I don't know if we are going to pursue that or not either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 (edited) Whew, we finished the religious emblem thing (with sign-off). One kid got her travel and music performance badges last night. The other got her gymnastics pin. Hopefully they will get some more next meeting, and then perhaps the fishing badge at the June campout. (They already have most of the outdoor badges.) One of my kids is asking me if she can do more badges. I'm like, why are you asking me? LOL. Go for it, just don't expect me to chase you. :p I have been the one pushing for some things to get done in scouts, and was wondering when that was going to change. Hopefully now? :p I did get sucked into a small helping role at the campout. It involves sitting by the fire and making sure nobody falls in. I think I can handle that. Edited March 24, 2017 by SKL 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraw4321 Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 Five of my Brownies finished 3 Journeys, so they will earn the Summit Award at our bridging ceremony. We're headed to a cool pottery studio to do some pottery with our cookie money. We're going on our first "real" (in tents, cooking over fire) campout soon. Good stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 Whew, we finished the religious emblem thing (with sign-off). One kid got her travel and music performance badges last night. The other got her gymnastics pin. Hopefully they will get some more next meeting, and then perhaps the fishing badge at the June campout. (They already have most of the outdoor badges.) One of my kids is asking me if she can do more badges. I'm like, why are you asking me? LOL. Go for it, just don't expect me to chase you. :p I have been the one pushing for some things to get done in scouts, and was wondering when that was going to change. Hopefully now? :p I did get sucked into a small helping role at the campout. It involves sitting by the fire and making sure nobody falls in. I think I can handle that. Those vests look good all filled up! My dd has only 3 badges and 3 stars left to go on hers. BoR in April, so she will be a Pioneer for our Camporee! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 My oldest guy has one more activity to do and he'll become a Webelo. He's SO excited! And my youngest son gets to be a Lion next year and is really looking forward to getting to participate in all the fun stuff he's been watching his brother do these last few years. More than half of our Scouts this year were Homeschoolers, which I think is awesome! The local Elementary school hosts the actual meetings, but despite my DH actively recruiting at the start of the year fair, there's very little interest by the public school kids. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 Those vests look good all filled up! My dd has only 3 badges and 3 stars left to go on hers. BoR in April, so she will be a Pioneer for our Camporee! If I could get time to sew on the badges, that would be great, LOL. I always think it's going to be easy to do the badges, and then life happens. We did spend a lot of time on the religious thing this year. And wow, kids get busy in 5th grade. But the other thing is that my kids haven't been proactive. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arliemaria Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 How does cub scouts participation and awards/medals affect boy scouts and path to Eagle? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arliemaria Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 No effect at all, other than two boxes to check on the Eagle application: were you a CS and did you earn AoL? That's it. BSA just wants to track the boys; how many get Eagle who were CS. However, if you've earned your AoL as a CS, you have pretty much done the requirements for the Scout rank (and yes, it's a rank now). Since those requirements are fairly painless: http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Scout_Badge it's not that big a deal. This just gave me such relief, honestly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 Ds got his Bear patch and a couple more belt loops last night. But the main event was the Arrow of Light ceremony for the Webelos 2 boys. It was very well done! Ds was impressed and inspired! I cried when the parents spoke to their boys and told them how much they loved them and were proud of them. Father-son campout in two weeks. :) CS rocks!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in SJ Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 My 12 yo is finishing the service requirement for Citizenship in the Community MB & has started the Dog Care MB. The troop is also going on practice backpacking hikes monthly to get ready for the 30/50 mile trip in Yosemite in August. Amber in SJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakelly Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 (edited) My 17 year old is working on his Eagle workbook, and fundraising. His project is in 4 weeks. I'll breathe a huge sigh of relief when it's done. He has all his merit badges, and recommendation letter requests sent out. He's cutting all of this really close. He turns 18 in June. In all fairness, he didn't start scouts until 14... Edited March 29, 2017 by mamakelly 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in SJ Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 He's not alone. The average age of Eagles now is 17 3/4. This is interesting because there is a huge push in my son's troop to get their Eagle as close to 14 as possible with the reasoning that once the boys are in high school they don't have time for Scouts. We homeschool so I don't feel the urgency that the other parents seem to, but I just don't see how a 14 year old can have held all the leadership positions necessary or have done all the work themselves. It seems like the parents do most of the work when the kids get their Eagle at that age. The other downside is once they have "Eagled Out," many of them don't want to continue so there go all the older, more mature boys, for the younger ones to look up to. Yes, my son is barely 12 years old and just started in scouts, so we are newbie parents, but Dh has held every leadership position there is in the past 15 years, including years as Scout Master. He is currently Unit Commissioner. Amber in SJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 (edited) This is interesting because there is a huge push in my son's troop to get their Eagle as close to 14 as possible with the reasoning that once the boys are in high school they don't have time for Scouts. We homeschool so I don't feel the urgency that the other parents seem to, but I just don't see how a 14 year old can have held all the leadership positions necessary or have done all the work themselves. It seems like the parents do most of the work when the kids get their Eagle at that age. The other downside is once they have "Eagled Out," many of them don't want to continue so there go all the older, more mature boys, for the younger ones to look up to. Yes, my son is barely 12 years old and just started in scouts, so we are newbie parents, but Dh has held every leadership position there is in the past 15 years, including years as Scout Master. He is currently Unit Commissioner. Amber in SJ Yes, the push to eagle by 14 or 15 is huge here in affluent areas esp. Many parents require it before a boy can get his drivers license. Those parents see it as just one more thing on a college application. The absence of older boys in those troops is sad. We are new to scouting and my son is only 9, but it serms to me that this attitude is contrary to the fundamental ethos of BSA. eta: I know some boys will get their eagle at 14 or 15 without parental pushing or demands. Kids are all different and that's great. It's the parents' attitude towards scouts/eagle as a box to be checked that saddens me. Edited March 29, 2017 by ScoutTN 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 Our days of scouting seem to be coming to a close. Older two have Eagle and are done. Middle is 17, but stopped scouts about a year ago to pursue other interests, like drama, which was at the same time. Youngest is finishing up First Class and has about 7 Eagle merit badges, but doesn't seem to be that interested and is saying he may want to quit. We have told him he needs to go through the summer, finish First Class and finish up his one requirement left for camping to complete that, then, if he still wants to quit, he can. That way, if he decides to go back, he will be far enough along to finish. He had to switch troops last year and that really changed things for him. And we are moving either this summer or next, which will mean yet another scout troop. He just isn't that interested. Makes me sad, but not the end of the world. We have told him he needs to replace it with something. A sport, a club, another interest. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 (edited) I haven't posted here in forever, although I keep meaning to. My son crossed to Boy Scouts last December and both he and dh have been active with the Troop. Ds has really hit the ground running and works hard to do everything right, he just had a CoH Monday and is up to 4 Eagle Required Badges and 7 Electives and received his Second Class advancement. So, he is doing well and I've been thrilled with his hard work and motivation BUT as more time passes we become less and less pleased with our Troop. Advanced planning does not happen, things are changed at the last minute, boy led is not happening, MB's are done half-ass and things are just not done how they are supposed to be done. I could give examples but the specifics don't matter. It looks like our former Cubmaster is likely going to be starting a new Troop come July(after summer camp) with dh as Asst.(dh was his asst. at the Cub level and has been with the current Troop). We've been with him in Scouts since we started Tiger Scouts, he has a son a year ahead of ds(and one a year behind). He has done an absolutely phenomenal job as Cubmaster, exceptionally well-organized, by the book, and always looking to add in new activities(opportunities) for the boys. I'm excited about this, I think Scouts is a great program but when you don't follow the program it is not nearly as great. I want ds to have opportunities for leadership and to know that the requirements are kept and rules followed. I believe dh & the new SM will be doing Scout Master Specific Training and Outdoor Skills Training this summer (both have already completed Woodbadge). I just signed up to be a Physical Fitness MB counselor but haven't got the paperwork back yet, we don't have anyone in the area and ds needs to work on it anyway(and probably several others boys as well). Dh was already doing Robotics and signed up for Electricity, Camping, and Personal Management, so he is at his limit. I will probably add on Cooking, I'm not sure what else. We started school early so will be finishing in a couple of weeks so ds will have plenty of time to work on badges. His Troop is working on Family Life, ds will be completing his family project this week and has scheduled a family meeting with us this Wed, I believe he has 6 wks left of tracking chores. He has a couple things to finish on Graphic Arts. I'm not sure what else he is working on this summer, his camp schedule is pretty full. I lead the girls in AHG, although this is the first time in 5 yrs I've not been on committee, although my responsibilities aren't any less. I'm leading the Explorers this year. I was feeling a bit burned out but this year has been great. We've had so much fun. We are finishing up our My Style badge next week and start World Heritage, that will give my unit badges in all 6 areas. We're doing BoRs next week but we only have a couple of girls crossing over, last year we had a slew, including 2 of mine. I've got to get our Troop camping trip scheduled, someone else was supposed to take this over but backed out. I don't know that the girls will have a lot of summer time activities, we are the only Troop within 2+ hrs so there are no camps. We ran a day camp for a couple of years but it is sooooo much work and money, we've haven't done it the last couple. We are just not as into AHG as BS, I'll be glad when the girls can cross over into Venturing, AHG IMO isn't as well-structured at the older levels as BS adn there are just more opportunities, we have new Venturing Crews pop up all the time and choices for summer camp that aren't too far away BUT my oldest is just now 10, so 4 more years for her. Edited March 29, 2017 by soror 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 This is interesting because there is a huge push in my son's troop to get their Eagle as close to 14 as possible with the reasoning that once the boys are in high school they don't have time for Scouts. We homeschool so I don't feel the urgency that the other parents seem to, but I just don't see how a 14 year old can have held all the leadership positions necessary or have done all the work themselves. It seems like the parents do most of the work when the kids get their Eagle at that age. The other downside is once they have "Eagled Out," many of them don't want to continue so there go all the older, more mature boys, for the younger ones to look up to. Amber in SJ It is just the opposite in our Troop, he tries to hold them back and keep them from working on too much or just not motivated to get stuff done in general. Then you end up with boys about to age out that haven't done their requirements that are just pushed through the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 I don't know that the girls will have a lot of summer time activities, we are the only Troop within 2+ hrs so there are no camps. We ran a day camp for a couple of years but it is sooooo much work and money, we've haven't done it the last couple. We are just not as into AHG as BS, I'll be glad when the girls can cross over into Venturing, AHG IMO isn't as well-structured at the older levels as BS adn there are just more opportunities, we have new Venturing Crews pop up all the time and choices for summer camp that aren't too far away BUT my oldest is just now 10, so 4 more years for her. We are thankful to have two AHG camps, run by other troops, within a half day's drive. Camp is indeed a boatload of work! But the plethora of BSA camps and high adventure opportunities is enormous by comparison. A cool thing that I have seen is when there is an informal relationship between an AHG Troop and a VC. (Despite the fact that AHG ended it's formal relationship with BSA.) I have seen it work well when a family who has been in AHG leadership moves into VC leadership. VC is definitely a better fit for some girls than AHG, esp if they are primarily after the high adventure/outdoors stuff. Our AHG troop is excellent, but the girls who stay in for Pi/Pa are all headed to Stars and Stripes and not everyone wants that or can do it. Patriots can enjoy the outdoor/high adventure activities with VC. Our troop doesn't have tons of outdoorsy leaders and the dads who are BSA leaders (including Cubs or VC) are already up to their eyeballs and don't have time to plan/lead for us. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 (edited) We are thankful to have two AHG camps, run by other troops, within a half day's drive. Camp is indeed a boatload of work! But the plethora of BSA camps and high adventure opportunities is enormous by comparison. A cool thing that I have seen is when there is an informal relationship between an AHG Troop and a VC. (Despite the fact that AHG ended it's formal relationship with BSA.) I have seen it work well when a family who has been in AHG leadership moves into VC leadership. VC is definitely a better fit for some girls than AHG, esp if they are primarily after the high adventure/outdoors stuff. Our AHG troop is excellent, but the girls who stay in for Pi/Pa are all headed to Stars and Stripes and not everyone wants that or can do it. Patriots can enjoy the outdoor/high adventure activities with VC. Our troop doesn't have tons of outdoorsy leaders and the dads who are BSA leaders (including Cubs or VC) are already up to their eyeballs and don't have time to plan/lead for us. Our AHG group works with our BS Troop too, we started our Troop right before the split and we meet at the same time and location. I think our Troop is pretty good(we try to be anyway- just 5yrs in- we keep learning and growing) but our retention has not been good past Explorers, hopefully that will improve once our current batch of Explorers crosses over, I've got a decent size group at around 10 that regular show up. It is hard as the kids have more to do, the numbers dwindle anyway(as is true with CubScouts to Boy Scouts) but when you have so few it is not so fun for the ones who do stick around. The awards don't carry much weight for retention here, as I said we are the only Troop within a 2+ hr drive and AHG is not well known as it is, it isn't like the Eagle award in BS, so doing a lot o work for an award that people haven't heard is a hard sell. Personally, I wish AHG was a carbon copy of BSA, I like the BSA structure so much better, and all the wonderful supports and information. I generally lead the outdoors stuff with our group, really I should be planning more but it has been a busy year, hopefully, next year we can have some more events planned. I started out the year as a co-leader for the Exp. but ended up being the leader with just a bit of help here and there but it has worked. I can foresee running a Venturing Crew once dd gets old enough but we'll see what all is out there. I like to see boys move towards the Eagle at a steady pace, not the death-bed thing as corners get cut. However, as District Advancement Chair, I have no control over other troops. It's frustrating to have a young man call me, saying, "Where do I find a project and oh by the way, I age out in 2 months!" ARG!!!! I've got one of those right now. I have seen 13yo and 14yo Eagles who HAVE done their own work (yeah, mom drove them around), but they are unusual. We have had a number of boys hold SPL at 14, and have done a good job. However, for Academy applications, it has to be in high school! :lol: I love to see boys SPL at 14 and come back at do it again at 16-17. That's where we've been for the last several years and those boys are gems. We are blessed that with few exceptions, after Eagling, our boys stick around. I think Emerald Bay, Philmont, 50 Miler trips, Northern Tier, etc. has a lot to do with that. Ds Eagled at 13yo (and yes, he did his own work) but stuck around because of OA. His whole chapter did. I'm sad about one young man from our chapter though--he got so busy with OA that he didn't finish the Eagle! We all want to kick him! S is already regretting that. One hindrance for the Eagle for boys who wait--what if something major happens in life? It happened here. Ds was completely done, just needed to pull his book together. But it was almost May, we were finishing up schoolwork, and I said, "Let's just shelve it for a bit." Ds did, and then in June, Ed was killed. Our lives stopped. Ds had always wanted to Eagle at 13, but it was a HARD push to get it done that fall. If similar things happen (and they do) to a 17 3/4yo, he's sunk. Every time I ask a young man at an EBoR, "What was the hardest part of your Eagle?", he always says, "Keeping going." "What advice would you give to a 12yo 1st Class Scout?" The answer is always, "Don't procrastinate." Ds doesn't plan on leaving the troop after Eagle either, he was just asking me the other day about getting badges after getting Eagle. The problem is with the current TM he advances by ag, regardless of how they work, it is infuriating. Ds always does whatever they ask, to a T and then he comes to a meeting and nobody else has done anything, he works hard doing whatever is needed, going above and beyond of what is asked, his leaders at Catholic Adventure Week just loved him (he did that camp on his own) yet he is receiving advancement the same as the other members of the troop who crossed over with him who sit on their butt and skip advancement assignments. My son who HATES writing takes notes at all the meetings so he can keep track of what needs to be done. He is generally very mellow and go with the flow but although he knows Scouts is important to us, he does the work and we don't let him off doing things half-way, even if his SM allows it. Edited March 29, 2017 by soror Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutingmom Posted April 1, 2017 Share Posted April 1, 2017 All the paperwork for our international troop to a BSA scout camp done for my 2 scouts, including the medical. Now just waiting for 44 boxes of chocolate bars to sell! Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plateau Mama Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 My son was just selected to be staff at camp this summer. We weren't sure he'd get selected because he's only 15 but he's ecstatic to be going to camp for the entire summer. Now if we can just get him to finish his Eagle project before he leaves.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 (edited) Thanks to Margaret for pointing me to this thread. Ds has advanced to First Class and was selected for Order of the Arrow. I'm so proud of him! Additionally, he finished another merit badge last week (graphics arts) and will be finishing his Family Life badge shortly, mostly he just has to let time pass. He does a summer camp in July and is so excited. Dh finished his online Scoutmaster training and is going to IOLS training next weekend. It looks more and more certain they will be starting a new Troop in June. Dh and I still haven't been added to the Merit Badge counselor list, evidently, our papers weren't turned in and it wasn't found out until we started asking about it. Our AHG is winding down. We were supposed to have a camp out this weekend but we are expecting heavy rains and the campsite we were going to use is going to be closed, so instead we will be trying to doing some day activities, assuming those aren't rained out as well. Our current coordinator is stepping down at the end of the year and the person who was supposed to step in is not, I thought for a moment that I might have to step in BUT someone else volunteered, I'll be assistant and continue to lead my Explorer group. Edited April 25, 2017 by soror 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 My daughter is working on her Silver Award. She has to present a proposal at our neighborhood board meeting tomorrow. she's driving me crazy and we just started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 (edited) Our Scout meeting last night was cool--we lost our 50+ year storage building (it sold) so we had to move everything. Wow! What a job. The Quartermaster had everything moving smoothly and had figured out what went into what trailer and in what order, what poles were to be kept (we can no longer build 40' towers), etc. The boys formed bucket brigades and everything was moved. And then they reversed it all at the ranch. The biggest problem is that we have a fair number of canoes and kayaks and they're bulky. Dh was late, as he was still driving asphalt around, but he brought the big dump truck and the boys had fun spear chucking the no-longer-needed poles into it. After all was stowed, the boys figured out Camporee cooks, finalized menus, set up shopping and then finalized the Blue & Gold. Anyone who doesn't have a boy-led troop--try it--it's fun to see the boys take charge.sounds like it went smoothly. A big part of the push to start a new troop is because we want ds in a truly boy led Troop, that is the way it is supposed to be done and I think it will be a great opportunity for him to grow and learn. BSA has done a phenomenal job with building the framework and training, it is a shame to see people ignore it because they think their way is better. Edited April 25, 2017 by soror Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 Trinqueta got off the waitlist for Program Aide training. Yeah! I took a gander at the twilight camps in the Houston area and the closest is a 45 minute drive. No so yeah! She might do an American Canoeing Association course and be a canoe aide at a residential camp but I think she's a bit on the young side for that still (rising 9th grader) and I'd rather she do a day or twilight camp first. I'm not psyched to drive that far though and I'd have to hire a babysitter if I volunteer too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 My AHG Explorer did great at her BoR last Thursday, so she is a technically a Pioneer for our Camporee this weekend. Hoping it doesn't rain! We seem to have bad luck with the last weekend in April. 3 out of 4 have rained. Our crossover ceremony isn't until May, so she has a couple of weeks to get the insignia on her sash! Making SWAPS this week. My CS had his last Bear den mtg last night and is really looking forward to resident camp. Dh has jumped in to be a leader next year, probably pack chaplain and helper for the Web1 den. I found a pair of really nice, official BSA shorts in Ds' size at the thrift shop this week for a buck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 Who all has Camporees this weekend? We'll have an OA Callout at ours. And we have Blue and Gold on Thursday! Woohoo for Camporee! 250+ girls. Archery, canoeing, shooting sports, climbing, emergency preparedness and a bunch of other fun stuff. S'mores, campfire skits and lots of hang out time! The hang-out time is what Dd loves most. I am filling in where a leader is needed on Saturday am, but skipping out on badge sessions to catch a nap Sat afternoon while the girls are away from the tents. Shhh! :leaving: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutingmom Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 We've sold about 8 of our 44 cases of chocolate bars.... I'm frustrated with my son who has about 10 requirements left for his Pathfinder Award... One requirement was to talk to a member of the government or a lawyer about our legal system. Well, there was an open house at the Law Courts Building with displays and mock trials and tours. Now, to be fair, I wasn't feeling great so we went a bit late and missed most of the neat stuff.... but my son did everything he could to make it clear that he did not want to be there and was interrupting his plans to do nothing all day and was just miserable. So I have been unmotivated to make suggestions or try to get him to work on stuff. Nothing has been happening... his goals are hitting the deadlines he set. Tonight was the 2nd last badge night of the year, and I don't know if he will get to finish the Pathfinder Award and Chief Scout Award with this program next year or will be forced to the new program. Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 My DS14 recently finished is life rank. The Soutmaster did a quickie court of honor at a meeting to give him his patch as the troop will not have another big one until falL. He is the first boy in his peer group at scouts to make it to Life. This is quite a big deal to me as his first two years of scouts were horrible. Thankful that horrible scoutmaster finally retired. I actually had to force my DS to attend his first summer camp 3 summers after he bridged. I told him that he had no choice in attending but that if it was a horrible experience he could drop out of scouts. He had a great time! And it seemed to mark a turning point for him. Last summer he was excited to go to camp, and he attended a program at Sea Base Galveston. This summer he will miss camp with his troop to go to the Jamboree, so he is going to summer camp on his own to work on some specific merit badges that he needs. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakelly Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 My kiddo finished his Eagle project!!! I'm so proud of him, and so relieved that's it's done. He is almost done with the workbook. He's meeting with his beneficiary today for the final sign off. He needs to print a few more pictures, and then write his life statement. I'm hoping he'll have everything turned into council by next week. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted May 5, 2017 Share Posted May 5, 2017 Eagle Court of Honor tomorrow for oldest. He was also nominated for Vigil Honor with the OA. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plateau Mama Posted May 5, 2017 Share Posted May 5, 2017 Yes, the push to eagle by 14 or 15 is huge here in affluent areas esp. Many parents require it before a boy can get his drivers license. Those parents see it as just one more thing on a college application. The absence of older boys in those troops is sad. We are new to scouting and my son is only 9, but it serms to me that this attitude is contrary to the fundamental ethos of BSA. eta: I know some boys will get their eagle at 14 or 15 without parental pushing or demands. Kids are all different and that's great. It's the parents' attitude towards scouts/eagle as a box to be checked that saddens me. I dont really agree. My son was life at 14. He got there because he loves scouts. He could have Eagled at 14 but he has kind of been treading water this last year. He has 3-4 MB to finish and his Eagle Project. He has a project but his lack of executive skills are making moving along hard for him. The boys I see finishing at the last minute are the ones that are typically checking the box. They werent motivated to finish earlier because they weren't really into it. Dh attends all the Eagle BOR. the ones hes typically most impressed with are 15/16. We also have the requirement of Eagle for license. It has nothing to do with checkung a box and eveything to do with if you can esrn your Eagle you are probably responsible enough to drive. We will let him do drivers ed but he will not get his DL until he has his Eagle. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted May 5, 2017 Share Posted May 5, 2017 My son is a bear and working on building a robot. We got some fun stuff on clearance at RadioShack. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Our troop's crossover / girl recognition was last week. My girls weren't crossing over, but they got recognized for having earned (each) 11 badges, the religious pin, a service star, and one of them got a sports pin. Now I need to get time to attach all that stuff to their vests. :) The local mayor happened to have an event at the same building that day, so she stopped over to give all the girls a pep talk. I have to really appreciate the leaders we had this year. The Explorers did 4 badges as a group during the school year, which is pretty impressive if you ask me. :) We're pretty much done with scouts for this school year. There are a couple meetings and a campout coming up. But we have to miss the campout due to some work conflicts I have (the girls don't want to go without me). I'm OK with that since my kids already have all the badges that will be worked on at their level. The next couple meetings will be prep for those badges, so there's kind of no point. We'll work on service and one or two badges at home. If they are doing the Memorial Day parade, we'll try to participate in that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 I dont really agree. My son was life at 14. He got there because he loves scouts. He could have Eagled at 14 but he has kind of been treading water this last year. He has 3-4 MB to finish and his Eagle Project. He has a project but his lack of executive skills are making moving along hard for him. The boys I see finishing at the last minute are the ones that are typically checking the box. They werent motivated to finish earlier because they weren't really into it. Dh attends all the Eagle BOR. the ones hes typically most impressed with are 15/16. We also have the requirement of Eagle for license. It has nothing to do with checkung a box and eveything to do with if you can esrn your Eagle you are probably responsible enough to drive. We will let him do drivers ed but he will not get his DL until he has his Eagle. My comment was about parental attitudes among some people here, people I actually know irl. They DO, in fact, see Eagle and scouts generally as a box to check and they even verbalize this unapologetically. They encourage or require that their sons drop out of scouts as soon as they have their Eagle award. So they can move on to the next accomplishment or box to check. Their troops (2 specifically) have almost no boys over 15. These people use the DL requirement not as a general assessment of responsibility or maturity, but rather as a carrot to encourage their sons' performance, a sure means of motivation. I was expressing sadness at this attitude. PM, I do not see how you can disagree with me because you do not know the people in question. It seems unlikely from your post that you hold the same attitude that these people do. Perhaps you misunderstood my comment? As Margaret said, each boy has his own journey. The troop my son will crossover into has more younger Eagles than older and some boys who never get it, but stay in because they like the outdoor adventure activities and those friendships are important to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Trinqueta finished her Program Aide training and said she learned a lot and that it was very useful. I think that was a first for a GSA training for her. I got her a slot in a day camp in Houston. Hopefully my dh will be able to take her and if not I can do it without changing anyone else's schedule. Yeah!!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plateau Mama Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 My comment was about parental attitudes among some people here, people I actually know irl. They DO, in fact, see Eagle and scouts generally as a box to check and they even verbalize this unapologetically. They encourage or require that their sons drop out of scouts as soon as they have their Eagle award. So they can move on to the next accomplishment or box to check. Their troops (2 specifically) have almost no boys over 15. These people use the DL requirement not as a general assessment of responsibility or maturity, but rather as a carrot to encourage their sons' performance, a sure means of motivation. I was expressing sadness at this attitude. PM, I do not see how you can disagree with me because you do not know the people in question. It seems unlikely from your post that you hold the same attitude that these people do. Perhaps you misunderstood my comment? As Margaret said, each boy has his own journey. The troop my son will crossover into has more younger Eagles than older and some boys who never get it, but stay in because they like the outdoor adventure activities and those friendships are important to them. I understood your comment. I think you misunderstood mine. I said I disagreed because my experience was different and what i see is that when parents push/force the boy to do it it generally takes them longer because they are more interested in other things. A large majority of the Eagles my husband has worked with who were obviously checking the box Eagled as close to 18 as they could. During the Eagle BOR their responses usually make it clear, even if they dont say it outright (and a lot of times they Do). We went to a COH ladt night for two young men. I know them both well on a personal level. One felt he had to Eagle because his Father and brother were Eagles. The other was absolutly checking a box. We thought hed dropped out and he came to us in a rush at the last minute wanting to Eagle. They both finished withing days of aging out. My husband is mentoring a boy right now. We are very close with this family. He is a John Smith the 3rd. His dad and i think grandpa are Eagles. His dad says he has to Eagle. Unfortunatly he came to dh so late he's not sure it will happen. The boy feels an immense amount of pressure to finish, but golf has taken priority the last few years. (He plays year round.) We had several boys Eagle at 15 and drop out at 16 but it was a Scoutmaster issue. All these boys say they will return if there is a new scoutmaster before they age out. One of the reasons my son has not Eagled yet is because of the scoutmaster. My son wants to complete all his requirements and then wait for a new scoutmaster to do his BOR. Before this issue our Eagles hung around. We had one earn 4 Palms before he aged out and then he became a leader until he went to college. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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