AnniePoo

I condensed the belt loop requirements into 3 pages (front & back) and we give a copy to parents. PM me and I'll e-mail you the PDF file. Since the requirements for the new belt loops have not come out yet, they aren't included in this file.

We did our first annual pack rummage sale this spring. Parents, friends, and the community donated items to sell. Net was over $300. We'll tweak it a little next year, including selling food, and expect to make more.

And mix in some cream cheese with the Black Forest Cake.

There will be a lot of help available to guide you through the process. Also, ticket items typically don't just involve your unit. You'll do just fine.

I just finished up my ticket and had a conference with my ticket counselor. The whole process (course and ticket) was very personally rewarding to me, and has led to many opportunities both in and out of scouting.

Anyone know when requirements for the new Cub Scout belt loops are coming out?

We had our first annual rummage sale this spring. Pack families, co-workers, and community members donated items. It was very successful.

Our Cubs don't have individual scout accounts. However, the pack covers a certain amount of their summer camp fee for each popcorn item they sell.

(This message has been edited by AnniePoo)

Hi Chief Decorah,

We generally try to encourage the scouts to use the latrines (pit toilets which are usually within a couple of hundred yards away) and not pee in the bushes behind the tents, which are relatively close together.

We have a two Webelos that like to sometimes tent it alone during Webelos campouts. These two are fairly experienced campers, and IMO it's good experience for them to try this with a whole mess of tents nearby. I also think that sometimes they just want a really good night of sleep.

Parents are typically in a tent nearby, and the buddy rule (i.e. waking up parent or scout in a nearby tent) applies for bathroom trips in the middle of the night.

In my opinion, most packs don't need their own trailer, particularly if they only camp a couple of times a year. Having said that, I purchased a used one this year, which I use about half for pack/Webelos campouts and half for other things. I'm bringing it to our Webelos campout this weekend, and although it makes my life much easier to bring it, it could and have stuffed the equipment in my van in previous years. In other words, even though we're a pack that camps frequently, we could get by without a trailer.

If you store things in the trailer, you'll have to worry about things getting stolen.

For pack & Webelos campouts, we have borrowed equipment from Cub families (mostly our family). However, this spring we had our first annual rummage sale to earn money specifically for the purchase of pack camping equipment. Pack families donated the bulk of the items, and we netted over $300. We purchased mostly cooking equipment this year (propane stove, pie irons, etc.).

I agree that e-mail is invaluable, but multiple e-mails every day is unreasonable, and they will be ignored. We send out a monthly newsletter, and I (CC) typically send about one e-mail a week to everyone in the pack.

I think that better than anyone, Amy knows how many kids she is capable of or willing to handle in her den. We should all be thanking her, and not be laying any sort of guilt trip on her. Amy, hold your ground and don't take more than 8 if that's your max.

"A person who has not been classified as a "swimmer" may ride as a passenger in a rowboat or motorboat with an adult swimmer, or in a canoe, raft, or sailboat with an adult who is trained as a lifeguard or a lifesaver by a recognized agency."

With any pack or (Webelos) den camping trip, we ask for a donation of $5/attendee/night, which is about right for simple & fairly nutritious food. I plan the meals with input from parents, buy the food, and coordinate cooking. I turn in food receipts for reimbursement from pack funds. This way, the pack ends up indirectly covering the cost for any scouts & family members for whom money is tight.

If you have each family bring an item or two, you'll run into problems if there is a no-show. Having each family cover their food or meal for the group may be hectic and or scare away those who don't think they are capable of cooking outdoors.

So, in my opinion, you should have a person or two (or three) plan meals, purchase the food, and bring the cooking equipment.

Stick with Lodge. Check Amazon.com - sometimes you can find a good deal on one with free shipping as well.

Dry ice must NEVER be sealed in a container with an airtight seal, because this can lead to dangerous explosions due to buildup of carbon dioxide gas. Packages containing dry ice must be vented to allow for release of the CO2.

Couple of options:

(1) Freeze the ice cream really well in a freezer that holds a really low temp. Surround with ice packs in a good (marine-type) cooler, and it will likely last overnight without meltin.

(2) Check online for instructions of how to make ice cream-in-a-bag, basically with cream, rock salt, and two ziplock bags. Takes about half hour of shaking, and kids can make their own.

We typically only have refreshments at the end of one pack meeting, the one right around Christmas. We ask everyone to bring about a dozen cookies. Then we freeze the leftovers and bring them out for the Pinewood Derby a month or so later.

Most of our dens do not have snacks anymore, and everyone seems fine with it. Our Webelos I den meetings are at my house, with 4-5 kids, and I usually cut up a 3-pound bag of apples and they devour those. Last week I had grapes & baby carrots out as well - depends what's on sale at the grocery store.

A drinking problem is one thing, but getting behind the wheel while drunk is another. A high school friend of mine was killed by a drunk driver. Then, about 10 years ago, the family of a guy I went to high school with was hit head-on by a drunk going the wrong way on the interstate. He was severely injured. His wife (friend of my sister) was killed instantly. Five-year-old son had two broken arms and a broken back, and is now a paraplegic. Twin son #1, age 2, only had a broken leg. Twin son #2, age 2, had severe brain injury and he's still in a vegetative state.

So, I have no sympathy for the leader. Penalties for DUI should be higher than they are.

I'm not sure how to handle it regarding his responsibilities as a scout leader, however, without somehow punishing the wife and/or son, even indirectly. He screwed up, they didn't..

I usually aim for a total cost of $5/person/night.

Yep, I was being a bit too general with the "every registered parent" statement. My point is that we all need to stop thinking in terms of "Mom" or "Dad" and start dealing with parents as PARENTS, or leaders as LEADERS (i.e. gender neutral). Adults involved with troops and packs should be judged on their qualifications, good qualities, bad qualities, abilities, etc., and not treated any differently because of their sex (G2SS notwithstanding).

It's 2009 for goodness sake!!! Time for the good old boys to grow up into mature adults!!

Registered adult leaders in the troop should all be allowed to come along. Doesn't matter if they're male or female, rich or poor, snoring or non-snoring, black or white, or thin or (for the time being anyway) fat.

Making sure all parents get all information is one the hardest things about being a scout leader.

I may not have every phone # and all parents may not have e-mail. However, I DO have current addresses for everyone. So, as CC, I've started periodically sending mailers to all pack families about really important events, such as summer camp. These mailers take different forms:

(1) postcards - for different specific events, such as mailing info about the first (early Sept.) pack meeting of the year to all families from the previous year. Got good feedback from families about this. Postcards are cheap to print in black & white and relatively cheap to mail.

(2) Folder containing informational flyers about 4 upcoming events, including summer camp. Included signup sheet, permission slips, etc., and stamped envelope addressed to me, along with instructions to mail back to me. This appears to be working well. I'll send a follow-up e-mail to parents reminding them to mail these back if they haven't already done so. These were a pain to print & assemble and relatively expensive to mail (~$55 in postage). However, it appears to be paying off.

I have a Word file with addresses already formatted to print address labels, so these are super easy to update & print.

Daughter shouldn't go on standard Troop campouts.

Regarding the Mom--There should be the same rule for attendance by any parent, regardless of sex. First rule - no excessive interference by parents (some Dads can "mother" just as bad as Moms).

This isn't the 1950's. If a Dad won't go if a Mom is there, then tell him, "Sorry to hear that - we'll see you when we get back!".(This message has been edited by AnniePoo)

The possibilities are endless with walking sticks: Leave bark on or take off. Carve. Woodburn. Stain. Paint. Sink a miniature compass in the top. Leave plain. Tie stuff on it.

They're fun. I just cut three more hickory sticks in my mother-in-law's woods yesterday so I'd have something to carve this summer while camping. I noticed two smaller maple branches in the basement that I'd taken from my neighbor's brush pile last fall and forgot about. I trimmed the ends, then took a rotary tool and cut a simple spiral groove down the stick, leaving 6" at the top uncarved for a handle. Took ~45 minutes, then another 15 to sand the bark off. Put one coat of polyurethane on it last night, and it's going to look pretty cool (but simple). It'll go to a nephew who turns 11 this week and who loves geocaching.