All year vs 10 month program

Do you guys operate your outpost all year round or do you take a break for the summer?

If you do take a break, how do you cover all the requirements for the annual awards ieRK Elk/ BMA/SMA/GMA?

We are looking at how we can possibly cover all the RK requirements and DR BMA of the course of a few day events and I would love some ideas from those who have done this before.

yes we take a break usually from June thru Aug. Now I don't really have an issue with breaks, but I hate church always makes is summer. I would really love Rangers to break Nov & Dec. It is a slower time for our ministry but perfect time for the holiday ones. We could step out of the way, they have our time and space , and when they are done, we come back rested... ahh the dream.

but how to "get it all done" RK is the hardest but basically if you look through each quarter there is often a fluff or lesson that really doesn't add much to the rest. We've usually trimmed it out.

AR - ER. with the new rules you need 32 bible lessons a year
4 basic skill merits, 1 required, and 1 leadership. The skill/leadership could be done in 6 mths, if you really wanted to.

Not too long ago, about 2000 the requirements were 40 lessons and 8 skill merits. I mention that so you have comparisons. Many of us still run at that level simply because it creates surplus and benefits. Snow days, no problem. Boy joins late or not a regular attender, no problem.

Here is my best advice.
1. Daily's Every meeting focus on 4 things. Jesus, Fun, Bible study, Skill merit. Always keep Jesus in the center, and do you best to keep things fun. Teach a bible lesson every week both for the boys and to keep yourself good with the Pastor, the skill lesson is often what gets the most attention because that and the fun is what brings the boys back, so don't neglect it. But remember, the other three are worth more in the long run.
2. Monthlies: like I said before it used to be the norm for a book of the Bible and a skill merit every month. That's a goal. As a start up don't feel like you have to, but if you can get to it you'll be smooth sailing. But with current rules feel free to adjust. Genesis can easily take 2 months of lessons.
First Aid also can benefit by being a longer training too.
3. The yearly plan. Take those months and make sure you have satisfied the yearly medals needs.
4. Bonus merit days. There are some merits best suited for a day out or weekend camp out. Fishing, Swimming, Advanced Swimming are a few I can think of. Have one or two thrown in the year and have additional flex.

I have done it both ways.
currently we run all year & have for the last 3 years. Our previous Pastor always insisted we take a break, but I hated it because we lost so much prime outdoor time. In Michigan we only have daylight after 7pm (Rangers start time) for 5 months out of the year. Losing 1-3 of those months to a break was so counter productive.   Plus when we came back from the break, the kids had all forgot so much( including how to behave) that the first few weeks are lost just getting back where you were before the break.
Plus during this so called "break" we almost always got roped into helping run a VBS type ministry for those weeks. so it was pointless.

soooooo glad we don't have to put up with that anymore.

strods wrote:yes we take a break usually from June thru Aug. Now I don't really have an issue with breaks, but I hate church always makes is summer.  I would really love Rangers to break Nov & Dec.  

Strods nailed it.

If we took a break in December I wouldn't mind it so much. People are always busy so attendance is down.

But losing prime summer time....no way

ccm2361 wrote:I have done it both ways.
currently we run all year & have for the last 3 years. Our previous Pastor always insisted we take a break, but I hated it because we lost so much prime outdoor time. In Michigan we only have daylight after 7pm (Rangers start time) for 5 months out of the year. Losing 1-3 of those months to a break was so counter productive.   Plus when we came back from the break, the kids had all forgot so much( including how to behave) that the first few weeks are lost just getting back where you were before the break.
Plus during this so called "break" we almost always got roped into helping run a VBS type ministry for those weeks. so it was pointless.

soooooo glad we don't have to put up with that anymore.

You can also make up one meeting per quarter by having the COA on other-than a meeting night.  Our Pastor lets us do it on an occasional Sunday-Evening Service.  If it is really a big deal, and we don't dominate the entire Service, we can do it on a Sunday Morning.

I think that Chris is "Right-On"!

Just like when kids come back to school, it takes several weeks to get them back on-board and up with the Program.

It seems like you also get a flux of new kids at once (and kids leaving for Youth Group).  Now you have to adjust and order your Curriculum Materials and measure & re-order Uniform Items.  You don't waste an entire meeting playing "Catch-up", if you can spread those tasks out over several meetings, rather than all-at-once when you get (and lose) a bunch of kids.  In fact, the kids often enjoy taking 10 minutes from a meeting to measure and update uniforms & materials.  If you attempt to take care of it all at once, they quickly become bored.

Do you want to launch Model Rockets, work on the "Compass Merit", or go for the "Knife & Hawk Merit"?  

If you take off the summer months, you have just lost 60% of your training time, because you can't do them in the dark, and it's awfully hard to do those tasks in the Fellowship Hall.

Claymore wrote: Do you want to...go for the "Knife & Hawk Merit"...you can't do them in the...Fellowship Hall.

Actually, we kind of cheated. One of our commanders made hawks and knives out of thick plastic, experimenting until the balance was just right. We then made up a dense foam wall with targets, giving us an inside range. In fact, we left them up for months at a time, letting the "before" and "after" boys practice with them. Some of them got to be mini-Daniel Boones. (Miss that show. Mingo was cool.)

Good Idea, but......................


Kind-of like shooting a High-Power Rifle Match with Airsoft

True, but an errant throw results in chipped paint instead of having to tape a flyer to the wall and hoping nobody looks behind it.