A Scoutmaster's Blog

Every once in awhile it becomes a busy week of Scout stuff in this scoutmaster’s schedule. This happens to be one of those weeks. Take a look…

Monday, the 14th – The troop meeting. Most of the members of the Mel-TV board of directors stopped by for a photo with the Boy Scouts. They donated a thousand dollars to the troop. Time to replace some equipment this spring.

Tuesday, the 15th – the troop committee meeting. In addition to the usual stuff, we had a board of review for a Tenderfoot Scout. The chairman of the Cub Scout Pack committee attended so we could plan for a Scout recruitment night in April.

Wednesday, the 16th – preparation. Prepared and printed posters for next month’s Belgian waffle supper fundraiser. Printed, cut, and bundled the presales tickets for the supper. Met with one of the Boy Scouts to discuss and plan the food list for this weekend’s outing.

Thursday, the 17th – packing. Time to prepare the troop gear and pack the personal gear for this weekend’s outing.

Friday, the 18th through Sunday, the 20th – the troop’s winter outing. This one may not be much of a winter outing. Temperatures have been in the 40’s this week. The sledding hill may be brown instead of white.

Monday, the 21st – the troop meeting. We will be using the meeting to have the boys go around town for the presales kick-off for next month’s fundraiser. Hopefully, sales will go well.

Tuesday, the 22nd – The Blue and Gold Banquet. The Boy Scouts will be assisting with the opening and closing ceremonies. They will also be doing a short skit. I will be showing a slideshow I prepared featuring the Cub Scouts during their meetings and Pinewood Derby. I will also give the Friends of Scouting talk during the meeting.

Wednesday, the 23 – rest and relaxation. Unless Chris decides we should do a Leaders Campfire episode.

How is your week of Scouting this week?

It is the sixth week of 100 Days of Scouting. Time for another Scout Trivia quiz. Today’s theme is outdoor skills. These ten questions come from the Scout Mania trivia book, and are based on the 1984 Boy Scout Handbook. Are you ready to begin? I thought you would be.

1) How can you prepare questionable water for drinking?

2) There are two basic primitive fire making methods. What are they?

3) For quick pot washing, what should be done before cooking?

4) A good map tells five things. Name three.

5) Name four knots used to tie a rope to an object.

6) Name three types of poisonous snakes in the United States.

7) When you mask your ax, what are you doing?

8 ) What is “bird seed” used on a hike?

9) When hiking, how often and how long should you rest?

10) How did the sheet bend get its name?

And a bonus question: 11) What does green on a topographical map represent?

Yeah, that is right.

Eleven questions this week.

I know you can handle it.

At least I thought you could.

Are you ready for the answers?

Okay then, let’s begin.

1) Boil it or use purification tablets.
2) Fire by friction, fire by flint and steel.
3) Smear soap powder or softened soap on the outside of the pot.
4) Description, details, directions, distance, designations.
5) Half hitch, slippery half hitch, two half hitches, clove hitch, timber hitch, tautline, lark’s head.
6) Copperhead, rattlesnake, coral, cottonmouth.
7) Sheathing it.
8 ) It is a hiking snack.
9) Every half hour, and no longer than three to five minutes.
10) From “bending” (tying) a “sheet” (rope on a sail).
11) Woodland areas, swamps and marshes, orchards and scrub lands.

How did you do this week?

I enjoy a good campfire program. You can easily tell when a camp staff has rehearsed the skits and songs, and when they themselves are having a good time. That good time spreads to the campers and makes for a great evening. When you get the campers laughing you know you have done your job well.

Today’s video for YouTube Tuesday features a camp staff that must have spent a lot of time practicing because the skit they performed was done flawlessly. The timing was perfect. The audience had a fantastic time watching them. You really do not want me to explain this video. You just need to sit back, watch and enjoy it. Then grab a few people and start practicing it yourselves for this summer camp programs. (1349)

100 Days Of Scouting: Day 36.

It’s Monday! The start of another workweek. The day of blogging about Scouting Memorabilia. This time I go back to the 1940’s and the Boy Scout of America handbook. I have been lucky enough to add two of these to my book collection. Both were used by boys when they were a Scout so they do show some wear. To tell the truth, these books are in better shape than some of the current handbooks that boys in my troop use.

Most of this handbook is black and white, but the first dozen pages were done in color. There are several pages of advertising in the back of the book, along with the front and back cover. There are large sections devoted to trees, birds, and weather. There is even a list of United States of America presidents, up to F. D. Roosevelt. The books contains quite a few black and white drawings. It also seems to contain a lot more information than today’s handbook. (Maybe boys read more back then?)

Have you been lucky enough to find a 1940’s Handbook for your collection?

100 Days of Scouting: Day 35.

I was a Boy Scout for about three and one half years. While I had fun as a Scout, and even learned a few things, I did not get very far in the advancement program. Advancement was not pushed much in my troop. If we earned any we pretty much did it on our own, or at camp. Thus, I can say for the rest of my life that I am a Second Class Scout.

How did you do when you were a Boy Scout? Did you barely finish Tenderfoot, or did you go all the way to Eagle Scout. Take this little survey and let’s see how the readers of this blog measure up.

Cub Scout Pack 68 of Melrose will be holding its Blue and Gold Banquet later this month. To provide a little entertainment during the evening I have volunteered to produce a slideshow of the pictures I have taken when I attended their den meetings and the Pinewood Derby. This slideshow is being sneak previewed for the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast.

How many of you have done something like this for your Pack meetings or Blue and Gold Banquets? How did your audience and the Cub Scouts like it?

Click here to DOWNLOAD and watch this Podcast
or watch it at MSPP channel at PTC Media.

Subscribe to Melrose Scout Productions Podcast through iTunes (and rate the show)
or at http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Leave feedback here, or at iTunes.

Here is something you do not see everyday, or even more then once in a lifetime. It is something special when four brothers in one family each receive Boy Scouting’s highest award, the rank of Eagle Scout. When the four brothers are quadruplets, well, that adds a whole new meaning to special.

Check out the story about the Goodspeed brothers at the Bryan On Scouting blog, found at http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2011/03/10/quadruplets/ Congratulations to the four new Eagle Scouts.

Are there any quintuplets out there who can do better? Hmmm? Anyone?

It is the fifth week of 100 Days of Scouting, 2011. Time to dig out that 1984 Boy Scout Handbook for another ten questions from the Scout Mania trivia book. Today’s subject is General Trivia. (Keep in mind that these questions were based on the 1984 edition of the Boy Scout Handbook. This is important to keep in mind as you take this quiz.) Good Luck!

1) Name three of the four common methods for cooking meat.

2) What do you call a rope with a toggle on one end and an eye splice on the other?

3) There are many ways to personally measure distance. Name five.

4) Name two common methods for preparing fish.

5) When talking about boating, what is a “PDF”?

6) Give three of the four common fair weather signs.

7) How many ability groups are there in the Safe Swim Defense? Name them.

8 ) In relation to fire building, what is “punk”?

9) What is the difference between the lines on your map and the direction the compass points?

10) How long must you hold your hand over the coals to know you have a moderate temperature for cooking?

That ends the ten questions for today.

Or would you like another ten?

I see some of you raising your hand.

Unfortunately, I do not have the time,

at the moment,

to post another ten questions,

so you will have to wait until next week.

Here are the answers for today’s quiz:

1) broiled, pan broiled, stewed, fried.
2) A Commando rope.
3) Handspan, finger, shoe, foot, arm span, arm length, height, arm reach, pace walk, pace run.
4) Frying, poaching.
5) Personal floatation device.
6) Red shy at night, sailor’s delight. Swallows flying way up high means there’s no rain in the sky. If smoke goes high, no rain comes by. When the dew is on the grass, rain will never come to pass.
7) Three. Nonswimmer, Beginner, Swimmer.
8 ) The flammable material needed to catch the spark from steel.
9) Declination.
10) Four to five seconds. (Will be about 350-400 degrees.)

Did you do well? Do you enjoy these trivia quizzes? Leave a comment.
100 Days of Scouting: Day 30.