AnaMaria

Don't have time to look up a quote, but believe that the den leader can appoint someone else to sign off on activity badge work. For Aquanaut we've always allowed the parents to sign that as we don't have facilities available to work on it as a group. If the issue is that you personally didn't seem them do a requirement, but you believe they did, I'd sign without hesitation. Archery/BB on the other hand, the language is black and white. In our council you get a certificate at the council events and have to have that to buy the loops/pins.

Can you provide a reference for this? "But you are in uniform, albeit not a military uniform, and the flag code specifically allows non-military citizens in uniform to give an appropriate formal salute ..." I just had a fresh look at the code and the references to being in uniform seem by context to mean US Military uniform. If I'm missing something, please point it out!

Since I'm a Cub Scout leader, I always use the Cub Scout sign when a sign is warranted. I've never looked/noticed what the others were doing. If you're not in uniform, you follow civilian flag code guidelines. If others giving the scout salute were also not in uniform, they're in error. Welcome to scouting and the forums. I've been at the Cub Scout thing for 8 years now, and am assessing where to apply my efforts when the youngest moves on to Boy Scouts this year.

Cub Scouts are never "working on" being a rank. They are whatever rank they are, whether they've earned the rank patch or not. A boy who just finished first grade IS a Wolf, not a Tiger "working on" being a Wolf. So a Wolf scout should be earning Wolf awards, etc.

A 50ish degree summer bag is what we were advised by people who've been there more than once.

Actually Arrow of Light Den is something that came out of the Cub Scout program that replaced the program helps. (I can't think of the official name right now.) I'm not totally up on the new stuff since I'm not currently a Webelos den leader. I can think of lots of reasons not to embrace those designations, though!

I'm with ScoutNut on this one, there's nothing to graduate to or from. Webelos I and Webelos II are not ranks. Acknowledge their hard work over the last year and give them a trinket of some kind if you do the same for the other ranks. I like the cheap coin with the Boy Scout oath and law.

Being age 10 1/2 is not a requirement for joining Boy Scouts. 10 years old with Arrow of Light is it (or 10 and finished 5th grade or 11), the 10 1/2 is an old requirement. Of course for some boys, 10 1/2 might be their ticket to Arrow of Light. Last spring we had a boy run into 2 or 3 troops in our area who were still erroneously quoting the 10 1/2 with Arrow of Light requirement. Some of those adults are very involved district level volunteers in addition to their troop involvement.

Our shop is out of Scout Sunday patches (and has been for a while) and probably won't get any more in. Scoutstuff doesn't have any. Any ideas where to get some? I'm not sure how many we need - probably no more than 20.

The flag codes does say that the flag should never be displayed horizontally/parallel with the ground. I know it's become popular to do it that way recently, even in very high-visibility circumstances, but I'd urge that the flag code and thence the flag, be honored. I wasn't able to attend the ceremony Friday, but haven't heard of any issues. In the future we may go with "return to post" rather than "retreat". "Dismissed" makes it sound like they can head wherever and I want the dignity and respect to carry to a logical end. To me that means the color guard/detail stays in formation u

Our Pack will be conducting the flag ceremony at the elementary school's Veteran's Day program. While we were practicing, we used the command "color guard re-form" then "color guard retreat". I knew "retreat" was probably not the correct term, but couldn't come up with anything else. I've had a chance to google now and know what's appropriate. However, we won't have another chance to practice and I'm concerned that changing anything will throw the boys off. Is the phrase "color guard retreat" egregious enough that we should make a change anyway?

They might require any adult spending the night with scouts to be YPT trained. Our Council talked about it a year or so ago, but haven't made it a requirement yet. I personally think it's a good idea.

No, my kids did not skip a year or start school early. My oldest is the youngest in his class, didn't turn 16 until after the beginning of his jr year of high school, but started school when he should have.

My oldest was still 8 at the beginning of 4th grade. I believe the cut off is Oct 1 around here. My middle child has a June birthday and qualified for Arrow of Light before 10 1/2 as well (as would boys with summer birthdays who weren't held back from starting school).

The Arrow of Light requirement is 6 months after turning ten OR 6 months after completing fourth grade. My oldest did not skip any grades, entered school when he should have, and was eligible for Arrow of Light at 10 years and 2 months. A boy does NOT have to be 10 1/2 for Arrow of Light if he meets the 6 months after completing fourth grade criteria. The Boy Scout joining requirement is 11 years old or 10 years old with Arrow of Light.