What are your Scouts working on? (Boys & Girls)

[Jennifer3141]

I hope Trinqueta has a fabulous time!

 

We go to Great Wolf Lodge this Sunday for a day program for another troop. They are trying to get 100 girls under the bucket for a group shot.

 

GS moms... Do you do troop crests? Why or why not?

 

I dropped off CS boy's pants for professional hemming today so we'd be ready for the July 4th parade. And I've got to get his stuff ready for Kessel in September. DD's new Junior vest is on hold until we figure out our troop crest.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

It's official - DS was tapped out for OA. His very good friend and Venturing buddy was a runner and was the one to tap him and run him in to the fire circle. I admit to tearing up a bit. I wasn't able to speak with DS after the ceremony so I don't know how he feels. I can't wait to speak to him on Saturday when camp is over.

 

I have no idea how his merit badges are progressing. He is taking Lifesaving, Kayaking and Pioneering. I hope he completes them all.

 

His troop held mid-year elections while they are at camp and he was elected Senior Patrol Leader.

 

Lots of changes and great opportunities for him. I can't wait to talk to him this weekend. He will be home Sat afternoon through Sunday morning and then he goes back to camp to be a CIT. I see lots of laundry washing and repacking in his immediate future.

[DawnM]

My boys are at scout camp this week too. We went up yesterday to check on them and because my son's sleeping bag broke apart!

 

I really hope they DO finish their Merit Badges there, but particularly their Eagle required badges......one son is taking Cit/World and Communication. Other son is taking Communication and Cit/Nation. They should both have 9 Eagle MBs by the end of camp.

 

Dawn

[Alessandra]

Ds will go to scout camp in July -- Lifesaving, Canoeing, First Aid & BSA Kayaking. He is currently practicing his 400 yd swim prerequisite -- he did Mile Swim last year, but is rusty after the winter. Also reviewing Tenderfoot - 1st class First Aid; I am looking at some options for CPR/AED because our troop/council/camps don't teach it well -- no dummies to practice on. Ds has finished Chess & will do Computers MB; I hope he will do Citizenship in the Nation too.

 

Dd will be going to sleep-away GS camp, also in July, w/ horseback riding option.

[Susan in TN]

Ds is finished with all his Eagle things except for his BOR...but he realized at his Eagle scoutmaster conference that he never did finish the music merit badge which is kind of strange since that's primarily what he does. So on his 6 hour drive to summer music institute he's filling out all the paperwork and completing the merit badge so it can be done before he turns 18 and be counted.

[Susan in TN]

My boys are at scout camp this week too. We went up yesterday to check on them and because my son's sleeping bag broke apart!

 

I really hope they DO finish their Merit Badges there, but particularly their Eagle required badges......one son is taking Cit/World and Communication. Other son is taking Communication and Cit/Nation. They should both have 9 Eagle MBs by the end of camp.

 

Dawn

 

So your troop allows Eagle MBs to be completed at camp? That's really nice - ours doesn't allow it because the scoutmaster was not satisfied with the quality of work they would sign off on.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

So your troop allows Eagle MBs to be completed at camp? That's really nice - ours doesn't allow it because the scoutmaster was not satisfied with the quality of work they would sign off on.

 

Our troop allows some Eagle Requireds to be earned at camp but not all. None of the Citizenships, Family Life, Personal Mgt, or Communications may be taken at camp. Things like swimming, first aid, lifesaving, etc are allowed. Our camp has a great reputation for those badges, though, and one of our assist. scoutmasters does the First Aid & Wilderness First Aid programming.

[Serenade]

So your troop allows Eagle MBs to be completed at camp? That's really nice - ours doesn't allow it because the scoutmaster was not satisfied with the quality of work they would sign off on.

 

 

Well, I think your scoutmaster is on to something! The first year my son went to camp, I was appalled at the merit badges he earned and the stuff he really didn't do, but got the badge anyhow. (He earned 7 badges in one week of camp; one was a dual session.) I mentioned it to the scoutmaster, and he was not concerned at all. Bad mom that I am, I wouldn't let my son accept one of the merit badges, and there were others he probably shouldn't have received, either. It really bugs me that these things are being signed off on that are often incomplete, but after a couple of years in scouts, I just roll my eyes and go with the flow. If I keep my son from receiving merit badges that he's "earned", I'm really holding him behind other scouts who do get the badge for doing the same amount of work, or lack of work, LOL. I think it's kind of pervasive, at least around here.

 

This is one of those things that have brought scouts down a notch in my opinion. And I love scouts for my son, and I love our Troop, but I wish they followed the requirements as they are supposed to be. I've heard of Troops that go to the opposite extreme, where kids don't advance or don't get awards because Troop leaders are too strict, and that's not good, either. Supposedly scouts should do the requirements as written, no more, no less, no exceptions.

 

Sigh. Sorry for my long post. This is a hot topic for me.

[Alessandra]

Well, I think your scoutmaster is on to something! The first year my son went to camp, I was appalled at the merit badges he earned and the stuff he really didn't do, but got the badge anyhow. (He earned 7 badges in one week of camp; one was a dual session.) I mentioned it to the scoutmaster, and he was not concerned at all. Bad mom that I am, I wouldn't let my son accept one of the merit badges, and there were others he probably shouldn't have received, either. It really bugs me that these things are being signed off on that are often incomplete, but after a couple of years in scouts, I just roll my eyes and go with the flow. If I keep my son from receiving merit badges that he's "earned", I'm really holding him behind other scouts who do get the badge for doing the same amount of work, or lack of work, LOL. I think it's kind of pervasive, at least around here.

 

This is one of those things that have brought scouts down a notch in my opinion. And I love scouts for my son, and I love our Troop, but I wish they followed the requirements as they are supposed to be. I've heard of Troops that go to the opposite extreme, where kids don't advance or don't get awards because Troop leaders are too strict, and that's not good, either. Supposedly scouts should do the requirements as written, no more, no less, no exceptions.

 

Sigh. Sorry for my long post. This is a hot topic for me.

 

 

Our camp is OK. They don't offer Citizenship, Communications, etc. Ds has done mostly 'camp type' badges like swimming, rowing, archery, etc. I think they do a pretty good job. Ds should get 3 badges this year, as two of his mb are double periods.

 

Bot council camporees and merit badge fairs are another story. With camporees, scouts can "earn" two badges in a day; there are a few prerequisites sometimes. At our district MB fair, scouts do the work, then meet briefly with a mb counsellor. Ds did Citizenship in the City, and the mbc checked off everything, including the volunteer project that ds had not done. Poor ds! I made him do the 8 hours of work (only problem was that I had to work alongside hime, since he was young). A number of other parents thought I was being cruel and heartless....

 

My goal is for ds to be pointing this kind of stuff out -- politely -- to mbc, not letting it slide and hoping no one notices.

[DawnM]

I think I am going to cry.

 

My VERY shy boy just prayed out loud, with a microphone, in front of the entire camp!

 

[DawnM]

Yes, he does. I don't know if he knows he is allowed to say no, so SHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

And just an FYI: My boys were made (by me!) to fill in the ENTIRE worksheet, all 8-9 pages, before going to camp. So, they definitely DID the work!

 

So your troop allows Eagle MBs to be completed at camp? That's really nice - ours doesn't allow it because the scoutmaster was not satisfied with the quality of work they would sign off on.

 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Dawn - love the pic. Isn't it fantastic to watch our boys grow and do things they (or we) never thought possible?

 

Give him a scouter high five from me.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

DS is home from week 1 of Boy Scout Camp. He says he had a great week. He is happy to announce that he completed the three merit badges he registered for and has now surpassed his goal of 53 mbs; he has a total of 55.

 

He has two large loads of laundry to wash, repack and get ready for departure for his first CIT week. He has to be back at camp by noon tomorrow.

 

He has asked to play his video games for awhile and then wants to go to a movie.

 

I think I can hang with that.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Hey all--wanted to let you know that the Spanish Peaks Scout camp has burned. All boys were evacuated safely and were praised for being prepared. But, the camp is gone.

 

 

My mom told me yesterday that many of the boys were being evacuated. Praises that everyone is safe.

 

My heart aches for Colorado, so many fires and so little water. I hope for steady rain for the entire state.

[Alessandra]

Hey all--wanted to let you know that the Spanish Peaks Scout camp has burned. All boys were evacuated safely and were praised for being prepared. But, the camp is gone.

 

 

How terrible! The camp is gone? I am so glad the boys got out safely. I can't imagine how traumatic that would be.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

DS calculated his camping nights this weekend. Our computer crashed and he lost the initial Excel file; four years worth of tracking, down the drain. :( As he entered everything he could remember he realized that he has over 100 nights of camping and, as soon as he completes Cooking MB, he will qualify for the NOA-Camping segment with 3 gold devices. He has 17 nights to go until he has enough for the silver device.

 

His nights are all tent camping; he didn't count anything in a cabin. He wants to check with the Council to see if the nights he will have as a CIT will count as camping. CITs sleep in cabins and not in tents. DS will be a CIT for 12 nights and a camper for 6. He would love to be able to count the 12 cabin nights. He is really unsure about cabin nights, though.

 

 

Update: Cabin nights are not counted so nights as a counselor in training, a counselor, pre- & post -camping for Okpik, Sea Base Live Aboard (or the dorm nights) may not be counted toward the NOA- camping. DS did not include these so his total didn't change.

 

Jambo nights will count for the NOA.

 

Evidently there are numerous questions surrounding what counts as camping for both the BSA Camping Merit Badge and the NOA- Camping segment.

 

Here's a recent blog about the Camping MB reqs.

[Alessandra]

Update: Cabin nights are not counted so nights as a counselor in training, a counselor, pre- & post -camping for Okpik, Sea Base Live Aboard (or the dorm nights) may not be counted toward the NOA- camping. DS did not include these so his total didn't change.

 

Jambo nights will count for the NOA.

 

Evidently there are numerous questions surrounding what counts as camping for both the BSA Camping Merit Badge and the NOA- Camping segment.

 

Here's a recent blog about the Camping MB reqs.

 

What have you heard about the NOA camping. It sounds as thought you could count multiple long-term resident camps; it doesn't seem to exclude cabin camping. In other words, a scout who has 20 nights for merit badge could have many more nights for NOA?????? And you could do Camping MB w/o resident/summer camp, but you have to do resident camping for NOA.

 

Complete 25 days and nights of camping—including six consecutive days (five nights) of resident camping, approved and under the auspices and standards of the Boy Scouts of America—including nights camped as part of requirements 1 through 3 above.

 

I love the NOA as a counterpoint to all the technology. I only wish there was a bit more clarification out there.

[starwarsmomma]

Oldest (13) and Middle son (11) are at summer camp 2 1/2 hours away.

 

I've heard they are having fun, despite the 100+ degree temps.

 

We go up friday night for the dinner/OA ceremony. We don't know if oldest was voted in or not. I'm nervous!

(middle is brand new scout, not eligible for OA yet)

 

Planning on bringing boys home with us Friday night late.

 

I miss my boys!!!!!

[Granny_Weatherwax]

What have you heard about the NOA camping. It sounds as thought you could count multiple long-term resident camps; it doesn't seem to exclude cabin camping. In other words, a scout who has 20 nights for merit badge could have many more nights for NOA?????? And you could do Camping MB w/o resident/summer camp, but you have to do resident camping for NOA.

 

Complete 25 days and nights of camping—including six consecutive days (five nights) of resident camping, approved and under the auspices and standards of the Boy Scouts of America—including nights camped as part of requirements 1 through 3 above.

 

I love the NOA as a counterpoint to all the technology. I only wish there was a bit more clarification out there.

 

In response to the bolded - yes, multiple long term camp trips count for NOA - Camping. Cabin nights DO NOT count. The nights must be under the open sky or in a tent. That's what I tried to clarify in my post.

 

For example, DS went to Okpik for 5 nights. We cannot count all 5 as camping nights because the first and last nights were spent in a cabin. We can count the three nights spent on the ice. Another example, DS spent 6 nights on a sailboat at Sea Base, along with 2 nights in the dorm. Not one of the nights from Sea Base can count for the NOA - Camping.

 

Both trips, however, count as events for the Adventure segment.

 

You are correct about the part in blue.

[Alessandra]

In response to the bolded - yes, multiple long term camp trips count for NOA - Camping. Cabin nights DO NOT count. The nights must be under the open sky or in a tent. That's what I tried to clarify in my post.

 

For example, DS went to Okpik for 5 nights. We cannot count all 5 as camping nights because the first and last nights were spent in a cabin. We can count the three nights spent on the ice. Another example, DS spent 6 nights on a sailboat at Sea Base, along with 2 nights in the dorm. Not one of the nights from Sea Base can count for the NOA - Camping.

 

Both trips, however, count as events for the Adventure segment.

 

You are correct about the part in blue.

 

That makes sense -- you wouldn't want a scout to get the award with 25 nights in a cabin! So far, our troop has not discussed NOA (as far as I know). But ds should have aquatics at the end of camp this year. He will probably do Pioneering next year and would qualify for camping NOA. He is still working on Camping MB -- he has the nights, but is still working on the the rest of req 9.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Oldest (13) and Middle son (11) are at summer camp 2 1/2 hours away.

 

I've heard they are having fun, despite the 100+ degree temps.

 

We go up friday night for the dinner/OA ceremony. We don't know if oldest was voted in or not. I'm nervous!

(middle is brand new scout, not eligible for OA yet)

 

Planning on bringing boys home with us Friday night late.

 

I miss my boys!!!!!

 

 

Do you have an update for us??? I hope he was voted in.

[Serenade]

Just got one boy off to summer camp. Whew! I wonder if this will be the year that he actually brushes his teeth every day, or maybe takes a shower or two... It's gonna be hot and muggy this week, and I predict that camp will reek... One year we went to parents night, and wow, let's just say, the sweet scent of eau de boy scout permeated the place.

 

He is taking six merit badges -- Fishing, Soil and Water Conservation, Citizenship in World, Environmental Science, Oceanography and Weather. I think this camp is a little stricter than the other camp he's been to about awarding complete merit badges. We shall see. He's 13 this summer, so I'm really hoping he takes a bit more ownership and pays attention to what is required, rather than just accepting whatever is given. We shall see.

 

He will come back from camp for a week, and then there will be a week or so before he's off to Jambo. Jambo still concerns me. I am really worried about him being overwhelmed and wandering aimlessly about without doing anything meaningful. I talked with our Committee Chair yesterday, who is the one in charge of Jambo, and it seems like there is no real schedule for Jambo, other than the day you get priority on a session, and the days the scouts are off with their Troop doing community service and hiking. I wish I wouldn't be so worried about it, but I feel I can't really prepare him because I still don't have a clear idea of how things work out there. My son tends to be a follower, and he'll go along with what everyone else is doing (or not doing!) and won't take the initiative to seek out a buddy to go to a session that he's interested in. And he's interested in some things that are probably not high priority for other scouts, like Bird Watching and Dutch Oven cooking. I had to work on him to put some of the more adventure-type things at the top of his priority request list.

[starwarsmomma]

 

Do you have an update for us??? I hope he was voted in.

 

 

YES!

 

Oldest got voted in to be a candidate for OA! :hurray: :hurray: :hurray:

 

It was a very ODD ceremony though. There was a fire-ban (Texas, it's hot and dry here)-- I totally get that. BUT because there was a fire ban, they had NO fire. No flashlights. No lanterns. No light. It was practically pitch black. Kids were stumbling in the dark to do the ceremony. So odd that they didn't do lanterns or SOMETHING.

 

I'm sad I didn't get a single picture. :( I know-- it's a mom thing. LOL) But all I kept thinking is "what about his scout scrapbook? I need a picture, Darnit!!! Hubby told me I have lost my mind. LOL

 

As far as son-- he's very happy! Since voting, he had been acting odd about OA-- saying he's not sure if he's even interested (but we KNEW he was!)... I think it was his way of not getting his hopes up in case he wasn't voted in or something. (he does have self esteem issues) After the ceremony, he was ALL SMILES. And he LOVED the attention of all the other scouts congratulating him and shaking his hand...

 

Middle son got a taste of the OA and is now wanting to get his requirements done before next voting so he can try to get in also. :D

[Plateau Mama]

My 11 yo is heading to camp this week. We shall see how he does. I'm sure he will have a great time but I'm not sure he will accomplish anything. LOL. He is going for swimming, first aid, and cooking MB's. This is also the first thing longer than a weekend where he will have to manage his food (multiple allergies). I sent him with a cooler of food and another bag. DH will be going up Tuesday and will bring more food.

[Mom0012]

My son just returned from Boy Scout camp and earned his camping, canoeing, geocaching and rifle merit badges. With the camping merit badge, he's ready for his scoutmaster conference to move on to Life Scout. He is so proud of the canoeing and rifle skills he learned at camp.

[starwarsmomma]

WOW-- Margaret! Tell your son congratulations! That's HUGE!

[LisaKinVA]

DS(13) has completed his Life Rank (except for the scoutmaster conference, which will be in 2 weeks). He has now OFFICIALLY led the first patrol in his 10yr. old troop to Honor Patrol, and was just appointed the new scout patrol's "Troop Guide" by the Scoutmaster. All efforts now turn to finishing up his Eagle Badges (we should be able to finish them up by this fall, as most of the more difficult ones have already been completed). Of course, silly mom picked his scout pants up off the floor and washed them...destroying his completed/awarded blue card for camping :p It never occurred to me that he'd put new badges in his pants pocket (they are usually in his shirt pocket!)

 

DD(11) is on summer break from AHG, but is looking forward to camping at Camp Ross in 4 weeks. She led a Badge Day (did all of the prep work and most of the teaching) for the TH level Outdoor Skills Badge. This more than completed her requirements for leveling up.

 

DS (9) left for Camp at Goshen, VA with DH this morning. It's his first sleep-away camp, and he was so excited to go. He is now a Web2, and has only a few pins left (I'm hoping he finishes up Aquanaut at summer camp (he has the skills, he just needs them signed off on), and he should finish up handyman this summer...then he has just two left to earn for the heavy shoulder and Arrow of Light. He is psyched.

 

DD (6) finished up her first year as a TH with AHG...we finished her Outdoor Skills badge a couple of weeks ago. She is working on her swimming badge :D

 

We find out in about a week if we're headed to Naples, Italy...at which point we have a lot of work to do to make sure we get everything transferred properly.

[Alessandra]

Ds did it--he finished ALL 135 merit badges today! It's been a long 6 years, but he's learned a lot and met some incredible people along the way. For any boy who's thinking of doing it--go for it!

 

He's waiting for two blue cards to arrive in the mail--I hope they get here tomorrow. Our advancement chair should be back from her trek in Nepal, so I hope we can get the patches quickly. Ds finished just in time as National will unveil several new mbs at Jamboree.

 

 

WOW!! Isn't that a MB every 2 weeks??

 

Ds is reviewing first aid (found some great EMT type you tube videos) and putting together a first aid kit for First Aid MB at camp.

[DawnM]

I feel like a big under achiever here. We simply wish to get through to Eagle. If we get no palms or if we get only 30-40 merit badges, so be it.

[Caroline]

Margaret, that is a huge accomplishment. You must be very proud. Will it make the local paper?

 

My DS has a friend who completed all of the merit badges. It was written up in the local paper. I felt like we knew a celebrity. Our GS troop meets in the BS Lodge here, and I pointed out his name to the other Brownie moms, many of whom have young Boy Scouts. It was a whole 3 degrees of separation from greatness thing.

[Jennifer3141]

DS earned his fishing belt loop and pin today. We hung out with his ACM most of the day. He's about halfway through his Nova book now - right on track for summer.

 

We had DD's first GSA troop gathering on Friday night. It was fabulous fun. I got two more girls and another volunteer out of it too! :laugh:

[Caroline]

 

 

Once he has them all recorded at Council, we'll put something in the paper. It's a bit sad really; he's gotten some flak over it. I had a father harass me the other day that dads shouldn't be able to counsel for their sons. Um, if I trust you to take my kid camping or to counsel another kid, why would I not assume you were honest whilst counseling your own??? I think it's great if a dad counsels his kid for something that dad loves--what a great way to spend time together. Our troop is a bit lazy right now--we have the go-getters from ds's cohort and then a bit of a gap. I'm hoping we'll see some movement with the two camps our troop did this year. Alas, ds couldn't do either--he was at USNA and then will be at USCGA for the next one.

 

I always send ds links to any boys that get them all--it's fun to read their stories!

 

 

http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/21738404/article-Eagle-Scout-becomes-third-Georgia-youth-to-earn-all-BSA-merit-badges?

 

Really nice kid. But the article says 134 and you said your son got 138. Did they make 4 new mbs?

[Alessandra]

Well, he had camp most every year, so that was 3 or so right there, every year. The hardest one was probably SCUBA--it was hours of training before he even got to Catalina Island. He also went to a lot of mb rallies/colleges/universities. If the pre-reqs were done, they could get signed off on 2-3 a day. He did all his Eagle requireds through the troop, though. Swimming was a matter of just showing his skills--he's been a competitive swimmer for years. And he's a lifeguard, so Lifesaving was a piece of cake. He'd done a lot of kayaking/canoeing/whitewater already, so those were easy. Cycling, Backpacking and Hiking were big ones, but when you live right next to a National Forest, it's easier. Until high school, a fair amount of his homeschooling was mbs. The new Game Design was simple--he'd taken a 3 credit class in Java and had written several games for it. There were definitely ones that were just git 'r done, like Golf (that he finished today). He was amused by driving up and parking next to a Ferrari and a BMW at the golf course, in his rattletrap red Blazer...

 

 

I should have remembered that you live in Scout heaven, especially compared to our NYC suburb.... :drool:

 

In any case, it is a tremendous accomplishment for your ds!!

[Granny_Weatherwax]

 

YES!

 

Oldest got voted in to be a candidate for OA! :hurray: :hurray: :hurray:

 

Middle son got a taste of the OA and is now wanting to get his requirements done before next voting so he can try to get in also. :D

 

 

Yay!! Great update!! Please tell him congratulations from me.

 

I completely understand about the pictures. As DS gets closer to his Eagle Court of Honor I am scrambling trying to find pics of events. The troop historians have never been very good so there are few pictures of campouts.

 

I hope your middle DS does get voted in next year. He can do it with some hard work and by being active.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I feel like a big under achiever here. We simply wish to get through to Eagle. If we get no palms or if we get only 30-40 merit badges, so be it.

 

 

You aren't an under acheiver, or more likely your son is not an under achiever. Remember, every boy's journey will be different. It's not about how many merit badges he earns, positions he holds or honors he receives. It's about personal growth and learning about the world.

 

If your DS does earn Eagle along with 30-40 merit badges, he is doing better than most scouts. Very few boys stick with scouts long enough to earn Eagle and the average number of merit badges is 21, the number required for Eagle.

 

I bet your DS is learning and growing and is an awesome young man and a wonderful scout.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

DS worked on paperwork yesterday for the National Outdoor Award - camping segment; it took him over two hours to complete the Camping journal and determine how many days and nights he has camped (Moms- encourage your boys to keep detailed records as they go. Keep track of when, where and how many nights for each camping trip). When he was finished he looked through the other segments and decided to try to complete the Aquatics segment too. This means he will have to challenge himself to do the Mile Swim. He is not a distance swimmer so this is a daunting task.

 

He had some questions about whether or not SCUBA hours counted toward the "on the water" requirements. He has attended Sea Base and earned the SCUBA merit badge and the SCUBA BSA patch. If those hours can be included he will have enough hours for the badge and the two required gold devices for the NOA- Challenge medal.

 

The online requirements do not list SCUBA as being a valid means for water hours and his internet search yielded nothing.

 

He asked me to call National this morning and ask. I did and...SCUBA counts! This means that once he completes the Mile Swim he is 75% done with the Challenge requirements.

 

He has decided to drop working toward the Hornaday :scared: :sneaky2: :banghead: :001_unsure: and go for the Challenge Medal. It means he will have to earn at least two more merit badges (Hiking and Backpacking) and plan a high adventure trip for his Troop or Crew.

 

I am sad about the Hornaday. I really wanted him to earn this award but I have to let it go, right? It is his journey, after all. He has lost his passion for the Hornaday and doesn't feel like he can dedicate the time to both projects with the 20 months he has left in Boy Scouts along with the pressures of high school (he is really stressed out about AP Calc). The Hornaday was supposed to be his hook for college aps. I hope the National Outdoor Challenge Medal will do the trick. It is a new program and not well known. (This is me, not being successful at letting it go.)

[chiguirre]

T and I went to a nice outdoor activity at a local park with our GS troop yesterday. The girls and sibs made seed paper and we took a short hike to a creek where the kids went wading. We had a blast. We also found other field trip possibilities. They offer an intro to geocaching and will even organize a private event for us if we get enough participants. They do owl prowls and owl pellet dissections, swamp tromps, hikes with themed nature study, etc. We'd been camping at the park before but never had a long talk with the naturalist about what's available to organized groups. We're going back in July for a creek ecology survey. It should be great!

 

If you're in Houston, check out Lake Houston Wilderness Park, their public activities are listed on their website.

[LisaKinVA]

Well...add to my list of things to do: Finish up all open MB for ds, do NOT open any new ones. Get all of his records up to date, and copies of everything...we are moving to Naples. Boys will become part of Pack/Troop 007 (my son thinks that's totally cool). So...ds will get Eagle overseas.

[Jennifer3141]

Lisa, that is so exciting!!! What a wonderful opportunity for your family!!

[Jennifer3141]

Chi, I forget where your DD is in GS. Is she a Brownie? Because there's an official geocaching badge for the Juniors and I cannot wait to work on it this fall!!

[anneinco]

My daughter just bridged up to Juniors. She joined GS and the troop only a couple months ago, so I did not push any Brownie badges. She has looked through the badges and requirements and has at least 75% of them marked to do. She will be busy! Currently she is working on Geocaching, Simple Meals, Bowling (council's own), and Bicycling (council's own).

[chiguirre]

Chi, I forget where your DD is in GS. Is she a Brownie? Because there's an official geocaching badge for the Juniors and I cannot wait to work on it this fall!!

 

Yes, it's a Junior badge. T is in her second year of Juniors and I'm the Junior leader for our mixed age troop.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

DS has decided it's time to move forward on his Eagle project again. Thank goodness. I am keeping my fingers crossed that his work crews can finish it before he leaves for Jambo.

 

THe area looks really good. The plant life has taken over and is really thick where once only the thorny locusts stood.

 

Over 20 bags of ash were removed from the site yesterday. The ash was what was left over from burning the brush, smaller branches, thorns, etc from last fall's tree clearing.

 

The crews will be cutting the remaining stumps and cleaning the new growth tomorrow. There are about 15 smallish trees to cut down and clean up and he will be done.

 

Over 500 hours into the project at this point. This was a bear of a project.

[Plateau Mama]

I so wish I could send my boy on an outing, any outing, and not have him lose stuff. Sigh. Typically it's his neckerchief. We just went to the Scout Store and he he bought 3 new ones. 2 to replace ones he's lost (his & his dads) and a spare. DH had to go up to camp a day late due to work. When he got up there my son informed him that he lost his daypack. Has no clue where it is. Not a huge deal except his EPI PENS are in there. So now he's w/o his pack, epi pens, 10 essentials, no water bottle (and its in the 90's this week which is about 25 degrees above normal for us), all his medical forms and schedules DH made for him.

 

At least he lost it the first day before he had MB stuff to keep track of, but ugh!

[Alessandra]

I so wish I could send my boy on an outing, any outing, and not have him lose stuff. Sigh. Typically it's his neckerchief. We just went to the Scout Store and he he bought 3 new ones. 2 to replace ones he's lost (his & his dads) and a spare. DH had to go up to camp a day late due to work. When he got up there my son informed him that he lost his daypack. Has no clue where it is. Not a huge deal except his EPI PENS are in there. So now he's w/o his pack, epi pens, 10 essentials, no water bottle (and its in the 90's this week which is about 25 degrees above normal for us), all his medical forms and schedules DH made for him.

 

At least he lost it the first day before he had MB stuff to keep track of, but ugh!

 

:grouphug:

 

BTDT

 

I hope someone finds the pack and the epi pens!

[Plateau Mama]

:grouphug:

BTDT

I hope someone finds the pack and the epi pens!

 

I hope so too. Fortunatly he's never had a reaction and they are just a precaution but they are still $$$. My son is going to go broke replacing everything he loses in campouts.

 

I swear this kid would lose his head if it weren't attached.

[Alessandra]

 

I swear this kid would lose his head if it weren't attached.

 

My mother used to say that about me!

 

The first year ds went to Boy Scout camp, I went up midweek and searched EVERY INCH of the camp for the stuff he had lost. Perhaps it was the humiliation, but he hardly loss things now.

 

I don' t stress over a missing flashlight, but the expensive stuff -- no way....

[Plateau Mama]

My mother used to say that about me!

The first year ds went to Boy Scout camp, I went up midweek and searched EVERY INCH of the camp for the stuff he had lost. Perhaps it was the humiliation, but he hardly loss things now.

I don' t stress over a missing flashlight, but the expensive stuff -- no way....

 

The only thing I'm really upset about is the Epi Pens. The rest of the stuff he can afford to replace. I think we've met the first tier of our deductible, so he should only have to pay 10% of the Epi Pens.

 

I'm hoping DH can track it down. It has to be just laying around somewhere. I cant imagine with the epi pens no one would turn it in.

[Alessandra]

The only thing I'm really upset about is the Epi Pens. The rest of the stuff he can afford to replace. I think we've met the first tier of our deductible, so he should only have to pay 10% of the Epi Pens.

 

I'm hoping DH can track it down. It has to be just laying around somewhere. I cant imagine with the epi pens no one would turn it in.

 

:grouphug:

 

My ds may need an epi for shellfish -- we have yet to visit allergist. So I totally get your concern.

 

I don't know if this will help. But when I was searching for ds's stuff, I went everywhere that he had had a MB class, a meal, a swim, etc. The one place I neglected to go was the field where the camp had its morning and evening flag ceremonies. At the edge of that field, half hidden in some plants were ds's missing things.

 

Would your ds be similar -- carry stuff from campsite and put it aside for a ceremony?

 

HTH!

[Alessandra]

The only thing I'm really upset about is the Epi Pens. The rest of the stuff he can afford to replace. I think we've met the first tier of our deductible, so he should only have to pay 10% of the Epi Pens.

 

I'm hoping DH can track it down. It has to be just laying around somewhere. I cant imagine with the epi pens no one would turn it in.

 

:grouphug:

 

My ds may need an epi for shellfish -- we have yet to visit allergist. So I totally get your concern.

 

I don't know if this will help. But when I was searching for ds's stuff, I went everywhere that he had had a MB class, a meal, a swim, etc. The one place I neglected to go was the field where the camp had its morning and evening flag ceremonies. At the edge of that field, half hidden in some plants were ds's missing things.

 

Would your ds be similar -- carry stuff from campsite and put it aside for a ceremony?

 

HTH!