jamist649

I lost a Scout yesterday. Well, at least I'm pretty sure I've lost him. I asked his family about the Pinewood Derby and they looked all deer-in-the-headlights and said "uhh, I don't think he's gonna...do that." Translation: We're done. I don't know what turned them away, the boy seemed to really like the program. Joined as a Tiger last year, has been active up until the last meeting, then...nothing. But Mom has been asking questions lately about meetings, schedules, etc. I guess our program is a little too active...but I'm only guessing. So, again, not big deal I suppose.

Congrats on your appointment. Keep us posted!

Lisa: Thank you so much for your candid yet tactful reply. I appreciate your honesty and prespective.

Scoutnut: Ok, nowhere in my post did I say I had treated that family any differently than any of the other boys. For the record, I have not. So there is nothing for me to "think about"..she is leaving our town because the Troop here is old-school and BOY run, as opposed to (as someone put it) a Webelos III. She also thinks that having her son in the next town over (even though they live over here) will somehow make her likable with the country club set. I have remained silent on her decision and openly told all of the WIIs that they are welcome to go where they please....even though

Our Pack is preparing for crossover which will be held in conjuction with a Pack campout in April. Our Webelos II consists of 7 boys who will be crossing over. Here's the problem (at least *I* think it's a problem). I am the CM of this Pack. My Son is a Web I and we've known (along with EVERY boy in his Den) where we were going to cross for a year now, at least. We are from a small town and we have historically crossed over to the local Troop that gives us our Den chiefs, helps us at events, etc. We are lucky to have such a reliable and willing partner and helper in the Troop. Ok, fast

Oh good grief! You can be MY CM!! How far are you from North Carolina? LOL :-)

First, the good stuff. You are to be commended for your enthusiasm and positive "get it done" attitude. I wish I had a few like you in my own Pack. Ok, now for the not-so-fun stuff: The Cubmaster position is "transient" in nature..for a reason. It is VERY labor intensive. I have done more manual labor since taking over my Pack as CM 18 months ago than I have done in my entire life. You, as CM, are called upon and looked to to get the WORK done when nobody else can/will. I have lifted tables at fundraisers, crawled around on the floor for hours getting the PWD track set up, assist

I found myself with this same question last year. We did something very similar to what you are doing. They had already earned thier Webelos badge, so I got all of them a samll brass pin with the Boy Scout symbol on it and told them that was the goal for next season. It went over well. One thing we also did was put "war paint" on thier faces to signify what rank they were going to. As they marched in, we had an adult leader put an orange mark on the left side of each Tiger (upcoming wolf) face, as they crossed I put a gold mark on the other. Same thing with each rank. The boys tho

Gearing up for this year's Pinewood Derby next week and I have an unusual question. Since we have such a large group this year (not complaining) we have secured a sound system and microphone so that I won't have to scream at the top of my lungs for 3 hours solid. The system that we are using is capable of tying into an Ipod/mp3 player and I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to play a little "racing type" music during registration and after the event during snacks. The selections have to be very family friendly (for obvious reasons) BUT I wanted to shy away from very old,

Don't punish the child, but send the check through the court system. You've certainly given them enough warning. Truth be told, you'll probably lose the Scout anyway. Kind of awkward to go to meetings when everybody knows you're a worthless check writer.

Thanks, everybody, for listening and for making me feel no so "out there". I think alot of the problem is over-scheduling on the parents part. Scouts, soccer, basketball, baseball, karate, etc... Why not pick one or two (or three) and focus on them instead of half-doing 9 different activities?! Ya'll hit the nail on the head too with the financial side of things. I've seen boys with Under Armor shirts and shoes/socks under the uniform, Ipods, cell phones, and the normal variety of handheld games ride up in Mom's Toyota Sequoia only to have Mom throw a fit over a $5 entry fee to the

Anyone who has a leadership position in a Cub Scout Pack knows very well the amount of time and planning it takes to run a "good" program. I often joke with folks I know that coach soccer, baseball, and other youth activities that thier positions are "easy" (remeber I said JOKE, don't want to start a war of words). They show up, play the game, and go home. It's pretty straightforward, the same game is played every year, and there is hardly ever any change. My point being: Why is it that we often, as Scout leaders, will encounter parents who will hit the ceiling about meeting more th

Go where you and your son get the best Scouting experience. I've seen so many boys join Pack that go throuh the motions simply because they thought they "had to". Search around and choose (carefully) the one you think will offer the most enriching and fun activity.

John: Excellent question. Let me expand on what I said. What we did was basically "introduce" the boys to the program during the sessions. We reviewed the scripture, talked about the families in the Bible, and gave them assignements to do until the following session/meeting. THIS was the time with his family. I didn't intend for his time in meetings to be the only time he interacted with his family. The workbooks went home with assignments for him, Mom, and Dad. My son and I (personally) spent several hours together working on the "pizza", going over the Bible verses, and reviwing the

Today, we awarded 10 of our Webelos I and IIs with the "God and Family" Religious Emblem and knot. It is an indepth and comprehensive program, but one that my son, the Pack, and I enjoyed. We met at a local Church (Pastor has 2 boys in the Pack) and did 2 of the "sessions" per week. We did this for 3 weekends in a row as there are 6 "sessions" in the program. Our meetings ran abour 2 hours each, plus the boys had a little bit of work to do at home. I was unsure when I saw the complexity of the program, but we did it and it went off very well. We also invivted Scouts from neighboring (sma

Thanks for your replies thus far. I've already got the ball rolling on one meeting with the Bears. Hopefully this will "jumpstart" the den. I have contacted the ADL for this Den and she has agreed to come on board and help get things going. My ACM and myself are going to be working on a project for them within the next couple of weeks. My son is NOT in this Den, (He's a WI) which makes it even more awkward. I feel like I never spend time with him because I'm always up trying to run things. He tells me he doesn't mind and wants me to continue, but sometimes I wonder. On

The assistant Den Leader issue with our Pack is one that I've gone over and over with our Den Leaders with little results. I don't know if it's a control thing or if they just don't have interested parents. Nonetheless, I only have ONE ADL in the WHOLE pack! I think what I've decided to do is to do something like an open house during our Pinewood Derby Workshop that is coming up next month. The Den that needs the most help is going to be our Bears. I'm going to have to run thru the Bear book again and see what we can do during such an arrangement. Thanks for your replies ever

We are running into a bit of a problem with a few of our Scouts in our Pack and I'm wondering how to help. What has happened is due to the weather (we've had quite a bit of snow), schedule issues, a Den Leader who is having personal issues at home, at a myriad of other issues...we have about 6-7 Scouts in our Pack that are a good ways behind on achievements. It is genuinely NOT the Scout's fault (in my opinion) due to the fact that this isn't work that has been assigned and not done, it's work that hasn't even been addressed. What I'm (CM) thinking about doing is holding 2 or 3 make u

We donated them to a local elementary school in our county that maintains a "clothes closet" for needy children. It meant alot to the boys that thier donation will not only help LOCAL folks but local KIDS. The schools were thrilled to have them. They hardly ever kids underwear/socks so the need was large.

I wouldn't combine them. Just push Blue/Gold into March and give the boys more time to work on rank badges and other awards. Our Blue/Gold is in APRIL this year due to the fact that February is so darn busy! PWD and Blue and Gold in one day is too much and it seems to me that you would be stuffing a good portion of your whole year in one day.

Just wanted to update everybody on Sock Wars. I had asked several weeks back about anyone who had possibly done this with their Pack. Well, we did it last weekend and it was the MOST fun I believe we've ever had. We threw socks at each other for a solid hour! We had them build forts out of carboard and place them about 30 feet apart. We then marked off a big square in the floor and designated it as off limits. We then told them to go at it until we were out of "ammo" on both sides. I then blew the whistle and gave them 15 seconds to gather as many socks as they could and get back behind

Wow, sounds tough. One of the first things I would do is do my best to get the unit funded...i.e. Fundraise. Most communities are very supportive of Scouts, if they know they are there. Once you have a little cash flow, you can buy handbooks, uniforms, supplies, etc. One major problem I see for this unit is lack of parental support. You mentioned that you had attemped a parent meeting with little success. This is not good, and there isn't a whole lot you can do to change it. One of the main things I have found with my Pack is communication. The parents you describe are probably n

We do a lock-in (We call it a "CampIN") during the winter months. This year's is scheduled for next month. The county gives us FREE use of the local Farmer's Market (heated,enclosed facility) since there isn't much going on in the winter there. You can also check other city/state owned facilities in you area. We pitch tents and set up "campsites" just like we were outdoors. Once set up, we do activities with Dens then bring the Pack together for a big activity. This year we're building forts and doing "sock wars". After that we're going to do a small carpentry project followed by a late

We do spring recruitment in June around here and we start our program in August...or so. I was at a loss as to what to do with the new guys who are anxious to get started as opposed to the existing boys who are ready for a bit of a break. I like the idea...I'll be the oddball. LOL You can sign them up in June, do an introductory meeting or two and then put them in Dens in late July/early August. I may try this. Thanks!

Thinking of trying Sock Wars for the first time during our indoor "camp" next month. Can anyone give me some ideas about rules and methods of playing. I'm going to bring cardboard and let the boys make "forts" while the adults roll up the socks and place rubber bands on them. Do you have them "sit out" when they are hit, or do you just let them whack each other until they get tired of it? Do you keep score, award prizes, mark off areas or "safe" areas? Any info would be appreciated.