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Scouting Mom

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  1. I think that each REGION sets a Day Camp Theme, but it is ultimately up to the Council. NE region is doing Knights this year, but we did that 3 years ago, so our council decided to do something different. Medieval Times will come out and do a presentation for the boys. I don't know how much they charge or if that is in your budget, but the boys would love it. I was told by our local one that they don't usually bring the horses, but they will come in costume and do a show.
  2. Per Cub Scout Leader Book, 2006 Printing, pg 20-6, Under the heading "Arrow Points" Second paragraph reads: "Boys can do several Wolf and Bear electives more than once. In this way, boys can explore in more detail an area in which they may be especially interested. For example, a Wolf Cub Scout may make as many kites or model boats as he wishes (Wolf Elective 5); however this practice can be abused when families don't understand how the program works. The purpose of Cub Scout electives is to broaden a boy's horizons, not encourage him to earn a shirt full of Arrow Points. When a boy re
  3. When my oldest joined Cub Scouts, there were a lot of little sisters running around and tagging along. Then someone told me that the Girl Scout program in our area was unorganized and had problems finding leaders. I looked at my 2 year old daughter and thought, "If I want her to have someplace to go, maybe I should volunteer now and try to fix it up for her sake." I found out that someone had beat me to it. Rumors of chaos and disorganzation proved to be untrue, or at least, no longer true. I've since been told by GS parents that their girls love scouts because they have some dedicate
  4. Science center? The reason most magic works is science that is not understood by the audience.
  5. "Short on planning and follow-thru" You just answered your own question. If the SM can't plan or delegate the planning of a meeting more than a couple of hours in advance, than he doesn't have the organization skills to plan a Summer Camp.
  6. As said, there is some wiggle room in the rules. The computers at national use the date of June 1st for everyone working on a school year based system. (LDS packs are based on the boy''s age, regardless of grade level). Since the computer says June 1st, our pack and in fact, our district go with that. School is out within a week or so of then anyway. Because of the daycamp requirement for OAA, and the fact that most boys join in September, they often miss getting the OAA their first year. My Tiger son officially joined the pack on June 1, and went to daycamp in July. With a Pack camp
  7. Venvidi, you have a valid point. When my son got his Bobcat at the September pack meeting, he was one of 8 boys, mostly new wolves to do so. He seemsed uncomfortable being there with the group, but when, a few minutes later, they called him up by himself to receive another award, he was much more excited. In the case of Tigers, it''s the parents who are going to mostly decide when things will get done. I mean, how many Tigers are flipping through the book saying, "Ooo, ooo, I wanna do this." Some maybe, but it still requires the parents to set up the go-see-its and other things. And
  8. This is my 4th year involved in Cub Scouts. We established at the beginning of the each year that our "goal" is to achieve rank by B&G. This is a realistic goal and most boys make it just about that time. Late comers may be later, but few make it earlier. I''ve seen some boys make it just before the January pack meeting, who didn''t get it until 2 weeks later at B&G. This doesn''t seem unreasonable to me. It makes it a little more special to wait that 2 weeks and have all the boys in the den get it at once. However, this is the first year that we had most of our Tigers join
  9. AHHHHH, Don''t throw them away. How are you gonna make the company replace them?? AND Tiger Totems are safe, per Kahoot''s latest announcement... "A Cub Scout totem badge imported by Kahoot Products has been found to contain lead. We are issuing a Voluntary Recall of the badge. There is some confusion about which product is at issue. The badge in question is the white badge with blue and yellow paint. The Tiger Badge, which is white with black paint, does not have lead in the paint. There have been no reports of injuries. However, testing has indicated that there
  10. "Is this part of the todays recall of chinese made toys due to lead based paint?" No. There were 8 seperate toys recalled on 10/4, this badge was not included. In fact, the badge has not officially been recalled through the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Although it might show up on their recall list today. They usually publish that list via internet and press release between 4 & 5 pm each day. The recall is not finalized. When it is, it will list dates and replacement procedures. "I did notice my Philmont patch had a made in china sticker on the back of it.
  11. When I was young, we had no cable. It didn''t get to my parents'' house until 1992. We got 8 channels on a regular basis, and on a clear night, another 4 or 5. When I moved away from home for good, I didn''t bother with cable. I lived in the city and got the networks, pbs, and an independant channel or two. Plenty of viewing options. I moved out of the city and was reduced to 4 channels, but I had an active social life and a library card, so it was all good. Then the politicians in DC started playing games with the budget. They couldn''t agree and refused to pay for anything. Ther
  12. "it''''s more like has the boy earned his summertime award or music beltloop...... " Two totally different issues. For beltloops, take the parents or scout''s word for it. Summertime award first requires that the PACK earn the summertime award. If the pack didn''t earn it, the boys can''t earn it. The pack had to have an event per month all summer. If the pack didn''t organize it or get sufficient attendance, the boys can''t earn the award. Whoever is keeping track of whether the pack has earned the award will also be taking attendance at the events. The attendance list will sh
  13. I''m confused... When you are saying keep track of achievements, do you mean for example, Boy A has done achievement 12B,14C and 3A? That kinda thing? Because, with the exception of Webelos, the parents should be signing off in the boy''s handbook and there''s your record. If it''s Webelos and the boy transferred somewhere in his 4th or 5th grade year, then anything he did up until his transfer should be signed in his book by his DL from his old pack. Anything the boy claims to have done and is not signed off on, then the DL needs to work with the boy to determine what is fair to sign
  14. Around here, whenever they want to start a new pack, these days the first group they approach is the local PTA. Officially a public school can''t do it themselves, but the PTA/PTO can. The mission statement of the National PTA is very consistent with the mission of Scouting. Despite a falling out about 20 years ago between National PTA and BSA, PTAs are making a resurgence as Chartering Organizations.
  15. There are no lines to get into the White House... you can only get in with a special pass. You gotta "know" someone, although I imagine your congressman can help you. I got connections, but even then it takes weeks to get a pass. The American Indian Museum isn't all it's cracked up to be. The really good historical stuff is kept preserved by the various tribes. The vast majority of things in the museum are reproductions, or modern creations using ancient techniques and modern materials. Like a pair of Chuck Taylor tennis shoes with beading...What the heck is that about? I was greatl
  16. 1. The boy can bridge or not, based on his needs and what the family, pack and troop think is best. Find out if your council has an Office of Scouting with Special Needs and see what professional advice they can offer. If by then there is a unit especially for such children, that may be your answer. 2. It is very appropriate to ask that a parent or respite worker to attend meetings, but it depends on the child. You will have to play it by ear. Usually it's a good thing, but some kids will act out more if their parents are around. We have a child with Asperger's in my son's den.
  17. You wanted it in writing... From the "Cub Scout Leader Book": Den Leader... http://www.geocities.com/~pack215/dl.html "Maintain a friendly relationship with Cub Scouts; encourage them to earn advancement awards. Keep accurate advancement records and see that boys receive recognition for their achievements." Advancement Chair... http://www.geocities.com/~pack215/pc.html#Pack%20Advancement "Have a working knowledge of the Tiger Cub, Cub Scout, and Webelos Scout advancement plans. Help plan and conduct induction and advancement recognition ceremonies." "Collect
  18. Speaking as my pack's advancement chair... What everyone has said so far is dead on. Some issues that might come up, though... I try to keep den leaders, especially new ones informed about available awards that they may not be aware of... that reminds me, must send out reminder to DLs to check if their boys qualified for Summertime Award... I also try to be aware of awards with prerequisites and point out discrepancies... ie. If a DL tells me a boy got his Tiger/wolf/etc. rank and I know that that boy never got his Bobcat ('cause I would've submitted the paperwork) then I p
  19. We had the OA dancers come out one year too. Had them help present the AOL. I think the Webelos liked them being part of the ceremony. The parents really appreciated the specialness of the performance. The Tigers and some of the wolves started getting restless.
  20. The local clowns told us that 7-yo's are about the upper limit of their receptive audience. We have had a magician, and a reptile show. I spoke to an entertainment booking agency that suggested a mime. A lot depends on what you mean by "reasonably priced." Being near a big city, you have lots of cultural arts performers available and other performers from children's theaters that will come out to events. Check with places that offer school assembly programs. Some of those can be found online and your local schools are bombarded with ads for such people.
  21. I've lived in Maryland my entire life and have never heard of Berger Cookies... they don't look terribly appealing, either. Now crabs, that's a whole different story. I learned how to pick crabs as a small child. My husband is jealous because he can't keep up. We used to live within smelling distance of the McCormick spice factory, where they make Old Bay, among other things. Some nights when the breeze was blowing just right...ahhhh, like smelling heaven.
  22. "Although I am wondering why the UC is discussing their charter with you if you are not connected to their Pack." 'cause I married him.
  23. Maybe the COR is also the CC and maybe they have some other committee member on paper, who is in name only. The DE is not the type to go off on his own against the rules, although he might seek an exception from the powers that be. It wouldn't be the first time that someone swore something was one way, when in fact, things were different. I know they had 3 or 4 "we're starting a new pack" meetings before they got enough boys and volunteers to even assign them a unit number.
  24. ScoutNut said: First the bare minimum you need to start up a new Pack are - 5 Scouts (not 3) 1 Cubmaster 1 Charter Org Rep who is also registered as the Committee Chair 2 Committee Members 1 Den Leader ***** Are you sure about this list? A new unit that started up down the street from ours doesn't have all this, even on paper. I had asked the UC about it and he said they didn't have a Committee Chair... They have 5 scouts, COR, CM, 1 committee member, who happens to be the treasurer, a Tiger DL (4 of the 5 scouts are Tigers), and a DL. Now, I know that when y
  25. ScoutNut, wouldn't being DL be your "required volunteering?" "If after a year they have not been bitten by the bug maybe the pack is better off without them." This is SO true. When my oldest was a Tiger, there were some who just weren't going to participate in "shared leadership." We didn't miss them. But, there are a lot of folks joining as wolves or bears who miss that, so there needs to be a way to get them involved. We had some boys join our pack in Spring of their Bear year. They joined because they received an invite to join scouts, and when they arrived at the meeting
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