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We went to the Veterans Memorial in the park next to the library. On the other side of the library is a historic home and the local historical society. The memorial was full of engraved bricks. We asked the scouts to find a brick with their name on it. We asked them to find a brick with a woman's name. We asked them to find a brick from a certain way. It was challenging to keep them engaged. The really just wanted to run in the park. I think we might start next meeting by running laps or a game of tag, get them tired, then ask them to sit down and listen for a minute.

We set our pack dues equal to the annual registration, so this year they went up to $24 per year. I am trying to re-charter right now, so I am asking everyone to pay $60 for the year $24 + $24 + $12 = $60. We offer four ways to pay: (1) sell popcorn, (2) write a check for the entire amount, (3) pay $5/month, (4) request a scholarship. No one has requested a scholarship yet, but we would fund it from the pack budget. I believe we could request help from council. There was a guy from council at our recruitment training who said he would help us, but he recommended that we require the families to pay at least $5. It's important that they contribute something, but the boys are really more important that the money. The dues and the pack budget really only cover the awards and the regular meetings. We have several events during the year which are pay as you go, most notably, camp. We have a candy fundraiser in the spring to help pay for camp, but we offer scholarships then, too.

So you guys are ok with a Cubedwelling code monkey teaching engineering or scientific method????

 

 

Kinda like the Kmart security guard teaching Atomic Energy........Doesn't make sense.

 

Sorry I want a Pilot teaching Aviation, Engineer teaching engineering or a Journeyman teaching electricity.

I've gone family camping with my pack before, but it was a council event at a winter lodge. I did not take any responsibility for the other scouts in the group. They all had parents there. Everyone was responsible for their own meals. But our pack is finally getting big. We are going to try some tent camping this summer. It seems like more work than its worth to me.

I have a boy who wants to be a scout. He does not meet the joining requirements. He is not in first grade. He is not 7 years old. He is 6 years old and he is sort of re-taking kindergarten. It's not called kindergarten. It's called pre-first grade. He will turn 7 in May. That is the end of the scouting year, but it is similar to the other tiger cubs in the pack. It seems to me that this boy warrants an exception to the rules. I know I should just ask my district executive, but I want to ask you first. What do you think? Would you sign this boy up? Or would you send him away and invite him to come back next year?

I went through with my plan. I bought 12 neckerchiefs and I made 12 slides. I used 1/2 inch PVC pipe, and I cut it to one inch lengths. I painted them navy blue. I attached a small key to the ones for the den leaders because they are the KEY to our success. I attached a bit of ROPE to the ones for the assistant den leaders because they tie up our loose ends. And I attached a small BATTERY to the slides for our pack committee because the keep us charged up. It was a big hit! The leaders really seemed to appreciate it, and the cubs seemed a little jealous, so now I'm trying to think of slides to make for them.

At least three of our cubs are enrolled in martial arts classes. I think they will all test for black belt in the spring. Scouting doesn't have any recognition for martial arts, so I think I'll make them a slide to commemorate the occasion, and let them know we value their achievement, too.

Most of the third graders in our pack will prepare a speech this year on a famous person. They will deliver the speech in character and in costume during an evening assembly. I ranked my brain the year before last trying to think of some recognition for these boys. There is no belt loop for biography. One scout did his speech on an astronaut, so that would be progress toward the astronomy pin, but I think I'll make them slides this year.

The fourth and fifth graders have something going on this year, too. I think its an art fair. Last year it was a science fair. It rotates every three years. Next year it will be performing arts. I don't know what that will be like.

Im going to thread jack a little. My question is which rank pin do you award the boys? Per BSA you rank up in their computers come June 1st right? So at family camping my Wolfs Ranked up to Bears. So they completed thr majority of the summertime award as Bears. Yet my son was awarded the Red Wolf pin tonight. This makes no sense to me. Arent they color coded now so that they can wear the pin the matches their slides? My son earned this award as bear, shouldnt he get the bear one? Some will argue that this means that since most Tigers dont join till september they will never earn the Tiger one. I say oh well....They are technicaly able to joine June 1st. We had one boy that did join june 1st and he was awarded the Tiger one. So what, he is going to earn the same one next year? It makes no sence.

 

 

To make maters worse these two sites seem to agree with the way my pack handled it tonight, although it seems no official word can me found on the scouting.org webpage.

http://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/award/award-1584.asp

http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/National_Summertime_Award

 

I dont agree with those two links at all. When the pins are made color matched with the slides why would my son wear the green/blue slide as a bear and be awarded the Red Wolf pin. Someone make that logical to me.

You are also correct when you say that Cub Scouts "rank up" on June 1. Cub Scouts do not "earn" their rank. It is confusing because they do earn a "badge of rank," but their rank is assigned to them by their grade in school (or age). They are wolf scouts all year even if they never earn their wolf badge.

Recruiting is up for us. We had nine families show up for our fall registration night, and all nine wrote me a check when I said that everyone who could pay tonight would receive a flying monkey. That was a silly incentive that the council included. They were a big hit, but now I've got to deliver them. Of the nine, there were three tigers, one wolf, one bear and four Webelos. I've never had so many Webelos answer the call. Oddly, they are all fourth graders, that den was already full. We only have ONE fifth graders. actually all our dens are full now, but splitting the dens is too painful. Can't find den leaders. We almost split one den, but the parents threatened to quit if they were put with the new den leader. We are somewhere near 40 scouts now, but I think we will trim a few out at recharter. I've been recruited fall, winter and spring last year. I'm finally getting good at it. Three years ago, we only had six scouts. This year I am planning recruitment fall, winter, spring and summer.

We organize three events as a pack, but if a boy can't attend one (or any) of them, we let him count any and all of the council- and district-organized events: camp, Mud Cubs, Cub mobile race, etc. Family vacations put big holes in their summer calendars, so we make it easy on them. We just want them to do scouting, too!

I'm a Latter-day Saint, but I volunteer with the school pack because I don't like the limited program I have experienced in other LDS packs. I am also the district membership chair. We have 12 LDS packs in our district and 11 non-LDS packs. None of the LDS packs are doing any recruiting and only half of the non-LDS packs are doing any recruiting. I'm going a little crazy. I want to help SO much, but they won't even answer my email, and there is so much to do that I can't help people who won't even talk to me, so if one of my LDS Scout leaders said that she was interested in recruiting, I would be all over helping her.

This is what we are doing in our district

#1: give the school secretary a flyer for every boy in school inviting parents to a registration event. Sometimes schools won't pass out flyers. Sometimes other packs get annoyed when you recruit at "their" school. Sometimes you can save a ton on flyers by just printing an invitation in the school newsletter. Do what you can.

#2: be present at the school open house. pass out stickers, answer questions, collect contact information, invite parents to come to your registration night.

#3: be present at the festival. Our community has a festival in September. The Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts have booths. The Cubs don't have their own booth because I don't want to sit there all day, but the Boy Scouts said I could put out my flyers. Other packs in my district are much more excited about festivals, and they organize rope-making activities or a rain gutter regatta.

#4: I put out lawn signs this year.

#5: I did not, but I could have advertised my recruit event at the local grocery store community board. I did get our flyers in at the public library.

#6: put together the recruit event. Some packs are doing very complicated festival-type events with lots of games and activities. I find such settings overwhelming. I have planned 30 minutes of questions and answers before the regular pack meeting begins which will include songs and skits and games.

Most important for you and your situation: you ward boundaries do not dictate your pack boundaries. Recruit ANYWHERE you want. But keep talking with the community pack. It's not nice to steal "their" recruits. Invite them to participate in all your recruiting efforts. Let the boys join whichever pack they wish.

It seems to me that the only real problem is that the boy is complaining. You might treat that as a discipline issue. it's very disrespectful.

I want to do a leader recognition ceremony. I want to present each leader in the pack with a neckerchief and slide. The Cub Scout Leader neckerchief is $8. The neckerchief slide is $7. If I could find slides for $1. I think I could go ahead with my plan. Any ideas?

From the GTA,

Section 1. Freedom, clause 3.

In no case where a unit is connected with a church or other distinctively religious organization shall members of other denominations or faith be required, because of their membership in the unit, to take part in or observe a religious ceremony distinctly unique to that organization or church.

 

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/33088.pdf

Because if a girl can do it, then it can't possibly be worth doing...

"...the use of the name 'Girl Scouts' inflicted psychological damage on the boys..."

I read somewhere that I ought to have pioneering stakes made from hickory. I'm assuming that is a hardwood. I asked at my lumber yard, and they have only Douglas Fir, spruce and hemlock. I think those are all soft woods. What I read said that I was definitely not to rely on tent stakes, not long enough. Pioneering stakes should be 30-inches long. What do you think? If I keep looking around, can I find hickory? Should I try? Has Douglas fir worked for you? Have tent stakes worked for you? What do you use for pioneering stakes? Thanks for the help.

My son wants to earn the Cub Scout tennis belt loop and pin this summer. I am thrilled to help him do that. I don't really know anything about tennis beyond my high school physical education class. That is I remember how to keep score and I know the difference between a forehand and a backhand. Requirement 3 lists several things that sound very interesting that I would like to try, but I don't know what they are. Has anyone else taught this stuff? Do you know what they mean? Here is the requirement:

Practice for 30 minutes in up to two practice sessions developing forehand techinques through (1) forehand bump ups with a bounce, (2) partner bump-ups with a target, (3) forehand alley rally, (4) forehand alley rally over a net, (5) drop-hit forehand bumps, (6) drop-hit catch in paris, and (7) toss-hit catch in paris.

I agree. The slide and the belt buckle are two things, too many.

My friends have given me conflicting information, so I had to go look it up after all. From BeAScout.org:

"It's a coed program for teens and young adults ages 14–20 (or 13 and have completed the eighth grade) who are just like you."

Sorry, Baden.

Thanks! My daughter is an active Girl Scout. I mostly want to get her registered as a Venturer so that she can get the scout discount for the Horse Trek (council activity), and we could go to Jamboree together and work on merit badges. You know, all the stuff I didn't get to do when I was her age. I know there is a Venturing crew in the district, but I think their meeting place is a 45-minutes drive from our home, so I might register her as a member of that crew, but she would likely make meetings rarely. We'l see, maybe someone will start a crew here. Maybe I will.

I could probably look up the answer to this question somewhere, but I would rather ask my friends. When can my daughter join Venturing? Does she have to turn 14? Is it a grade level? What if there is no crew in town? Can she register as a lone scout?

I'm doing recruitment this fall, too, but I'm in Cub Scouting. I have never allowed the membership policy of the Texas office affect what I do in my Oregon town. It's not in the any of my training material. It's not on the registration form. It is not part of my program. I don't see any reason why it needs to be a part of yours if you don't want it to be.

I heard the story about how the Girl Guides got started almost immediately after Baden-Powell started Boy Scouting. Boy Scouting came to the USA through James West (or whoever), and I always wondered why he didn't bring Girl Scouting, too. Girl Scouting was brought to the USA by Juliette Gordon Lowe after she met Baden-Powell. I thought it had something to do with North and South. James West was working in New York, and Juliette Gordon Lowe lived in Georgia.

Well, today, I finally read the story (while looking for something else). James West had the same "problem" Baden-Powell had. All these boys had sisters who wanted to be scouts, too, so he did start another group for them: Campfire Girls. Here's the story I found on another site:

"As early as 1907, after Baden-Powell's Boy Scout pamphlets were published, thousands of girls formed their own troops in 1908 and 1909... Baden-Powell decided some organization for girls should be formed, he had two firm requirements: 1) That they call themselves anything else, other than "scouts," and 2) that the girls' organization be separate from the boys' organization. Thus the Girl Guides were formed in Great Britain.

"In the United States, the new BSA encountered the same situation as Baden-Powell had had with girls. James West, Chief Scout Executive, was also adamant that girls should be in a separate organization and that they should not be called "scouts." In 1911 West, Seton, and Gulick formed of the Camp Fire Girls of America, headed by the Gulicks, in an attempt to averted even the suspicion that the Camp Fire Girls were imitating the Boy Scouts.

"The Girls Scouts (GSUSA) was developed in the United States by Juliette Low, based on Baden-Powell's Boy Scout program. This did not sit well with BSA (or Baden-Powell), as they felt that Girl Scouting would undermine the BSA's image of masculinity."

I think Juliette's Girl Scouts called themselves Girl Guides and wore blue like the girls in Britain, but only for about a year, and they switched to "scouts" and green uniforms.

The Campfire Girls of America is now known as Campfire USA, and it is a coed program.

I still don't know who my district commissioner is, but I was just recruited this week to serve on the district committee as the membership chair.

The only beads on my den doodle are the ones that I have awarded to the boys. They do earn a bead for attending pack meeting, in uniform and bring a parent. Yes, we built a cub mobile last year. Actually I assigned the building of the cub mobile to a dad in our den. He did a great job. It was really fast, and we won! We were going to race it again this year, but we weren't invited to the race. That is, I'm not sure they had it. Communication break down between one end of the district and the other.