Snot Rags
She calls them that so as to get a reaction from me - it never fails. She knows full well what they are and how they are worn; she used to be a Girl Scout. But then, Girl Scouts don't wear a NECKERCHIEF! Wikipedia defines a neckerchief in the following manner: "A neckerchief (necko, necker, kerchief or less commonly scarf ) is a type of neckwear associated with Scouts, cowboys, and sailors. It consists of... [More]
By: settummanque On: 2020-08-24
Scoutmaster-assigned position or project
Screen capture from BSA advancement website Jim wrote to me a while back and asked: "I understand that there are certain positions Boy Scouts must hold in order to earn the higher ranks. In a large Troop like ours, we run out of those positions rather quickly. I see in the book whereby the Scoutmaster can assign a project to a kid to do instead of holding a position. Isn't that against the "service project"... [More]
By: settummanque On: 2020-08-17
Club Scouts
During the recent National Annual Meeting of the Boy Scouts of America, held in Atlanta, I attended several sessions geared to share information and to bring it back to my local Council to share with them. Since my "local Council" (Transatlantic) serves youth in some 60 (I haven't counted the total number of countries, so I'm guessing 60) countries on three continents (Europe, Africa, Asia) within 13 time zones, I decided to share my Scouting... [More]
By: settummanque On: 2020-08-10
Lego ®
Lego Scouter and Sweetie by Mike Walton (Throughout this entry, I refer to the small plastic building pieces trademarked and called "Lego®." I don't place the registered trademark symbol anytime except now, but the word and the pieces themselves are registered to the Lego Corporation, with no attempt to infringe on their trademark.) I love Lego. If you ever want to give me a present for any occasion (my birthday is next week, for instance),... [More]
By: settummanque On: 2020-08-03
Reuse old printer paper
Image by 41330 from Pixabay During the pandemic lockdown, I had a lot of time sitting around my home office thinking. It occurred to me how much paper we waste by only using one side of it. With some more thought, I came up with a number of ways you could use the backside of that piece of paper and not just for notes or to color on. First, it's worth noting that some printers,... [More]
By: scottyiserv On: 2020-07-27
Virtual Trips
Image by FunkyFocus from PixabayWe thought that since many people still had to stay inside, or at least not be able to go on that summer vacation that the family would typically take…that we would investigate some virtual tours and places to see and visit from inside your home. Many museums and other vacation spots all over the world are enabling folks to try to find new things to see and do by offering free... [More]
By: scottyiserv On: 2020-07-23
What Can Scouts Learn From Their Favorite Superhero?
It has been hard to ignore the soaring popularity of superhero movies in recent times as there have been many incredible films released over the last 10 years. Many of these are from familiar universes featuring iconic superheroes which have resulted in some of the highest-grossing movies of all time. But there have also been a few lesser known — but equally brilliant — additions.While scouts may not be able to fly or have any... [More]
By: webmaster On: 2020-07-22Fire & Scouts
Stock photo from Photobucket I have an officemate, several years older than me. Jere Matty is a retired Air Force pilot, engineer, and currently, the "one who teaches" our Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (or STEM) lab and center at Arnold Air Force Base. Since both are interested in the same things -- getting young people to explore opportunities here at Arnold -- we frequently exchange notes, resources and information.After all, that's what officemates do.... [More]
By: settummanque On: 2020-07-20
Wide Game
Spark image provided by Arrowman and Scouter William Pettigrew (a "wide game" is one in which participants are randomly given some item, a card, puzzle piece, or placard for instance, and are directed to go around and collect all of the other parts or pieces (or collect the entire set of cards). Once all pieces or cards are collected, the participants return together to a central point to receive a prize. The real prize, however,... [More]
By: settummanque On: 2020-07-16
Quincy and Getting them All
Merit badges are earned by Scouts working with a registered merit badge counselor, someone who works or has experience in the topic area and desires to share his or her experiences, knowledge and training with a Scout (and a buddy). There are specific requirements for each badge, which are not just "write this down" or "tell me what the book or I've said to you," but rather "do," "show," "demonstrate," "find," "prepare," "play," or... [More]
By: settummanque On: 2020-07-13