Boy Scouts
k
I have one serious and one silly question.
Here's the unschooly part of my post: In another thread it was said
that there are girl-led programs that facilitators can choose from. I was
raised in a family of girls and I have no experience with scouts for boys
(except what I heard on the news). Do Boy Scouts (for those of you in the
know) have boy-led activities and projects that they do or is boy-led
already the whole lineup of programs they have available?
So.. my silly question which can be answered silly or serious is how come
boy scouts don't sell cookies? Well... I lied. I have more than one
question about that. Do they sell other stuff? I've never heard of
fundraising by Boy Scouts, but it could be because I live under a rock or
something.
~Katherine
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Here's the unschooly part of my post: In another thread it was said
that there are girl-led programs that facilitators can choose from. I was
raised in a family of girls and I have no experience with scouts for boys
(except what I heard on the news). Do Boy Scouts (for those of you in the
know) have boy-led activities and projects that they do or is boy-led
already the whole lineup of programs they have available?
So.. my silly question which can be answered silly or serious is how come
boy scouts don't sell cookies? Well... I lied. I have more than one
question about that. Do they sell other stuff? I've never heard of
fundraising by Boy Scouts, but it could be because I live under a rock or
something.
~Katherine
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Betj
They sell popcorn. I like cookies better.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
-----Original Message-----
From: k <katherand@...>
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:19:16
To: <[email protected]>
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] Boy Scouts
I have one serious and one silly question.
Here's the unschooly part of my post: In another thread it was said
that there are girl-led programs that facilitators can choose from. I was
raised in a family of girls and I have no experience with scouts for boys
(except what I heard on the news). Do Boy Scouts (for those of you in the
know) have boy-led activities and projects that they do or is boy-led
already the whole lineup of programs they have available?
So.. my silly question which can be answered silly or serious is how come
boy scouts don't sell cookies? Well... I lied. I have more than one
question about that. Do they sell other stuff? I've never heard of
fundraising by Boy Scouts, but it could be because I live under a rock or
something.
~Katherine
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
-----Original Message-----
From: k <katherand@...>
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:19:16
To: <[email protected]>
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] Boy Scouts
I have one serious and one silly question.
Here's the unschooly part of my post: In another thread it was said
that there are girl-led programs that facilitators can choose from. I was
raised in a family of girls and I have no experience with scouts for boys
(except what I heard on the news). Do Boy Scouts (for those of you in the
know) have boy-led activities and projects that they do or is boy-led
already the whole lineup of programs they have available?
So.. my silly question which can be answered silly or serious is how come
boy scouts don't sell cookies? Well... I lied. I have more than one
question about that. Do they sell other stuff? I've never heard of
fundraising by Boy Scouts, but it could be because I live under a rock or
something.
~Katherine
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Stephen
I can offer some info on the silly question.
When I was in cub and boy scouts we did bottle and newspaper drives. We
actually went door to door collecting soda bottles, 2 cents for the 10 or
12 oz and 5 cents for the quart, and newspapers. I remember that it was
often really hot and running house to house was tiring, but we competed to
see who could fill their trucks the quickest, and finding that house with
the elderly couple who had been tieing each weeks papers in neat bundles
and putting them in the basement for years, or who never returned their
soda bottles, was like striking gold. And I'll never forget that Saturday
when it was in the 90s, and the lady who saw two hot and sweaty cub scouts
at her back door, reached into the fridge, and handed us an ice cold six
pack of Coca-Cola. She smiled and said, "I'm sorry boys, all I've got is
these full ones. I'm afraid you'll have to empty them yourselves."
Recently the local scout troop used to do the same type of thing and
collect donated returnables at the landfill one Saturday a month. Don't
recall ever selling anything, but this was back when soda was a dime and a
quarter made you feel like a rich kid, so I may be forgetting a thing or two.
Stephen
At 7/17/2008 -0400 06:19 AM, you wrote:
When I was in cub and boy scouts we did bottle and newspaper drives. We
actually went door to door collecting soda bottles, 2 cents for the 10 or
12 oz and 5 cents for the quart, and newspapers. I remember that it was
often really hot and running house to house was tiring, but we competed to
see who could fill their trucks the quickest, and finding that house with
the elderly couple who had been tieing each weeks papers in neat bundles
and putting them in the basement for years, or who never returned their
soda bottles, was like striking gold. And I'll never forget that Saturday
when it was in the 90s, and the lady who saw two hot and sweaty cub scouts
at her back door, reached into the fridge, and handed us an ice cold six
pack of Coca-Cola. She smiled and said, "I'm sorry boys, all I've got is
these full ones. I'm afraid you'll have to empty them yourselves."
Recently the local scout troop used to do the same type of thing and
collect donated returnables at the landfill one Saturday a month. Don't
recall ever selling anything, but this was back when soda was a dime and a
quarter made you feel like a rich kid, so I may be forgetting a thing or two.
Stephen
At 7/17/2008 -0400 06:19 AM, you wrote:
>I have one serious and one silly question.[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>Here's the unschooly part of my post: In another thread it was said
>that there are girl-led programs that facilitators can choose from. I was
>raised in a family of girls and I have no experience with scouts for boys
>(except what I heard on the news). Do Boy Scouts (for those of you in the
>know) have boy-led activities and projects that they do or is boy-led
>already the whole lineup of programs they have available?
>
>So.. my silly question which can be answered silly or serious is how come
>boy scouts don't sell cookies? Well... I lied. I have more than one
>question about that. Do they sell other stuff? I've never heard of
>fundraising by Boy Scouts, but it could be because I live under a rock or
>something.
>
>~Katherine
Zoa Conner
In my son¹s pack, they do some fundraising (like selling donuts at farmers
market) but there is no overall ³boy scout fundraiser² that everyone has to
do (like GS cookies).
market) but there is no overall ³boy scout fundraiser² that everyone has to
do (like GS cookies).
On 7/17/08 6:19 AM, "k" <katherand@...> wrote:
> So.. my silly question which can be answered silly or serious is how come
> boy scouts don't sell cookies? Well... I lied. I have more than one
> question about that. Do they sell other stuff? I've never heard of
> fundraising by Boy Scouts, but it could be because I live under a rock or
> something.
>
> ~Katherine
----------------
Zoa Conner, PhD
Physicist and Organic Learning Mother
zoaconner@...
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
carenkh
~~Do they sell other stuff? I've never heard of fundraising by Boy
Scouts, but it could be because I live under a rock or something.~~
I don't know if it's a national program or not, but the Boy Scouts
here sell popcorn! Really, really good popcorn. Microwavable and
regular, as well as already popped mixes, with nuts and chocolate, or
caramel corn. Ooh - just found their site! I had to choose a council
that would get the proceeds to get to the product:
http://tinyurl.com/5cxmml Well, dang - it says the chocolate is
seasonal. Chocolate's not in season? When? Oh - I guess that's for
shipping, it would get all melty. Came across the same thing when I
tried to order chocolate Ice Cubes. http://tinyurl.com/5b928f
Caren
Scouts, but it could be because I live under a rock or something.~~
I don't know if it's a national program or not, but the Boy Scouts
here sell popcorn! Really, really good popcorn. Microwavable and
regular, as well as already popped mixes, with nuts and chocolate, or
caramel corn. Ooh - just found their site! I had to choose a council
that would get the proceeds to get to the product:
http://tinyurl.com/5cxmml Well, dang - it says the chocolate is
seasonal. Chocolate's not in season? When? Oh - I guess that's for
shipping, it would get all melty. Came across the same thing when I
tried to order chocolate Ice Cubes. http://tinyurl.com/5b928f
Caren
k
CHOCOLATE ice cubes, oh my god. Sold!
~Katherine
~Katherine
On 7/17/08, carenkh <carenkh@...> wrote:
>
> ~~Do they sell other stuff? I've never heard of fundraising by Boy
> Scouts, but it could be because I live under a rock or something.~~
>
> I don't know if it's a national program or not, but the Boy Scouts
> here sell popcorn! Really, really good popcorn. Microwavable and
> regular, as well as already popped mixes, with nuts and chocolate, or
> caramel corn. Ooh - just found their site! I had to choose a council
> that would get the proceeds to get to the product:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/5cxmml Well, dang - it says the chocolate is
> seasonal. Chocolate's not in season? When? Oh - I guess that's for
> shipping, it would get all melty. Came across the same thing when I
> tried to order chocolate Ice Cubes. http://tinyurl.com/5b928f
>
> Caren
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Joyce Fetteroll
On Jul 17, 2008, at 8:17 AM, k wrote:
to a puddle of chocolate in your mouth. :-)
I used to see them at checkout counters where you could buy one for a
quarter. Haven't seen them for quite a while.
Anyone remember Charms hard candy? They were like Lifesavers except
square. They had the best grape. Haven't seen them in even longer.
Though, actually, I see them on Amazon so they're still made just not
making it to stores I go to.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> CHOCOLATE ice cubes, oh my god. Sold!They are *so* good. Low wax content or something and they just turn
to a puddle of chocolate in your mouth. :-)
I used to see them at checkout counters where you could buy one for a
quarter. Haven't seen them for quite a while.
Anyone remember Charms hard candy? They were like Lifesavers except
square. They had the best grape. Haven't seen them in even longer.
Though, actually, I see them on Amazon so they're still made just not
making it to stores I go to.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Janet Gerla
Boy scouts is supposed to be boy led, but rarely is... some troops
are better at that than others.
They sell popcorn! Have you never bought boy scout popcorn?? All
kinds of flavors... Our troop doesn't sell popcorn however - as we
don't go door to door. They do a yearly fundrasier - usually a car wash.
Janet in MN (with 4 boys who have been in or are in scouts and I
have been a GS Leader and a Cub Leader many years.)
At 05:19 AM 7/17/2008, you wrote:
are better at that than others.
They sell popcorn! Have you never bought boy scout popcorn?? All
kinds of flavors... Our troop doesn't sell popcorn however - as we
don't go door to door. They do a yearly fundrasier - usually a car wash.
Janet in MN (with 4 boys who have been in or are in scouts and I
have been a GS Leader and a Cub Leader many years.)
At 05:19 AM 7/17/2008, you wrote:
>I have one serious and one silly question.
>
>Here's the unschooly part of my post: In another thread it was said
>that there are girl-led programs that facilitators can choose from. I was
>raised in a family of girls and I have no experience with scouts for boys
>(except what I heard on the news). Do Boy Scouts (for those of you in the
>know) have boy-led activities and projects that they do or is boy-led
>already the whole lineup of programs they have available?
>
>So.. my silly question which can be answered silly or serious is how come
>boy scouts don't sell cookies? Well... I lied. I have more than one
>question about that. Do they sell other stuff? I've never heard of
>fundraising by Boy Scouts, but it could be because I live under a rock or
>something.
>
>~Katherine
Melissa Gray
Our boys do popcorn, but they also do mulch in the spring. It's not
through scouts, but it is an amazing fundraiser because the cost is
not any higher than in the stores, but the boys still get half. It
really depends on the council and troop I think, no other troops
around here sell mulch.
One thing I cannot get over is how very little of the fundraiser the
actual girl gets. I think Rachel got less than 20% of what she sold,
while Josh and Sam got 50-70% of the popcorn and mulch. We pretty
much rely on those fundraisers to pay for camp, and while Sam and
Josh both got to go to camp for free, Rachel, who sold a LOT more
monetary wise, had to be supplemented several hundred dollars for a
camp that was half as long. :-/
Melissa
Mom to Joshua, Breanna, Emily, Rachel, Samuel, Daniel and Avari
Wife to Zane
blog me at
http://startlinglives.blogspot.com/
http://startlinglives365.blogspot.com
through scouts, but it is an amazing fundraiser because the cost is
not any higher than in the stores, but the boys still get half. It
really depends on the council and troop I think, no other troops
around here sell mulch.
One thing I cannot get over is how very little of the fundraiser the
actual girl gets. I think Rachel got less than 20% of what she sold,
while Josh and Sam got 50-70% of the popcorn and mulch. We pretty
much rely on those fundraisers to pay for camp, and while Sam and
Josh both got to go to camp for free, Rachel, who sold a LOT more
monetary wise, had to be supplemented several hundred dollars for a
camp that was half as long. :-/
Melissa
Mom to Joshua, Breanna, Emily, Rachel, Samuel, Daniel and Avari
Wife to Zane
blog me at
http://startlinglives.blogspot.com/
http://startlinglives365.blogspot.com
On Jul 17, 2008, at 5:19 AM, k wrote:
> I have one serious and one silly question.
>
> Here's the unschooly part of my post: In another thread it was said
> that there are girl-led programs that facilitators can choose from.
> I was
> raised in a family of girls and I have no experience with scouts
> for boys
> (except what I heard on the news). Do Boy Scouts (for those of you
> in the
> know) have boy-led activities and projects that they do or is boy-led
> already the whole lineup of programs they have available?
>
> So.. my silly question which can be answered silly or serious is
> how come
> boy scouts don't sell cookies? Well... I lied. I have more than one
> question about that. Do they sell other stuff? I've never heard of
> fundraising by Boy Scouts, but it could be because I live under a
> rock or
> something.
>
> ~Katherine
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Debra Rossing
I LOVE CHARMS - I preferred the lollipop versions better though, the
sour ones were awesome, I also liked the Regal Crown Sours (Regal or is
it Royal?)
Deb
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
sour ones were awesome, I also liked the Regal Crown Sours (Regal or is
it Royal?)
Deb
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This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they
are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify
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This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by
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CNC Software, Inc.
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
carenkh
Royal Crown Charms? LOL Do they have a margarita version?
Caren
--- In [email protected], "Debra Rossing"
<debra.rossing@...> wrote:
Caren
--- In [email protected], "Debra Rossing"
<debra.rossing@...> wrote:
>
> I LOVE CHARMS - I preferred the lollipop versions better though, the
> sour ones were awesome, I also liked the Regal Crown Sours (Regal or is
> it Royal?)
>
> Deb
>
Debra Rossing
> Royal Crown Charms? LOL Do they have a margarita version?LOL Doh! No, Regal Crown was another brand name. Sort of a cross between
the round lifesavers and the solid square Charms, these were round and
solid and a little thicker overall than lifesavers.
Deb
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This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they
are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify
the system manager.
This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by
MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses.
CNC Software, Inc.
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
k
I went to day camp when I was in Girl Scouts. One of the most fun things
ever. We made root beer and candles outdoors over a cauldron... very very
fun. We were on some place called Martin's farm at the edge of their
pastures, sandwiched there in between with the woods on the other side. It
was great.
~Katherine
ever. We made root beer and candles outdoors over a cauldron... very very
fun. We were on some place called Martin's farm at the edge of their
pastures, sandwiched there in between with the woods on the other side. It
was great.
~Katherine
On 7/17/08, Melissa Gray <autismhelp@...> wrote:
>
> Our boys do popcorn, but they also do mulch in the spring. It's not
> through scouts, but it is an amazing fundraiser because the cost is
> not any higher than in the stores, but the boys still get half. It
> really depends on the council and troop I think, no other troops
> around here sell mulch.
>
> One thing I cannot get over is how very little of the fundraiser the
> actual girl gets. I think Rachel got less than 20% of what she sold,
> while Josh and Sam got 50-70% of the popcorn and mulch. We pretty
> much rely on those fundraisers to pay for camp, and while Sam and
> Josh both got to go to camp for free, Rachel, who sold a LOT more
> monetary wise, had to be supplemented several hundred dollars for a
> camp that was half as long. :-/
>
> Melissa
> Mom to Joshua, Breanna, Emily, Rachel, Samuel, Daniel and Avari
> Wife to Zane
>
> blog me at
> http://startlinglives.blogspot.com/
> http://startlinglives365.blogspot.com
>
>
> On Jul 17, 2008, at 5:19 AM, k wrote:
>
> > I have one serious and one silly question.
> >
> > Here's the unschooly part of my post: In another thread it was said
> > that there are girl-led programs that facilitators can choose from.
> > I was
> > raised in a family of girls and I have no experience with scouts
> > for boys
> > (except what I heard on the news). Do Boy Scouts (for those of you
> > in the
> > know) have boy-led activities and projects that they do or is boy-led
> > already the whole lineup of programs they have available?
> >
> > So.. my silly question which can be answered silly or serious is
> > how come
> > boy scouts don't sell cookies? Well... I lied. I have more than one
> > question about that. Do they sell other stuff? I've never heard of
> > fundraising by Boy Scouts, but it could be because I live under a
> > rock or
> > something.
> >
> > ~Katherine
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
k
Thanks for that recollection about your bottle/paper collections. Very
funny read. Scouts as community service slash fundraiser.
~Katherine
funny read. Scouts as community service slash fundraiser.
~Katherine
On 7/17/08, Stephen <mtic@...> wrote:
>
>
> I can offer some info on the silly question.
>
> When I was in cub and boy scouts we did bottle and newspaper drives. We
> actually went door to door collecting soda bottles, 2 cents for the 10 or
> 12 oz and 5 cents for the quart, and newspapers. I remember that it was
> often really hot and running house to house was tiring, but we competed to
> see who could fill their trucks the quickest, and finding that house with
> the elderly couple who had been tieing each weeks papers in neat bundles
> and putting them in the basement for years, or who never returned their
> soda bottles, was like striking gold. And I'll never forget that Saturday
> when it was in the 90s, and the lady who saw two hot and sweaty cub scouts
> at her back door, reached into the fridge, and handed us an ice cold six
> pack of Coca-Cola. She smiled and said, "I'm sorry boys, all I've got is
> these full ones. I'm afraid you'll have to empty them yourselves."
>
> Recently the local scout troop used to do the same type of thing and
> collect donated returnables at the landfill one Saturday a month. Don't
> recall ever selling anything, but this was back when soda was a dime and a
> quarter made you feel like a rich kid, so I may be forgetting a thing or
> two.
>
> Stephen
>
> At 7/17/2008 -0400 06:19 AM, you wrote:
>
> >I have one serious and one silly question.
> >
> >Here's the unschooly part of my post: In another thread it was said
> >that there are girl-led programs that facilitators can choose from. I was
> >raised in a family of girls and I have no experience with scouts for boys
> >(except what I heard on the news). Do Boy Scouts (for those of you in the
> >know) have boy-led activities and projects that they do or is boy-led
> >already the whole lineup of programs they have available?
> >
> >So.. my silly question which can be answered silly or serious is how come
> >boy scouts don't sell cookies? Well... I lied. I have more than one
> >question about that. Do they sell other stuff? I've never heard of
> >fundraising by Boy Scouts, but it could be because I live under a rock or
> >something.
> >
> >~Katherine
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
k
Ok. Thanks for the comments about fundraising ideas and experiences. I
enjoyed them very much and it wasn't such a silly thing to ask after all,
was it now?
Here's what I'm wondering though. I heard some of the posts that Boys
Scouts claim (is that the right word?) their programs are boy-led but that's
a misnomer in reality.
So are there names of these boy-led initiatives or is it considered to be an
overall goal of the organization in all Boy Scout activities? What's the
terminology/ lingo you guys hear in meetings and such?
~Katherine
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
enjoyed them very much and it wasn't such a silly thing to ask after all,
was it now?
Here's what I'm wondering though. I heard some of the posts that Boys
Scouts claim (is that the right word?) their programs are boy-led but that's
a misnomer in reality.
So are there names of these boy-led initiatives or is it considered to be an
overall goal of the organization in all Boy Scout activities? What's the
terminology/ lingo you guys hear in meetings and such?
~Katherine
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
-----Original Message-----
From: k <katherand@...>
Here's what I'm wondering though. I heard some of the posts that Boys
Scouts claim (is that the right word?) their programs are boy-led but
that's
a misnomer in reality.
So are there names of these boy-led initiatives or is it considered to
be an
overall goal of the organization in all Boy Scout activities? What's
the
terminology/ lingo you guys hear in meetings and such?
-=-=-=-=-
Well, around here (SC), it's "Christ-led," and that's one of the
reasons we had problems with it.
Girl Scouts are much more inclusive and not as church-driven as Boy
Scouts, but I have...ummm...boys. <g>
~Kelly
Kelly Lovejoy
Conference Coordinator
Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
http://www.LiveandLearnConference.org
From: k <katherand@...>
Here's what I'm wondering though. I heard some of the posts that Boys
Scouts claim (is that the right word?) their programs are boy-led but
that's
a misnomer in reality.
So are there names of these boy-led initiatives or is it considered to
be an
overall goal of the organization in all Boy Scout activities? What's
the
terminology/ lingo you guys hear in meetings and such?
-=-=-=-=-
Well, around here (SC), it's "Christ-led," and that's one of the
reasons we had problems with it.
Girl Scouts are much more inclusive and not as church-driven as Boy
Scouts, but I have...ummm...boys. <g>
~Kelly
Kelly Lovejoy
Conference Coordinator
Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
http://www.LiveandLearnConference.org
Melissa Gray
What do they mean by boy led?
With younger scouts, the parents are much more involved, and while
the ideal leader would be able to involve the kids in choices for Go-
See-Its, many do not choose to. I'd like to think our group listens
more to the kids. I've had to push though. The leadership training
DOES emphasize that the boys should be involved in all choices. Once
they cross from cubs into boy scouts, it is DEFINITELY more scout
led. They run the meetings, they plan activities as well as volunteer
opportunities, and a good leader is able to balance their need for
assistance with letting them make choices.
SOOO much depends on the troop, as well as the patrol and the adult
leader. Everything is so different, the implementation depends on the
people involved. The organization definitely leads towards scouts
over the age of 12 making choices though.
As for being Christ-centered, as Kelly says, some units take that
very seriously. However, the organization itself says in training
materials that all leaders are to be open to differences of
religions. Our adult leader is an orthodox Jew, and the scout leader
is a Muslim (altho they invited us to our very first smoke lodge to
celebrate the solstice!), while the assistant patrol leader is an
atheist. So OUR patrol is very open ;-)
Melissa
Mom to Joshua, Breanna, Emily, Rachel, Samuel, Daniel and Avari
Wife to Zane
blog me at
http://startlinglives.blogspot.com/
http://startlinglives365.blogspot.com
With younger scouts, the parents are much more involved, and while
the ideal leader would be able to involve the kids in choices for Go-
See-Its, many do not choose to. I'd like to think our group listens
more to the kids. I've had to push though. The leadership training
DOES emphasize that the boys should be involved in all choices. Once
they cross from cubs into boy scouts, it is DEFINITELY more scout
led. They run the meetings, they plan activities as well as volunteer
opportunities, and a good leader is able to balance their need for
assistance with letting them make choices.
SOOO much depends on the troop, as well as the patrol and the adult
leader. Everything is so different, the implementation depends on the
people involved. The organization definitely leads towards scouts
over the age of 12 making choices though.
As for being Christ-centered, as Kelly says, some units take that
very seriously. However, the organization itself says in training
materials that all leaders are to be open to differences of
religions. Our adult leader is an orthodox Jew, and the scout leader
is a Muslim (altho they invited us to our very first smoke lodge to
celebrate the solstice!), while the assistant patrol leader is an
atheist. So OUR patrol is very open ;-)
Melissa
Mom to Joshua, Breanna, Emily, Rachel, Samuel, Daniel and Avari
Wife to Zane
blog me at
http://startlinglives.blogspot.com/
http://startlinglives365.blogspot.com
On Jul 18, 2008, at 8:51 PM, k wrote:
> Ok. Thanks for the comments about fundraising ideas and experiences. I
> enjoyed them very much and it wasn't such a silly thing to ask
> after all,
> was it now?
>
> Here's what I'm wondering though. I heard some of the posts that Boys
> Scouts claim (is that the right word?) their programs are boy-led
> but that's
> a misnomer in reality.
>
> So are there names of these boy-led initiatives or is it considered
> to be an
> overall goal of the organization in all Boy Scout activities?
> What's the
> terminology/ lingo you guys hear in meetings and such?
>
> ~Katherine
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Matt & Jessica
That is my problem with GS I have to say. I think I was told the girls here get .30 per box. We pay $4.00 a box here!!! I think a little more could go to the girls troop personally.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Pamela Sorooshian
On Jul 18, 2008, at 10:19 PM, Matt & Jessica wrote:
the cookies. I think our troop got 90 cents per box this year. It
depends on the council and it also depends on how many boxes they sell
- this year the girls did a lot of booth sales and sold a lot because
they had a specific goal for their funds (cross-country train trip
from California to NYC and seeing lots of Broadway shows). Our council
operates a LOT of different program sites and two fantastic camps -
they have very large upkeep expenses, but those properties are so
wonderful and very heavily utilized. The council offers a lot of
program activities for girls and does all the leader training. Their
summer camps are a bargain, too, so that lots of girls get to
participate who would otherwise not be able to afford it. Also, they
provide Girl Scout program services in other ways than just through
troops - they have after-school drop-in programs with Girl Scout
activities offered free in inner city neighborhoods, for example.
That said, if a troop or a girl doesn't want to participate, they
don't have to do so. And, within a troop, girls are not required to do
it. And, they can participate at very low levels, which is what my
girls have almost always done.
-pam
> That is my problem with GS I have to say. I think I was told theThey don't make $4.00 per box, though. They have to pay the bakery for
> girls here get .30 per box. We pay $4.00 a box here!!! I think a
> little more could go to the girls troop personally.
the cookies. I think our troop got 90 cents per box this year. It
depends on the council and it also depends on how many boxes they sell
- this year the girls did a lot of booth sales and sold a lot because
they had a specific goal for their funds (cross-country train trip
from California to NYC and seeing lots of Broadway shows). Our council
operates a LOT of different program sites and two fantastic camps -
they have very large upkeep expenses, but those properties are so
wonderful and very heavily utilized. The council offers a lot of
program activities for girls and does all the leader training. Their
summer camps are a bargain, too, so that lots of girls get to
participate who would otherwise not be able to afford it. Also, they
provide Girl Scout program services in other ways than just through
troops - they have after-school drop-in programs with Girl Scout
activities offered free in inner city neighborhoods, for example.
That said, if a troop or a girl doesn't want to participate, they
don't have to do so. And, within a troop, girls are not required to do
it. And, they can participate at very low levels, which is what my
girls have almost always done.
-pam
jane doe
--- On Fri, 7/18/08, k <katherand@...> wrote:
And I can't resist telling you about our fundraiser. They pick up Christmas trees. One day, $10,000. There is no trash pick up here and while bringing home a tree is fun, putting a dead, shedding tree to haul to the dump is a pain...
ELISA
> Here's what I'm wondering though. I heard some ofMy son is in a boy-led troop (he wasn't before). I think the boy-led-ness comes from the ability of the adults to actually let go and let the boys have their own way. With a large (we have over 40) group of teenage boys it isn't easy. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but that is an education in itself. No two troops are alike as the the boys, adults, and circumstance are different.
> the posts that Boys
> Scouts claim (is that the right word?) their programs are
> boy-led but that's
> a misnomer in reality.
And I can't resist telling you about our fundraiser. They pick up Christmas trees. One day, $10,000. There is no trash pick up here and while bringing home a tree is fun, putting a dead, shedding tree to haul to the dump is a pain...
ELISA
Robin
k wrote:
do?). Boy Scouts (11+ yo) attempts to foster leadership (serving in a
leadership position in the troop is required for advancement toward the
Eagle rank) but, to be honest, I haven't seen it work really well. In
the troop my ds is in, the most "leadership" they are allowed to do is
to sit in front at the meetings and go through a script in the book
(pledge, prayer, "now we're having our meeting", etc.). Once the "Patrol
Leader" tried to take the Troop Leader's binder with the notes for what
was to be covered for that meeting in it, but the binder was snatched
back and the boy was chastised. Now they just stick to the script.
In contrast, GS leaders are supposed to engage girls in discussions of
what the troop might do and the trainings cover what is appropriate at
each age level for including girls in deciding what the troop will do.
Not that it always works so well in practice, but that's the theory. In
a schooly environment (where most of the kids are schooled and the
leaders all were) it's tough for leaders and kids both to figure out how
to empower genuine choice, at least in my experience. But the GS program
has more choice built in. If BS want to advance in rank (more important
in BS than GS) and eventually get their Eagle, they have few choices.
But they do some cool stuff along the way, and the troop my ds is in
allows a lot of unstructured enjoyment of the outdoors, etc along with
the more focused, badge and rank oriented activities (like knot tying,
fire making, hiking, swimming, etc.)
Robin
--
Think you can't afford solar--Think Again! check out:
http://www.jointhesolution.com/livinggaia
>I've never heard Cub scouts claim to be boy-led (maybe other places they
> Here's what I'm wondering though. I heard some of the posts that Boys
> Scouts claim (is that the right word?) their programs are boy-led but that's
> a misnomer in reality.
>
>
do?). Boy Scouts (11+ yo) attempts to foster leadership (serving in a
leadership position in the troop is required for advancement toward the
Eagle rank) but, to be honest, I haven't seen it work really well. In
the troop my ds is in, the most "leadership" they are allowed to do is
to sit in front at the meetings and go through a script in the book
(pledge, prayer, "now we're having our meeting", etc.). Once the "Patrol
Leader" tried to take the Troop Leader's binder with the notes for what
was to be covered for that meeting in it, but the binder was snatched
back and the boy was chastised. Now they just stick to the script.
In contrast, GS leaders are supposed to engage girls in discussions of
what the troop might do and the trainings cover what is appropriate at
each age level for including girls in deciding what the troop will do.
Not that it always works so well in practice, but that's the theory. In
a schooly environment (where most of the kids are schooled and the
leaders all were) it's tough for leaders and kids both to figure out how
to empower genuine choice, at least in my experience. But the GS program
has more choice built in. If BS want to advance in rank (more important
in BS than GS) and eventually get their Eagle, they have few choices.
But they do some cool stuff along the way, and the troop my ds is in
allows a lot of unstructured enjoyment of the outdoors, etc along with
the more focused, badge and rank oriented activities (like knot tying,
fire making, hiking, swimming, etc.)
Robin
--
Think you can't afford solar--Think Again! check out:
http://www.jointhesolution.com/livinggaia
Pamela Sorooshian
On Jul 22, 2008, at 11:53 AM, Robin wrote:
My daughters and I just got back a couple of weeks ago from a 2-week
Girl Scout trip - taking the train to NYC (from Southern California).
We saw 5 musicals and a ballet, while there, plus a lot more. ALL of
it was decided on by the girls. The leader asked, a couple of years
ago, "So what kind of thing would you girls like to do as girl
scouts?" "Go to BROADWAY!" was the answer and they got all excited and
enthusiastic, So - for the next two years they planned this trip. That
was what they wanted to do and that is what they did. The leader was
their support person. She IS a very schoolish person - she is the
media center teacher at an elementary school and a very very
structured, controlling, rules-bound person. But the "rules" say that
she's an "advisor" (NOT a leader, anymore, for the older girls), so
she did her very best to follow that rule and act as advisor.
A problem with Girl Scouts is all the rules - they are mostly safety
rules, but they are overwhelming and overly constraining. And the time
it takes to make plans - to get approval for trips, for example, is
way too long. Often, by the time we'd get approval for something, the
girls had turned to a new interest.
I like that the "badges" earned by older girls are called "Interest
Projects" and they provide a lot of options and are reasonably open-
ended if girls want to pursue an interest in their own way. I'm NOT
thrilled with all the new program materials (Studio 2B stuff) - on the
surface they seem like they'd appeal to unschoolers since girls set
their own goals. But the booklets are superficial and kind of ...
lightweight and silly. I don't know - I realize they are designed to
appeal to girls who like teen magazines - which is what they are like.
But they don't appeal to my girls at all - my girls feel a little
insulted by them. And they seem very very light on content - lots of
"fluff." VERY school-oriented, too. For example, my daughters thought
they'd want to work on the Writing focus book, but it is entirely
about writing for school, not real writing.
Anyway - too much information, maybe. But Girl Scouts has been a
pretty significant part of our lives - with three daughters going from
Daisies through Seniors and me being a leader for many years. We
enjoyed it (still enjoy it) a lot.
-pam
> In contrast, GS leaders are supposed to engage girls in discussions ofYes - that's very much my experience.
> what the troop might do and the trainings cover what is appropriate at
> each age level for including girls in deciding what the troop will do.
> Not that it always works so well in practice, but that's the theory.
> In
> a schooly environment (where most of the kids are schooled and the
> leaders all were) it's tough for leaders and kids both to figure out
> how
> to empower genuine choice, at least in my experience.
My daughters and I just got back a couple of weeks ago from a 2-week
Girl Scout trip - taking the train to NYC (from Southern California).
We saw 5 musicals and a ballet, while there, plus a lot more. ALL of
it was decided on by the girls. The leader asked, a couple of years
ago, "So what kind of thing would you girls like to do as girl
scouts?" "Go to BROADWAY!" was the answer and they got all excited and
enthusiastic, So - for the next two years they planned this trip. That
was what they wanted to do and that is what they did. The leader was
their support person. She IS a very schoolish person - she is the
media center teacher at an elementary school and a very very
structured, controlling, rules-bound person. But the "rules" say that
she's an "advisor" (NOT a leader, anymore, for the older girls), so
she did her very best to follow that rule and act as advisor.
A problem with Girl Scouts is all the rules - they are mostly safety
rules, but they are overwhelming and overly constraining. And the time
it takes to make plans - to get approval for trips, for example, is
way too long. Often, by the time we'd get approval for something, the
girls had turned to a new interest.
I like that the "badges" earned by older girls are called "Interest
Projects" and they provide a lot of options and are reasonably open-
ended if girls want to pursue an interest in their own way. I'm NOT
thrilled with all the new program materials (Studio 2B stuff) - on the
surface they seem like they'd appeal to unschoolers since girls set
their own goals. But the booklets are superficial and kind of ...
lightweight and silly. I don't know - I realize they are designed to
appeal to girls who like teen magazines - which is what they are like.
But they don't appeal to my girls at all - my girls feel a little
insulted by them. And they seem very very light on content - lots of
"fluff." VERY school-oriented, too. For example, my daughters thought
they'd want to work on the Writing focus book, but it is entirely
about writing for school, not real writing.
Anyway - too much information, maybe. But Girl Scouts has been a
pretty significant part of our lives - with three daughters going from
Daisies through Seniors and me being a leader for many years. We
enjoyed it (still enjoy it) a lot.
-pam
k
Here's how I feel. If there were programs in place that were more or less
tending to shared decision making and if that were to increase through the
ranks (which in my opinion shouldn't be better to attain as they are merely
about age anyway and everybody gets older so what's the big deal?), I would
love to start a Cub group or chapter or whatever they're called. I'm not
interested in management. Boring for me and stressful. Boring for the
children, even if it's what they're used to. I just wouldn't do that.
I'm going to head over to Cub or Boy Scout website and see if anything looks
good.
~Katherine
tending to shared decision making and if that were to increase through the
ranks (which in my opinion shouldn't be better to attain as they are merely
about age anyway and everybody gets older so what's the big deal?), I would
love to start a Cub group or chapter or whatever they're called. I'm not
interested in management. Boring for me and stressful. Boring for the
children, even if it's what they're used to. I just wouldn't do that.
I'm going to head over to Cub or Boy Scout website and see if anything looks
good.
~Katherine
On 7/23/08, Pamela Sorooshian <pamsoroosh@...> wrote:
>
>
> On Jul 22, 2008, at 11:53 AM, Robin wrote:
>
> > In contrast, GS leaders are supposed to engage girls in discussions of
> > what the troop might do and the trainings cover what is appropriate at
> > each age level for including girls in deciding what the troop will do.
> > Not that it always works so well in practice, but that's the theory.
> > In
> > a schooly environment (where most of the kids are schooled and the
> > leaders all were) it's tough for leaders and kids both to figure out
> > how
> > to empower genuine choice, at least in my experience.
>
> Yes - that's very much my experience.
>
> My daughters and I just got back a couple of weeks ago from a 2-week
> Girl Scout trip - taking the train to NYC (from Southern California).
> We saw 5 musicals and a ballet, while there, plus a lot more. ALL of
> it was decided on by the girls. The leader asked, a couple of years
> ago, "So what kind of thing would you girls like to do as girl
> scouts?" "Go to BROADWAY!" was the answer and they got all excited and
> enthusiastic, So - for the next two years they planned this trip. That
> was what they wanted to do and that is what they did. The leader was
> their support person. She IS a very schoolish person - she is the
> media center teacher at an elementary school and a very very
> structured, controlling, rules-bound person. But the "rules" say that
> she's an "advisor" (NOT a leader, anymore, for the older girls), so
> she did her very best to follow that rule and act as advisor.
>
> A problem with Girl Scouts is all the rules - they are mostly safety
> rules, but they are overwhelming and overly constraining. And the time
> it takes to make plans - to get approval for trips, for example, is
> way too long. Often, by the time we'd get approval for something, the
> girls had turned to a new interest.
>
> I like that the "badges" earned by older girls are called "Interest
> Projects" and they provide a lot of options and are reasonably open-
> ended if girls want to pursue an interest in their own way. I'm NOT
> thrilled with all the new program materials (Studio 2B stuff) - on the
> surface they seem like they'd appeal to unschoolers since girls set
> their own goals. But the booklets are superficial and kind of ...
> lightweight and silly. I don't know - I realize they are designed to
> appeal to girls who like teen magazines - which is what they are like.
> But they don't appeal to my girls at all - my girls feel a little
> insulted by them. And they seem very very light on content - lots of
> "fluff." VERY school-oriented, too. For example, my daughters thought
> they'd want to work on the Writing focus book, but it is entirely
> about writing for school, not real writing.
>
> Anyway - too much information, maybe. But Girl Scouts has been a
> pretty significant part of our lives - with three daughters going from
> Daisies through Seniors and me being a leader for many years. We
> enjoyed it (still enjoy it) a lot.
>
> -pam
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Robin
Pamela Sorooshian wrote:
is it the slogan?) to "Be OVER prepared". I appreciate that the
organization takes girl's safety seriously, but it's so overdone
sometimes that it restricts what the girls can do. For example, the
Safety Wise book (program Bible...) says something like "parents helping
with transportation can use any insured vehicle as long as it has side
airbags". Side airbags?
I am seriously contemplating trying to get a "group" together where each
girl is registered as an individual Juliette. That way the parents
retain responsibility for safety and we can decide as a group what to do
without all the paper work and difficult to get trainings. The girls
like the group experienced but registering and maintaining a troop is a
lot of red tape, especially if you live in a rural area of a less
populous state. Our council is a 4 hour drive away and most of the
trainings are held there.
scouting, to at least suggest to the girls to try outdoor stuff...
Robin
--
Think you can't afford solar--Think Again! check out:
http://www.jointhesolution.com/livinggaia
>This is sooo true! Even when I was a GS myself I changed the motto (or
> A problem with Girl Scouts is all the rules - they are mostly safety
> rules, but they are overwhelming and overly constraining. And the time
> it takes to make plans - to get approval for trips, for example, is
> way too long. Often, by the time we'd get approval for something, the
> girls had turned to a new interest.
is it the slogan?) to "Be OVER prepared". I appreciate that the
organization takes girl's safety seriously, but it's so overdone
sometimes that it restricts what the girls can do. For example, the
Safety Wise book (program Bible...) says something like "parents helping
with transportation can use any insured vehicle as long as it has side
airbags". Side airbags?
I am seriously contemplating trying to get a "group" together where each
girl is registered as an individual Juliette. That way the parents
retain responsibility for safety and we can decide as a group what to do
without all the paper work and difficult to get trainings. The girls
like the group experienced but registering and maintaining a troop is a
lot of red tape, especially if you live in a rural area of a less
populous state. Our council is a 4 hour drive away and most of the
trainings are held there.
> their own goals. But the booklets are superficial and kind of ......and not much is outdoor oriented which, to me, is a major point of
> lightweight and silly. I don't know - I realize they are designed to
> appeal to girls who like teen magazines - which is what they are like.
> But they don't appeal to my girls at all - my girls feel a little
> insulted by them. And they seem very very light on content - lots of
> "fluff."
scouting, to at least suggest to the girls to try outdoor stuff...
Robin
--
Think you can't afford solar--Think Again! check out:
http://www.jointhesolution.com/livinggaia
jane doe
--- On Wed, 7/23/08, Robin <GaiaAlive@...> wrote:
OTOH, as a mother who has a Boy Scout out hiking in the middle of nowhere in NM for the next 10 days I'm pretty happy with all the what seems like obsessive preparation.
ELISA
> "parents helpingWow! That would leave everyone out in my daughter's troop. I've never even thought to ask and as I don't have them myself I can't imagine requiring them of someone else...
> with transportation can use any insured vehicle as long as
> it has side
> airbags". Side airbags?
OTOH, as a mother who has a Boy Scout out hiking in the middle of nowhere in NM for the next 10 days I'm pretty happy with all the what seems like obsessive preparation.
ELISA
Pamela Sorooshian
On Jul 24, 2008, at 10:31 AM, jane doe wrote:
from Southern california to New York City, we traveled with a train
FULL of boy scouts on their way to camp or leaving camp.
Most of the passengers found them rude, loud, messy and there was a
significant amount of complaining about them. And they were all those
things - but they were also fun and our girls got to know some of them
- spent a lot of hours talking and playing games. They've got each
others' email addresses and plan to stay in touch.
The boys going home from camp were significantly less rambunctious
than the ones just going - the former looked wiped out exhausted! <G>
-pam
> OTOH, as a mother who has a Boy Scout out hiking in the middle ofAs our Girl Scout troop took the train through New Mexico (on our way
> nowhere in NM for the next 10 days I'm pretty happy with all the
> what seems like obsessive preparation.
from Southern california to New York City, we traveled with a train
FULL of boy scouts on their way to camp or leaving camp.
Most of the passengers found them rude, loud, messy and there was a
significant amount of complaining about them. And they were all those
things - but they were also fun and our girls got to know some of them
- spent a lot of hours talking and playing games. They've got each
others' email addresses and plan to stay in touch.
The boys going home from camp were significantly less rambunctious
than the ones just going - the former looked wiped out exhausted! <G>
-pam
Sandra Foyt
Wow! A train trip from SoCal to NYC with Girl Scouts! That sounds
amazing!
How long did it take? How old are the girls? How long was this
planned? How much did it cost? What were the highlights? I'd love to
hear more about your trip. My girls may want to do this, but in
reverse.
You can email me offlist if you prefer.
By the way, there is a new Homeschooled GS Leaders Yahoo Group at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschoolGSleaders
Sandra Foyt
On Living By Learning - Learn, Grow, Explore, Change the World -
http://onlivingbylearning.com
amazing!
How long did it take? How old are the girls? How long was this
planned? How much did it cost? What were the highlights? I'd love to
hear more about your trip. My girls may want to do this, but in
reverse.
You can email me offlist if you prefer.
By the way, there is a new Homeschooled GS Leaders Yahoo Group at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschoolGSleaders
Sandra Foyt
On Living By Learning - Learn, Grow, Explore, Change the World -
http://onlivingbylearning.com
Pamela Sorooshian
The girls are 16 and 17 years old. it took two full years of planning
- you have to have out-of-state trips approved very far in advance and
you have to have the trip approved before you can apply to have the
extra fund-raising approved.
We saw a lot of shows and we bought the tickets in advance for most of
them, not at the cheap tickets booth there, so that was a big expense
- we saw: Spring Awakening, Passing Strange, RENT, Sunday in the Park
with George, Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, Mary Poppins, Hamlet,
August Osage County, and a ballet at Lincoln Center. Not everyone saw
them all - we split up and chose the ones we really wanted to see. (We
sent the less adventurous off to Mary Poppins, for example, while some
of us went to Spring Awakening.) Anyway - the shows were about $500
each, total, so a big expense.
Our absolute favorite, by the way, was Passing Strange and we just
heard Spike Lee is going to make a film of it. Can't WAIT!!
Hotels in Manhattan - not cheapt - with four people to a room, we
ended up paying about $500 per person for the hotel.
The train was about $350 per person, round trip. About the same as
airfare. The fares went up just a few days after we bought our tickets
and are now about $450 round trip. It takes about 70 hours on the
train - you get a really long lay-over in Chicago - enough to walk
from the station through downtown Chicago to Millennium Park and the
Art Institute and hang out there, eat some good Chicago food, and see
the river and the lake and Sears Tower. The two days we had in Chicago
were really fun.
If you took a trip to California FROM the east coast - remember that
you have to deal with getting around. Everything in Manhattan is so
close - you can walk lots of places, take a subway or bus anyplace
else. But in California, everything is spread out and you'd have to
really seriously plan ahead to be able to use public transportation -
it is there, but it doesn't go everywhere and doesn't go often. You'd
probably need to rent a car.
The train trip was good, other than getting across the Mississippi
areas which were flooded. Amtrak took us all off the train and put us
on busses and we were driven around the flooded areas. That was about
a 13 hour trip in a really uncomfortable bus.
On the train - we had a lot of fun. One highlight was going through
the Amish countryside - really interesting. On the train, we spent a
LOT of time in the observation car, which has tables. We played a lot
of games, did some crafts, met some boy scouts <G>. Mostly watched out
the windows, ate, talked. We ate in the dining car a couple of times,
just for the experience, and it was fine. Mostly we took our own food
in coolers - that was better. The cafe car has pizza and bagels and
sandwiches - it was pretty good and not ridiculously overpriced.
The people who work on Amtrak were generally pretty rude and
incompetent - some were extremely rude and incompetent. We got used to
it, but, thinking back, I can't believe how badly we were treated by
various employees.
People talk about New Yorkers as being rude, but our experience was so
completely the opposite that I have to say - native New Yorkers often
voluntarily and kindly helped us out - asked us if we needed
directions, pointed the way to something, showed us how to do
something, told us their favorite eating spots, etc. It happened over
and over again that we'd be standing somewhere, looking a little
confused, and inevitably someone would stop and say, "I'm from here,
do you need help?" NICE people - maybe trying to undo the stereotype
of Manhattanites always in a hurry and irritated with tourists? We
just didn't find that to be evident anywhere at any time.
I'm hoping to do it next year with my family - this time we'll go to
Washington DC for a few days and Manhattan for a few days. Whether we
have time to take the train again - not sure. There is so much to do
in Manhattan - I can see going back there over and over.
-pam
- you have to have out-of-state trips approved very far in advance and
you have to have the trip approved before you can apply to have the
extra fund-raising approved.
We saw a lot of shows and we bought the tickets in advance for most of
them, not at the cheap tickets booth there, so that was a big expense
- we saw: Spring Awakening, Passing Strange, RENT, Sunday in the Park
with George, Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, Mary Poppins, Hamlet,
August Osage County, and a ballet at Lincoln Center. Not everyone saw
them all - we split up and chose the ones we really wanted to see. (We
sent the less adventurous off to Mary Poppins, for example, while some
of us went to Spring Awakening.) Anyway - the shows were about $500
each, total, so a big expense.
Our absolute favorite, by the way, was Passing Strange and we just
heard Spike Lee is going to make a film of it. Can't WAIT!!
Hotels in Manhattan - not cheapt - with four people to a room, we
ended up paying about $500 per person for the hotel.
The train was about $350 per person, round trip. About the same as
airfare. The fares went up just a few days after we bought our tickets
and are now about $450 round trip. It takes about 70 hours on the
train - you get a really long lay-over in Chicago - enough to walk
from the station through downtown Chicago to Millennium Park and the
Art Institute and hang out there, eat some good Chicago food, and see
the river and the lake and Sears Tower. The two days we had in Chicago
were really fun.
If you took a trip to California FROM the east coast - remember that
you have to deal with getting around. Everything in Manhattan is so
close - you can walk lots of places, take a subway or bus anyplace
else. But in California, everything is spread out and you'd have to
really seriously plan ahead to be able to use public transportation -
it is there, but it doesn't go everywhere and doesn't go often. You'd
probably need to rent a car.
The train trip was good, other than getting across the Mississippi
areas which were flooded. Amtrak took us all off the train and put us
on busses and we were driven around the flooded areas. That was about
a 13 hour trip in a really uncomfortable bus.
On the train - we had a lot of fun. One highlight was going through
the Amish countryside - really interesting. On the train, we spent a
LOT of time in the observation car, which has tables. We played a lot
of games, did some crafts, met some boy scouts <G>. Mostly watched out
the windows, ate, talked. We ate in the dining car a couple of times,
just for the experience, and it was fine. Mostly we took our own food
in coolers - that was better. The cafe car has pizza and bagels and
sandwiches - it was pretty good and not ridiculously overpriced.
The people who work on Amtrak were generally pretty rude and
incompetent - some were extremely rude and incompetent. We got used to
it, but, thinking back, I can't believe how badly we were treated by
various employees.
People talk about New Yorkers as being rude, but our experience was so
completely the opposite that I have to say - native New Yorkers often
voluntarily and kindly helped us out - asked us if we needed
directions, pointed the way to something, showed us how to do
something, told us their favorite eating spots, etc. It happened over
and over again that we'd be standing somewhere, looking a little
confused, and inevitably someone would stop and say, "I'm from here,
do you need help?" NICE people - maybe trying to undo the stereotype
of Manhattanites always in a hurry and irritated with tourists? We
just didn't find that to be evident anywhere at any time.
I'm hoping to do it next year with my family - this time we'll go to
Washington DC for a few days and Manhattan for a few days. Whether we
have time to take the train again - not sure. There is so much to do
in Manhattan - I can see going back there over and over.
-pam
On Jul 25, 2008, at 12:41 PM, Sandra Foyt wrote:
> Wow! A train trip from SoCal to NYC with Girl Scouts! That sounds
> amazing!
>
> How long did it take? How old are the girls? How long was this
> planned? How much did it cost? What were the highlights? I'd love
> to
> hear more about your trip. My girls may want to do this, but in
> reverse.
>
> You can email me offlist if you prefer.
>
> By the way, there is a new Homeschooled GS Leaders Yahoo Group at
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschoolGSleaders
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
k
The Amtrak employee thing ... oh well. Annoying. Sounds like some
McDonald's employees. Instead of burger flipping, they're flipping people
around on the train. What you want to look for next time is platform 9 3/4
to get on Hogwart's Express. ;)
The trip sounds *really* fantastic. Lovely. Crossing a whole continent by
train. Wow.
I've found NY'ers in and out of the city who are very fun friendly people.
I went in 2000 and I would luv to go again sometime. The people there are
about 9/10ths of the reason for going.
~Katherine
McDonald's employees. Instead of burger flipping, they're flipping people
around on the train. What you want to look for next time is platform 9 3/4
to get on Hogwart's Express. ;)
The trip sounds *really* fantastic. Lovely. Crossing a whole continent by
train. Wow.
I've found NY'ers in and out of the city who are very fun friendly people.
I went in 2000 and I would luv to go again sometime. The people there are
about 9/10ths of the reason for going.
~Katherine
On 7/26/08, Pamela Sorooshian <pamsoroosh@...> wrote:
>
> The girls are 16 and 17 years old. it took two full years of planning
> - you have to have out-of-state trips approved very far in advance and
> you have to have the trip approved before you can apply to have the
> extra fund-raising approved.
>
> We saw a lot of shows and we bought the tickets in advance for most of
> them, not at the cheap tickets booth there, so that was a big expense
> - we saw: Spring Awakening, Passing Strange, RENT, Sunday in the Park
> with George, Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, Mary Poppins, Hamlet,
> August Osage County, and a ballet at Lincoln Center. Not everyone saw
> them all - we split up and chose the ones we really wanted to see. (We
> sent the less adventurous off to Mary Poppins, for example, while some
> of us went to Spring Awakening.) Anyway - the shows were about $500
> each, total, so a big expense.
>
> Our absolute favorite, by the way, was Passing Strange and we just
> heard Spike Lee is going to make a film of it. Can't WAIT!!
>
> Hotels in Manhattan - not cheapt - with four people to a room, we
> ended up paying about $500 per person for the hotel.
>
> The train was about $350 per person, round trip. About the same as
> airfare. The fares went up just a few days after we bought our tickets
> and are now about $450 round trip. It takes about 70 hours on the
> train - you get a really long lay-over in Chicago - enough to walk
> from the station through downtown Chicago to Millennium Park and the
> Art Institute and hang out there, eat some good Chicago food, and see
> the river and the lake and Sears Tower. The two days we had in Chicago
> were really fun.
>
> If you took a trip to California FROM the east coast - remember that
> you have to deal with getting around. Everything in Manhattan is so
> close - you can walk lots of places, take a subway or bus anyplace
> else. But in California, everything is spread out and you'd have to
> really seriously plan ahead to be able to use public transportation -
> it is there, but it doesn't go everywhere and doesn't go often. You'd
> probably need to rent a car.
>
> The train trip was good, other than getting across the Mississippi
> areas which were flooded. Amtrak took us all off the train and put us
> on busses and we were driven around the flooded areas. That was about
> a 13 hour trip in a really uncomfortable bus.
>
> On the train - we had a lot of fun. One highlight was going through
> the Amish countryside - really interesting. On the train, we spent a
> LOT of time in the observation car, which has tables. We played a lot
> of games, did some crafts, met some boy scouts <G>. Mostly watched out
> the windows, ate, talked. We ate in the dining car a couple of times,
> just for the experience, and it was fine. Mostly we took our own food
> in coolers - that was better. The cafe car has pizza and bagels and
> sandwiches - it was pretty good and not ridiculously overpriced.
>
> The people who work on Amtrak were generally pretty rude and
> incompetent - some were extremely rude and incompetent. We got used to
> it, but, thinking back, I can't believe how badly we were treated by
> various employees.
>
> People talk about New Yorkers as being rude, but our experience was so
> completely the opposite that I have to say - native New Yorkers often
> voluntarily and kindly helped us out - asked us if we needed
> directions, pointed the way to something, showed us how to do
> something, told us their favorite eating spots, etc. It happened over
> and over again that we'd be standing somewhere, looking a little
> confused, and inevitably someone would stop and say, "I'm from here,
> do you need help?" NICE people - maybe trying to undo the stereotype
> of Manhattanites always in a hurry and irritated with tourists? We
> just didn't find that to be evident anywhere at any time.
>
> I'm hoping to do it next year with my family - this time we'll go to
> Washington DC for a few days and Manhattan for a few days. Whether we
> have time to take the train again - not sure. There is so much to do
> in Manhattan - I can see going back there over and over.
>
> -pam
>
> On Jul 25, 2008, at 12:41 PM, Sandra Foyt wrote:
>
> > Wow! A train trip from SoCal to NYC with Girl Scouts! That sounds
> > amazing!
> >
> > How long did it take? How old are the girls? How long was this
> > planned? How much did it cost? What were the highlights? I'd love
> > to
> > hear more about your trip. My girls may want to do this, but in
> > reverse.
> >
> > You can email me offlist if you prefer.
> >
> > By the way, there is a new Homeschooled GS Leaders Yahoo Group at
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschoolGSleaders
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Foyt
This sounds like a wonderful way to see the country. Is it possible to
break up the trip so that you can explore stops along the way?
Sandra Foyt
break up the trip so that you can explore stops along the way?
Sandra Foyt