OwntheNight

Howdy from North Texas. Thank you for giving back to Scouting and for your service to our country. Got a lot of friends from the Falls, man that place is HOT!!! Welcome to the forums

When I was a Boy Scout, I was in the Cobra patrol. Ours was " Cobras dont cheer, they SSSSSTRIKE" Yea, we kind of took that as a rally cry, more than a cheer! During WB, we changed it every day. Our main one was "BEAVERS, We do give a DAM" We also did other ones like "WARD?" " Hello , Mrs. Cleaver" The everpopular one from Naked Gun, half the guys would do the first part, the other half the return line "NICE BEAVER" "Thanks, I just had it stuffed" And then after the GOL, it was " BEAVERS, We're not really PIRATES!" for obvious reasons

What kind of activities are you thinking about? I think if you schedule to many activities, then you kind of brand yourself as the one who plans everything, and then den leaders don't take the initiative on their own to plan activities because they know you'll take care of it. As CM, I plan pack meetings, create the themes for campouts and encourage the dens to make their own plans. I can give them ideas for things to do, and point them in the direction of resources. Our district usually has lots of events available. I will send information out about the event to the pack. If th

Way to Go. Incorporate those new boys into the pack, so they , and their parents, feel welcome! At our Pack Picnic next week, we will be bridging the boys over to their next rank. We will also be letting the new Tigers bridge and receive their neckers and Pack t's at the same time. I'm also trying to encourage our experienced parents to step up and get to know these new parents, make them feel welcome with our family!

It's really what is going to be best for you. I think your going to get multiple opinions here, which can just add to the confusion. The everlasting debate internal vs external frames. I spent 3 years reading reviews here and different sites, and talking to people in the troop about the best back pack type. I finally just "manned" up and went to REI and tried on a bunch of different packs with weight combinations, both external and internal. Obviously walking around the store for 30 minutes wasn't going to represent a day on the trail, but it gave me an idea of what I liked and didn'

First off, welcome, and Howdy from North Texas as well. Belt Loops are only true advancement for some Webelos activity pins. For the most part, they are just an extra thing to work on to draw interest, not really advancement stuff. Good Luck with the new venture.

June- Day Camp Webelos Resident Camp One of the troops in the area is having a mobile rock climbing wall come in and has invited packs in the area to come and "Hang Out" Minor League baseball game- Fireworks, Pack recognition on the big screen, AYCE hot dogs, hamburgers, and drinks July- Participating in the 4th of July parade Going to rent out one of the ice skating rinks in the area and have the boys and families play "broomball" on the ice. August- Debating between bowling or driving an hour south of us and going to an actual drive in theater, w

What do you mean, Santa Claus and Snipe hunting AREN'T real ?!?!?!

SP, School starts for us the week before Labor day. Our pack meetings are the last Monday of the month, unless it's a holiday. The school district gives us 1 night in the school, usually a week after school starts. This is for all packs in all schools. I have boys from at least 4 or 5 different schools. Needless to say, I can't be at every school that night. I will start den meetings in August to get existing den's back in "den meeting" mode, and to get the den's that were created from our May open house together. I'm taking your cue of getting the new dens up to speed during the summer a

"I am also a bit confused over how a den leader gets in the middle of a Pack leadership dispute." 'Nut Look no further. I was a DL when our CC and one of our Tiger DL's got into a major power play in the pack. Tiger DL was an experienced Scouter and began to question everything the CC did in a very public manner. Anything from how to fill out paperwork to awards. Everything was a battle between these two. CC and CM were good friends, so the CM was naturally drawn into this. As the DL with the most "seniority", behind the CM. I was asked to add my opinion about having the DL removed f

We do the formal crossing at Blue/Gold. However, most of the boys are typically attending Troop meetings in November or December (provided they've already earned AoL). Others of course have pushed right up until B/G to crossover. It really depends on the boy and what he wants to do. My oldest crossed over in November, because he wanted to start camping with the troop and didn't want to wait 4 months to be a part of troop activities. Alot can depend on the Troop itself. My son had actually chosen one troop to join, but they wouldn't let the Webelos crossover until March. We instead went wi

TWOMORROWS, Are you being serious or being sarcastic? I just couldn't tell by your tone and intonation since I'm looking at a computer screen

Well there goes my Idea for the next Pack meeting..... I can't wear a cheerleader outfit or Ballerina costume (ALA Scoutfish), the boys can't hit me with a whipped cream pie for bringing somebody to the meeting. We can't do "Nuts the elephant" skit, and I certainly can't sing because I left something at home that I should have brought. Certainly wouldn't want a 9 yr old to come up with a funny song, since we all know what is funny in the mind of a boy. I guess we shouldn't have sang Happy Birthday to our CC last week, because it would have publicly humiliated or degraded her self esteem.

Hey, I'm not getting fat...My clothes are magically shrinking, must be something in the washing machine! I know I could stand to lose about 30 lbs myself, especially if I want to be a crew advisor for our next trek to Philmont in two years. Our Troop is blessed to have a SM and ASM's who are physically fit and try to set the example for the boys. It shows as well. We do do more backpacking trips, more HA trips, and yes, maybe taking more physically challenging trips than some others do. I've seen those same troops that aren't very active that do the plop camping, and that's the extent of

Tiger Cub DL- 2x Wolf Bear DL- 2x Asst. Web DL Cubmaster- Starting Yr. 2 Day Camp Walking Den Leader- 4x Day Camp Cubmaster- Starting Year 3 Webelos Resident Camp Den Leader Those are my official titles, Of Course I've worn every hat in Cubs and then some!

Stosh, Very well said. Thank You. I might have to print that out and either tell my soon to be webelos parents this or print it out for them.

As far as gear goes: Yes, start creating a list of basic gear to transition them to the troop. The spongebob sleeping bag just ain't gonna cut it any more! Maybe an inexpensive day pack to carry their gear in and start getting used to carrying a pack, instead of throwing everything in a duffle bag, or in YOUR pack Include Scoutdirect.com, Campmor.com, and TheClymb.com for good deals and emphasize this is 18-24 mos before they cross over, they don't have to have everything immediately, build up slowly. Use your knowledge of how "Thrifty" really works, you certainly have the experi

I just picked up the microfiber tan for my soon to be Webelos partly because of Base's advice and my son liked how it felt, it is very soft and comfy. I do like the vented back on it after looking at it, Might have to pick one up for myself! I have 2 of the original Centennial uni's the 67/33 blend. Those are nice for formal stuff, since they don't look so wrinkled and keep their characteristics, but man those things get warm during spring and summer! Some of the new boys in the troop are starting to get either the nylon or the microfiber shirts as well. The older boys have the cotto

We have done Camp Cards for the last 2 years, and we wish we could do them in the fall as well. Last year, I believe we had 3 printings of cards due to the high demand from units. Don't know how the rest of the Council's are doing it, but we have tied in with the Kroger grocery store chain, and the card had an instant coupon for 5.00 off the customer's purchase w purchase of at least 50.00. The card just paid for itself. This year we even had an online sign up system to log in and you could pick the stores and times you wanted to sell at. Last year was way to chaotic trying to contact the

So, with all the talk on the forums about what's wrong with Scouting now, What we can't do, etc. I wanted to share this letter we received from the parent of a young man in our Troop and Crew. He was the first primary registered Crew member to earn his Eagle. I've had the pleasure of watching this young man grow for the last couple of years into the person he has become today. It has been a very entertaining process, to say the least. Thank you all for having had a significant hand in developing T into a young man capable of earning The Eagle Scout Rank!!! I am very often

First off, welcome to the forums. It's a lively bunch! Second, there are lots of great opinions and ideas here, We're talking years of service around here. I wish I had known about this site when I first started as a Den Leader with the pack, It would have made the maze of Scouting a lot less stressful. Moose hits it right on the head. If you do become the DL, remember to talk to other parents about becoming an Asst DL to help you out. In Tigers (1st Grade) every Cub has to have an Adult partner there with the boy. Just ask somebody that's going to be there anyway and make it official and

Good Stuff SP! For your viewing pleasure Zip-75074 Pack 280 Should be #3 on the list Only issue I have is the Parents Of pack that meets at our church, has top billing on the map. When you click on the CS logo, it shows their pack, not ours. I actually kept some leads in there from earlier in the year, since the boys were kindergartners. I'm about to send emails out to them inviting them to our Spring open house and try and get them signed up for Day Camp as well. Going to use some of your tips for a new Tiger/Bobcat den over the Summer to prevent the Deer in the headlight l

I always giggle inside when the families bring their 3 bedroom condo's camping. And, yes even my CC gets some razzing from me when she brings the McMansion, and she's a veteran camper she should know better. Even if my families buy a cheap tent, we can make it work with a good tight fly. I always recommend bringing warm layers for colder camping and at least a hat. I also tell them to bring blankets from the house instead of going out and investing in all the gear. I do like to remind them it's taken me 7 years to get to the point I'm at with my gear and I'm still changing and improv

"those who focus on the needs of the mission, and those who focus on the needs of the organization. Initially the mission folks run the show, but over time, the organization folks take over, and the mission suffers." WOW, what a great statement. I had never thought about the impact that could have, but it makes sense. So what about bringing in somebody who understands the Scouting mission but also understands the needs of the organization. Somebody who has been successful in business and understands the value of Scouting. I do understand the hierarchy of BSA professionals, that it's

We use Scouttrack as well. It's not bad, for what it does. It does have all the advancements for the dens right there. Here are my gripes about it: - Can't add Den Chief's to Den rosters for email traffic - Email is OK for messages, but if I want to reply to a sent message, it only replies to the person who sent it. Not like google groups, where I can reply to the whole group or 1 person if I need to. - Noticed a glitch in advancement. My son earned his religious award as a Tiger. His Badges Earned report shows that in there. This year as a Bear, one of the requirements is to ea