Beagle Scout

One of the activities our pack does is a hike in a local natural area followed by a watermelon seed spitting contest. The watermelon makes a nice refreshment after the hike, and everyone has a lot of fun seeing who can spit the seeds the farthest. We give out ribbons for the top three Scouts. There is also a contest for the adults, but only for bragging rights.

The last three years, our pack has worked with our local government conservation organization on suitable projects to participate in. Last spring, we helped plant 1000 trees as a windbreak around a local cemetery. In past years, we have planted 1100 trees along a creek to help prevent erosion and have cleared brush around a lake. Each of these projects was well within the capabilities of even the youngest Wolf, and we've even had Tigers help out, even though they could not earn the WCA.

We use the school gymnasium for our B&G banquet. It is free of charge for us to use on any day that school is in session, subject to being first to reserve it. This year our banquet is on a Wednesday night to avoid conflict with basketball (our pack meetings are normally on the last Tuesday of the month).

The last several years we have done potluck dinners and have not charged anything, but we have had problems with running out of food, so this year we are going to try having a buffet-style meal catered by a local restaurant. There will be a charge for dinner, but we have not figured out how much yet. It will probably be in the range of $3-4 per person, with the pack picking up whatever the balance is.

I am just finishing this book now. It is a good story, and I'm going to have my Webelos 2 son read it when I am done.

I have been using Evrsoft First Page 2006 which may be downloaded for free at www.evrsoft.com.

Here's what Snopes has to say about The Golden Compass:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

Here in the Inland Northwest Council (eastern Washington and northern Idaho), Cub Scout residient camp was $120 for 4 days 3 nights and $90 for 3 days 2 nights, compared to $215 for a week of Boy Scout camp.

How about a good juggling act?

Wow, building a trail sounds more like a Boy Scout Eagle project than a Wolf conservation project to me.

The last three years, our pack has worked with our local government conservation organization on suitable projects to participate in. This past spring, we helped plant 1000 trees as a windbreak around a local cemetery. In past years, we have planted 1100 trees along a creek to help prevent erosion and have cleared brush around a lake. Each of these projects was well within the capabilities of even the youngest Wolf, and we've even had Tigers help out, even though they could not earn the WCA.

You might find other ideas in this similar thread from last March/April:

http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=186924

In our pack, we usually wait to earn LNT until the boys are Bears because it is one of the Bear requirements for the Outdoor Activity Award. I am planning for the boys to do a litter pick-up as the LNT service project.

(This message has been edited by Beagle Scout)

Tigers, Wolves, and Bears get credit for electives completed while working on rank. However, the yellow elective beads (Tigers) or arrow points (Wolves and Bears) are not awarded until after rank is earned.

I have been using the Trax spreadsheets for four years and like them a lot. I believe they do almost everything that you describe your program can do. True, the additional awards (WCA, OAA, LNT, etc.) have been removed from the rank-specific spreadsheets and moved to a new, separate spreadsheet, but it was not much trouble to add them back in to the rank-specific spreadsheets.

I am always looking for a better way to do things, so I would check out your program if it was free, but I would not pay to replace something that is already working for me (a Scout is Thrifty).

Our pack has been very successful increasing our sales the past few years (from $2900 in 2004 to $23K last year). Here's what we do:

1. Our council offers Show and Deliver, and we take full advantage of it. The council allows us to pre-order all the popcorn we expect to sell, and there is no risk because we can return whatever we can't sell (we do not have to return full cases). The Scouts go door-to-door and are able to give customers their popcorn immediately, saving time-consuming return trips. Studies suggest that this form of sales is twice as effective as Show and Sells in front of a store (if you are not in a rural community).

2. We cut our regular September pack meeting short and lead right into a kickoff to get everyone excited about the sale. We start with a loud, wild, fun skit by the leaders. Once everyone is all pumped up, we serve popcorn and go over the pack's sales plan, including prizes the pack purchases for the sale and how Scouts can earn money for summer camp. The pack prizes are in addition to the Trail's End prizes awarded after the sale, and we have them on display so the boys can see them and touch them. We make a big deal about each boy coming to Blitz Day and getting a prize.

3. The first day of the sale (Saturday) is Blitz Day. Scouts pick up popcorn in the morning and sell for at least two hours sometime during the day. Everyone gets back together in the late afternoon for a pizza party, and everyone reports their Blitz Day sales and turns in the money they have collected so far. Every Scout that participates in Blitz Day gets a prize ($5-$20 value), with the Scout with the highest sales for the day selecting first, then next highest, and so on. This seems to work well for us, because every Scout wants to come to the party and get a prize, and once they get out and try, they found out how easy it is to sell the popcorn. By the end of the day, most are well on their way to whatever goal they've set for themselves, so there is incentive to keep selling after Blitz Day.

4. Scouts and their families set their own goals, but the pack offers $50 toward summer camp for anyone who sells at least $500 in popcorn. The amount the pack contributes toward summer camp goes up for every $250 sold above $500. Last year 16 boys earned $1875 toward summer camp. This way, not only are the Scouts helping the pack go, they are helping themselves, too.

Absolutley, our Tigers sell popcorn. In fact, many of them are top sellers. I attribute this to our pack signing them up during spring recruitment so they can fully participate in the pack's summer program. When the popcorn sale comes around in October, the new families have a good idea what sort of fun activities they can expect the pack to provide if they support the sale. Also, the little guys are too cute to say "No" too!

I believe Tandy Leather Factory gives a discount to Scouters--at least our local store does.

The Inland Northwest Council has offered Trailblazer Day for the past four years. The first two years, there were two weekends, one at Camp Cowles and one at Camp Easton. The last two years they added a third weekend nearer to Camp Grizzly.

The events are normally planned for consecutive weekends in October, so it is a great draw to get new Scouts to camp within a couple weeks of joining in the fall. The council even offers half price registration for new Scouts ($7.50 as opposed to the regular $15).

There is also an option for camping out the night before the activities for an extra $6 per person. It does get cold at night here in Washington state, but we always have a good turnout for the campout anyway. There is usually a campfire program and a cracker barrel afterwards.

Activities the next day typically include BB guns, archery, wrist rockets, fishing, BMX bikes, field games, human foosball, and a nature station.

Here's an outline of the Scout's Own I put together for our first-ever pack campout last summer:

1. Invocation - An American Indian Call to Worship

2. Opening Song - Kum Ba Yah

3. What is a Scout's Own? - Short (2-3 minutes) talk touching on the following items:

a. Reflect on star hike and any wildlife moments from camp.

b. Isnt it nice to get out of town, spend time in the woods, and reconnect with nature?

c. Reminds me of how wonderful this world is that God created, and it makes me feel good to be part of it.

d. Robert Baden-Powell, the founder Scouting, believed no man is much good unless he believes in God and obeys His laws.

e. Thats why he made Reverence and Duty to God an important part of being a Scout.

f. He is the one who originated the notion of Scout's Own, a gathering of Scouts for the worship of God and to promote fuller understanding of the Scout Law and Promise.

g. Youll probably notice that this service is not like any other worship service you have been to.

h. A Scouts Own is in not meant to be a substitute for a Scouts regular religious observances.

i. Instead, it is an opportunity for all Scouts, regardless of their personal faith, to come together and acknowledge God and his creation and ourselves as part of it.

4. Inspirational Message - When You Walk Through The Woods (by Ian Ross)

5. Silent Prayer

6. Act of Friendship - Colors (based on a Native American legend)

7. Inspirational Message - Big at Heart (from Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul)

8. Song - God Is Big (by Frank Hernandez)

9. Benediction - Scoutmaster's Benediction

The length of the entire service was less than 30 minutes, and it was very well received by the families that attended. In fact, I have been asked to do it again this summer.

I found everything except for the Big at Heart story on the Internet. I am happy to share the materials I prepared with anyone who sends me a PM.

I'll second Rod Stewart's "Forever Young"--that's what I'll be using for this year's Wolf den slide show.

Last year I used "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story for the Tiger den slide show. It was my goal to make the mom's cry, and I was not disappointed!

You can also contact your local government conservation organization. Ours has organized suitable projects for our pack to participate in for the last three years. We just did one last weekend, helping plant 1000 trees as a windbreak around a local cemetery. In past years, we have planted 1100 trees along a creek to help prevent erosion and have cleared brush around a lake. Each of these projects was well within the capabilities of even the youngest Wolf, and we've even had Tigers help out, even though they could not earn the WCA.

We don't annual fees other than the $10 registration that goes to National. Scouts are responsible for purchasing their own uniforms and books. Everything else is paid for out of the popcorn profits as described above.

We have not always had as much success with the popcorn sale. Four years ago, we only sold $2900, but each year since we have increased our sales to the point we are at now. Even back then, we did not have annual fees. We just tailor our program to the funds available to us. Obviously, the families have seen how much more fun they can have when the pack has more money, so they support the popcorn sale more now.

Sorry, not trying to hijack the thread. Please spin off a new thread if you want to discuss this further.

I admit I don't know much about troop finances, but I don't understand how a pack can build up a treasury of several thousand dollars. The pack my sons are in sells a lot of popcorn, but it is our committee's philosophy that all the proceeds should be spent on the boys in the year it is earned. Last year the pack sold $23,000 of popcorn, adding almost $8000 to our account. The pack immediately gave $2500 back to the boys in popcorn sale incentives including summer camp registrations. The rest pays for things like leader registrations, leader training, Boy's Life subscriptions, pinewood derby cars, all awards, a private party and BBQ at a local water park, and our annual pack campout at the Scout reservation. By next year's sale we will only have about $500 left.

Looking at it another way, here is a list of all the Webelos activity pins showing which belt loops and pins they are associated with and whether they are optional or required:

Physical Skills Group

---------------------

Aquanaut - Swimming BL (optional)

Athlete - Physical Fitness PIN (optional)

Fitness - N/A

Sportsman - 2 BLs for individual sports (required), 2 BLs for team sports (required)

- Individual sports include Badminton, Bicycling, Bowling, Fishing, Golf, Gymnastics, Ice Skating, Marbles, Physical Fitness, Roller Skating, Snow Ski and Board Sports, Swimming, Table Tennis, and Tennis.

- Team Sports include Baseball, Basketball, Flag Football, Soccer, Softball, Ultimate, and Volleyball.

- The Archery and BB Gun Shooting belt loops are not specifically listed as counting toward the Sportsman pin, but our pack gives credit for them.

Community Group

---------------

Citizen - Citizenship BL (required)

Communicator - Communicating BL (optional), Computers BL (optional)

Family Member - Heritages BL (optional)

Readyman - N/A

Outdoor Group

-------------

Forester - N/A

Geologist - Geology BL (optional)

Naturalist - Wildlife Conservation BL (optional)

Outdoorsman - N/A

Mental Skills Group

-------------------

Artist - Art BL (optional)

Scholar - Chess BL (optional), Language and Culture BL (optional), Mathematics BL (optional)

Showman - Music BL (optional)

Traveler - Geography BL (optional), Map and Compass BL (optional)

Technology Group

----------------

Craftsman - N/A

Engineer - Mathematics BL (optional)

Handyman - N/A

Scientist - Astronomy BL (optional), Weather BL (optional)

Here is a complete list of belt loops and pins showing which Webelos activity pins they are associated with and whether they are optional or required:

Academics

---------

Art BL - Artist (optional)

Astronomy BL - Scientist (optional)

Chess BL - Scholar (optional)

Citizenship BL - Citizen (required)

Collecting BL - N/A

Communicating BL - Communicator (optional)

Computers BL - Communicator (optional)

Geography BL - Traveler (optional)

Geology BL - Geologist (optional)

Heritages BL - Family Member (optional)

Language and Culture BL - Scholar (optional)

Map and Compass BL - Traveler (optional)

Mathematics BL - Engineer (optional), Scholar (optional)

Music BL - Showman (optional)

Science BL - Scientist (required)

Weather BL - Scientist (optional)

Wildlife Conservation BL - Naturalist (optional)

Sports

------

Archery BL - N/A*

Badminton BL - Sportsman (optional)

Baseball BL - Sportsman (optional)

Basketball BL - Sportsman (optional)

BB Gun Shooting BL - N/A*

Bicycling BL - Sportsman (optional)

Bowling BL - Sportsman (optional)

Fishing BL - Sportsman (optional)

Flag Football BL - Sportsman (optional)

Golf BL - Sportsman (optional)

Gymnastics BL - Sportsman (optional)

Ice Skating BL - Sportsman (optional)

Marbles BL - Sportsman (optional)

Physical Fitness BL - Sportsman (optional)

Physical Fitness PIN - Athlete (optional)

Roller Skating BL - Sportsman (optional)

Snow Ski and Board Sports BL - Sportsman (optional)

Soccer BL - Sportsman (optional)

Softball BL - Sportsman (optional)

Swimming BL - Aquanaut (optional), Sportsman (optional)

Table Tennis BL - Sportsman (optional)

Tennis BL - Sportsman (optional)

Ultimate BL - Sportsman (optional)

Volleyball BL - Sportsman (optional)

* The Archery and BB Gun Shooting belt loops are not specifically listed as counting toward the Sportsman pin, but our pack gives credit for them.

SctDad, I was not trying to say that only Webelos can earn belt loops. I was just trying to point out that the only belt loop that cannot be used toward a Webelos activity pin is Collecting. Also, Archery and BB Gun Shooting are not specifically listed as counting toward the Sportsman pin, but our pack gives credit for them.

In our pack, we do not discourage boys from earning belt loops and pins, but we do not push them, either. When I plan out the meetings for my den for the year, I select one academic belt loop and one sports belt loop to work on as a den so that we can use those experiences toward the National Den Award. Beyond that, the boys and their families may choose to pursue other belt loops or pins on their own. Of course, we encourage the boys to go to summer camp and to earn the Archery and BB Gun Shooting belt loops and pins while they are there. We also make sure to recognize the boys who play sports with the appropriate belt loops and pins.

I agree with you 100% that it makes sense to plan for many of the belt loops to be earned by the Webelos, but that the boys can earn them at any time. If a boy has already earned a particular belt loop prior to Webelos, he may repeat the requirements for credit toward the associated Webelos activity pin. However, our pack will only pay for the actual award once.

If I'm not mistaken, every belt loop can be used to satisfy a requirement for one of the Webelos activity pins except for the Collecting belt loop (assuming that Archery and BB Gun Shooting can be counted toward the Sportsman activity pin).

Plans for lanterns exactly as described, with the Scouting fleur-de-lis, can be found in last month's Baloo's Bugle:

http://usscouts.org/bbugle/bb0801/bb_bg.asp

My Wolf den just finished making some dragon table decorations in our den meeting last night based on the design found here:

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/egg_box_chinese_dragon.htm

I think they turned out pretty good, but I am curious to know more about pixiewife's dragons.