GSM Tips / Otters / Pathfinders / Timberwolves
by Laura Sowdon · Published October 5, 2020 · Last modified June 11, 2022
As an OSG leader, one of your goals is probably taking the group camping. You probably even know a place or two you can go. However, as your group grows, you are going to want some ideas for exploring further afield. What to do? National Parks Camping in a National Park is a very reliable way to find group camping....
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 important skills! As part of their distance scouting program this fall, the Pathfinder scouts of the 17th will be given kits and directions to create...
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 where to start with that. This is the story of how patrols evolved in the 17th. Getting Started Robert Baden-Powell envisioned his patrol method...
We just added our first ever BPSA group in Tennessee! The 901st Buffalo group in Bartlett, TN now joins our ranks as a South Region group! If you would like to reach out and welcome them, their GSM Aislinn can be reached at 901Buffalo@gmail.com
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 decided to do a 3 pronged approach. Those 3 prongs are on-line meetings, home projects and monthly in person, socially distant activities. Each one is...
Recently, I saw a neat way to do leaf rubbings with kids to make art, and though it would be great for our otters! First, you gather leaves of various shapes. If possible, you can ask scouts to learn what kind of tree or bush their leaves come from. However, that isn’t technically necessary. I find that casually mentioning, “Oh,...
When a child has a learning challenge, scouts can become a safe haven for them. The struggles of school can take a back seat while a child learns to light camp fires and takes long hikes. As scout leaders, it is important that we not let the challenges of school become challenges to scouting, if at all possible. What to...
This is a set of ideas all around map skills to use while scouting during the 2020 Pandemic. Each zoom meeting idea is laid out below. The set is designed to progress from the most basic ability to read a map, up to reading a topographical map. Each idea is supposed to be the foundation for one meeting. Read them...
An essential part of having a great scout program, is having adults who help make it happen. In today’s busy world, it isn’t always easy to convince parents to help, and it can be hard to figure out how to distribute the work of running a BPSA group. At your interest meeting, look for the parents who’s eyes light up...
Every year, we have an interest meeting for our group. This is when we invite new families to come learn what our BPSA group is all about, and we start back up for our returning scouts. This first meeting of the year, is when we explain, once again, what BPSA is all about. We talk about what we want out...
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