To help complete the Cooking Merit Badge, the Troop is holding an Iron Chef competition for the outdoor cooking requirement. Requirement 5 (d), (e) and (f) spell out what the competitors will need to accomplish:
5 (d) In the outdoors, using your menu plans for this requirement, cook two of the five meals you planned using either a lightweight stove or a low-impact fire. Use a different cooking method from requirement 3 for each meal.You must also cook a third meal using either a Dutch oven OR a foil pack OR kabobs. Serve all of these meals to your patrol or a group of youth.
5 (e) In the outdoors, prepare a dessert OR a snack and serve it to your patrol or a group of youth.
5 (f) After each meal, have those you served evaluate the meal on presentation and taste, and then evaluate your own meal. Discuss what you learned with your counselor, including any adjustments that could have improved or enhanced your meals. Tell how planning and preparation help ensure successful outdoor cooking.
Each week two scouts will square off to cook one of the three meals and snacks. After preparing the meal in the outdoors and during our meetings, the rest of the Troop will sample and evaluate the competitors’ meals using the following scale:
4 stars: Excellent
3 stars: Good
2 stars: Meh
1 star: Barely edible
0 stars: Barf
Additional rules:
Cooks must use approved meal plans
Meals must feed approximately 6 people
Must be ready at agreed time
Must use troop cooking stoves and equipment, but can bring family grills if you choose.
The scouts with the highest scores at the end of the competition will receive a special honor.
Here are the standings so far. (Scores are an average of the Excellent-Barf scores provided by the scouts served):
Tonight we completed requirement 1A. Next Tuesday I would like you all to demonstrate the first aid requirements in 1B. And, please do all of requirement 2 on your own and be ready to discuss.
Next week I hope to finish requirement 1 and if we have time, to go through requirement 2.
Here is the worksheet. Please print your own copy and bring it with you to the meetings!
Also, I would recommend getting a copy of the Cooking MB booklet. You will find the latest version for your Kindles on Amazon or you can order them from the Scout Shop (both versions are $4.99). The booklets will have instructions, recipes, and other information to help you complete the requirements.
You can also download an older version for free here. Some of the requirements have changed, so rely on the worksheet for the requirements. But much of the information is the same and it also has recipes for you to consider.
Once you have completed your Eagle project, filled in the application (including a statement of ambition and life purpose and list of accomplishments), verified the dates for all your rank advancements and merit badge completions, it’s time to put it all together into an Eagle binder.
What is an Eagle binder you ask? I asked the same thing too, because it’s not discussed in any of the NCAC Eagle resources. So I asked our District Eagle Reviewer, Kurt Rausch.
Mr. Rausch explained that the binder is a way to make sure you have everything ready for your Eagle Board of Review and that all the information you and the troop provide is correct. “It also provides a neat package to be delivered to Council who extracts the materials to be sent to National (ESRA and Life Purpose and Ambitions Statement and Honors and Awards) and holds the binder until the certificate is issued,” he said.
Mr. Rausch physically reviews each binder as part of the Eagle Application Review Process, which can take about a week.
The District-required contents for the Eagle Binder are as follows, in order they should appear:
Extension Letter (if applicable) – to document the scout is eligible.
ESRA – necessary of course.
District best practices above Council procedures is to list badges completed on the same day, alphabetically (it just helps in the review) but ESRAs are not rejected otherwise.
Also, include the city and state of the Eagle Project on the application.
Scoutnet Report (Formally Internet Advancement) – necessary to check accuracy of ESRA to Program-wide record used to verify ESRA by Council. (Some troops still using Troopmaster also include the Troopmaster Individual History Report as an added best practice).
Life Purpose and Ambitions Statement – Required by ESRA as indicated in Certification by Applicant Section.
List of Honors and Awards – Required by ESRA as indicated in Certification by Applicant Section.
Eagle Project Materials: Proposal with all signatures; Plan (optional but recommended); and Report with all signatures and hours that align with ESRA) – required to document completion of the Project as outlined in ESRA.
Blue Cards for badges used for Eagle – Used to review accuracy of Section 3 of the ESRA. These primary resources are used to confirm ESRA and ScoutBook dates align with the date the badge was actually earned. These three records are often (about 25% of the time) not aligned for one or more badges, in some way or another. Because your blue cards are the original records, send copies to be reviewed. You can include all your blue cards to show how hard you’ve worked, but only the cards on your ESRA are required. Arrange the cards in the same order as they are listed in the ESRA for an added nice touch.
Finally, the binder should have a cover and spine with the title “Eagle Scout Application” with the Scout Name and Troop No. This is most helpful to identify the binder, particularly when they are delivered to Council and put on a shelf. Many Scouts also take it to a higher level and organize the sections in the binder with tabs and sometimes have a Table of Contents. These added features are nice to see but not required.
Once your binder is complete, it will be dropped off by your Eagle counselor with Mr. Rausch along with your Scout handbook, and returned to you after the review.
When Mr. Rausch adds his initials to your Application, it will be sent to the counsel for a signature and approval to conduct the Board of Review.
If you have any questions, about this or other steps in the Eagle process, drop a line in the comments below.
Troop 113 meets at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday nights. Look for us in the north parking lot of Trinity United Methodist Church, 2911 Cameron Mills Rd. When the weather is warm we meet outside – if too hot or too cold, join us inside the church meeting rooms. Contact us for more information.
Upcoming Events
The new Scouting season has kicked off with many fun activities planned for the coming year. Activities include working toward merit badges, day hikes, camping, and other fun activities! Keep up with Troop outings and events using the Troop 113 Calendar.
This presentation discusses the steps Scouts will need to take as they pursue their Eagle rank. It also includes information for parents, and leaders on the processes involved in developing an Eagle service project, submitting the Eagle application, and conducting the Eagle board of review.
Because we are meeting at least partially online, all Scouts must complete the Cyber Chip requirements.
Requirements for Grades 6–8
Read and sign the Level II Internet Safety Pledge from NetSmartz. (BSA Cyber Chip green card)
Write and sign a personalized contract with your parent or guardian that outlines rules for using the computer and mobile devices, including what you can download, what you can post, and consequences for inappropriate use.
Watch the video “Friend or Fake,” along with two additional videos of your choosing, to see how friends can help each other to stay safe online. (www.netsmartz.org/scouting)
As an individual or with your patrol, use the EDGE method and mini lessons to teach Internet safety rules, behavior, and “netiquette” to your troop or another patrol. You are encouraged to use any additional material and information you have researched. Each member of the patrol must have a role and present part of the lesson. (www.netsmartz.org/scouting)
Discuss with your unit leader the acceptable standards and practices for using allowed electronic devices, such as phones and games, at your meetings and other Scouting events.
Requirements for Grades 9–12
Read and sign the Level II Internet Safety Pledge. (BSA Cyber Chip green card)
Write and sign a personalized contract with your parent or guardian that outlines rules for using the computer and mobile devices, including what you can download, what you can post, and consequences for inappropriate use.
Discuss with your parents the benefits and potential dangers teenagers might experience when using social media. Give examples of each.
As an individual or patrol, use the EDGE method and the Student Project Kit to teach Internet safety rules, behavior, and “netiquette” to your troop or another patrol. You are encouraged to use any additional material and information you have researched. Each member of the patrol must have a role and present part of the lesson. (www.netsmartz.org/scouting)
Discuss with your unit leader the acceptable standards and practices for using allowed electronic devices such as phones and games at your meetings and other Scouting events.
Note: All Cyber Chips will expire annually. Each Scout will need to “recharge” the chip by going back to the NetSmartz Recharge area. This space will hold new information, news, and a place for the Scout to recommit to net safety and netiquette. Then, with the unit leader, the Scout can add the new date to the Cyber Chip card or certificate.
As always, the safety of our Scouts, volunteers, employees and communities is our top priority. Read the National BSA Scouts statement on COVID-19, including links for more information and resources.
Thanks to everyone who has made our mulch fundraiser such a great success. As of yesterday, we have sold out and are not accepting any more orders. If you mailed in an order and we have not received it, your check will be promptly returned to you.
All orders that were made online on or before March 16 will be fulfilled.
Deliveries will begin March 31 and hopefully we will wrap up by Saturday, April 4. To minimize exposure to the virus, we are asking only a limited number of Troop parents to help with deliveries. Because we are not asking the full Troop to come out on Saturday, deliveries may need to extend into Sunday or Monday the following week.
Our delivery volunteers may knock on your door to let you know we’ve arrived and ask for instructions, however, please continue to practice proper social distancing.
Thank you for your support and we look forward to serving you in the coming days.
Put your order in today for Troop 113’s shredded hardwood mulch. This annual fund raiser helps the Troop pay for activities, equipment, service projects, and other good deeds the Scouts of Troop 113 do every day in our community.
If you’ve bought from us before, you may want to note a few changes.
First, we are not putting a minimum on the number of bags you can order. However, if you choose to order fewer than 10 bags, you will be required to pick up your mulch yourself. Pick-up hours will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 4, 2020.
Second, we are limiting our delivery area to following ZIP codes: 22301, 22302, 22304, 22305 and 22314. People outside these ZIP codes are welcome to order from us, but they would have to pick up their orders during the pick-up hours above.
The reason for these changes are a matter of necessity. Due to the wonderful support you have shown it has become increasingly difficult to deliver to everyone with our limited amount of delivery resources. Again, all purchases are welcome and we appreciate your support, however we also require your cooperation.
A third change is our new shopping cart system to make your purchasing easier, and allow you to make donations via our website as well.
What is returning is our discounted pricing for larger orders:
