What Your Outpost Did This Week.

This Thread is to share some Special Teaching Points that you have come up with, and might aid in giving ideas to other Outposts.

If you did something Generic, like "Finished up Paperwork for Ranger Recruit", that doesn't really add a lot of unique insight (unless the boys come up with a unique piece of Wisdom, as they sometimes do).

So I'll start:

Two weeks ago, I was putting away Shooting Jackets, and noticed that one of the jackets had a few buttons (literally) hanging on by a thread.  I was going to repair the jackets myself, but then thought that it would make a good teaching point for the boys.  So I brought in needles & thread, and the boys learned how to thread the needles, sew the buttons on, and tie off & trim the thread.

Keeping on topic, last week, I went through my drawer of Work Socks that have developed holes in the toes (I wash them & save them).  Then for the Meeting Activity, we pulled out the socks, put an empty soda can in them (so that the boys wouldn't stick themselves), and each of the boys darned the hole in the toe of a sock.  We used a contrasting color of thread, so that the boys could see what they were doing.

Now the boys know how to sew buttons, darn socks, and we have the jackets repaired, & I have 6 months worth of repaired work socks (even if they MAY have some rather colorful repairs in the toes).

Sounds like a win win!   

Also, good idea on this thread idea.

We continued our Darts Merit this evening. I decided to do a "fun" merit this go around to give the boys a break from the more taxing merits. 

It's such a hit that we're basically turning it into an outpost wide merit. Obviously the Ranger Kids won't actually earn the badge, because I'm not making them do the written material, but they're hearing the rules and participating in the competitions. 

So far the competitions have been individually based, but I think I may incorporate the patrols and make it a team effort some too.

Phillip Gross wrote: Obviously the Ranger Kids won't actually earn the badge, because I'm not making them do the written material,......

You know, we had a fellow representing Tennessee District Royal Rangers come to one of our State Leaders Conferences. He said that a way that HE handles some of the "onerous" written research tasks is to have the boys do it as a "group project". When the boys bring him the written material, he types it up on his lap-top, prints it out, and has each participating boy sign the document.

I ain't saying THAT'S the way to do it, but one of those guys with the Blue Insignia with the Oak Leaves on his collar does it that way.

If the officers above do it that way must be Kosher haha.

This week I brought in various knives to teach types, uses, and tool safety. One of the boys saud can we just talk tnite ya know socialize. I said ok as I brought out my knives. He quickly got his interest peaked and I messed with him by saying oh too bad I gotta put these away so you guys can just socialize ;-). He begged for me to do the lesson lol.

[quote="Phillip Gross"]We continued our Darts Merit this evening. I decided to do a "fun" merit this go around to give the boys a break from the more taxing merits. 

It's such a hit that we're basically turning it into an outpost wide merit. Obviously the Ranger Kids won't actually earn the badge, because I'm not making them do the written material, but they're hearing the rules and participating in the competitions. 

[quote]
Count it toward their Games activity patch.

I wasn't aware of that... I'll look at it.

Ranger Kid handbook is best resource. Not much on the net, unless TracClub. But the book is cheaper & doesn't ask you to buy it every year.

I don't think we ever even bought a RK handbook... I'll have to look into that.

Awesome idea for a thread!

Our Outpost has done........nothing

we are on hiatus right now, as Pastor requested all leaders be there for his series on Prayer & spiritual warfare for Wednesday nights in January. It has been very interesting, but I miss Rangers

We talked about winter camping related issues such as frost bite, proper dress, and gear. The upcoming camp is a bring your own, cook your own or go hungry event.

Winter Outing tonight. Should be a hundred there.

Ramping up into Ranger Derby mode!

I get my new FCF high top mocc boots that were custom made for me tonight! I traded hand made wooden cups and wooden hinges and some mola! I am excited!

Mark Jones

Last night in our Rangers we had our Leaders meeting. Full house of 14 plus leaders. We are planning a Race and Ribs event for the whole church 2nd year running. They learned a lot from last year. (it's funny to me that folks try things that I often have a first inkilng of this is dumb) GRIN! Then the next year they put it back like it has worked for decades...GRIN!
Man is always after a new cart! Will we ever learn!

Last night we had derby cars being made. My son came in and is making his girl friend a Valentines gift. We had commanders working on cars and boys working on cars and it was a busy night.
Bat cave campout 5 days out! Woo whoo!

Mark Jones

I agree they need to change the requirement wording. Sounds similar to the ATF's recent reversal on shouldering sig braces on AR-15 pistols. No law against it but once said its ok now says its not without congress revising NFA. The article is an easy way out of doing all the merits over again.

Stopped by the Ranger Annex last night after work and cut out 80 cedar cross 1/2" by 1/2" by 14" long. These came out of the cull wood stack. I used pieces that the boys thought should go into the fire pit.

My hope it to have a wooden cross for each person at the bat cave. Should beable to get it all done. Cutting the half lap joints is next.

Wed night we start our first Ranger Derby Crafting night.

Mark Jones

This week, I took in some Pecan Twigs, Hickory Twigs, Spices, Cutting Board, Butcher Knife Kit, and a Leg of Venison.

We talked about how the American Indians preserved Buffalo and Venison by making Jerky, and how the process worked.

Then they all washed their hands twice (under close supervision), I showed them how to slice the first piece, and then the boys sliced the rest & put the spices on the meat.  

We also burned the Pecan and Hickory Twigs and passed them around, so that they could smell some of the different flavors used in smoking.

I told them that the "nasty" taste in Venison is mostly in the "white stuff" (the fat & gristle).  I said that this is THEIR Jerky, that I am going to put it in my smoker, and they will eat it next week.  If it is nasty, it will because they did a sloppy job of cutting the meat.

They did a nice, careful job.

*****************************************************************************


VENISON JERKY


PRAGUE POWDER/CURING SALT
LIQUID SMOKE
BLACK PEPPER
GARLIC POWDER
ONION SALT OR ONION POWDER
CELERY SALT

Cut meat into long, thin strips about 5 inches long, 1 to 1 ½ inches wide, 1/8 inch thick.
Cut meat along the grain, if you like it tough.
Cut it against the grain (or use a rotary slicer) if you like it tender.
Layer it in a plastic container.
Put spices on each layer--
Cover everything with spices, especially with curing salt (insurance against botulism).
Use 6 tsp (2 tbsp) per 25 lbs of meat
.3 to .4 ounces weight per 10 lbs of meat max.
Rotate and remarinate daily for 3 days.

After 3 days, place tooth picks through end of each piece of meat.
Preheat oven to 185 degrees.
Hang meat strips from oven rack.
A cookie sheet on the oven bottom will reduce clean-up.
After 30 minutes, reduce heat to 125 to 140 degrees.
Normal curing time is about 6 to 8 hours.
Jerky should be consistency of shoe leather...not overly dried out.

Dried, it will keep for weeks.
Dried & refrigerated, it will keep for months.
Dried, vacuum-packed & frozen, it will keep until the kids find it.

Prague Powder = 6% Sodium Nitrite in Sodium Chloride

Also called Pink Curing Salt.
You will use 1 1/4 teaspoons of Curing Salt per 5 pounds of meat.

I think that post would make a great topic Claymore by itself. Maybe repost it if you would like and add any other recipes you like.

This week in preparation for Winter Camp We had the boys erect two 6-man tents with rain fly. This served a two-fold purpose: taught the boys how to pitch a tent and do a check to see if all the parts are there. Next week we'll do the last two 6-man tents. This time we'll stand back and see how much they learned this week. When we get there I am setting my tent up and leaving it up to them to get their tents pitched.

Thanks for the suggestion, Dan.


Done!

Anytime.

For DR we are doing Tool Craft. AR/ER is working on candle lanterns to count toward the new Frontier Tradesman merit. This will blur into Feb. We don't do specific merit in Feb, rather we borrow a tradition from the Indians and have Month of the Pounding Rock. We set the time aside for building. Pinewoods, FCF gear, outpost gear, whatever.
I have my eyes on 2 projects. The first is an outpost collapsable wheelbarrow, for hauling water, wood, whatever, at camp.
The second is a personal project, but may lead to be a guide.
I am building a hammock shelter. A frame I can bring to PowWow and have my hammock, even w/o trees. If I use canvas, I may even bring it to FCF

We started Rope craft tonight
Since we have both RK & AR in the group; we did lesson 1 of rope craft + the overhand knot & memorize Psalm 37:3 from the tying knots achievement award

Tonight was a wash out with so many out of church for bad weather.

It was about the same here weather wise. We still have a pretty good group.

I only had 10 come over for Ranger Derby Crafting. At first I thought they would cancel church. Then I saw the salt truck come through and do the the parking lot.

Spent most of the evening working on cleanup and dust collection on the table saw.

Cut down some 3/4 pine into 3/8" by 1.5 by 7.5 blanks for flares and wheel modifications for Derby Cars.

We have our First Outpost Wide Leadership Merit Day on Sunday. 12:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Teaching the latest leadership merit. I went through my sections that I will teach. I dont' "really think" you can teach leadership in a classroom but what ever floats there boat.

I will reserve my opinion until after the merit is earned and I see any gain from it.

Mark Jones

Many times we never seen the gains from our efforts.

After our Bible Lesson, we talked about how you can lose a trail or misplace something, or have trouble re-locating a blood trail in the woods. I used the example that my son got me a nice camouflaged stool that I took deer hunting. After a while, I decided to do some "patrolling" in the woods, and it took me 10 minutes to find the stool when I came back.

We then did a math lesson that if you had a patrol of 6 boys and each had 3 trail markers and they placed one marker at every 100 yards, they could mark 1,800 yards of trail: or more than a mile.

We then took white plastic clothes pins from the dollar store with some red duct tape & some red plastic engineer's ribbon (the hardware store was out of International Orange). They attached about a 10-inch streamer of the plastic ribbon to the clothes pins and had removable "trail markers".

Then they ate the venison jerky that they had cut & seasoned last week, and I had smoked.