msnowman

I have to respectfully disagree with EagleinKY when he said "As SM the responsibility to know the boys is much greater than that of the CM."

It is just as important for a CM to know the youth he/she is serving as it is for a SM. A 6 year old Tiger deserves to have his CM know his name as much as a 12 year old 1st class Scout does.

YiS

Michelle

Nephew's computer shares space in the computer room w/ our other 2 computers (yea, we are geeks, one computer per person in the house). He knows I can, will and do check his history, computer, files, etc at anytime. He's 12 now and except for one problem 2 years ago, he has never given us reason to revoke his computer privledges. I have asked him if he feels he can be trustworthy and stay out of inappropriate sites or do I need to put a babysitter on his computer. He said he was trustworthy and his history supports that. As far as setting up email/IM accounts, he uses an "alternative" name, one that isn't his real name when it asks for a First & Last name (like hotmail, they want a first name and a last name to put on emails).

Another vote here for Trust & Verify.

YiS

Michelle

In our real life I subscribe to the scoutldr school of thought - no personalization on Nephew. Even when we went to Disney, he only wore his personalized Ears and name tag at dinner, not even on the way, but while at dinner. If the name tags weren't open for everybody to see (ie - covered by a jacket while in the grocery store) that doesn't bother me as much. He's 12 now and still doesn't wear personalized items. A name tag while at a Scouting event might be okay, but I wouldn't want to see him wearing it at the Scout Skills show at the local mall.

YiS

Michelle

Okay, so I was CM for a small pack (9 boys atm), but I knew each boy's name, his parents names (or at least the adult he lived with) and probably most of his siblings names. I would think, at a minimum, a CM/SM/Advisor would want to know the names of the youth members in his/her Pack/Troop/Crew/Ship (did I forget one?). We expect them to know our names, I think the least we can do is return the favor.

Though, for the record - there is a pair of identical twins in the Tiger Den and I'm still not great at telling them apart, but I know both names....I just can't always tell which is which.

YiS

Michelle

Wolf/Bear DL

Nephew's Troop wears a custom designed scarf that they don't give to the boys until after they have been w/ the Troop for 6 months or have earned Tenderfoot. Apparently they want the boy to show some sort of commitment to being part of the Troop. Nephew prefers to wear his BS Bolo more often than his Troop scarf.

In Troops that "traditionally" choose not to have a scarf - is there any reason why the subject couldn't be brought up for a vote again? You know, let the current group have some say in the policy? Perhaps creating a new tradition?

Just wondering

YiS

Michelle(This message has been edited by msnowman)

Yes FScouter, its new wave soap, in a bottle...just like shampoo. Probably triple the price, but less messy in the shower. And in our house there are two different bottles anyway because Nephew "strongly requested" Axe...which apparently is the big thing for the young male group these days....But at least he is grooming so I'll let him pick the scent he wants...oh yea, which also means we have 5 open deodarants for 3 people.....LOL

YiS

Michelle

Ideas for slides abound...sometimes I have a hard time reining my ideas in. I'll walk past something small, pick it up and Nephew says "yea, I know...it could be a slide". Nearly anything we can hot glue to a 1/2 inch piece of PVC pipe can become a slide. Some of the best ones in Nephew's collection came from Pez...we take the heads off Pez dispensers, drill a hole in the back and WHAMMO! Santa Head Slide, Easter Bunny, Glow in the Dark Ghost, etc. He also has a plastic football helmet that was in a 50 cent gumball machine. If we can glue it or drill it, its fair game. I also taught myself how to tie the Turks Head Knot Woggle and always have green parachute cord on hand so I can whip up emergency slides in about 2 minutes. Oh, if you have Pinewood coming up, you could do what Nephew did a few years ago when he qualified for district - he took a MicroMachines car (one of the real small ones), and glued it to a small piece of wood he had painted black w/ a yellow edge strip, like a racetrack.

Good luck and if you need more ideas you can PM me.

YiS

Michelle

In our house its shampoo and body wash. The new one will get used before the old one is actually empty. I've contemplated hiding the new one until the other is dead gone...but with my luck it will be me in the shower when I realize there is not another drop of shampoo in that bottle.

Glad I'm not alone.

YiS

Michelle

We encourage uniforming for all activities where it would be appropriate. If we are doing something messy the boys are reminded not to wear their uniform on X day because we will be doing Y activity that is super messy. As DL I wear my uniform to all meetings to set the example. My Den Chief also wears his uniform to all meetings. Most of the boys wear their uniforms. The Tigers are a bit more lax. The DL only wears the uniform for Pack meetings. The Den Chief over there wears his uniform to every meeting. However, for Pack meetings they all turn out in uniform as well.

We don't require uniforms on anybody but strongly encourage it. The only activity we don't allow a boy to take place in w/o his uniform (at least his shirt) is Color Guard. On the other hand, we go out of our way to help each boy be as uniformed as possible. We have used shirts, people connected to the Pack will buy hats/scarves if the family can't, I make slides all the time to fill that need. We have 100% of our boys with uniforms (waist up at least), we just don't have them in them 100% of the time.

YMMV

YiS

Michelle

Mark, you said "I think it is a bad idea for experienced Scouters who no longer have a child in the pack to serve as a CC or CM or DL.

In Cub Scouts, parents need to take charge of the programs in their boy's units. They have the vested interest. Where are our future adult leaders going to come from if someone is going to do the job for them?" To me that came across as willing to eliminate good leaders simply because they don't have boys in the Pack. Who's to say that only parents of boys in the Pack can have a vested interest in the Pack?

However, Mark, if I read your post with a tone that was not intended then I do whole heartedly apologize. Since we are stuck with words on a screen, sometimes things get taken poorly because there are no visual or verbal clues.

For the record I did read the original question and the whole thread. Actually I was one of the first responders on this thread, so yes, I did know what question you were answering. I've been following this thread with great interest.

YiS

Michelle

Shhhhh, don't tell my boss I was here while he's paying me....

I'm glad it worked for you. Step by steps are part of what I get paid to do so I'm happy to have helped.

This is such a great place.

Michelle

Lisabob - one way to combat the "we've tried that and it didn't work" thinking is "well, we have new people, lets try it again". I hate the "we've always done it that way". When I became CM there was a lot of that. I battled what was book wrong w/ book facts (the boys didn't receive Rank until June, regardless of when it was completed, etc.). As has been mentioned, training (current training, not 15, 10 or even 5 year old training) is a big help helping returning Scouters get up to date on today's program. Again, my Pack is a great example. The current CC had boys in the Original Tiger program so she saw it go from no shirts to orange shirts and paws prints before she got out. Tigers in blue was just one solid example of what she needed to learn. Fortunatly training is scheduled for next weekend (and again in April). Stale thinking can be freshened...and if its a returning Scouter who has been out for a while their ideas, though old, could be fresh again....like bellbottoms and platform shoes.

If our Pack used MarkS's narrow view we would have folded last year as the CC's grandson had already aged out. Without leaders w/o boys staying, our Pack would again have folded this year. Yes, in a perfect world the parents would willingly or even begrudgingly step up and conduct the program for their children. However, many of us live far from Perfect, USA and that isn't happening or going to happen. I think turning your back on a willing adult as MarkS seems to suggest just because they don't have a boy in the Pack is a narrow way to conduct business.

IMHO

YiS

Michelle

Since you posted this I went to check my email address....I don't know what the address was the was attached to my name, but it surely wasn't one of mine. You can, however, change your email address.

Click on "Edit your Profile"

Sign in as necessary

Hit Continue

Click on "Edit your Profile" again

Then click on "Change my main information".

Good luck

Michelle

I'm sorry for your loss. When my Hank is sick I'm a basket case, I can't even imagine losing him. Your Rory sounds like a beauty boy.

Sometimes the dogs pick the worst weather to wander in. Last weekend we had snow and ice and my beagle decided it was the perfect time to snap his collar and go "visiting". We live right in town (though its only a town of 3000 or so), so I was more worried about him getting run over than shot. He is a good boy but doesn't have a great grasp on Come...being a beagle he gets a scent in his nose and is gone.

He does have great house tricks though like falling over dead if you shoot him and say "Bang". Guess that wouldn't make him a great hunter huh?

YiS

Michelle

Our Pack is in this position right now. I was the Cubmaster but after 3 years I was ready to do something else. Besides, Nephew had moved on to Boy Scouts, so I didn't have a boy in Cubs. Well, in September we registered Wolves and Bears (had neither group the year before), so I said I would take the den, but still was not going to recharter as CM. In December our former Web 2 leader (no boy in the Pack) volunteered to fill the recently vacated (long story) Tiger Leader slot. That still left us w/o a CM. Well, the current CC (also no boy in the Pack) said she would take CM if there was something to fill her post. None of the parents wanted anything to do with it so we ended up going outside of the Pack. The current CC is a former CC/DL whose boys have aged out of the Troop, both having made Eagle. She admits she is a bit behind in the updates in Cub Scouting but will be taking training.

I think if the adult is willing to help out put 'em to work. Many hands make light work.

YiS

Michelle

Based on your experience of how most Packs treat Blue & Gold, our Pack definetly seems like an anomaly....we don't push for Rank by any magic date, when a boy earns his badge, he gets it at the next Pack meeting in a ceremony of some fashion...We have done 2 Glowing Bobcat ceremonys already this year and have a third one coming during B&G just so the boy who earned Bobcat doesn't get lost in the shuffle of Pinewood Derby (Jan's Pack meeting). Nobody else will have rank by B&G anyway.

AoL/Bridging over has traditionally been in March as its own ceremony (any excuse for cake).

We use B&G as a way to party, show off our Cub Scouting skills and accomplishments (displays, demos, talents), etc. Its a time for grandparents and friends to come and see what the boys have done. We have a meal, put on skits, tell jokes. The boys get whatever awards they happen to have coming to them even if its "just" beads, patches, beltloops, etc.

We do use a candle lighting ceremony to introduce all of the leaders to all of the people present...its pretty impressive to dim the lights, have the Cubmaster light one candle and then one by one the leaders come up and each light another candle....there are words that go with it....over all the effect is pretty impressive...even the boys are impressed....and they are the toughest audience to play to.

YiS

Michelle(This message has been edited by msnowman)

That's one version of "Announcements" I haven't heard and like so many scouting/camp songs has numerous versions. Personally I hate serveral of the versions of "Bananas". What we've done in the past is print the song words on Poster board as a way of "phasing out" undesired lines. As the younger boys learn the songs they learn them without the "inappropriate" or otherwise objectionable lines. In our case, with Bananas it wasn't that there were inappropriate parts, its just that out of the 12 or so boys, 3 knew it and each sang it a different way. Your Pack's version of Announcement is milder than some I've seen. Change is possible, just do it gently

YiS

Michelle

Calico - each pair is planning their own menus but have to get them approved before going shopping...I'm not sure if SPL or SM gets finally stamp on the menu or not, but they are reviewed.

Thank you everybody for your input, insight and opinions. Its a fine line to tread when coming from Cub Scouts. You are frequently met with "that's just because you are used to Cubbies, this is how Boy Scouts do it". Its nice to have a place to ask questions without that being the sole answer.

YiS

Michelle

I stand by my "fanatical" comment, though it isn't always a bad thing. The SM and ASMs and CC stand by and watch Troop meetings frequently (though this is improving) dissolve into chaos...or the other end of the spectrum - the boys sitting around a table in their own little cliques that have nothing to do w/ their patrols comparing video games, girls, etc. That part of it was tough to swallow coming from Cub Scouts but I held my tongue and kept my own council because I know the boys are learning to lead and when they get bored enough with chaos or chit-chatting change will come from within. When other adults question XYZ activity they are soundly met with "its boy run, they decide what they want to do".

The SPL presents his ideas at the Troop committee meetings. The usual amount of adult input is along the lines of "Have you made sure you have 2 adults who will go?" "Sorry, Council bans all camp outs during November except (insert hunting free island here)" "Have you secured permission to use X property"....in short, logistics that as a young man he may not have thought of.

Fanatical isn't always a bad word....sorta like rabidly...

Michelle

Eagle - that's why I asked here. I'm sorry if I made it sound like the SM was a horrible person. That was entirely not my intent. I was looking for an understanding that I didn't have and that Nephew is unable to share...when asked why they are doing it this way he said "I dunno". Pretty typical for his 12 years stil, unfortunatly.

If the intent is a "survival" type campout I think that would be pretty cool (no pun intended). I'm fairly certain the idea came from the PLC itself as this Troop is almost fanatical in being "boy run".

Michelle

The Pairs thing is just for this campout...on previous camp outs they have done Patrols (or at least 1 Patrol). Each pair of boys is responsible for their own menu making, shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc....Now I may be missing something, but to me that sounds less like using the Buddy System and more like 2 Scout patrols...

Thanks for the info give thus far.

Michelle

Nephew's Troop is actually planning a camping trip for the last weekend of January. This is a big step for them because in the recent past they have only gone camping as part of a Council-wide or District-wide Camporee. Now camping in January in Maine will probably be a wee bit chilly, but they are using it as a practice for Chillout and Klondike.

But, one thing they are doing that I'm not sure I understand is breaking the boys into pairs. Each pair will function as a patrol - cooking, eating, sleeping together. I want to understand, so I'll ask here...is there a bigger benefit to camping this way as opposed to using the standard patrols? Perhaps its a size thing? The Troop has 2 small patrols and there is never 100% participation on camp outs, with usually only 6-10 boys participating in any given event.

Have you done the pair camping thing? Were there added benefits for your boys or was it simply a convenience thing? Is it better to have several 2 Scout patrols than 1 10 Scout or 2 5 Scout patrols?

(and no, this isn't a Cub Leader re-education issue....its simple an adult re-education issue....I want to understand).

YiS

Michelle

I am the DL for a mixed Wolf/Bear den. At the request of one of our Bears we did Whittling Chip this month. The Wolves were very attentive and capable. Safety and caution have been stressed. We were supposed to do our soap carvings yesterday but we got iced out.

I think a lot of it has to do with the specific group of boys involved. When Nephew was a Wolf I never would have considered doing WC with that group of boys.

YiS

Michelle

No Rik, he keeps his knot and Webelos device....he should also have a Cub Scout device on his knot.

Michelle

See? This is a great place to come to sort out misinformation.

Thanks ScoutNut.

Now if I could remember why I thought it was elsewise.....hmmmmmm.....lol

YiS

Michelle