Family Life Merit Badge Does Require Time with Your Family

This month our troop is working on the Family Life merit badge. One of the most difficult requirements for this merit badge is the tracking of chores. A scout must track his chore progress for a period of three months. A tracking sheet was provided at scouts last week but it is also available online at www.meritbadge.org.

Homework from week one:
1. Discuss with a parent or guardian why you are important to your family.
2. Plan a family project that benefits your family. Be able to discuss with your counselor how your family participated and the results of the project.
3. Begin tracking your chores for the 90 days required.

Computers Merit Badge

Computers Merit Badge was started this month. Thanks Dave Petersen for helping us out this month on this merit badge. The computer information was cool and the Afghanistan video was even cooler.

Homework for this merit badge will include:

1. Do THREE of the following:

   a. Using a spreadsheet program, develop a food budget for a patrol weekend campout.

   b. Using a word processor, write a letter to the parents of your troop's Scouts inviting them to a court of honor.

   c. Using a computer graphics program, design and draw a campsite plan for your troop.

   d. Using a computer graphics program, create a flier for an upcoming troop event, incorporating both text and some type of visual such as a photograph or illustration.

   e. Using an Internet search engine (with your parent's permission), find ideas about how to conduct a troop court of honor or campfire program. Print out a copy of the ideas from at least three different Web sites. Share what you found with your counselor, and explain how you used the search engine to find this information.

   f. Using a presentation software program of your choice, develop a report about a topic that has been approved by your counselor. For your presentation, create at least 10 slides.

   g. Using a digital camera, take a picture of a troop activity. Transfer the picture file to a computer and use photographic software to make it small enough to send easily as an e-mail attachment. Then, using a computer connected to the Internet (with your parent's permission), send an e-mail to someone you know. In your message, include the photograph as an attachment. Verify that the person received your e-mail and was able to view the attachment.

   h. Using a database manager, create a troop roster that includes the name, rank, patrol, and telephone number of each Scout. Show your counselor that you can sort the register by each of the following categories: rank, patrol, and alphabetically by name.

Electricity Merit Badge

Troop 1305 started the Electricity Merit Badge tonight. 

A few items we learned about tonight included: 
Volts - Force behind electricity
Amps - Amount
Watt - Volts x Amps = Watts
ohm - Resistance or the amount of opposition to voltage
Rectifier - changes AC voltage to DC voltage
Rheostat - changes voltage output (raises or lowers)
Conductor - anything that allows the flow of electricity

Homework:

• Home electricity checklist
• Electricity project using batteries: create a circuit using a switch and some sort of light or buzzer (no A/C voltage - batteries only for power)

Thanks Mark for helping us with this fun merit badge.

Summer Camp at Bear Lake

Bear Lake 2013 - Great turn out and lots of fun.

The 2013 Summer Scout Camp was held this year at the Bear Lake Aquatics Base, July 8th-13th. The scouts had a great time and completed nearly 85 merit badges. Merit badges included Swimming, Lifesaving, Environmental Science and more. You can check out all our photos online on our Facebook page under our photos. You won't want to miss them.

Astronomy Merit Badge

Our troop just finished the Astronomy Merit Badge. We appreciate Steve Beck helping us with this fun merit badge about the stars, constellations, the solar system, and our galaxy. We have included some great apps that may be helpful in your viewing of the stars and night sky. These are great apps available for your iPhone or iPod touch. Check them out.

Skyview:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skyview-free-explore-universe/id413936865?mt=8

Planets:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/planets/id305793334?mt=8

Pocket Universe:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pocket-universe-classic/id567184849?mt=8

Star Map:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/starmap-lite/id505155967?mt=8

Sputnik:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sputnik!/id393001070?mt=8

Solar System Scope:

http://www.solarsystemscope.com/

(note…with the web version of this app you must set your location by clicking the gears…it defaults to UK, which means everything is about 8 hours off)

Black Friday Deal on Scout Products

The Boy Scout Supplies website is offering 20% off today only. This great deal is rarely seen for the entire site. This includes all apparel, uniforms, and outdoor gear. If you scout is in need of a new shirt, a handbook, or just looking for a few possible stocking stuffers for Christmas then you may want to check this great deal out. 

A lot of people don't realize that the BSA offers jeans on their website as well. BSA has some great looking blue jeans on their website that look great, are comfortable, and super affordable. They are regularly just under $8 a pair but with 20% off they are even better. Check this deal out while you are on the site. Sign up for their newsletter and be the first to know about all the deals.

www.ScoutStuff.org 

New Leadership ... What does it mean?

The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to help young people make ethical and moral choices in their lives by installing in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law. Scouting is about creating new leaders, leaders of tomorrow. Troop 1305 provides scouts the opportunity to be leaders. This week we provided new opportunities for leadership with new assignments in scout positions. As the new Deacon's Quorum President, Kaden has been made the new Senior Patrol Leader. He is excited to take on this new role and will have new responsibilities ahead of him. As scout leaders, we hope each scout takes his responsibilities serious and with great respect. 

Below is a list of each new position assign this week. Each scout will be give his specific responsibilities for the troop.  Each has his important role that if followed through with makes the troop run smooth. 

Kaden - Senior Patrol Leader

Conner - Assistant Senior Patrol Leader

Zane - Chaplain Aide

Luc - Scribe

Aaron - Historian

Hunter - Librarian

Jackson - Leave No Trace Instructor

Jacob - Webmaster

Gavin - Quartermaster

Justin - Firemarshall

Braden - E.D.G.E. Instructor

Max - E.D.G.E. Instructor

Lord Baden-Powell the founder of scouting once said “Scouting is a game for boys under the leadership of boys under the direction of a man.” Scouting will allow all our young men to become leaders if we let them.

 

It Seems That All They Do Is Sports

For many in Troop 1305 the fall time brings a lot of sports. Sports range from football and baseball to soccer and cross country. Either way this often makes holding a scout meeting with everyone in attendance near impossible. With this in mind, the last few weeks of scouts we have focused on sports and our own personal fitness.

Last week our focus was on the sports merit badge where we completed the workbook requirements for this merit badge. If you or your scout were not there you can find the merit badge worksheet at www.meritbadge.org.

A few weeks ago we started the personal fitness merit badge by running the mile run. For the following 90 days you or your scout will need to track your exercising. Exercsing can include an active physical exercise lasting at least 15 minutes should be recorded. This could include walking to school. A chart is provided in the worksheet found at www.meritbadge.org. Please come prepared at scouts to record your exercising.

Scouts will continue on Wednesdays at 7pm and we will meet at the church.

Backpacking Advice from Explorer Andrew Skurka

I recently read an article in the Scouting Magazine about EXTREME hiker Andrew Skurka.  In previous research for scouting backpack trips and my own personal research I came Andrews website, but with this recent article that was shared in Scouting Magazine, I thought I would pass it along. I included the first part of the article here as well as the link to the entire article and Andrew Skurka's personal blog. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

HERE’S WHAT THE WORLD’S BEST-KNOWN LONG‑DISTANCE HIKER, ANDREW SKURKA, CAN TEACH YOU ABOUT LEADING YOUR SCOUTS ON A DAY HIKE—OR A 100-MILER.

Does Andrew Skurka ever stay still? Sure, but not to rest. When he isn’t traveling, Skurka hosts backpacking clinics, speaking in packed auditoriums and cramped church basements. He especially likes addressing Scouts and Scouters, which he did recently in Escondido, Calif. (above). Photo by Nadia Borowski Scott.

THE AUDACITY OF Andrew Skurka struck the outdoors world with full force late in the summer of 2005. It was then, with Skurka fresh off what had amounted to a nearly 8,000-mile hike, that reports began circulating about a “kid” who had backpacked solo across the entire continent.

Starting in Quebec, Skurka—just 23 years old, a former Scout, and a recent graduate of Duke University—filled a small flask with water from the Atlantic Ocean. He then shouldered a backpack and walked west. A transcontinental wilderness route sketched on a series of maps served as his sole guide into the unknown journey ahead.

Eleven months later, at a misty beach in Washington State, Skurka emerged from the trees skinny and wet. He marched into the ocean shallows. He uncapped his flask and dumped its contents over his head, the briny waters of the Atlantic from months back mingling with the Pacific Ocean below. It was a symbolic closure to a feat Skurka would later refer to as his “coming-of-age hike.”

Andrew Skurka was born in 1981, and he grew up in Seekonk, Mass., an area with “very limited outdoor recreation opportunities.” As a boy, he rode his mountain bike and explored swamps near his home. He joined Scouting. During college, Skurka spent summers as a camp counselor in North Carolina.

Skurka, who turns 31 this March, has a dozen significant expeditions under his backpacking belt. In a rare trajectory, during just a few years, Skurka ascended from workaday backpacker to bona fide explorer status, including the coronation as “Adventurer of the Year” by no less than the National Geographic Society in 2007.

The Quebec-to-Washington walk—dubbed the “Sea-to-Sea Route”—followed trail systems and pathless stretches in a serpentine line across the country. It required ultralight backpacking technique and months with 30-plus mile days strung one after the next. “I need the challenge of a long trip, the physical and athletic component,” Skurka says. “I push the limits to see what my limits are.”

His latest feat—the 4,680-mile “Alaska-Yukon Expedition,” which entailed traveling by foot, ski, and packraft alone for 176 days straight—pushed Skurka to the edge. Scouting caught up with the backpacking superstar on a rare hiatus from hiking to talk about Alaska, wilderness techniques, gear, and how knowledge from his extreme feats can apply to the average Scout troop or crew heading into the woods on a weekend trip.

Backpacking Advice from Explorer Andrew Skurka - Scouting Magazine Article

http://andrewskurka.com/ - Andrew Skurka Personal Website

Enjoy and we'll see you "On the Trail."

Welding Merit Badge Pamphlet - Merit Badge Pamphlets - Literature & Media - BSA

The Boy Scouts of America recently released a new merit badge for Scouts to earn.  The new merit badge became available on February 24, 2012.  Check the link below for additional information about the new badge.

Welding Merit Badge Pamphlet - Merit Badge Pamphlets - Literature & Media - BSA

Lifeline Survival Mug

A great deal! This kit contains first aid items, a multi-function knife, waterproof matches, an emergency whistle, and a mini flashlight with battery, all nicely packaged in a water-tight Lexan mug with a screw-on lid. The cup alone is sold by other companies for about $10! This is a good item for your emergency kit and would make a great gift for friends or relatives.

Buy one at a discounted price of $9.99 and get one FREE! A $33.98 value, all just for $9.99.

List Price: $ 16.99

Our Price: $9.99 

Underground Pricing: 2 for $9.99!

More Information 

Offer Expires 02/26/12

Coupon Information Below  

Print this coupon and bring it into one of our locations to receive our Underground Pricing, or use the coupon code (see below) during checkout on our website to receive your discount. Lifeline Survival Mug, 2 for $9.99! Online Coupon Code: MUG11 Prices good until store closing on 02/26/12, or while supplies last. Cannot be combined with any other offer. For information on our hours, see our store information page. Offer Expires: Sunday, February 26, 2012

Troop 1305 had a successful and fun time at the 2012 District 29 Klondike Derby.  This year the race was once again held at Rockport State Park up near Wanship Utah. Although there was not a lot of snow we did have enough scouts to successfully pull our sled to another Klondike Derby Championship.  As well the Scout Leaders were able to also pull the sled to a championship in adult race as well. This even included one sled runner be sabotaged off in the middle of the race by a competing sled.  We still finished in front with one sled runner.  The scouts were excited that we were able to come away with a new dutch oven for our camping equipment. Nice job by all the scouts in making this a successful event.

The troop visited the Riverton City Council Meeting tonight.  It was great to have the City recognize each troop and scout that was there tonight.  Our city is willing to take an active role in our local scout troops and that is a refreshing site in todays society. It was great to see the Mayor take time to explain why things were being done a certain way and the procedures of the meeting.

Thanks Riverton City for the great experience with our troop.

Scouts Weekly Update

There is no week activity this week because of the Merit Badge Pow Wow this weekend (Saturday). We will plan to meet at Mark Brown's home at 7:15am Saturday morning.

This is the last week so remember to bring your homework and blue cards. Scouts should have been able to complete four merit badges.

Tie One On ...

This weeks Wednesday activity is "Tie One On." Bring your ugliest tie for our newest missionary Chris. He will soon be on his way to California. We want him stylin' when he walks the streets of CA. Activity starts at 7pm.

Knots, Knots, Knots ...

This weeks activity was all about knots.  We were able to complete about half of the Pioneering merit badge.  Test your scout and see if they remember how to tie the square knot, bowline, sheet bend, and the sheepshank.  For many of them we learned more than one way to tie the knot.  We also learned about and practiced some lashings including lashing a tripod.  Check out the knots at www.animatedknots.com.

Black Friday Scout Deals

The biggest shopping day of the year is coming up quickly. So I thought I would share a few deals that I have found that you may find to be great Christmas ideas for your scout this Christmas. They are coming from a few different websites. I have provided the details of where I have found them and a link if possible to the deal online. Check them out now.

Eagle Claw Fishing Pole: Originally $19.99 - Sale $9.99

Find this deal at Sports Authority. See their Black Friday Ad page 4.

Bonus deal on this page is a camp chair for $6.49.

www.sportsauthority.com/blackfriday

Princeton Tec Headlamp: $10.00 (Rumor)

Find this at Sports Authority.

Saw this rumor deal on dealnews.com. I didn't see it in the Sports Authority ads on their website. I will post more info if I find it.

Crestridge Internal Frame Pack: $49.95

This great buy is found at Emergency Essentials. The pack has 6,000 cubic inch storage, adjustable waist, sleeping back compartment and includes a rain cover which is a near essential when you hike in Utah's Uinta

Mountains.

Check it out now.

Twin Peaks Mountain Trail Tent: $35.99

This great buy is also found at Emergency Essentials. The Twin Peak Mountain Trails Tent has a 7' x 7' base and can sleep 3-4 people. Find this great buy online as well.

Check it out now.

Don't forget to check out the sleeping bag deal I posted on Friday November 18th. The Suisse Sport Alpine sleeping bag at $34.95 is a spectacular deal for a 5 degree sleeping bag.

Great Price on a Backpacking Sleeping Bag

I came across a great deal on a sleeping bag that would be great for camping and more importantly for backpacking. The bag weighs in at 5 lbs and have a cold rating of +5 degrees. Although it's not the most ideal weight for backpacking, the price really makes it a great deal. The bag comes in at an amazing price of only $34.95. This deal and other are found at Emergency Essential. Check it out now.

www.BePrepared.com

2011 Court of Honor

We had a great court of honor tonight. We had approximately 100 merit badges awarded and 25 rank advancements. Our scouts have been busy the last few months and all the leaders are proud of the progress and success that our scouts have made. We had four rank advancements that were for the Life rank advancement. The troop has three scouts that have completed their Eagle Project and have earned all the required merit badges. They will be submitting their paperwork for Eagle very soon.

East Canyon State Park

Troop 1305 recently completed their eighth campout for the year at East Canyon State Park. We had an enjoyable time even with only three scouts attending. The original plan was to camp at Mormon Flats, however the campsite is a Group Site only. Saturday morning we were able to go to Mormon Flats and spend a few minutes talking about the history of the site.

The Mormon Flats area is the last camp site that the Mormon pioneers used before coming into the Salt Lake Valley. The trail and area was originally traveled by the Donner-Reed Party in their travels to California. They helped blaze the trail that would allow the Mormon pioneers travel this area easier.

To read more about this area visit www.mormontrails.org.