Simsbury Troop 175

Troop 175 Cookbook Now Being Written

John Cahill had many options open to him when he began the process of laying out how to raise money to fund his upcomming Eagle scout project. Recently, scouts have successfully raised the money needed for their projects by holding a car wash, bake sale, selling photos, a bottle and can drive and even direct solicitation of donations. But by nature, John wanted something that would stand out, something that would give back to the troop and at the same time raise the necessary funds for his project.

John is creating a Troop 175 cookbook.

Using a website www.Cookbookfundraiser.com, John is asking each family within the troop to enter in several of their family's favorite meals and desserts. Once collected, these recepies will be printed in a cookbook that will be available for sale around Simsbury.

So take a few monents and pick a few of your scout's favorite foods and add them to the cookbook. It's easy, fast and free! Check the Troop Google Group for details on how to log in to our account.

The deadline for submitting recepies is January 15th and he is asking for everyone to contribute at least three recepies to help make his fundraising project a success!

 

How to make ice-fishing tip-ups

Now that is starting to get cold, scouts might be interested in giving ice fishing a try.

 

Here is a simple ice fishing set up that you can build from of Boy's Life Magazine.

Crèche Setup

Volenteers from Boy Scout Troop 175 helped our sponsor St. Mary's Church by setting up the Crèche, or nativity scene, in from the the church to welcome in the holiday season.

Inventing Merit Badge

Have you ever had a great idea that you thought people would love to have? Do you like to make things with your hands? Maybe Inventing merit badge is for you.

This merit badge was one of the original merit badges and one of the first to be discontinued. It was reintroduced in 2010 with new requierments.

In December the troop will discuss inventing and work on  this badge.

 

Inventing requirements

1. In your own words, define inventing. Then do the following: a. Explain to your merit badge counselor the role of inventors and their inventions in the economic development of the United States. b. List three inventions and state how they have helped humankind. 2. Do ONE of the following: a. Identify and interview with a buddy (and with your parent’s permission and merit badge counselor’s approval) an individual in your community who has invented a useful item. Report what you learned to your counselor. b. Read about three inventors. Select the one you find most interesting and tell your counselor what you learned. 3. Do EACH of the following: a. Define the term intellectual property. Explain which government agencies oversee the protection of intellectual property, the types of intellectual property that can be protected, how such property is protected, and why protection is necessary. b. Explain the components of a patent and the different types of patents available. c. Examine your Scouting gear and find a patent number on a camping item you have used. With your parent’s permission, use the Internet to find out more about that patent. Compare the finished item with the claims and drawings in the patent. Report what you learned to your counselor. d. Explain to your counselor the term patent infringement. 4. Discuss with your counselor the types of inventions that are appropriate to share with others, and explain why. Tell your counselor about one nonpatented or noncopyrighted invention and its impact on society. 5. Choose a commercially available product that you have used on an overnight camping trip with your troop. Make recommendations for improving the product, and make a sketch that shows your recommendations. Discuss your recommendations with your counselor. 6. Think of an item you would like to invent that would solve a problem for your family, troop, chartered organization, community, or a special-interest group. Then do EACH of the following, while keeping a notebook to record your progress: a. Talk to potential users of your invention and determine their needs. Then, based on what you have learned, write a statement describing the invention and how it would help solve a problem. This statement should include detailed sketch of the invention. b. Create a model of the invention using clay, cardboard, or any other readily available material. List the materials necessary to build a prototype of the invention. c. Share the idea and the model with your counselor and potential users of your invention. Record their feedback in your notebook. 7. Build a working prototype of the item you invented for requirement 6*. Test and evaluate the invention. Among the aspects to consider in your evaluation are cost, usefulness, marketability, appearance, and function. Describe how your original vision and expectations for your invention are similar or dissimilar to the prototype you built. Have your counselor evaluate and critique your prototype. Before you begin building the prototype, you must have your counselor’s approval, based on the design and building plans you have already shared. 8. Do ONE of the following: a. Participate with a club or team (robotics team, science club, or engineering club) that builds a useful item. Share your experience with your counselor. b. Visit a museum or exhibit dedicated to an inventor or invention, and create a presentation of your visit to share with a group such as your troop or patrol. 9. Discuss with your counselor the diverse skills, education, training, and experience it takes to be an inventor. Discuss how you can prepare yourself to be creative and inventive to solve problems at home, in school, and in your community. Discuss three career fields that might utilize the skills of an inventor.