Category: GSM Tips

Camping in the Rain? No problem!

What do you do if the camping trip you booked a few months ago, will now be cold and rainy?  OSG leaders were asked this question, and they had a whole lot of suggestions!  Below, are tips from our leaders from all across the country! Bring 3 or 4 extra tarps. I find that they are better than most footprints...

Avoiding Leader/GSM Burn Out

Volunteer burn out is a real problem in every organization. People give and give and give, until they have nothing left to give. Avoiding this, means setting boundaries and delegating tasks. It means saying “no” sometimes, even if you don’t want to. Today, we are going to get into how to avoid burn out for yourself and your leaders in...

The jobs of a GSM- and how to share them

The role of Group Scoutmaster is not a small job. Often a GSM is wearing many many hats so that the members of their group can not only participate with Outdoor Service Guides, but so that they can have a quality program. In a small group, the list below may be done by just one or 2 people. Which can...

Pathfinders: The Journey to First Class

PLEASE NOTE: Since the publication of this post, the Pathfinder Handbook has been published. You can learn more about it here in the announcement on the OSG website. In Outdoor Service Guides, one of the biggest achievements a pathfinder can attain is earning First Class. Attaining First Class is comprised of two pieces. One is that pathfinders complete a set of...

How to be an Amazing OSG Leader!

Being a leader in Outdoor Service Guides is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. However, it isn’t always easy. Today, I’m offering tips from long time leaders about how to have a successful group and be an amazing leader.  This is advice for you, no matter which age level you work with. Rule #1: Make it Fun...

Making Better Knot Ropes

As scout leaders, we teach a lot of knots. Using better ropes, can make teaching them a lot easier! Different groups have different ropes that they prefer for this reason. When teaching knots, scouts often need to remember which end of the rope they are working with. One easy way to do this, is by adding a stripe of colored...

What goes in a Patrol Box?

If you are new to scouting, you may have never heard of a patrol box. What is it? A patrol box is generally, a box full of the things you need for cooking and cleaning at camp, plus some necessary items. While there are some very fancy boxes out there, a sturdy plastic tub will work for most groups. What...

Fund Raising for your OSG Group

Are you looking for ideas for how your OSG group can fund raise for equipment or a special activity? Your group can choose to just raise dues or ask parents to donate what you need. However, sometimes you need more funds than parents can cover. What’s a scout leader to do? Because Outdoor Service Guides doesn’t have any national sales,...

Community Gardening

In the spring, the 17th Black Bear Pathfinders got the chance to have a community garden plot to farm. They jumped at the chance! Getting outside together sounded fun. The Pathfinder patrols decided what to plant. They were enthusiastic about planting onions! Onions are a good spring or fall crop. The Leaders were skeptical but the onions grew well and...

Gearing up for a New Scouting Year

Starting a new scouting year is exciting and challenging.  One thing that seems to be extra challenging is gathering contact information for any new families that show up at your kick-off meeting or first few meetings. There are also some standard legal agreements/waivers that are good to have parents sign off on and review. Our parent organization offers a standard...