The Scoutmaster Minute

As we get into the winter camping season, it is time to start looking at your gear.The gear changes as we get into the colder season and the activity that we do out there.Lets start with some discussion about clothing: 1. Cotton kills! No cotton clothing against the body. Cotton absorbs sweat and retains it. [...]

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THIS INFORMATION IS FROM THE GUIDE TO SAFE SCOUTING.This information is a must for planning, both for youth and adult participants. This material is from the “Trek safely” section. Each of the following elements plays an important role in the overall Trek Safely procedure.Fun and safe overnight trekking activities require compliance with Trek Safely by [...]

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Said many ways this little saying remains true through the ages.Planning consumes much of our time in Scouting. Stream lining the planning process with checklist and guides is a help but the simple truth is you still have to take the time to plan. Here are some principles of effective planning: 1. Plan ahead. We [...]

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It is time to prepare for the Winter Camping season.I recently went through my “lessons learned file” on the computer. Little notes that I make after each camp out.I re read the notes from our January 07 camp out on Mt. Hood. As I read it I thought that I should share some of the [...]

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I have become pen pals with a guy named Brian.He wants to leave a comment on the post “What were they thinking? I am not going to give Brian a forum to bash Scouting, but I think it fair to at least let his comment get out there. As much as Scouts are friendly, Courteous, [...]

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After months of “IN THE FUTURE” the Boy Scouts of America official web site has finally launched it’s Scouting Portal called MY SCOUTING!This is good stuff.At the portal you can keep up with online training, instead of having to surf the net and find it.You can update your profile.Tour permits can be filled out and [...]

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It has been a while since the last TOP 10 list…As the troop gets ready for our 1st Annual Cook off camp, I thought I’d list my top 10 camping recipes…So here they are (and don’t forget… I am a judge): 10. Italian Sausages With Peppers And Onions 4 lbs. Italian sausages; browned5 cloves garlic; [...]

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Have you ever had a time that it seems you can’t get away from bad news or overwhelming circumstances? I am sure we all have at some point.Well let me tell a secret.. Take a minute and reflect. Put things in perspective and soon it does not seem all that bad.I’m not having one of [...]

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Yep that is a given..there will always be leaders.Now the question is are you one? You see in every case leaders rise. On a play ground, watch the kid that the others follow. That is a leader. In the class room, there is always some one that sets the tone of the class. The teacher [...]

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Many Scoutmasters have used this little poem by Dale Wimbrow for Scoutmaster minutes.It is a telling story about finding who you are.Leaders need to often look in the mirror and see who they are and if they are happy with what they see. Sometimes the person staring back at you is the only friend you [...]

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