rjscout

I suppose a Pack could make the directive, but I like having the scout and his family decide. We do have some Webelos in blue and some in khaki. The regulations allow for that, so I don't see a problem. Sometimes the switch can add pressure for the scout who wants to dress like the Webelos who switched to khaki. Some boys want to go with khaki as soon as they graduate from Bear to Webelos. The switch seems like an issue to be worked out in the family, IMHO.

To quote usscouts.org:

http://usscouts.org/advance/cubscout/Outdoor-Activity.asp

"Tiger Cubs, Wolf and Bear Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts have the opportunity to earn the Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award. Boys may earn the award in each of the program years as long as the requirements are completed each year. The first time the award is earned, the boy will receive the pocket flap award (shown above), which is to be worn on the right pocket flap of the uniform shirt."

It is a cool award patch for Cub Scouts.

Can the non-profit account be used for personal purchase? I was thinking that it could only be used for the pack/troop to purchase common gear. That would be great to purchase gear for use for my scouting and non-scouting camping.

I have purchased a new Kelty Green Mountain 4 and an Alps Taurus Outfitter tent, but I haven't had a chance to use them. The Kelty was on sale at Costco in December for only $99. I hope to use them soon.

I don't have a problem with that perspective. Many people assume that grandparents act as secondary parents or guardians, so I wanted to get clarification. Leave no stone unturned, as it were. Thanks for the input. We will probably put some of this in our Pack ByLaws to let the parents understand the issues before we have the problem.

I enjoy reading Bob's posts. I think that since he has a broad background in scouting, he has a lot of factual advice for the topics in the forum. There are a lot of conversation styles and a lot of opinions, but that is just part of having a lot of different people on the forum. The only time the 'Last Word' would be a bad thing, IMHO, would be if someone made a post and then closed the topic for further posts.

I don't think that every topic is going to make every unit conform, but I think the shared ideas will make many scouters think that there might be a better way.

Keep of the great source of information for those who are here to learn more about how to be a good scouter!

Good clarification. But does that mean that we tell Grandpa "NO WAY!"? Grandparents do have some legal rights, but does that cover the Cub Scouts scenario?

Thanks for the clarification, Bob. Are there any rules on how young two boys can be to be in a tent on a campout? That's the missing piece, from my side.

ScoutersMom,

I second that opinion. I have learned a LOT in many different areas by reading this forum. Many thanks to the many posters. Barely a month left before I jump into the CM role, after being just a Tiger Dad last year at this time.

Scouters can sometime go unthanked (that's not what they are there for), but it does feel good when you receive appreciation. I APPRECIATE all of you.

But the G2SS does not say 'legal guardian', it say "When camping, no youth is permitted to sleep in the tent of an adult other than his own parent or guardian." That is why I asked using the term 'temporary guardian' in reference to a non-legal guardian who was temporarily appointed by the parent for the camping trip. I don't have a problem with the stricter interpretation. If a grandparent takes a boy on the trip, does the boy have to sleep in a separate tent? To keep him from sleeping alone, does another scout have to sleep away from his parent to be with the scout? Can Tigers, Wolves and Bears sleep with another Tiger/Wolf/Bear in a tent?

So, does that definitely rule out the 'temporary-guardian' assigned by the parent? This can be a grandfather, uncle, fellow scout's father, etc... I am not stating what is right and what is wrong... I am only trying to find the answer. In today's world of single parents, this could greatly reduce a Cub Scout's chances of camping out.

As the Cubmaster-to-be, I wouldn't feel comfortable 'hosting' the parentless scout, but I wouldn't have problems with another parent acting as the temporary guardian if I knew that the child's parent approved.

I took the BALOO training last fall, which was a subset of the IOLS for my Council. I didn't own a uniform at the time. I felt a little out of place in that ALL of the IOLS students wore uniforms and 75% of the BALOO students were in uniform. If you have one, go ahead and wear it. I think my comfort level was self-imposed. It was a great day of training.

The G2SS also says:

"Separate accomodations. When camping, no youth is permitted to sleep in the tent of an adult other than his own parent or guardian."

Does 'guardian' refer to only a legal guardian, or can this be a temporary guardian appointed by the parents. I struggle with this one. There are cases where the parents are not into camping, but the boy loves to be go on campouts. One year, the boys went on a District Cub-O-Ree with their grandfather. For another campout, they would like to go with another scout and his father. Is this strictly forbidden? Is the grandfather a valid guardian? Would a signed permission form cover this situation (written limited power of attorney or temp guardianship provided by the parent naming the other adult as responsible)?

I would hate for some boys to miss out on a great overnight, but I don't want to break any rules.

I think I read it on this forum that sometimes it is best to let your son cross over without becoming immediately involved with the troop. What better way to stay active and to help the old Pack than to continue as a leader. With the experience of going through a complete cycle of Cub Scouting (Tiger to AOL), Pack Trainer would be an optimal position for someone like this, if they are willing. They could also help the new Tiger Leaders, who probably need a good guiding hand. Plenty of opportunities.

CC,

I did a quick search on usscouts.org for 'Scouting the Midway' and found

http://usscouts.org/usscouts/bbugle/bb0407.pdf

Rob

As I was hanging up my switchbacks and noticed that the bottom of the legs were starting to pill. I have only had them since October and usually where them 2 or 3 times a month.

I do like them. I hope the pilling doesn't get TOO bad.

Sometimes you create a post and get floods of great ideas... and sometimes it takes a while for responses. I always like the floods.

I haven't been in the Pack to experience a Safari theme, yet. I did find an old Pow-Wow with a safari theme. It has a few safari songs:

http://macscouter.com/CubScouts/CircleTen_1998/cubmar.pdf

Not very many safari songs out there, that I could find.

I keep reading about using 3/4" PVC for slides, but those seem too big (slides have a tendency to 'slide' too much). I switched to 1/2" with much more success at staying on the neckerchief.

' and it certainly wasn't at a "council approved site". '

We had a lock-in (called it a camp-in) at our CO site (we are chartered by our public elementary school PTO) back in December. We did include the entire Pack. When we asked about getting council permission, we were told that we don't need permission at the CO site.

This could vary by Council.

Here is a good source of scanned rank badges, and other clipart.

http://www.geocities.com/cybercubber/clipart-cubinsignia.html

I did start this topic with 'Webelos I' and 'Webelos II' usage. Notice that I did not use those specific terms in my last post. I have learned some from reading the many posts on this forum. Understanding that these are not official names, these are good terms to specify which year the Webelos are in. I want to include the boys moving into their 2nd year of Webelos so that they don't feel left out at year end. I don't see any problem using the I and II to distinguish the year in the Webelos program.

After giving this a lot of thought, I think I figured out what I am going to do. I don't think I am going to have the time to carve the paw prints for creating the clay medallion or slide, but I did just order some rubber stamps with a Tiger, Wolf and Bear Claw (three different stamps). I am going to cut some disks of wood from some branches (I have lots of trees in my yard) for making some slides. I am going to use paint with the stamps to put the paw prints on the wood disk and I'll glue them to some PVC rings (cut from pipes) to creat slides. For Bears, to Webelos, I want to use the broken arrow. For moving to 2nd year Webelos, I think an Arrowhead Slide would be fitting for the path to AOL. Since the new Webelos will not have a handmade slide, I may make a few Turks Head knots for slides for them. I am hoping to make this a great graduation for them. We are hoping to have some new Tigers (kindergartners) at our May graduation, from our spring recruiting, to start their new Cub Scout adventures.

I do like the walking sticks, too. I saw some nice sycamore branches on a newly dropped tree that I might cut for walking sticks, after talking to my neighbor. Does anyone have any suggestion on the best tree branch to use for making a walking stick? I think a real branch might add some character.

Ekmiranda, congrats on finding another Pack and stepping in where you will definitely be appreciated. Best of Luck!

I wasn't too sure about the Ages and Stages video. There are some good points to the video, but the first thing I thought when the leader put the boy on his lap was 'that better be his father'. I think that would be considered 'inappropriate'.

Reviewing the GRC online NLE did make me think that it would be better to have audio as part of the powerpoint presentation, to help describe and explain some of the slides. I would like an online option.

(This message has been edited by rjscout)

I had seen the on-line NLE from the Indianapolis council (Crossroads of America Council). I askes our District Training Chairman about it and he said that it was not a National endorsed course. Is the GCC NLE online actually endorsed by National? If there is a National endorsed course for NLE, can a District ignore this course? After attending the NLE, I thought that this would be one of the easiest courses to put online. I think the networking with Scouters was better with the Leader Specific course. I took both on the same day. We have a few cases where there is a Leader Specific training offered (one is hosted at the school where we meet) with no NLE. I am all for training, and convenience is going to allow more of our leaders to get the basic training.

Does anyone else know of other online versions of NLE, and are they endorsed by National?

jmeyers,

Thanks for the honest opinion. It does sound like a HECTIC year (hour a week???). I think we have a good committee going, at this point, but we are still trying to expand the committment to more leaders. One of the things I wanted to do was to get my new Webelos Den Leaders (one advancing from Bear DL and a team taking over for a husband/wife WDL who moved) to IOLS, and attend with them. That is one of the interferences that I have. I doubt if my wife will like me doing both. I will be attending Resident Camp with the boys this summer, and a few more summer camping opportunities with the scouts. I am sure that I will love WB when I go, but I am not sure when that will be. I'll keep my mind and my options open.

Rob