SctDad

Hello to all I know that I have usually posted on Cub Scouts forums, but my daughter brings up a whole new world. My daughters GSUSA troop is registering for a Venture Crew for that they can go on a high adventure trip to Philmont in 2011. I know that there are printouts that Philmont has that can give you some information about how to get ready, but what I am looking for is what kind of things are out therer that are not covered in the leaders guide. Can those who have been help me and the leaders. As a side note, I know that there is a need for a Wilderness First Aid trained leader. I also looked on the leaders guide and found that they accept EMT Intermediate and/or Paramedic. So I think that this will be something that will help our other leaders. I think that we will end up having to take two or three crews based on the number of those interested.

I will mirror what some of the other have said: Relax and enjoy the time. Tiger Leader may sound like a big tough job, but I found that is was one of the most fun so far. The BSA says that the Tiger Cub must be accompanied by a responsible adult over the age of 18. It even says in the literature that is can be a trusted neighbor. (If someone can find that reference it would be appreciated. I know that there are a lot of well versed people here and someone has it) I tell parents that this is a list of people that can bring the Tiger Cub: Mother, Father, Aunt, Uncle, Grandfather, Grandmother, or a brother/sister that is over the age of 18. And yes if there is a family friend then they can bring the scout if they have persission. My only restriction is on outings, and I handle that on a case by case basis. But if someone other than their parent is bringing them on an outing, they must have all permission slips filled out properly before they depart with us. That is just a liability issue.

HEre are some things that I have seen. The young tiger cub did have a knife on that eating utensil. THere was also a can opener on that tool also. Lets take a look at why he took it. He took it to eat. That is all. There was NO intent. When something like thisn happens, look at the intent. The young boy only took it thinking that he was going to eat with it. Same thing happened about a year ago, except it was a young girl who took a steak knife to CUT HER STEAK. I cannot remember if it was metal or pllastic, but she was also suspended. As for the boy who had the knife in his SURVIVAL BAG. Yes he should have removed the bag from his vehicle. I have forgotten to take things out of my bag. From the sounds of it, he has someoine who is a rat that knows too much about what is in this young mans vehicle. If I was administrators at West Point, I would accept this young man in based on his history, his dedication, and the sole purpose to irritate someone back in his town that is obviously trying to ruin his future. The thing that I think is funny, is many moons ago, when the teacher asked if anyone had a knife in my school, becuase the teacher needed to cut something, just about EVERY boy in the class would pull out some kind of knife, (leatherman, gerber, pen knife, buck knife) and nothing was said. Not to mention, It was my senior year before parents were asked to stop having hunting rifles in windows when picking up students to go hunting.

No. The earn it once.

First off I agree with what everyone else says, you canno combine these activities. Let them go off on their own and hunt. But to play devils advocate here, how are you going to tell if he has the firearms with him. IF it is a non-council owned property, you do not have the right to search his vehicle. If the firearm is secured in a locked case, in his locked vehicle, out of sight, how are you going to prove it was there. On that note, how many parents do you have that may have a firearm in their vehicle when they come to scout meetings. I would hazard a guess that there are more firearms then you know about. Around my area, if you were to search the parents vehicles you would probably find that half of the have either a rifle, shotgun, or a pistol in thier vehicle. Especially at this time of year. Be considerate with this ASM and his son. If you are using a non-council owned property, (I know that BSA has their own rules about council owned properties and that is a whole different story) then ask him to make sure that the firearm is not an issue. If it IS a council property then simply show him the policy and ask him to respect the wishes of the council. because if he doesn't then that can have him removed from scouting. OK so who is going to berate me and tell me how wrong I am?

I forgot to add them, but I do plan to ask for about three committee members. As for our committee we have several people that are filling dual roles. (Before ANYONE tells me it is not supposed to be done that way, I already know, but we are short leaders.) ACM fills our membership chair position CC is also our WDL (He is the temp that needs a replacement)and he also does the treasurer job. We also have a secretary and an advancement chair person. I also will work on getting parents to take the reigns on the events.

ntrog8r has a good idea. The only thing that I would say is that have that other parent be a Tiger Leader Coach. Advise the new tiger leader and assist them along the way. That way you still have a leader but they are getting the guidance that they could all use. Or if you are fortunate to have a parent that wants to be a leader then let them do it. Either way it still works out.

What leader/parent volunteer positions would you have filled/ready for sign up when trying to get parents to help out. Here is my current leadership CM ACM WDL (Temp, he needs a replacement, work issues. He is also a non-parent) Bear DL Wolf DL (Not confirmed yet, this is a possible) Tiger DL (Parent said that he would do it, Not confirmed yet) Here is what I need WebI DL WebII DL Another Bear DL Another Wolf DL Would love some ADL We are also looking for some parent volunteers to help with events: B&G PWD Spring Campout Pack Meeting Coordination Can you think of anyone else?

First things first, they do all realize that they have to be there for the meetings, RIGHT???? I have had that very same problem with recruiting leaders. Of course the only response that I EVER get is (you will ALWAYS get a tiger leader, the parents have to be there anyway) I wonder when she last tried getting den leadership. Keep at it. Use the parent talent surveys. I found a leader that way one time. I know what you are going through, I am going through it again this year. We added 33 boys to our pack, total now 60, and we have to get more than the 5 leaders that we already have. That includes CM and ACM. We are holding a mandatory parents meeting this week to try to recruit leaders. Although mandatory I see many of the parents treating it like any other mandatory orientation. They think that it is not mandatory for them. Yes I know I can't force them to a parents meeting, but I need leaders and parent help, and that seems to be the only way that I am going to get it.

Herer is a link to a place where you can get some simple neckerchief carving projects www.paulssupplies.com Check out the neckerchief section. THey have a lot of simple to carve projects. Hope this helps

Has anyone out there ever created an honorguard for their pack. A group of Cub Scouts who are the primary ones that they do the flag ceremonies. Anyone done this? How did it work out. Any pit falls?

Lets look at things from a different point of view. I am not trying to bend/break any rules but I think we are getting tied up in trying to knock someone down instead of helping. First off, my council has a polar bear patch for anyone who is camping out when the weather service notes a drop in temp below that of 32 degrees. Does there have to be snow on the ground. No. Not like it would last in NC anyway. Besides that, where does it say that cold weather camping is strictly snow covered. Around here if the temp is 50 degrees, then most of the cub parents will consider it cold weather camping. MaryJ74225 My suggestion is to remind people that it is better to sleep only in your underclothes. Wearing several layers and extra clothes will cause you to sweat and get cold, thus causing hypothermia. But remember to put your clothes in the sleeping back with you. Then they will be toasty warm and not icy cold when you go to put them on.

Shortridge Sorry, I forgot to mention that these are pack specific sweatshirts. we had them made up for an alternative activity uniform. But if you still want on let me know and I will get you the cost and shipping info

THE PAST IS EXCITING AND IMPORTANT Visit your library or newspaper office. Ask to see back issues of newspapers or an almanac. Most libraries have local newspapers and possibly books on local history Find someone who was a Cub Scout a long time ago. Talk with him about what Cub Scouting was like then. Look around the council and ask for cub scouts from the past. I am sure you will find someone, they may even have one of those rugged uniforms of the past. Start or add to an existing den or pack scrapbook. YOu can do this with construction paper and staples, or get famcy with a commercial one from michaels crafts. Trace your family back through your grandparents or great-grandparents; or, talk to a grandparent about what it was like when he or she was younger. Look for a family tree, of make one of your own, send it home with the boys and have them bring it back in a week Find out some history about your community. Refere back to the library Start your own history: keep a journal for 2 weeks. Maybe make them a journal and give a reward for those that fill in the most days

We had our first meeting with our new parents and Cubs last night. Yes the concern about the uniform did come up. I told the parents that asked, I would like them to make sure that the boy was going to enjoy scouting and wanted to stay in before investing in a uniform. Because it is a cost and I do not want the parents to have to buy one and two days later drop out. One rule that we have put in place with approval from our committee. If a Cub Scout is going to partcipate in a parade with the pack, then he must have the uniform to wear. Minimum Shirt, Necker & Slide and patches attached, and the CS Belt for beltloops and stuff. If the parents are unable to get the pants right away, our School's uniform policy has the boys wearing Navy Blue pants. I do recommend the scout pants, but if the navy blue ones are all they can get for the time being then that is OK with us.(And yes the CO knows about it. We are chartered by the American legion so they had no issues with it) Some have hats some don't. We recommend them. We also have Pack activity t-shirts, swear shirts and stuff. As for the issue with the book. I have a Webelos I that is in his 3rd year with us and still has not earned anything above his Bobcat. BUT he comes to the meetings and enjoys himself every time. I guess that is the most important part. As for what you can do. Offer to help them find one that they can borrow from a uniform closet. CHeck with the salvation Army. The ones around here will give you all the uniforms that they have for free.

Some of the things that they do have planned to do are things like getting the ceremony team back up and running. They are going to start with the Pre-o team. They are also talking about working on some regalia. I think that would be interesting. THe reason why I brought up the staff issue is that I had some interest from some of the youth in how I did it. So I just thought it would be a good idea to try it out. But one of the things that I know that we will have to be cautious of is the fact that right now our chapter is meeting in a school, so they are going to have to make sure that any shaving of bark and stuff is done before the meeting so we do not get in trouble for weapons on school campus. (Yes a knife is a weapon and you can get arrested even if it is after hours) I think I may try to bring up the idea of the staff again to the youth specifically. Maybe while some are working on the regalia others can work on a staff. It could be a good time.

Thanks for the advise so far. I brought somethign up last night after our chapter meeting. I mentioned how there were several youth members at the Ordeal that showed some interest in my hiking stick. Nothing too fancy about it except I have used a wood burning kit and burned the indian head logo into it and have plans on doing an arrow. The youth thourhg it was interesting, but when I asked some of the other adult leaders, they said "That is more of a wood badge thing than an OA thing." Seems that if there is anything outside of Camp Promotions or getting Quality Chapter, then they do not want to hear it. Does anyone have any other ideas for activities. They are talking about starting practice for ceremonies. They also talked briefly about some chapter fellowship doing some service projects at our local camp.

I think that scouting is the lowest costing quality program available out there. Worth every penny. There are so many oppurtunities that it is about the biggest return on investment. (yes I watch too much DIY) Talk with your troop leaders, find out if they require anything above the registration costs. ALso check out several troops. See which ones you like.

This past weekend was our lodges Fall Ordeal Weekend and work days. (BTW I also got my Brotherhood) and while we were sitting around waiting for our new Ordeal members to return from their meeting with the Lodge Chief, the Adults and youth started talking about our low youth membership. We brought up the question of how to bring youth back into the OA. So I ask, what kind of things does your chapters do to encourage the youth to come back to the Chapter/Lodge. We are battling a misconception in the chapter that the OA is just "Free Child Labor." To give you an idea of the annual calendar, Spring, Summer and Fall Ordeals, Fall Fellowship (No Work, Just fun and learning), Lodge Banquet, and LOdge NOAC Contingent. Has anyone tried Chapter outings. Special Activities during meetings. Twenty years ago our chapter was the strongest in youth numbers. Now I think we are the lowest. What can we advise the youth to organize to change this.

Sounds like you had a great story to tell at the ECOH. I have three young Cubs that started with me as Tigers and I think that out of the three I can see two that I have a good feeling that they will make it to eagle. The third will probably make it too, but I am unsure if he will join our local Troop. Here is to the future of these young lads.

Before you go and jump on twil444, Canoeing AND Kayaking are allowed Webelos activities. Yes they are to be done at district/council events, as with any other water activities in Cub Scouting So yes you can go Kayaking. District or council event, flat water only. So maybe you can get a district event organized that brings more boys to the table/trip

Moxie Hey, that structure on you troop 40th patch looks familiar. I remember a building at a certain camp that was a key reference point in camp but really had no other purpose. I don't ever really remember the history behind it either. BTW that is the Blockhouse from Hinds, right???

Eagle92 Did the SE ever give you a copy of the patch design that I gave him at the meeting that you missed. If you want I can try to find it again and get you a copy. It was the base patch. I like the idea of the CSP segments. I will e-mail/call you later and let you know. Moxie Do you happen to remember the Klondike derby patches from teh early 90's. They were all hexagon and if you were at all 7 they formed one large patch. Unfortunatly I only got one, my troop decided to quit going.

Yes, the Statue of Liberty say to bring your weak and tired. For the most part they came throught the front door on ellis island, Learned English, became citizens, and pay taxes. My main point is if I do something Illegal, I go to jail. Why are thses illegal immigrants different. I pay taxes, but cannot get medical assistance. Find the illegals. Deport them back to mexico and secure the border with military force.

BasementDweller Sorry if I came across harsh. It just seems like a lot of times someone asks a question about planning some kind of event, the first thing that everyone asks is why you are not trained. Like the only person allowed to make any of the plans are those that have been to NCS or NRA Training programs. It seems like if you have never had any of the high cost specialized, then you should not be planning anything above a pack overnighter. That is just the way some of the people here come across.