Cub/Boy Scouts?

[js]

Yes! Scouts is great. I was in BSA for years. So long I got my Eagle scout and waaayyy too many merit badges. I lost my BSA handbook, though, which upsets me greatly now as the old ones were better, I think. My wife and I don't have kids yet but they will be involved in scouting when and if God blesses us with any children. At one point my father was Scout Master of our troop because our old Scout Master had to stop doing it and there was no one else and my Dad didn't want to see the troop disband. Scouting wasn't quite as much fun for those years /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif . I remember a LOT of goofing off, but even so, it's amazing how much gets done despite "boys being boys." I still use my orienteering skills to this day. I love compasses.

Good luck and God bless to all the former, future, and current scouters out there! It's a great organization.

 

[DieselDave]

Way cool guys. I was never a scout but admire those that were/are. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

They camp out on the Naval base near my house so I see the vans coming and going nearly every weekend. They boys are either excited looking or whipped but never in between.

I did plenty of sleeping under the stars with the guys as an adult. Those years taught me how to make rain. 1. Step off for a 5-day tactical evolution, (meaning no tents or sleeping bags). 2. Make sure there's no place to get out of the weather. 3. Make sure temp. is between 35-50 degrees. 4. Stand by for rain, rain and more rain.

Our motto: If it ain't rain'in we ain't train'in.

 

[2dogs]

js, ebay has lots of old handbooks listed. As always watch the shipping charges.

 

[Saaby]

It's a great program but it didn't pan out for me. Say what you will about a Boy Scout, they can only accomplish so much with crappy leaders--and until just recently that's what I had, so at 17 I'm officially a Tenderfoot. That's ok though, I involved myself in many many many other extra-curricular activities and have made many noteworthy accomplishments outside of scouting.

Good program though and some day I hope to get my kids (I'll have to get kids first) involved in it.

Side note: Right after we got our new and improved leadership we held, as scouts, an extreme pinewood derby. Only rule? Car had to fit the track. My electric Saab, complete with overdriven CD-Rom motor, came close to winning (My re-treaded tyres had traction issues) but I was beat out by the rocket-fired car /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Side note 2: Anybody done a space derby recently? Many moons ago when I was a Cub scout and we did a space derby they were switching from Balsawood to foam--only problem was spraypaint literally melted the foam.

 

[cmendoza]

We did a Space Derby in the Spring with Balsa.

 

[BuddTX]

Scouting is soo cool!

I was a Cub Scout, Webelos, Boy Scout, and even an Explorer (do they still have those?) for a while. I was also in the Order of the Arrow!

Lots of great memories camping, and just doing stuff.

OF COURSE, every Scout is really a Flashoholic in training!

I very VIVIDLY remember having to have the BIGGEST and most powerful flashlight for my week at camp! It was a Red 6 volt Everready Lantern, with one of those big 6 volt batteries inside! I probably still have it somewhere, and it probably has the same battery from 1978!

The TWO things that I wish I would have done in my life, that I did not do, was:

I wish that I was already married, (happily, not in misery) and had started a family (I am 42 now)
AND
I wish I would have been an Eagle Scout.

I made Life Scout, or whatever is just below Eagle.

 

[Starshiptrupr]

My wife and I don't yet have children, but you bet I'd at least attempt to get them interested. I didn't quite make it to Eagle Scout but those were some of the fondest memories of my earlier years. We camped in the winter,we camped in the summer, and we canoed to a camping location once even.(Actually carrying our gear in pickle buckets...on the red river after a lot of rain. We won best organized or something on that one.)All the gear we had, the teamwork, hearing taps echoing across a valley from deep in the woods after an initiation ceremony... what a flood of great memories. I agree that it's an excellent organization to build character and reinforce morals. Congratulations to all who are involved with BSA...I'm glad to see it's still alive!!

 

[Bright Scouter]

I love being on a forum where it's ok or even good to be a Boy Scout or BS leader! I talked on a Disney newsgroup once asking if anyone had ever done their Scout Spirit Days or Youth Education Series and I got lambasted by about a dozen different people!

Anyway, I'm an Eagle, was a Cubmaster, then Assistant Scoutmaster, now Scoutmaster, in Order of the Arrow,,, and I used to be a fox (Woodbadge, ticket not yet completed).

Love being able to use the skills to teach others self reliance. Our school has a week long 6th grade camp. When my scouts go, they rock the camp with what they know and can do. (Even though they don't allow them to take almost any of the Scout Essentials that we preach they must carry on all campouts. Not even a flashlight!) I just love it when they come back after camp and tell me stories about what they did when others couldn't. Even had one scout that wasn't part of the "in" crowd come back with a few new "in crowd" friends because of the help he was. That, my friends, is why I am a leader.

My youngest son is crossing over from Webelos to Boy Scouts in November. My older son is 1st Class, almost Star, is currently a patrol leader and has been the Senior Patrol Leader.

And for those of you with girls, consider Venture Crews! If they are 14 they can join one of the crews, (they are co-ed) and experience most everything there is about Boy Scouts that is so fun, just no Eagle Scout.

 

[zorba]

[ QUOTE ]
Bright Scouter said:
their Scout Spirit Days or Youth Education Series and I got lambasted by about a dozen different people!

Anyway, I'm an Eagle, now Scoutmaster, in Order of the Arrow,,, and I used to be a fox (Woodbadge, ticket not yet completed).



Webelos, 1st Class, almost Star,





[/ QUOTE ]
What are all these terms? The only one I can relate is woodbadge. Is there a site that explains them? Im sure we have equivalents in Greece, but would be nice to relate them.
Thanks

 

[Bright Scouter]

Well, the BSA site would have a lot of info about what I just said. The usscouts.org site is a great place to look also.

Let's see,,,

Walt Disney World and a program called the Youth Education Series that is for kids from 5-18. You attend a class, or more than one if you wish, either in one of the parks or at one of the resorts and then you and your families are free to go to Disney World the rest of the time. Very cheap prices for tickets, but geared toward scout, church or school groups since you need a minimum of 10 kids to take a class. Scout Spirit Days is a specialized program within YES that is for Boy/Girl scouts.

Eagle scout must be the same. Scoutmaster is the adult leader of a Boy Scout Troop. Order of the Arrow is BSAs national camping honor/service society. Scouts are elected by their peers (all scouts in their troop) and may then join. In the BSA, boys can join Cub Scouts when they are in 1st grade or 7 years old. The different dens or age groups in Cubs are Tiger, Wolf, Bear and Webelos. In Boy Scouts, the ranks in order are,,, Scout/Joiner, Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, 1st Class, Star, Life and Eagle.

Does that pretty much cover it?

 

[pahl]

Bright Scouter,
Great link, thanks for posting it.
Lots of great information.

 

[sunspot]

[ QUOTE ]
Starshiptrupr said:we canoed to a camping location once even.(Actually carrying our gear in pickle buckets...on the red river after a lot of rain. We won best organized or something on that one.)

[/ QUOTE ]That is one of the things I learned in the scouts and still do to this day whenever I go out on the water.
Hint: Get frosting buckets from a bakery dept. They smell better. I never could get all the smell out from pickles. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[KC2IXE]

I was a scout for 5 or 6 years (Not counting Cubs, which I did)- OA, but only 1st class and Asst Sr Patrol Leader. The troop I was in was not much for "rank", in fact for a while I was the highest ranking scout. That said, we went camping 1-2 weekends (2 nighters) every month. I was caught in a flash flood once (we pitched too close to a river in the dark), I've been camping when the temps never got above 0 deg F

I left about the time a new Scout Master came in - he didn't like camping, and he pushed "rank". Just as I was leaving, his son became our first "Star" in almost the entire time I was there (we had a Star and an Eagle who left within a few months of my joining). The troop folded about 1 year after that, and is now gone. I wish I had the old flag with all it's ribbons. Other troops used to look at the ribbons in awe

When my son gets older, I'll work on getting him to join

 

[Starshiptrupr]

[ QUOTE ]
sunspot said:
That is one of the things I learned in the scouts and still do to this day whenever I go out on the water.
Hint: Get frosting buckets from a bakery dept. They smell better. I never could get all the smell out from pickles. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, my sleeping back was pretty stinky for awhile.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif

[ QUOTE ]
KC2IXE said:

I left about the time a new Scout Master came in - he didn't like camping, and he pushed "rank".

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm really glad my scoutmaster wasn't like that either, we learned a lot but we did things and had fun for the most. Those winter camps were my favorite. Anybody remember "jon-e" (?) handwarmers or "electra-sox"? Nothing like romping around with some D cell batteries crammed in the top of your socks! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif