ScoutMomAng

The problem usually does not arise if a boy is held back but put UP a grade! If he is held back he will generally meet the requirement regardless of where he started. However, being put up a grade puts him YOUNGER than his "peers" in his den and grade. The requirement to join a boy scout troop is 10.5 with the AOL or 11 without. There is no exception when it comes to national accepting the application to the troop level.

Crew21 and One Hour Thanks for the help! Crew---I searched what you suggested and found EXACTLY what I was looking for! This skit with the Book 101 things to do with a bandana works for any amount of scouts! This is awesome and I think the boys will choose this skit over the others they have to choose from! I love coming here for help! This is better than going to roundtable! Angela

NJEagleMom! That is SUCH a cute idea!!! I LOVE IT!

Why is this kid the only one in his den (WeBeLoS I) the only one almost done with the entire book? WeBeLoS is not a boy and parent program. He should be working with his den leader and the entire den (or at summer camp with other boys and leaders). The goal of the WeBeLoS den is to prepare younger boys to become Boy Scouts. That means they learn to go to scouts without mommy and/or daddy, they learn to work with other people in his age group, learn to lead certain projects for others, learn to rely on "Activity Pin (Merit Badge) Counselors" (the leader) to help them meet their requirements

Hi All! I had seen a skit one time previously that could be adapted to however many boys you had in your den. I'm sure they called it the Yellow Bandana Skit, HOWEVER, the one I keep finding online is NOT the one I saw! I have a total of 7 boys in my den, however, until football season is complete, there are only 3 showing up.... The Yellow Bandana skit I find online is for a "magician" and a "stooge" but that leaves nothing for my third scout to do. The Yellow Bandana Skit I saw was a "leader" showing the boys what to could be done with a yellow bandana (or just bandana). Things

To get parents to volunteer...I VOLUNTEERED them! This is what I did and this is what we as a "committee" thought about it. At the Christmas Party for our pack, I had designed "scrolls" for each parent of each boy in the pack. Each scroll said this (or something similar): You have been granted The position of Blue & Gold Banquet Committee Chair Your responsibilities consist of: Organizing your committee to hold regular meetings prior to the Blue and Gold Dinner. The Blue and Gold Dinner will be held on 21 February

Prairie--those are good ideas for the wood part of the projects but remember Craftsman says to make four projects NOT from wood and two from wood using a coping saw or jigsaw.

I've been the WeBeLoS leader for probably way too long now but these are the things I do: 1. I take the boys to the local Tandy Leather shop where they get to do a few projects for free after hours. (3-4 little projects of stamping and staining) You can pay $5.00 per boy to do bigger projects but the boys are happy with the stamping. 2. "Tin Punch" luminares---I use empty mandarin orange cans filled with water and frozen. The boys use a permanent marker to draw their design on the can, then I take the can home, fill it with water and freeze it. The next meeting, the boys use nail

I think "door" prizes sound like an AWESOME idea! I don't think it would work so much for our packs Pack Meetings but maybe to encourage more boys to go on campouts!!! HECK YEAH! I think I'll give it a shot! I already do that sort of thing for popcorn (although it's been hard to get donations from Walmart, Target etc. on time to award these prizes). However, to award a "door" prize for attending a campout might be an incentive to get that one boy who has been in the pack since the 1st grade and is now in the 4th grade and his family has NEVER been to any campouts! Makes me wonder what is

Our pack tries to camp four times per year, and that is not including any WeBeLoS campouts. However, our pack is not huge, and sometimes our turnouts are the same 4 or 5 boys with the largest families. Currently my boys are no longer in the pack but with the troop. We asked one time to borrow some stuff from the troop but got a lot of hemming and hawing over whether they should let us use their stuff. All the "pack" camping gear belongs to ME and gets packed in MY truck with NO help from anybody in the pack! For now they all have their own tents and sleeping bags and all are starting t

Hi all My WeBeLoS parents have all agreed and decided to wait until the end of March (after PWD) for the AOL and cross over ceremonies, since we had some new boys join the pack at the very start of September and they all want to cross over together and March 5th will get them their 6 month requirement for the AOL. So...after saying that, the parents would like to send out invitations to the AOL ceremony and dinner, similar to what our troop does for their Eagle Scouts. Does anybody know of someplace I can get invitations for an Arrow Of Light Ceremony?? I have searched this interne

"It seems, from an article in the Minneapolis Start Tribune, that the event organizers did not want them wearing their Scout shirts because of the risk involved of the shirts holding the icy water against their skins, and freezing solid. The recommended Plunge Wear is something tight fitting like a wet suit. I found this while searching for information on Lake Minnetonka, MN. It is the flyer from the Polar Plunge. Nowhere on this flyer does it say a wet suit. In fact it says, "A single layer swimsuit" On It & In It - Run On and Jump Into Lake Minnetonka This is the way to start the

I have lived in many places in my time. Cold, hot, freezing whatever, wherever. Michigan, England, Florida, North Dakota, Minnesota, wherever, your body does adapt to the temperatures you are used to. The boys are from Minnesota. Whether they filed a tour permit or not isn't such the problem or that council allowed it. I personally would NEVER submerge my body into freezing water. I don't even like cold water in the summer time. The older we get the harder it is for us to get used to certain temperatures and deal with them. The parent's of the boys knew what they were doing.

pavilm "There are tons of lyrics just for the Toad, we did it at Jungle Book training for Leaders. I will try and write them down from the video I took. It's more effective when you keep the song to the toad." I know there are tons of lyrics just for the Toad. The point is, we made puppets for our SHOWMAN activity pin. I wanted lyrics to go with the puppets. The song works either way, just the toad, or other animals. The boys like the other animals...it gives them the chance to try to write their own lyrics which goes along with the Showman activity pin. Now that they have words for ea

Both verses are good! I will take them both back to the boys and let them decide which one they like the best! Thanks! I knew you could help! Angela

ScoutNut! I like that! I was trying something this morning but couldn't come up with the 5th and 6th lines! This is what I had: Oh Leo Lion, Oh Leo Lion, Why did you escape from the zoo? Oh Leo Lion, Oh Leo Lion, Why did you escape from the zoo? ... that is where I got stuck!

My daughter is interested in a lot of things. She LOVES horses and wants a job at the council campground as a ranch hand. She can be nervous about a lot of high adventure activities but once she learns about them and the safe way to do them she'll know which ones interest her most and the ones she would be more likely to do. She is very interested in the arts, animals and travel. She was born in England and has a great desire to go back. Getting adult leaders is the hardest part. I keep talking to people, they seem interested but not real super enthusiastic in helping me get to that

Kathy, Thanks. I have seen all the web sites with the song on it. I have all the verses that are out there. I only have 8 boys and 8 puppets, so the verses I listed are the verses we will be doing. The verse for the Lion will have to be made up and I'm hoping somebody out there has music or singing ability that can make that verse up for me. I have been told all my life that I cannot carry a tune in a bucket soooooo, I don't attempt things like that and it is VERY hard for me to teach the boys songs if I can't grasp the tune easily. Thanks, I appreciate your help.

Hi all Thanks for your responses! They have been a big help. My daughter and I did check out the crew with 40 plus kids but it is not what she is looking for. She wants to wear the uniform. They do not. They actually do not encourage it. They also only meet the Monday before they have an activity and that meeting is basically the Crew Leader telling them what they need to pack, what time they need to be there, how much money they need to bring, what time they will return and a gentle reminder that monthly payments are due for the big summer trip. SHE was not impressed. She s

I realize this post is probably super duper late however, My two son's earned this award through Nation's Trails and received their patch and medals shortly after they were ordered. They are really nice patches and medals. The program has NOTHING to do with the BSA but it is a good program. Are you sure the check has been cashed by the Nations Trails program?

Lisabob! Are you wearing MY shoes and living in my house??? I too am the District Membership chair for a failing district, (although I am pulling higher numbers this year than last). I, too, am on the committee of my son's troop which is in the same predicament as your son's troop except for the bullying part. I however, wear many other hats (WeBeLoS den leader 6 yrs running, Pack Committee Chair, Pack Popcorn Kernal and Pack camping chair). I am also dancing with the idea of starting a Venture Crew in our city because my daughter wants to be in a crew and there isn't one in our

Hi all! It's been awhile since I've been here but I like to come back when I need help because you all are a ton of knowledge. My WeBeLoS are working on their Showman Activity Pin and for the Pack meeting we have the song! The boys love the song Oh Tom the Toad and it's many verses with all the other animals involved. I found these awesome puppet kits that they are going to do the song with. I have a verse for every animal except for the Lion. For those of you who may not know the song it goes like this (and is sung in the tune of Oh Christmas Tree): Oh Tom the Toad, Oh

Just my 2 cents and it may not be worth that much to most but I totally agree with Committee View. However, I feel that no boy should make Eagle at 12 yrs of age either. I know a boy, and I'm not exactly sure of his age, but I can tell you he was in my WeBeLoS den in 2005/2006 as a 4th grader (9 yrs of age). In August, we were invited to go to his new home state and participate in his Eagle Ceremony. Of course we did not go. We believe his dad pushed him through WeBeLoS the rest of the way, counted things he should not have as completing requirements for WeBeLoS and AOL (I left that pack

Hi! I have been with the BSA for the past 7 years. This is my 8th year. I have been Wolf leader, Bear leader, WeBeLoS leader, committee chair, fundraising chair, committee member for the troop and I even hold a district position! However, I know virtually NOTHING about venturing! My 16 yr old daughter was in Girl Scouts until she started the 8th grade. By then she had enough of scouting and didn't want any part of it. I told her she could join a venture crew when she was 14 but she kept saying, NO! I don't want to do scouts anymore. Then recently, we went to our council camp grounds (h

This might be late but I gotta add it! According to the BSA, the boys are considered in the 5th grade as of June 1st of the same year they completed the 4th grade, even if school does not get out until June 10. For example...a boy in the kindergarten in the 2007-2008 school year are considered to be in the first grade as of June 1, 2008. That being said...they are consided 6 months since completing the 4th grade by November 1. Cross them over! They have all 20 activity pins, what more is left?? Belt Loops??? For what?? They don't count toward anything.