infoscouter

Some people are not paper work whizzes. They receive a registration from a family, put the kid in a den or patrol, and then never turn in the form to council. It gets lost someplace. Alternately, a unit turns in the forms, and they mysteriously disappear at the council. Our council signs up several thousand Cubs each fall - its not unknown for one or two (or more) registrations to go astray in that process. The two most common times for this to happen are in the fall when lots of new Cubs sign up, and in March/April when lots of Webelos cross to Boy Scouts. I have known of enti

Yes, Wolves may use pocketknives and earn the Whittlin' Chip - check the Cub Scout leader Book index under knive safety, and see the "Age Appropriate Guidelines for Scouting Activities" http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/ageguides.pdf

Until they open up the Innovation Engine to volunteers, there is a version for volunteer input on the Scouting Community at myScouting.org.

Better alternatives include a pack Yahoo! Groups page - invitation only. Use ScoutTrack or ScoutManage - password protected w/ automatic invitation e-mails, calendaring, etc. Even a traditional web site w/ pictures and the unit calendar behind a password protected link. There are a number of services which provide templates for Scout unit sites, some at no cost. You could even create a group page on the Scouting Community on myScouting.org. (although it doesn't have as much functionality as some of the other options) MySpace would not be my first choice.

Ultimately, the Cubmaster is the program leader of the pack. He has to think about the whole pack and how to keep as many boys as possible in a strong program. Right now, he sees two capable leaders, with successful dens and one floundering den. For the health of the pack, what would you do? Close down the not so successful den, turn it over to a less than capable parent or try to add the still interested boys to the successful dens? From his standpoint, his best bet in keeping these boys in Scouting and providing them with a successful experience is to call on his dependable, good leaders to

PTC is a great experience. We took our two sons both times - because there were four of us, we had two tents, but I saw other families where a young child shared w/ mom & dad. On to your questions: The spouse/child programs are excellent my hubby had a great time - museum trips, COPE, horseback riding, hikes. The kid programs are sort of like day camp - crafts, shooting sports, pony rides, hikes. You'll get him back at lunch. How old is your son? If he's a Webelos, there is an overnight away from camp (with a parent) that's a great experience. > You can visit

Actually, this was the first year I saw anything on the national web site about the annual meeting. It was however, buried. You had to log into MyScouting and happen to click on the event reservations link - they did online registration this year. Here is a link to the program: http://scouting.org/filestore/pdf/422-974_WB.pdf

They have to be ordered through your Scout Shop or directly from National Supply. here is a link to the order form: http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/images/pdfs/70-381.pdf

ScoutParents.org, just let me download this: http://www.scoutparents.org/sitecore/content/scoutparents/Resources/OrientationVideo.aspx

The new courses are "Swimming and Water Rescue" and "Paddle Craft Safety". Information about those courses can be found in the new Aquatics Supervision Guidebook: http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/ItemDetail.aspx?cat=01RTL&ctgy=PRODUCTS&c2=BOOKS_LIT&c3=LDRS_TRAINING&c4=&lv=3&item=34346

Community civic celebrations - parades, displays, picnic etc can be good opportunities to "piggy-back" pack participation without huge amounts of programming by the unit. We are going geo-caching in a state park for one event. Swimming event, skateboard park, hiking (in conjunction with a picnic or not), nature center visit.

Many dens still charge dues, separate from pack fees, to defray the cost of supplies. This is still an accepted practice, and mentioned in the Cub Scout Leader Book. Even a pack which does well with fundraising may not make enough to provide each den leader with the materials they need. That said - $15 per month per Scout is exhorbitant!! Most den leaders I know charge $1-2 per meeting. If she had 6 boys in her den that comes to $90.00 a month. I sure hope those boys went on some awesome field trips and brought home some really elaborate craft projects! The recommended procedure for

While there's not an explicit "rule" in the Insignia Guide, there is a general statement about excess insignia, which may be the source of the information you've been given. "Members should make every effort to keep their uniforms neat and uncluttered." There is also this statement: "Two Badges With the Same Meaning Cloth badges and embroidered square knots are representative of metal pin-on awards and are designed for the convenience of the wearer. Generally, when a cloth badge is worn, the metal one is not worn." Note - the language says "generally". Most Scouters interpre

The device goes through the center of the knot. If there are two or three devices that are earned, then they are spaced evenly across the knot. You can see pictures here: http://www.mninter.net/~blkeagle/trdevice.htm

Our council hired a local writer who specializes in these types of projects: http://www.northernstarbsa.org/News.aspx?articleID=167 http://www.northernstarbsa.org/UploadedFiles/file/Communications/HistoryBook%20PreSalePromo.pdf There is a softcover edition - $25.00, with an accompanying DVD for $5.00 The hardcover edition, autographed by the author is $95.00

Like many of you, I have several which I've outgrown! Right now - One yellow short sleeve blouse with Cub RT Commissioner insignia One yellow short sleeve blouse with Pack Trainer insignia One pair of blue trousers Two pairs of blue shorts Two pairs of blue culottes One blue wrap around skirt One tan short sleeve shirt with troop committee insignia One tan Centennial long sleeve shirt with district committee insignia One pair of old style olive long trousers One pair of Switchbacks Two pairs of old style olive shorts One olive skirt I also have a comp

John - your councils org chart resembles ours. We're a 200 series council with a Director of Field Service, FOUR Field Directors, a Field Services Manager, Camping Directors and Execs, various finance, IT and Marketing staff, plus DDs, DEs and support staff. http://www.northernstarbsa.org/Contacts/Staff.aspx

When I worked my CS Trainer WB ticket, I documented some of my items with photos and others with notes from others who could verify that I had completed the item (for instance served on RT staff). Part of this was because my coach/counselor was in Wisconsin & I'm in MN. In my roles as Cub RT commissioner and Cub Training Coordinator, I have written notes for my staff members to their ticket counselors. As others said, it was very low key.

This WAS an April Fools joke posted by a Scouter on Scouts-L. Apparently people took it seriously. Don't believe it.

A District Director is a paid council employee with responsibility for a larger district. S/he will sometimes supervise a District Executive in a very large district. In this case since the Advancement Chair is listed, I would go straight to that person, rather than approach the District Director (who really shouldn't be involved in this issue).

No, the rules haven't changed. Wolves and Bears may also earn the World Conservation Award. You're right, that page only has the Webelos requirements. There is a reference to Wolves here: http://www.scouting.org/CubScouts/Library/Boys/33450.aspx But I can't find the requirements on Scouting.org. Here are the requirements from the U.S. Scouting service project: http://scoutleaderawards.com/advance/cubscout/worldcons.asp

"I believe historically, TDC was "owned" by the Cub Scout program at the national level, while Wood Badge was "owned" by the Boy Scout program" Well, Kinda sorta. Some of what is the the Trainer Development Conference is content recycled from Cub Scout Trainer Wood Badge syllabus. Which may well have previously existed the the Scout Trainer Wood Badge (which if I remember correctly existed at some point in the far past - 1930ish?)

There were indeed skirts of various types for female leaders. At one point the skirts were the wrap around style. Later they were a-line first without and then with elastic in the waist bands. At one time there were both olive green and blue dresses. The blue dresses evolved over the years, and there was even a jumper. I have been able to purchase skirts on eBay. When the Oscar de la Renta uniforms were debuted, ALL female leaders wore the "traditional yellow blouse". This was a garment without a pocket on the right side. This is only blouse on which temporary patches may be worn above th

The Northern Star Council has had an active committee working on the Centennial for two years. http://www.northernstarbsa.org/100Years/ We are planning a centennial history book. Events include a super event in May, a Scouting for Food collection designed to bring our historical collection total over a million pounds, and a dedication of our new urban camping area. Units are being encouraged to have open houses and special Scout Sunday/Sabbath celebrations.

Generally, at these types of events we have stations devoted to the various Webelos activity pins. For Outdoorsman you could do knots, tent pitching contest, fire starting, etc. Similarly, build stations for Forester, Geologist, etc. Concentrate on the outdoor badges and Readyman. You may not be able to cover all the requirements for all the badges, but you'll give them good starts. We've also done Scientist, Citizen (we played a variation on Jeopardy),