[Lightningbolt]

Back in the spring I promised in another thread that I would post the outline of how I led the woodcarving merit badge class in our troop. Woodcarving is our most popular merit badge probably due in some part to my own passion for the greatest hobby around that can last a life time. If you are new to woodcarving then I encourage you to get a copy of the scout woodcarving merit badge booklet (about $3.00) which is a great introduction for anyone of any age to the hobby.

Moving on, this has been another great week! Just today I led yet another class for the woodcarving merit badge for six of our scouts. I must honestly say that I enjoy sharing what I know about carving and watching a boys self esteem glow upon completing a nice project as much as I enjoy carving myself. I now understand why my dad always enjoyed watching me catch a fish while growing up more than he ever did, which is why he always just ran the trolling motor while I did all the fishing. Watching someone learn something new is always more exciting that actually doing it myself... the rewards are immense!

With that said I hope that I can encourage some of you to take out a little time from your busy schedule and find a way to teach a kid (big ones too) what you know about woodcarving. I believe that it was Donna T. (?) who posted a thread earlier this year about a class on carving soap with kids at the local school. It's a hobby that has the potential for positive life-long benefits that you may never see or know about after today, but rest assured that you have planted the seed and made a difference!

So finally, I have attached a few pictures to inspire you from todays class which include the required simple relief carving, an American flag and the required simple carving in-the-round, an Indian dug out canoe. I will post the class outline document in a following post. Any questions, inquiries, suggestions, or comments are graciously anticipated and I'll reply as my busy schedule allows.

Enjoy and do get excited about carving!

[Lightningbolt]

Here's the text document outline that I use for teaching the woodcarving merit badge class. Three hours is usually about the right amount of time that I need to cover all of the required material and for the students to carve their two required projects.

[Anthony Filetti]

Bolt,

Your just the type of guy who made my scouting years(a long time ago) a blast!! Now that's something to be proud of. I know that the folks who support scouting don't always hear it, but thanks for a job well done! And I am sure these youths will be all the better for just having taken your class. Keep up the good work.