I adore having an hour-by-hour schedule for troop camping trips. Why? Because it takes much of the stress out of the experience for me. Having every adult in camp know what time we will be […]
How to Scout It- Community Gardening
Sometimes, an opportunity presents itself and we get a chance to do something that we didn’t plan on. As a scout leader, this is a great chance to let everyone, including us, try something new. […]
Trail Signs: Which Way Do We Go?
Learning how to identify trail signs is an important part of hiking safely. It is also one of the skills pathfinders need to know for their Tenderfoot badge. Need an easy way to show these […]
Defeating Sexism and Gender Inclusion
Okay, forgive my bluntness, but there are some key differences in leading girls vs. boys. In big, general terms that don’t apply to every scout, girls and boys tend to have some differences in where […]
What is the Patrol Method? How do I help my scouts do it right?
What is the patrol method? The patrol method is a small group learning technique where a group of four to eight scouts form a team to work together to meet their goals. As teams have […]
Paracord Bracelets: Kit It Up
With scouts still doing many meetings over zoom, what new ideas have you come up with? The 17th BlackBear pathfinders asked to make paracord bracelets. And as a scout led organization, the adults worked to […]
Trebuchet Trouble: A Miniature Pioneering Project
What do the Pathfinders at the 17th Black Bears think sounds fun? Pioneering and Medieval Warfare of course! So, scoutmaster Richard Sowdon has been working on creating kits for every scout to work on these […]
Pathfinder Patrols
Sorting Pathfinders into Patrols is supposed to make scouting more fun, and easier on the adults. But, if you are new to scouting, you may be wondering how to sort the kids into patrols or […]
2020 Scouting Options
Finding our way into scouting this fall is challenging. The pandemic means that many groups aren’t able to return to “normal” with meetings and activities. What are some reasonable ideas? The 17th Black Bears has […]
Scout led, May Make You Uncomfortable. That’s Okay!
After 7 years of having pathfinders in our group, I’ve realized that there are some issues that old school scout leaders may have with doing a “scouts led” program. I want to tell you that […]