They shall mount up with wings as Eagles

Transcription

1 They shall mount up with wings as Eagles It takes more than a Scoutmaster to make an Eagle Scout it takes involved parents and a good Troop Committee, too! There are many places for women to serve on the Troop Committee and to encourage sons (or grandsons) to attain the Eagle Scout rank. Ideas for how to do this as well as finding a good Eagle Project and planning an Eagle Court of Honor are presented here. Scouting not just for men anymore! Volunteer Opportunities for Women in Scouting (even without a son in Scouts!) * Register as a Merit Badge counselor. You don t have to be an expert. General knowledge in any area can be useful. Booklets with all the info needed for each badge are available at your local Scout Shop or can be checked out at the library. Time required is up to you you can teach just one class once a year or do something once a month. There is no cost to register, just a form to turn in. Contact your Scoutmaster or Troop Committee Chair about what merit badges they need counselors for and getting the form to fill out. * Volunteer to be on the troop committee! You don t have to go on camps to be a Scout leader! There are many areas where women can serve: advancements (ranks & merit badges), courts of honor, eagle recognition board, and fundraising are just a few. You don t need a background in Scouting as there is training available online and in person that will help you figure out how Scouting works and get you involved with other good people in your community. * Volunteer to sew badges on uniforms! Many Scouts do not have a sewing machine in their home and today s badges have thick rubbery backs that are hard to sew on by hand. The Scout shops carry iron-on or adhesive kits for badges, but these can be a problem when badges need to change often (like current rank) or be put on a new shirt as the boy grows. You can volunteer to do this for your troop or make your contact info available at your local Scout Shop to reach more boys. Be sure to specify how much advance time you need and expect a lot of work before/after Courts of Honor when awards are given.

2 Supporting Sons (and Grandsons) in Scouting Make Scouting a Family Tradition * Attend EVERY Pack Meeting in Cub Scouts and EVERY Court of Honor in Boy Scouts that you possibly can!!! Having both parents there (and sometimes other family members when appropriate) shows that you value Scouting and younger brothers get excited as they see their older brothers receiving awards. It can seem impossible at times to fit one more thing in your busy schedule, but if it isn t worth it to you, it won t be worth it to him. When your son is receiving a rank advancement, remember to dress so that it is easy for him to put your mother s pin on you. * Get badges put on his uniform quickly. The whole purpose of a uniform is to show what you have earned. It doesn t seem like you have earned it if it isn t there. If you don t sew, use iron-on or adhesive kits available from BSA or find someone who can sew them on for you. (Your local Scout Shop may have a list of names or ask other Scout mothers.) * Volunteer as often as you can to help with meetings, fundraising, preparations for camp, transportation, etc. Encourage your husband to do the same. Scouting is truly a family affair. BSA even has family camps. Check with your local BSA office for details. * Familiarize yourself with Cub Scout patches and Scout merit badges offered and look for opportunities when you have a family project or trip coming up. Be aware of your son s current school classes/activities/field trips, extended family members hobbies and professions, community ed. classes, etc. For example, when painting a room in your home, get the Painting Merit Badge book and your son can help with a family project, learn a life skill, and earn a merit badge all at once! * Check your local Scout Shop for items to show your pride and to give as gifts for birthdays, rank advancements, or Christmas. (bumper stickers, tshirts, pens, blankets, statues, etc.) Camping gear and Scout uniforms can also be given as gifts. * Start a family tradition of becoming Eagle Scouts by making a Mother s or Grandmother s Eagles Nest scrapbook. Include a page for each son and/or grandson with his name at the top of the page waiting for pictures of the day he gets his Eagle. (You may want to make it just a

3 Mother s/grandmother s Scouts scrapbook so that all the boys can be included, even if they don t get to Eagle rank.) Display Scout Badges and Pins (yours and his) * Use a bulletin board to display all the awards and badges that don t go on his uniform. Also include other mementos and pictures of camps and activities. You could do this instead of or in addition to a scrapbook. Don t keep it all hidden away in a box! He works hard to earn things and needs the motivation to keep going. * Keep a scrapbook starting in Cub Scouts with pictures, programs, awards that don t go on his uniform, etc. Keep it simple!! Boys aren t that picky about all the cute little extras in a scrapbook; they just need to see what they have accomplished. Sheet protectors in a binder work well. Sheet protectors with sections (i.e. for photos or collector cards) can hold badges not currently on his uniform without having to glue/tape them to pages. When he finishes Scouting, you can finalize it and put it in a nicer binder if desired. * Don t let your mother s pins get lost display or wear them. Keep all your mother s pins and show you are proud of them by having a framed display somewhere at home or putting them all on a vest, jacket or necklace that you wear to all his Scout meetings. It will be a fun memento of all the experiences you have shared with your son(s) in Scouting. (And it makes it easier for him to pin them on you if you always wear the same vest, jacket or necklace.) * Display his merit badge sash in his room for a visual reminder of progress. He only wears it for Courts of Honor, so it doesn t get a lot of use otherwise. Hang the sash on a 7-8 dowel (or even a stick!) and support it with 2 nails or push pins. It is easy to take down and put back up for adding badges and wearing it. An added benefit is that it keeps the sash from getting wrinkled and misplaced. (Note:

4 This only works if you keep badges sewn on as he earns them!) * Frame (or somehow display) his Cub Scout awards when he finishes Cubs and hang in his room. Do the same when he finishes Scouts (age 18 usually). You want it to be nice, but don t let it get too big or finding a place to hang it will be a problem later in life. You don t have to include every award ever earned--just the highlights. The scrapbook can hold whatever you don t frame. Do this even if he doesn t get to Eagle Rank. He will have gained much from whatever he does in Scouting and this shows you are proud of his accomplishments. Finding Eagle Service Project Ideas * Use the internet to develop a list of ideas. Do a web search on eagle scout service projects [your city] or just service projects [your city] and see what comes up. Also use the web to look for local charities, parks departments, schools, hospitals, etc. that need a hand. You will not have a hard time finding ideas! Thanks to the internet, choosing from the many possibilities is the real problem. Don t worry if you aren t internet savvy let your Scout do this! Some websites with lists of ideas: Also check the official BSA website: and the National Eagle Scout Association website: * If you find something that has a personal connection, it can be more meaningful. Ideas: a hospital where he or a family member had an operation, a campground or recreation area that your family enjoys, cemeteries where family members are buried, cleaning up graffiti problems at his school or in your neighborhood, etc. * Remember the purpose of the Eagle project is not for the Eagle Scout candidate to do lots of service, but for him to be in charge of a project and learn how to organize people to get something done. You are an advisor to him, but you are not in charge. Don t take over. For example, if people need to be called about what time to meet, let him make the calls. If there are a lot, he could delegate some to you, but he is in charge and needs to learn how to organize people and when to delegate. Planning an Eagle Court of Honor * Keep it short and sweet. Most boys like short programs with refreshments at the end. * There is no set agenda for what has to happen at an Eagle Court of Honor, although some troops and councils may have traditions in place. Once you have earned the

5 Eagle rank, you are an Eagle. This special Court of Honor is optional to honor the Scout and his accomplishments and should be unique to that boy and fit his desires and personality. If the boy (and his family) really don t want one, the award can even be given at a regular Court of Honor along with all the other boys awards or in a Sacrament Meeting. A Court of Honor can be held for an individual Scout or for 2 or 3 at once. Some boys like this better because it takes the spotlight off them a little bit. (Doing more than 3 at a time can make the program too long and the attendance too big.) Someone from the Troop Committee should coordinate with the family on planning. Be clear about what the family is responsible for and what the troop is responsible for. * There are many good websites for Court of Honor planning that have complete scripted ceremonies as well as stories, quotes and poems about Scouting and Eagle Scouts that can be used in talks and on printed programs and invitations. A couple of good ones are and Do a web search on Eagle Scout Court of Honor and you will find many troops and counsils have websites full of ideas. Check the official BSA website: and the National Eagle Scout Association website: as well. Your local Scout headquarters or Scout Shop may also have collections of materials to use. * Here is a basic agenda for an Eagle Court of Honor. Remember, the order is flexible and most things are optional. Your troop may have its own traditions as well. Welcome Master of Ceremonies usually a Scout leader Opening Song & Prayer Flag Ceremony usually by the Scout Troop Tribute to the Eagle Scout can be one talk or two - & Highlights of his Eagle Project usually by one or both parents The Eagle Challenge (a talk/video/ceremony/presentation about what it takes to earn Eagle rank or the symbolism of the eagle could include a musical number as well) Convening of Eagles Nest all Eagle Scouts sit on the stand Presentation of Eagle Rank by a Scout leader (parents may help) Presentation of pins for parents and mentor by the Eagle Scout Eagle Charge (oath) by a Scout leader Acceptance of Rank short talk by the Eagle Scout Closing Song & Prayer Refreshments

6 * Strike a balance between tradition and doing something new. If your troop has certain things they do in every Eagle Court of Honor, your son is probably looking forward to those special things. But if every Court in your troop is exactly the same, the boys get bored attending them and don t want to go. Attend the Courts in your troop so you will know what has been done and maybe get an idea of how to make his unique. A display table showing his Scout experiences and talents/hobbies/interest is one way that never gets old since every boy is different. If your family has a close tie to a local military unit, they could do the flag ceremony. Other service or special interest groups family members are involved in may have presentations they could do as well. A local zoo or aviary may have someone who can bring and eagle to show. A musical family can perform special songs for the opening & closing or as part of the program. Be creative, but don t get too carried away. You shouldn t do something way beyond what is usually done in your troop just something a little different. * Get kitchen help!!! This is a moment for you to be with your son, family, and friends not in the kitchen getting refreshments ready. Keep the food simple and easy to eat. Cookies and punch are perfect. Ask other moms in your troop to help bring the food and serve it. In return, you can help them when their son is being honored. * Dress so that it is easy for your son to put your mother s pin on you. Something with lapels or a collar or having a mother s pin vest or necklace is so much better than a v- neck dress. If your son has had trouble with pinning you in the past or is nervous about this, you could even practice beforehand with one of your old pins. Ditto for his father and mentor (although with men it doesn t usually pose the same problem.) Behind every Eagle Scout is an Eagle Mom. Enjoy watching him soar!