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DYB-Mike

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Everything posted by DYB-Mike

  1. MNBob, that one eluded me for a while as well. Its Institutional (or Institution?) Head, the top banana at the Charter Organization. The COR, Charter Organization Representative, is the IHs liaison to the pack or troop. YIS Mike
  2. Lets just call it the last minute annointing as they walk out the door... so as to keep their grasp on power. Interesting. What power are they maintaining and why do you think they want it? Do you think the new CM is not up to the job? You dont say how your pack operates maybe they just want to insure that the pack continues to offer a good program. Have they also anointed a new CC and ACM? Do you or others know the COR? Have other committee members tried to contact him/her to express their concerns? YIS Mike
  3. But if no other parents want to take over the job what do you do? Ah! If only we had the definitive answer to that! From my own experience and from talking with past leaders I have found that our Pack has had ebbs and flows when it comes to leaders and parents who are engaged and committed to making the Pack go. Sometimes I think it simply comes down to luck having boys with the right (read willing and enthusiastic) parents or guardians come into your Pack. There can even be a downside to that. Many times those types of people are also involved in so many other activities that they
  4. Scoutfish, that does sound like an OA ceremony team. Weve had them at one or two of our Crossovers, which happen at our annual Family Campout. The ceremony is done at the campfire and the participation of the OA team makes for a mystical, truly memorable event. Irsap, if you are willing I think your participation in the Crossover would be neat. I would suggest it happen after the boys have crossed and have received their loops, etc. and have been greeted by the Troop. Then have the Cub master say something like Folks, Mr./Ms. Irsap will be joining the Troop as an ASM. Lets give him/h
  5. The Blancmange, Bizarre, and sick, indeed. I didnt notice the dates on the posts when I started reading the thread. If there is a silver lining it is that the thread was new to me (and Im sure to others) and I got some good ideas out of it. I like the paper airplanes, but can anyone tell me what paper stomp rockets are? Sounds interesting. YIS Mike
  6. Wow! This is a great and timely thread for our Pack. We have decided to go with pot luck this year for the B&G. For the last several years we had catering (last year it was simply pizza, salad, and cake), but this year we wanted to keep costs down so its back to pot luck. There are great suggestions here and Im going to forward this thread to the Committee. I just so happens were meeting tonight to finalize the B&G plans. My only comment is that I dont see how having the meal catered vs. pot luck will solve the problem of the gluttons. I think having servers is an ex
  7. I suggest that there is only one standard in Cub Scouting: Do Your Best. Apparently the Cubmaster in question may have memorized many things, but not the motto. I approach the Bobcat requirement as a discussion about what the things mean, rather than rote memorization. The memorization comes with our (notice I didnt say my) Pack and Den Meeting Opening Ceremonies where the Promise and Law are recited. They learn quickly through that venue. So it should be with the Webelos badge. Emphasize understanding for the Webelos Badge and practice at the den meeting until it is learned for
  8. I jinxed myself! I thought that my wife had given up on the sporty kid, but a few hours after I made my post to this thread I discovered that she had enrolled Wolf Cub son in Little League again! Oh well take me out to the ball game YIS Mike
  9. Bear Dad, Sorry to hear about the cancellation thats a tough break. Hopefully youll get a refund. A bit of advice if you havent been told already dont hesitate to look for training outside of your District or Council. You may find another District or Council offering just what youre looking for at a time that works for you. There is no rule that you must train in your District or Council. Good Luck. YIS Mike
  10. Sorry to hear that. Apparently the troop activities still appear chaotic to you. Do you feel more welcome than before? Have you followed up on the suggestions to get more involved with leadership or instructing? Is your son enjoying himself? Does he like camping? Does he appear to be getting anything out of it? If you are still concerned with the chaos do you talk with your son about what you think is wrong and get his feedback? If so, does he agree with you? It may simply be that scouting is not your cup of tea. Im kinda in the opposite boat. My wife played sports
  11. My Wolf Cub sons slide is off more often than on. I tried bending the metal flaps on the back inward to tighten the hold but no luck. I have a few antique Cub Scout woggles that I suggested my son wear but he wanted his slide. Solution - I put the slide on and then slipped the woggle on directly under it (not hidden by the slide). It looks a little silly but the slide stays on now. YIS Mike
  12. I wouldnt say your example is over-planning, but sounds more like cramming. Over-planning to me is having an excess of activities (and the necessary equipment) on hand so that if something turns out to be boring, unpopular, or just moves faster than anticipated, you have something else to offer aside from dead air. So activity A, though popular, has been done before. Why not activity B and C? Theyre fresh and maybe theyll be just as popular. You could offer activity B and C and put A in your back pocket. If B and C are going nowhere or finish up quick, then pull out A and do it u
  13. Scoutfish, Our Pack holds an annual Family Campout that includes scouts, parents, siblings, and whoever else wants to tag along. We also do an ice cream social at a local park with the same type attendees. In all cases we have an agenda with planned activities. Everybody has a good time, even the siblings. Believe it or not the parents expect the scheduling and organization. No offense, but I think its you who are missing the point. You can have a lot of fun at a Cub Scout function, whether its a pack meeting or family camp out. You can have sack races which are just plain fun
  14. Seems we over plan and try to account for every bit of the fun (while being educational and scout-like) in every activity right down to the very smallest scouting moments. Scoutfish, while this may seem like micromanagement, over planning is actually essential to the success of everything from a den meeting to a jamboree. Without it you many find yourself with the situation you hoped to avoid BOREDOM as the boys stand around waiting for the leaders to decide what comes next, how the rules should work, or go searching for props. I can remember pack meetings where everything went too wel
  15. Some thoughts: Will you be near water? how about a fishing derby? Near a good size field? divide the boys into teams and have some contests like tug-o-war or dodge ball. Maybe have prizes for the winning team. If you can get access early how about concealing some prizes for a treasure hunt? May a scavenger hunt for specific natural items like a Y-shaped stick or an oval stone? Have the kids police the area gathering litter with a prizes for the most collected or the most unusual item (you get a neat campsite and have fun). Set up a course where the boys have to find sp
  16. Scoutfish, No, its not against the rules just to have fun, in fact its encouraged! My only suggestion would be not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Retain some formal elements, like an Opening with the Colors, Pledge of Allegiance, and Promise, and a Closing. A Family Campout makes a great venue for an awards ceremony or Crossover, especially by the campfire. These things have an appeal in their own right and help to make the event memorable. And who says you cant have fun while learning something, like a treasure hunt where you have to use a compass to find the bo
  17. "if then den camp as a wolf, whats left for Boy Scouts Plenty! Just the nature of the two programs, the Cub adult-lead vs. the Boy Scout boy-lead, makes Boy Scout camping a different experience. Im only a novice camper, having camped in Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and non-scout settings, and Im sure seasoned campers would agree that the science of camping and woodcraft is huge and there is plenty to learn and experience in the 12 year span that is Scouts. Add to that outdoor games, activities, and nature study. I dont think the boys would get bored by starting camping early, but more with a
  18. Greetings! Were using a variation of the same theme, sort of a scouting/camping/happy birthday mix. We began talking about it last year and had the vague idea of setting it up like a jamboree, to mimic the 2010 Jamboree, with ideas like outdoor patrol cooking and a camp-in, but couldnt quite make it work. Maybe you can if your neck of the woods is warm and snow free this time of the year. Some things we are doing include: * Having a Belt Loop Lane, to mimic the Merit Badge Midway, with four or five easy belt loops. * Setting up a rifle range with elastic shooters.
  19. Hi Folks, Sashas point about the patches being mementoes and John-in-KCs observation that were talking about 8 year olds here kinda sums up my feelings. Ill also add that its my experience that the boys want the patches. We recruited several new Cubs early in this past June and at the end of the month many of them marched in our towns Fourth of July (yes, it was in June) parade. As I stood with the new boys in front who were holding the Pack banner one of them asked me are we getting a patch for this? You can bet that at the first Pack Meeting in September all the boys who marche
  20. Hi Folks, While looking through the sale bins at our local Scout Shop a while back I came across a four-corner neckerchief packaged with a small book entitled Scouting with a Neckerchief by W. E. Longfellow, copyright 1927. The book is an obvious reproduction although there is no printed indication that it is. In it, James E. West rails about boys wearing the neckerchief under instead of over the shirt collar. He instructs every Scout and Scout Official to make sure that they get their uniforming correct and warns To tolerate a conscious disregard for requirements, even in simple m
  21. Hi Folks, Just some thoughts and suggestions on this topic: If your Pack doesnt have one, put together a Pack Handbook. It saves loads of time helping new parents and their scouts get acclimated. I can remember writing a long email to my Tiger Den parents trying to cover all the basics. We then developed the Handbook (makes a nice Wood Badge ticket item) and now we simply hand it out (or email an electronic copy) to new or prospective Cub Scout Parents. It makes things so much easier. Our Handbook covers information specific to our Pack (contacts, meeting times and location, etc
  22. Well said ScoutNut. I can relate to Scouts #7 and #8. If my Tiger and Tenderfoot sons were punished through the Pack and the Troop for all their fraternal disagreements that occurred outside of scouting, they would be missing a lot inside of scouting! YIS Mike
  23. Greetings Palopinto, I too share your pain. Our Pack has lost some good leaders in the last couple of years both to cross over and loss of interest. This May we stand to loose our two Webelos den leaders and our Cubmaster. In addition to being leaders they were heavily involved in the planning and execution of Pack events. Absolutely, tact is needed in approaching prospective leaders. One of my favorite sayings is you catch more flies with honey - an old clich, but Ive found it to be true. Just before I started we had one leader in our Pack make a were not Babysitters of America
  24. Greetings Scouters, Ive been working on a Wood Badge project of assembling narratives (for want of a better term) of current and former Cub Scout leaders that combine descriptions of their leadership experience with words of advice and encouragement. These narratives would be put into printed form, entitled Baloo Wants You, to be given to new and prospective Cub Scout parents. By providing this information upfront I hope to avoid the deer in the headlights / put on the spot feeling of parents when they are approached about assuming leadership positions. The best case scenario would be
  25. Hi Thoover, Im nearing the end of my stint as a Tiger Den Leader so Ill just throw out my experiences. Ive found that boys of Tiger age do like crafts. Ive also taught 1st and 2nd religious education classes and have found that to be the case there as well. You know when your oral presentation has run too long when a boy raises his hand and asks can we do our craft now? That being said, Ive tried to balance my den meetings between a craft, advancement activity, and a game. For my gathering I usually let the boys run around and play a game of tag, which seems to help getting some o
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