Pack212Scouter

Why can an adult NOT eat with youth? Should this be the norm, it's not my place to say, but there is nothing that forbids it. In a smaller group, there is nothing wrong with that. What about smaller groups? The youth should be planning and organizing themselves, but beyond that, what is wrong here? There is something to be learned by the boys both when eating/cooking with leaders, and in doing it by themselves. Both should be considered, neither should be the only thing considered. Mealtime can be an excellent time for mentorship of a small group.

With the exception of earning the Map & Compass belt loop as one of the options to achieve Traveler, there is no orienteering/compass requirement in Webelos. That said it is a very good skill to learn, and one that they will need in Boy Scouts. Perhaps he is confusing the Compass Point patch that they wear on the uniform to show achievement past Webelos rank?

If your going from 10 boys to 2, there is an issue with the program somewhere. Is it mostly because of military moves? If so, then you definitely need a very active recruiting plan for the Pack. Figure out a way to get the word out to new families on the base & in the area. Maybe hold some Pack activities in places and on days where they are visible on a busy weekend or holiday at the Park. IF the Schools won't let you recruit, you are going to have to think/work outside of the box.

If most of those losses are not to moves however, you need to look at he program. Are they leaving because of the lack of activities? Is someone not making them welcome? Are sports drawing them away?

Now on the subject of recruiting outside of Tigers, we recruit all ages at once, both in the School and at our CO church. By default you should get about 60-75% Tigers and the remainder in a mix of grades. The biggest reasons than I have found that older boys don't join is conflicts with Sports as they get older. Show that Scouting can be compatible to scheduling with sports. As a matter of fact, see if your local league might let you set up a booth at one of their game days.

Amazing how single sided these environmental stories are. Our Council here is having potions of the reservations logged out too. You know why? We had an ice storm followed by a severe windstorm. The timber at these sites was severely impacted. After being there this spring, my guess would be 70-80% of the timber in some areas was down. So..instead of selling it and restoring an area that would be unusable and an eyesore, I guess the environmentalists would rather it'd be left to rot until it became enough of a fire hazard that it all burned.

As for the Jamboree site, I understand that BSA wants to develop it into a year-round facility. So yes, there would be the huge economic impact every four years, but there would also be a smaller continual economic impact.

Our Pack does Scout accounts and we've been really happy with it. For us, it has done the following.

- It increases sales, because the parents and the boy (mostly the parents) see it reducing their costs.

- It increases attendance at activities because Parents now have a perceived "cost" of the activity.

Our pack charges dues and for activities that cost money. From the popcorn sale, we keep 5% to cover background expenses and 25% of all sales go into that Scouts account for use on anything that the pack does that costs. When a Webelos bridges over, their account portion is transfered to the Troop.

We have an Activities Chair that comes up with ideas. When the CC, CM, & Activities Chair get together in the Spring to plan the next year's calendar, they decide. We try to keep summer light with 1-2 Pack activities per month. This summer looks like this:

June - Bike Rally & Family Picnic.

July - Rock Wall Climbing, also Webelos Adventure Trip

August - Day at the Water Park.

And of course there are the resident and day camps scattered over the months.

That was going to be my comment. I think that the new uniform shirt looks absolutely horrible on female leaders. Those bellow pockets bellow out because of their particular physiology.

Amusement Parks are one of many things not included in the G2SS. When not listed, follow common sense. Mine would tell me that it is the same as using a commercial facility for climbing, swimming, etc. If it is commercial, and not listed specifically as forbidden, then I would say it's ok.

We had our PWD last Friday. Had 112 of our 160 Scouts participate. Top speed was 202.3 MPH...averaged 3.177 seconds on a 40' aluminum track. It was a terriffic success!

Our Pack may be a little different because it is so large, but we meet at the CO and all meetings have to be Monday nights. We usually submit a room plan for the next year around March/April

Our Council is planning a Jambo/Camporee type activity that will cover from Cub Scout to Venturing. Aome other things are on the drawing board too. There is a committee putting plans together.

We are doing this as Webelos Den camping, not Cub Scout camping. To the best of my knowlege, Webelos Den camping does not require site approval.

Secondly, we are leaving from Louisville Kentucky. This is the reason for the overnighters in the mountains. About 5 hours drive on each side and a cool place to camp, keeping the time in vehicle to a minimum. We were thinking of overnighting in Pisgah national forest somewhere.

We definitely want to keep the backpacking (which the parents will really be the one's doing) short, hence the 4 miles max, but are thinking that somewhere around a mile is optimal.

The parents are being well informed of the gear that will be needed and what will be done. Most of the ones that want to go have older Boy Scouts in the Troop, so are familiar with backpacking. To be totally honest, we've had cub parents haul stuff about 1/2 mile on poor trails to some of the places that we've camped LOL. I think we're alright as long as we keep the distance short. All that said, it's not really a backpacking trip. We just want to get a little ways off the road to camp.

Thanks for the information on the ship. All of their literature say's it's air conditioned, but that sounds a little embellished. Unfortunately early summer may be the most likely time for us to do it.(This message has been edited by pack212scouter)

I saw the add too and thought it was pretty neet. Since minting will not start until Feb 2010, I would guess it will be closer to then to order. As for cost, this is just a guess, but typical 90% US Silver Dollars go for about $19.99 from the mint. Add in the $10 premium and we're probably looking at the $30-$40 range.

Tour permit = council approval. As for the rest, a polar plunge is not a "swim". I'm not passing judgement on whether it should or should not be done as a Scouting unit. What gets me is that this is far more "risky" than many of the forbidden activities.

We are looking at making a trip with a group of about 20 Webelos and their parents (one each) this summer to Patriots Point to visit the USS Yorktown. Has anyone done this? What would you recommend for excursions in this age group.

Additionally, we plan on making an overnight stop in the Carolina/Tennessee mountains, camping overnight on the way there and back. We're looking for campsites a short hike in (at least 1 and not more than 4 or 5 miles), not extremely strenuous, at least one with fishing. Does anyone have any suggestions for locations from their own experience?

Wow...while I applaud their intentions and actions, I can't help but be astounded that council would approve this, let alone for Cub Scouts. And if Council did, it makes me even more amazed that we can't take Cubs rafting or climbing, etc,(even with professional services) but we can let them jump into sub-freezing water in a frozen lake? I've done one of these and the stesses on your body are huge, to your heart, adrenal system, etc.

Buffalo,

You are correct in all of your examples. In no place does it mention multiple Den Leaders. Also, in no place does it forbit it. We agree to disagree.

As you said, parental involvment will be needed. As we tell all of our parents, we are not a baby sitting service. The Den Leader's job is to instruct the boys and implement the program, not continually be a disiplinarian.

Buffalo,

I can totally understand your argument. On the surface it would make total sense. In spite of this, having multiple Den Leaders in a Den has worked extremely well for us for the last 4 years, running about 20 Dens per year. We have never had an issue with chaos. On the contrary, we have a stronger commitment from our leaders.

This is not contrary to BSA's intentions. There is nothing that I am aware of that restricts a Den to only one leader. All that BSA documentation says is that the Den Leader is typically assisted by an Assistant Den Leader. Notice that it says typically. IF you have had issues with such a thing, then I can understand it, but I would bet that it hasn't even been tried in your Pack. All that I can say is that it works very well for us.

I couldn't find any producer of Star Wars themed custom patches. You might want to consider somthing like a two piece patch, or use a star wars patch with a rocker for your custom stuff.

While it is certainly acceptable for you to express you concerns privately with the CM or CC, ultimately it is the decision of the CC and the COR whether she returns as a leader. If I were they, we would have a heart to heart with her prior to accepting her return.

Just remember, if copyright violation is a concern of yours, then paying someone to produce a patch with "Star Wars" on it is a trademark violation. All that said, realize that I am certainly no copyright lawyer.

Only Den Leaders can get the Den Leader award. That said, we usually have all of our Den Leaders registered as Leaders and not assistants. The reasons for this are multiple. First, they get "credit" for the knots. Second, it gives them more of a working together relationship, rather than a working "for" relationship. Third, if the Den Leader misses a meeting, has to move, etc, there is already a replacement in place.

For Tiger-Bear, I generally like to see the Den size between 6-10 with 8 being the target. This depends alot on Den dynamics. If the den is full of well behaved, interested kids, 8-10 is good. If it is full of hyperactie kids, then you may want it smaller, around the 6 boy size. The problem with dens that are 6 or less is that if a couple of kids get sick or miss a meeting, you almost don't have a Den.

Now for Webelos, boys in the same year usually seem to work well with Den sizes of 6-12. The older the boys, generally the larger the Den that works well.

Yep. Pin it right through the patch on the pocket if they have it. Also note, that as of last year, the pins are color coded to the rank that they earned it as.