Scoutbook events

Now, I don’t use scoutbook events. I am not quite there with the trust of scoutbook… but someone asked how to add a user to all the events… so i am saving it here

“go to calendar (upcoming events) so you see a month view. Scroll to bottom, on right side under calendar – select add invitees – you can then go through the options to select which calendar (ie, pack, den etc), which events (there is a select all) and people (there is a select all but you need to be sure to pick leaders, parents etc). I do have extension so not sure if that is needed. The only issue I find is we have 2 units (pack/troop) and it seems to mess up joint events where we have both groups in an event when I run this update and can delete 1 of the units. So I try to avoid creating a joint event when we would usually have high enrollment (new school year etc) or just put 2 separate events out (1 per unit)”

Skit: Shrinking with the Bugs

So I based this on influences from other skits. Shrinking machine, and an unnamed bug one that my daughter and her friend participated in – but i’ve never seen (only their vague description.

Shrink to Bug Size

Sorry the video isn’t the best (I didn’t have the original so this is downloaded from social media).

Text for skit:

Adult Wizard Part:

Adult Scout – Hello Wizard What do you have there?
Wizard – A container of Bugs
Adult Scout – I don’t see any bugs
Wizard – Because you are too big.
Adult Scout – well, I am not getting any smaller
Wizard – I can help with that. I have a Shrinking Potion

<hands small potion to Adult Scout who shows it to the crowd>

Wizard to the Crowd – We will need Some help with this from the crowd.. .and bonus, the crowd will shrink down too!
<Points to left side >– when I say go – this half the audience will close your eyes and softly chant “ONE shrink the living” ““TWO shrink the living” all the way to 10 times.
<Points to the right side> – when I say go – this half the audience will close your eyes and softly chant “ONE shrink the rest” “TWO shrink the rest” all the way to 10 times…
And when you open your eyes we will all be inside the bottle and see the bugs!

Adult Scout Part:

Adult Scout – Hello Wizard What do you have there?
Wizard – A container of Bugs
Adult Scout – I don’t see any bugs
Wizard – Because you are too big.
Adult Scout – well, I am not getting any smaller
Wizard – I can help with that. I have a Shrinking Potion

ACTIONS:

Adults hide and Bugs and Kid Version come out.
Bugs “fly” around (kids flap arms)

Kid Wizard Part (1 of 2):

<kid wizard and kid scout are wearing adult shirts and holding giant bottle>

Kid Wizard: Viola! We are bug size!
Scout: “Well, at least our people parts are….”
Kid wizard: “Well… we know who wasn’t paying attention…

<points to the “the rest” side of the audience>

Scout Part (1 of 2):

Kid Wizard: We are bug size!
Scout: “Well, at least our people parts are….”
Kid wizard: “Well… we know who wasn’t paying attention…

Kid Scout Part (2 of 2):
Bugs Fly back and forth
Scout: Oh look! I see the Bugs now.

<bugs fly near>

Scout: What kind of bugs are you?
Bugs all together: We are Lightning CUBS!
Scout: don’t you mean lightening BUGS?
<Bugs Fly to audiance front stage>

Bugs all together: “Nope… we are CUBS with lights!”
<bugs shine their flashlights in the eyes of the audience…> (as cubs trend to do)

Kid Scout Part (2 of 2):
Bugs Fly back and forth
Scout: Oh look! I see the Bugs now.

<bugs fly near>

Scout: What kind of bugs are you?
Bugs all together: We are Lightning CUBS!
Scout: don’t you mean lightening BUGS?
<Bugs Fly to audience front stage>

Bugs all together: “Nope… we are CUBS with lights!”
<bugs shine their flashlights in the eyes of the audience…> (as cubs trend to do)

Scout Part (1 of 2):

Kid Wizard: We are bug size!
Scout: “Well, at least our people parts are….”
Kid wizard: “Well… we know who wasn’t paying attention…

Kid Scout Part (2 of 2):

<Bugs Fly back and forth>

Scout: Oh look! I see the Bugs now.

<bugs fly near>

Scout: What kind of bugs are you?
Bugs all together: We are Lightning CUBS!
Scout: don’t you mean lightening BUGS?
Bugs all together: “Nope… we are CUBS with lights!”

Bugs Part:

Scout: What kind of bugs are you?
Bugs all together: We are Lightning CUBS!
Scout: don’t you mean lightening BUGS?

<Bugs Fly to audiance front stage>
Bugs all together: “Nope… we are CUBS with lights!”

<bugs shine their flashlights in the eyes of the audiance…> (as cubs trend to do)

Kid Wizard Part (2 of 2)

Kid Wizard Oh! Thank you…looks like the shrink potion is wearing off…..thank you audience… The END


Nova Up and Away!

Up and Away is a Nova that is so fun, Scouts can do it Twice!

There is a Cub Scout and a Scouts BSA Nova Award for investigating fluid dynamics. To earn this award, Cub Scouts must complete a pinewood derby, or similar – and Scouts BSA must complete a merit badge which relates to the movement and forces of liquids or gasses.

During the Nova, Scouts do an experiments related to terminal velocity, airfoils, or emergency supply drops and Scouts will visit a location such as a wind tunnel or aviation museum!

Some Related Links about the Bodyflight and BSA:

Where to go: 

iFLY STEM Up & Away NOVA Award Program

includes:

  • Interactive Presentation – Learn science and physics behind body flight, STEM tunnel operations, & discussion surrounding STEM careers
  • Live Lab Demonstration (BALL DEMO) – objects of different size, weight, & shape flown in tunnel for comparisons with surprise element of water in the tunnel at the end
  • Lab Activity – interactive worksheet with STEM Educator
  • Flights – comprehensive flying and safety training session & one-on-one supervision with a certified IBA Instructor

Scouts STEM Package Options (in-person): (15 students minimum to participate)

Additional Information:

  1. Chaperones/Parents/Siblings can participate – same price as scouts
  2. Start times available: Monday-Friday with start times between 9:00am-5:00pm
  3. Length of trip is dependent on headcount & package choice. Average trip is 3.5-4hrs long

Councils Are doing it:

Scout pages are talking about It:

In the News:

Pack 127 at IFly

Nova Wild!

No description available.

I am working with the awesome folks over at Georgia Herpetological Association and Rescue (G.H.A.R) [GAHerp.com] to establish an Ongoing Nova Wild! outing. This will be one of my tickets for BSA’s woodbadge training if I get to take it this fall.

I have already started working on a curriculum, I reached out to the Amphibian Society and to the Georgia DNR education for material to utilize.

Full STEAM ahead on Cub Scout Nova!

I am doing my best to get my Daughter to complete all the remaining Cub Scout Nova’s this year.

Down and Dirty – Completed
Uncovering the past – completed
Out of this world – Completed
Science Everywhere – Completed

Partials include:

Fearful Symmetry – 50%
Wild! – 6%
Up and Away – 17%
123 Go! – 14%
Cub scouts can Code – 17%
Swing – 13%
Tech Talk – 13%

Scouts: NOVA

BSA NOVA is a program within the Boy Scouts of America that encourages Scouts to explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) topics and earn recognition for their achievements.

There are several NOVA awards available for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Venturers, each focused on a specific area of STEM. For example, in Scouts BSA the “Shoot!” NOVA award is focused on the science of projectiles and the “Splash!” NOVA award is focused on the science of water.

To earn a NOVA award, Scouts must complete certain requirements, such as conducting experiments, building models, and learning about STEM careers. The program is designed to be flexible, allowing Scouts to work on NOVA awards on their own or as part of a group.

Overall, the BSA NOVA program aims to inspire Scouts to explore STEM fields and develop an appreciation for the importance of science and technology in everyday life.

The BSA NOVA program for Cub Scouts is designed to introduce young Scouts to the basic principles of STEM and encourage them to explore these subjects in more depth. Here are four example NOVA awards available for Cub Scouts, each focused on a different area of STEM:

  1. Science Everywhere: This award encourages Scouts to explore the science that is all around them in their daily lives. Scouts can earn this award by completing activities such as observing and recording the changes in the weather, identifying and classifying animals and plants, and conducting simple experiments.
  2. Down and Dirty: This award focuses on the Earth and soil sciences. Scouts can earn this award by learning about the properties of soil, investigating erosion and weathering, and exploring the impact of humans on the environment.
  3. Nova Wild!: This award focuses on the natural world and the role of animals in their ecosystems. Scouts can earn this award by studying the habitats and behaviors of local animals, investigating the food chain, and learning about conservation efforts.
  4. Out of This World: This award focuses on astronomy and space exploration. Scouts can earn this award by learning about the planets in our solar system, identifying constellations, and building and launching rockets.

To earn a NOVA award, Cub Scouts must complete a series of requirements, including conducting experiments, building models, and attending STEM-related events. These requirements are designed to be age-appropriate and fun, and are intended to introduce young Scouts to the exciting world of STEM. Once a Cub Scout has earned a NOVA award, they can wear the NOVA patch on their uniform and display their certificate of achievement.

2022 Work-Life Balance

So you may have noticed I started posting about Powershell – and then Big Blank for covid. In 2019 I went from managing four people and supporting workflow automation in Service Manager (SCSM) to managing 9 people in an array of different operations positions. It’s been remarkable – and honestly I have managed to surround myself by 9 employees who are smarter than me – so I learn something every day. It’s amazing, I love my job and my crew. 

Work-life balance is the state of equilibrium where a person equally prioritizes the demands of one's career and the demands of one's personal life.

Not only did my type work change during covid – my work-life balance did as well. My wife and I both now work from home – which means I got out of the habit of coming home from work and “decompressing” by talking about what I learned that day on a blog and social media.

Instead – I started going outside again with my Kid to decompress. It was a nice change.

And then Covid was … behind us. So my family got focused on other projects… and 22 was a great year. I lost 45LBS just from being more active.

Create File Folder and permission

I needed a quick script to include in my runbooks – one to create the home drive for my new user process. I got the base for this off the internet ( https://activedirectoryfaq.com/2017/09/powershell-create-home-directory-grant-permissions/ ) but I wanted to add a little bit of checking to see if the file existed first, etc.

param([Parameter(Mandatory=$true)][String]$samAccountName)

$User = Get-ADUser -Identity $samAccountName -Properties l

$office = $User.l

$homePath = "\\my.netork\user$\" + $Office + "\{0}" -f $samAccountName

 
if($User -ne $Null) {
	
	#check home path to make sure one doesn't already exist
	[string]$homepathtest = Test-Path $homePath
	
	If ($homepathtest -eq "False") 
		{
		#create home drive
	    $homeShare = New-Item -path $homePath -ItemType Directory -force -ea Stop
	 	
	    $acl = Get-Acl $homeShare
	 	
		#permissison home drive
	    $FileSystemRights = [System.Security.AccessControl.FileSystemRights]"Full"
	    $AccessControlType = [System.Security.AccessControl.AccessControlType]::Allow
	    $InheritanceFlags = [System.Security.AccessControl.InheritanceFlags]"ContainerInherit, ObjectInherit"
	    $PropagationFlags = [System.Security.AccessControl.PropagationFlags]"InheritOnly"
	 
	    $AccessRule = New-Object System.Security.AccessControl.FileSystemAccessRule ($User.SID, $FileSystemRights, $InheritanceFlags, $PropagationFlags, $AccessControlType)
	    $acl.AddAccessRule($AccessRule)
	 
	    Set-Acl -Path $homeShare -AclObject $acl -ea Stop
	 	
	    Write-Host ("HomeDirectory created at {0}" -f $homePath)
	
		}
		
	If($homepathtest -eq "true") {
		Write-Host ("Home Directory at {0} already exists" -f $homePath )
		}
	
#
}