Scoutmaster

Identifying Trees

If, when in the forest, we know the names of the trees we are more at home.

My well-worn Golden Guide to Trees is a reliable source of information for tree identification. I have a couple of other guides but reach for the Golden Guide first because I find it easier to identify things from illustrations rather than photographs.

The guide features over 730 species of trees grouped in 76 families. Each species description includes characteristics-tree shape, bark, leaf, flower, fruit and twig-for quick identification. As with any guide one must learn how to use it properly. Become familiar with the family descriptions and nomenclature featured in the front of the book and you will be a tree expert in no time.

The Golden Guides have been around for decades and remain popular for their clarity, simplicity and utility.
Available at  Amazon

Getting Parents Excited About Scouting

Scouting Magazine's Front Line Stuff asks the question:

Some parents aren’t as eager to participate in Scouting as others. As a result, their Cub Scout or Boy Scout sons don’t attend as many events as the children of active parents. How do you create excitement about Scouting among your Scouts’ parents?

I am not sure if this is a resolvable situation, or if it should be. One of the key features of Scouting is that Scouts and their families are able to participate at a level that works for them. We leaders may feel like they are 'missing out' but they may be doing all they can, or want, to do.

It seems to me that sports teams, schools and churches are constantly expanding their expectations for attendance and participation; sometimes with little consideration for the other activities in any given community.

We may also, with the best of intentions, be making parental participation more difficult than it needs to be. There are a few things that will encourage attendance and participation from parents;

- Respect their time and commitments. Meetings must begin and end on time and when parents are asked to participate in them be sure that their participation is relevant, engaging and important.

- Be specific and focused when requesting participation. It is much more likely that parents will volunteer for tasks than positions. Tasks have a beginning, middle and end - positions are open ended.

- Be considerate of siblings. If a parent's participation is dependent on bringing other children along see that there is something to engage them. A few crayons and coloring books may be all that is needed.

- Plan and present ceremonies that are brief and meaningful rather than overly long and elaborate.

- To my lights no Pack meeting should last longer than 1 hour, 45 minutes is better. With younger siblings, parents and Cub Scouts in attendance less is almost always more.

Creating Functional Boy Scout Patrols

Scouting Magazine's Front Line Stuff asks the question:

Our troop's patrols are organized by age and don't function well. We  basically have two patrols: the "chaos" patrol of 11- and 12-year old  boys and the "I'm too cool" patrol of older Scouts. How can we create  functional patrols where the older Scouts teach the younger ones?

A.S.
Louisville, Ky

Encouraging older and younger Scouts to interact with each other is simple when we observe the methods and aims of Scouting. Examine the 'chaos' Patrol carefully - what appears to be chaos to an adult may be a highly functioning patrol of 11 and 12 year-olds.

Since the Patrol method is THE method let's examine how A.S. could apply it to resolve the situation. If there is instruction going on ad it isn't coming from the older Scouts where is it coming from?

Assure that responsibility for the Patrols and skill development where it belongs - in the hands of youth leadership. Put a moratorium on all adult instruction (except in mentoring leadership) and reduce adult oversight of the patrols to a minimum. The troop may have to step back and do some youth and/or adult leader training to accomplish this.

A.S.'s fellow adult leaders probably have the common concerns we all have had in taking the plunge with such advice. But when we step back the Scouts step up.

Once there is a clear understanding of leadership roles start asking lots of questions of the Youth leadership:

• What are your goals for Troop and Patrol advancement, activities and involvement in the next several weeks or months?
• Does our current Patrol structure lend itself to reaching these goals? (i.e. does having all the younger Scouts in the same Patrol make sense?)
• What do you plan to change about your Troop so to achieve the goals you have set for yourselves?

The Scouts will surprise you. They will work hard once given the latitude to do so. The short answer to any problem or dysfunction within a Scout Troop is asking the leadership (specifically the youth leadership) if they see it as a problem and then guiding them to discover a solution

Social and Emotional Development in Scouting

From an article at Edutopia:

Social and emotional learning can help students successfully resolve conflict, communicate clearly, solve problems, and much more.

Whether it's in the boardroom or the classroom, individuals need the skills to communicate, work in teams, and let go of the personal and family issues that get in the way of working and learning. Such skills add up to what is known as emotional intelligence, and they are even more important as educators realize that these skills are critical to academic achievement.

Emotionally intelligent individuals stand out. Their ability to empathize, persevere, control impulses, communicate clearly, make thoughtful decisions, solve problems, and work with others earns them friends and success. They tend to lead happier lives, with more satisfying relationships. At work, they are more productive, and they spur productivity in others. At school, they do better on standardized tests and help create a safe, comfortable classroom atmosphere that makes it easier to learn.

Scouting's wide open atmosphere of learning is a perfect setting for developing emotional and social intelligence. Our ideals embody high expectations for emotional and social maturation.

On my honor I will do my best
Scouts must develop an internal standard against which they measure themselves. They must judge their own actions based on self knowledge and self motivation.

To do my duty to God
Scouts pledge to recognize and nurture the moral imperatives that grow out of spiritual reflection.

And my country
Scouts understand that their needs and interests can only be met in the context of a wider community. They develop a dedication to supporting and strengthening society by looking beyond themselves.

To help other people at all times
Scouts are led to see beyond their own welfare to the interests of others. They learn the importance of teamwork, engagement, commitment and working together towards common goals.

To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.
Scouts realize that properly maintaining themselves physically, mentally and spiritually not only benefits themselves but keeps them prepared for service. They learn to appreciate and nurture themselves.

It is up to us, the Scoutmasters, to maintain an atmosphere of awareness and reflection that develops emotional and social intelligence. We accomplish this by focusing on the promises of the movement, our place in fulfilling these promises and creating conditions that allow the work to flourish.

Associated posts at Scoutmaster
Promises to Keep
Scoutmastership, Leadership, Management
Scoutmaster's Mission Statement
Taking Direction from Youth Leadership

Understanding Toxicodendron Radicans

Toxicodendron Radicans distribution map
Poison ivy (toxicodendron radicans) is the most common of the urushiol producing plants in the eastern U.S. Contact with urushiol oil is the substance that causes an allergic rash in 90% of the population.

Even a tiny amount (1 nanogram, a billionth of a gram) of sticky, resin-like urushiol oil will case a skin reaction. 1/4 ounce of the potent oil would be enough to cause a rash on the entire population of the earth!

Poison Ivy Facts:

• One must come into direct contact with urushiol oil to get the rash.
• Urushiol oil can be spread in smoke from burning plants and debris from lawnmowers or trimmers.
• Urushiol oil is still present in dead plants or vines and remains active for five or more years.
• Scratching the rash will not spread the rash (unless the oil is still on the skin)
• Fluid from the blisters will not spread the rash.
• Sensitvity to urushiol oil can develop at any time.
• Depending on individual reactions to urushiol oil can appear in hours or days.

The only sure way to avoid poison ivy rash is avoiding contact with urushiol oil directly from the plant or indirectly from clothing, tools, or gear that comes into contact with the oil.

Within fifteen minutes of exposure ururshiol oil bonds with the skin and a rash is likely. A long rinsing wash with cold water is an effective way to remove the oil. Warm water opens the pores allowing more oil to bond with the skin and soap may spread the oil more effectively.

If a rash develops there are many home remedies and commercial cures that provide some measure of relief.  Check out the information available at the Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac Information Center.

Toxicodendron Radicans profile from the U.S.D.A.

Ethnic Scouting Grows in Canada

From an article in the Ottowa Sun:

"Actively welcoming youth and volunteers of all different ethno-cultural backgrounds has become a major focus for our organization," says Glenn Armstrong, chief commissioner of Scouts Canada. "It's exciting to think that this major growth area for our organization is also simply allowing us to better reflect the cultural makeup of Canada."

But it's not just in Canada. In other western countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., the image traditionally pictured on the handbook no longer automatically mirrors the young people studying it. There are at least 47 scout groups across Canada -- with 3,177 members -- that are specifically designated as Chinese, and others who identify themselves as Greek, Portuguese, Estonian, Lithuanian, Syrian and Slovenian. Asjad's group is one of five in Canada classed as distinctly Muslim.

Read the full article here

Scoutlists - Automated Camping Checklists

A valuable resource for staying prepared Scoutlists creates custom camping checklists based on season, activity and climate. The resulting list can be printed and/or emailed and is linked to a wealth of gear recommendations.