sctmom

Our pack had not done songs in so long that I got a lot of strange looks last night when I said "time to sing".

Some of the boys knew Tarzan of the Apes from day camp, so they led that for me.

I handed out songsheets and we sang the first 2 verses to Home on the Range. A good song for the boys to be LOUD on!

SMT,

Did you not allow siblings on Cub campouts?

We not only allow but encourage siblings on Cub campouts. Our Webelos have never camped as a den, but even then I would allow siblings.

I've seen siblings as young as toddlers and as old as late teens have a great time on campouts.

Twocubdad, one of the options for Outdoorsman is:

7. Discuss with your Webelos den leader the rules of outdoor safety.

Using these rules, show how to build a safe fire and put it out.

I disagree. These are to be done with an ADULT. Tenderfoot is not done with an adult, at least not in the troops I've seen and heard of.

If you look closely you see the requirements are NOT the same as Tenderfoot. The Webelos will do all of this with AN ADULT. The Boy Scout does it with his patrol. A big difference.

Also, there are ways to get around the camping. It says to present your self as if going on a campout. Doesn't mean you have to go on the campout.

The handbook does make it clear that the camping and hiking done for the Outdoorsman badge do NOT count for the Arrow of Light requirements, you must do a DIFFERENT hike. Glad they made that clear, otherwise changing the Outdoorsman would be useless.

Hopefully parents/leaders have camped before their sons get to be Webelos, at least one starting as Tiger this year. The Wolf and Bear books have been updated to include info about family camping and give the boys some credit for camping and taking part in outdoor activities like campfires.

I think that the new requirements should help in the Webelos to Boy Scout transition. The boy can still get his AOL without camping but he can't get AOL without spending A LOT of time outdoors -- hikes, campfires, conservation projects, etc.

I posted a thread under Cub Scouts and one under Advancement about the Webelos handbooks. The Arrow of Light requirements have been beefed some, requiring more outdoor activites, not necessarily camping but at least get them outside.

No one has to use the books until August 2005 but our pack is going to start with our new Webelos this fall.

What impact do you folks on the troop side think this will have?

Our council shop did not have them. The next council over did. That council also has a National Scout Shop. I went there today, talked to the lady who runs the shop, she used to be a Cub Scout leader. Asked her opinion. She said "if your pack doesn't have their books yet, get the new ones, then if a boy joins later you know he will have the same book".

I already had a copy of the Wolf book and the Bear book. Got the Webelos book today. I like it!

Just posted a different thread about the changes in the Webelos badge requirements and the Arrow of Light.

It has more about the character connections. The activity badge requirements are in alphabetical order. The parents guide is in the FRONT. Some pictures have been updated. Some other requirements have been updated, making the badges a bit more of a challenge but still reasonable. Includes the Leave No Trace FrontCountry award requirements.

Includes info about the new belt loops that came out last year.

Traveler activity badge has as an optional requirement to earn the Map & Compass belt loop.

This should be of interest to Scouters of Cubs AND Boys. The new Webelos handbook is out. There are changes to the requirements for the Webelos badge and the Arrow of Light. Existing Webelos do NOT have to go by these requirements. I think the rule is any boy becoming a Webelos AFTER August 1, 2005 has to follow these.

Some (not all) Other changes:

Webelos Badge requires Fitness and Citizen Activity Badges.

Arrow of Light requires Outdoorsman badge. AOL also required doing

the Honesty Character Connection (a detailed discussion about promises and honesty).

NEW requirements for Outdoorsman badge:

Do 2 of these:

1. Present yourself to your Webelos den leader properly dressed, as

you would be for an overnight campout. Show the camping gear you will

use. Show the right way to pack and carry it.

2. With your family or Webelos den, help plan and take part in an

evening outdoor activity that includes a campfire.

3. With your parent or guardian take part in a Webelos den overnight

campout or a family campout. Sleep in a tent that you have helped

pitch.

4. With your parent or guardian, camp overnight with a Boy Scout

troop. Sleep in a tent you have helped pitch.

AND DO FIVE OF THESE:

5. During a Webelos den meeting, discuss how to follow the Leave No

Trace Frontcountry Guidelines during outdoor activities.

6. Participate in an outdoor conservation project with your Webelos

den or a Boy Scout troop.

7. Discuss with your Webelos den leader the rules of outdoor safety.

Using these rules, show how to build a safe fire and put it out.

8.With your accompanying adult on a campout or outdoor activity,

assist in preparing, cooking and cleanup for one of your den's meals.

Tell why it is important for each den member to share in meal

preparation and cleanup, and explain the importance of eating

together.

9. Discuss with your Webelos den leader the things that you need to

take on a hike. Go on one 3-mile hike with your Webelos den or a Boy

Scout troop.

10. Demonstrate how to whip and fuse the ends of a rope.

11. Demonstrate setting up a tent or dining fly using two half

hitches and a taut-line hitch. Show how to tie a square knot and

explain how it is used.

12. Visit a nearby Boy Scout camp with your Webelos Den.

This should be of interest to Scouters of Cubs AND Boys. The new Webelos handbook is out. There are changes to the requirements for the Webelos badge and the Arrow of Light.

Some (not all) Other changes:

Webelos Badge requires Fitness and Citizen Activity Badges.

Arrow of Light requires Outdoorsman badge. AOL also required doing

the Honesty Character Connection (a detailed discussion about promises and honesty).

NEW requirements for Outdoorsman badge:

Do 2 of these:

1. Present yourself to your Webelos den leader properly dressed, as

you would be for an overnight campout. Show the camping gear you will

use. Show the right way to pack and carry it.

2. With your family or Webelos den, help plan and take part in an

evening outdoor activity that includes a campfire.

3. With your parent or guardian take part in a Webelos den overnight

campout or a family campout. Sleep in a tent that you have helped

pitch.

4. With your parent or guardian, camp overnight with a Boy Scout

troop. Sleep in a tent you have helped pitch.

AND DO FIVE OF THESE:

5. During a Webelos den meeting, discuss how to follow the Leave No

Trace Frontcountry Guidelines during outdoor activities.

6. Participate in an outdoor conservation project with your Webelos

den or a Boy Scout troop.

7. Discuss with your Webelos den leader the rules of outdoor safety.

Using these rules, show how to build a safe fire and put it out.

8.With your accompanying adult on a campout or outdoor activity,

assist in preparing, cooking and cleanup for one of your den's meals.

Tell why it is important for each den member to share in meal

preparation and cleanup, and explain the importance of eating

together.

9. Discuss with your Webelos den leader the things that you need to

take on a hike. Go on one 3-mile hike with your Webelos den or a Boy

Scout troop.

10. Demonstrate how to whip and fuse the ends of a rope.

11. Demonstrate setting up a tent or dining fly using two half

hitches and a taut-line hitch. Show how to tie a square knot and

explain how it is used.

12. Visit a nearby Boy Scout camp with your Webelos Den.

I never said that the Constitution gave us the right to an education. I do believe that society is better if people are better educated. When I talk about the best education for a child, I don't mean that every parent should dictate each and every moment and detail of what the public school system should provide. With a kid in special ed, I know other special ed parents. Let me tell you some of them are nuts! I know the parents that everyone talks about catering to every whim of their child, the parents who ALWAYS blame the teacher or someone else. I'm sure all of you have met them too..at school, in your neighborhood or at scouts. It's the same parents! My son got moved out of special ed in the spring, partly because he had improved SO much and partly because they teachers saw the influence the other kids in that room were having on my son. They saw my son heading in the wrong direction following those other kids.

You can't put 30 people in a room and expect them all to learn exactly the same.

New teaching techniques are NOT always better. Like the open classrooms mentioned and the clusters of desk. My son does not do well in that environment. The fancy posters on the wall distract him too. He does better with set guidelines, clear rules. If he has a teacher that does this crap of a reward system, he spends more time trying to figure out how to work her system than doing the work!

I wish we could go back to one room school houses. Like someone else mentioned, a child might have 3rd grade math and 2nd grade reading. They didn't move forward until they had mastered that subject. If they were a whiz at math, they moved right ahead, didn't wait for the rest of the class.

Also, teachers now have to worry so much about the standarized tests. The state I live in has had seriously problems with the test being graded correctly! Yet they are determining the future of students and teachers and schools on this! The teachers can't worry about if the children are really learning, just can they take the test.

Not only does each child deserve the best education for him/her, but the law guarantees that! Yes, you have the right to get the best education for YOUR child. That is what Special Education is about. Anyone who has ever attended a Special Education meeting, most likly has been given a list of Parent's rights. One of those rights is that the school must provide the best environment for each child.

If you think back to your own education as a youngster, don't you rememember field trips and special projects better than anything else? I do. I remember 6th grade when we did radio plays -- we wrote the scripts, recorded special effects on the cassette tape player and then performed it behind a sheet for the rest of the class. There are many other similiar situations - the field trip to the coca-cola bottling plant, seeing the woman who watched the bottles go in front of a light and she looked for foriegn objects (at 9 years old i knew i didn't want that job).

You said that one of the boys came up with the idea of doing the Fire Safety MB and that the PLC has already voted on it. Sounds like the committee backs up what the boys say. This sounds reasonable to me.

The parents of the new boys need to understand more about how Boy Scouts is run. The father trying to call another PLC needs to back out.

Good Special Ed teachers know this. They have the kids active, let them squirm in their seats.

My ADHD son does not do well in the cluster seating. He learned at an early age to ask the teachers to move his desk away from the others, it was distracting for him to be that close to others. Crowded classroom with lots of "stuff" around distract him.

Each child learns differently. Standard classrooms and teaching methods do not take that into account.

My son is doing better in middle school because he changes classes. As he says "I don't have to sit and listen to the SAME person ALL day".

It is not very comforting though to see how much "free time" he seems to have. He takes comic books and magazines with him (he hates to read long books) all the time at school. He has read a few small paperbacks at school during this down time -- some of which is lunch time, but much seems to be in classrooms.

If you can get a microphone, let the boys use it for skits. They all like to talk into a microphone AND everyone can hear them better.

Don't be afraid of letting them read the parts to a skit.

There are even some skits that don't require talking, maybe a sign or two helps. This is good for a den like I had this past year -- the boys would NOT talk in front of the group for anything! But I didn't give up, the skit for Blue & Gold was a silent skit (I held up a sign with the name of the skit so people would now and one dad did the one speaking part). I also would get them up at the pack meeting to lead the Cub Scout Promise.

This month I'm going to tackle singing...well, actually I'm going to tackle another adult to lead the signing! LOL

Kids love this song

Tarzan of the Apes sung to the Battle Hymn of the Republic

I like coconuts, bananas, and grapes

I like coconuts, bananas, and grapes

I like coconuts, bananas, and grapes

That's why they call me TARZAN OF THE APES!

(YELL tarzan of the apes and pump your fist up in the air)

As a new cubmaster, here's what I'm doing right now. Our pack doesn't sound like it's in the shape yours is in. Some of these things I'm doing because the previous Cubmaster did them and it seemed to work.

1) Pack buys program helps for all leaders. Also, will hand new leaders the Leader handbook the night they sign up.

2) Getting records up to date -- each den handles their own den dues and attendance. We don't do attendance awards or recognition. We don't have pack dues.

There are forms in the leader handbook for Class 1 Physical (health forms) and for parent survey forms. You can also make up your own family info sheets pretty quickly.

We use packmaster, I have printed out den rosters and will have the den leaders get these up to date with correct phone numbers, addresses and email addresses.

3) Making a calendar for the whole year to be handed out as soon as possible to everyone. This calendar will include leader training and ALL committee/leader meetings (with a note that all adults are invited).

4) Making a separate calendar for the leaders about roundtable and training. Will remind them as things are coming up.

My son is ADHD. Was diagnosed at 6 1/2 years old, after a year of testing, counseling, asking, trying all sorts of things. Was put on Adderall. Saw immediate results. We have tried at times to take him off the medicine and things went bad. Teachers said they could tell the moment he walked in that he had not had his medicine. Was he dull? No, just different.

Now he only takes the medicine on school days. By 7 or 8 in the evening it is pretty much worn off, but not as bad as if he had no medicine.

His grades aren't perfect but he can do his best with the medicine. He does take the medicine on the weekend if a school project must be worked on. Otherwise, it is painful for everyone around to see him try to get the project done.

He is now 12 years old and just started 7th grade. He knows he needs his medicine to have a good day at school. The medicine helped him be able to learn coping skills. Those coping skills do kick in when the medicine is not there but paying attention in school is still a problem.

Are their lots of scouts with ADD/ADHD? Yep! Those are the boys that the parents are trying everything to channel that energy somewhere.

Most ADD/ADHD people also have above average IQ's.

The requirements are now in the new Cub handbooks.

Thanks for the update.

So sad that an adult can act that way and the other adults can't see a problem.

Eaglefoot, can you give us an update? Has more taken place since then?

Hope it all works out for the boys to get a good scouting program.

The small cub scout knife at the scout store is a great size and a good price.

I noticed that my kid would try to cut things with his knife in such a way that it would close up on him. I know that was not the proper way to cut, but it happens. He prefers his small lockback.

They also make a nice knife holder to be worn on a belt. I like that so that you know that kid has his knife and smaller kids have a problem carrying anything in their pockets.

Dsteele, no one in our district had ever heard of that CD until I mentioned it a few months ago. They had NO idea.

No room for a pinewood derby track, we are talking over 400 families in the cafeteria in a 2 hour period -- along with school supplies, PTA, etc.

I have done this in the past and took a PWD car. I took mine because it was too nerve-racking for my son to have everyone handling his. I'll ask a few parents if we can use their cars to display.

I do have a toolbox from last year's Bear den. Might be able to get a bird feeder from last year's Wolf den. Have my son's brag vest that is full from 5 years of Cub Scouts. Also his blue uniform shirt and belt full of belt loops.

Trying to get all the current Cubs to wear their uniforms to Open House and help with the table. Need to ask the parents to wear the pack t-shirts (bright yellow).

Everything I've ever seen says a den is 6 to 10 boys. The leader handbook should have some information about that and the why's behind it.

Perhaps the dens could split into 2 groups, meet together for an opening ceremony, then divide up for the main activity, then come together for closing cermony/snack time. They could still do things like field trips as one group. It doesn't mean the boys will not get to see their friends ever again.

This is the school's open house, not sign up night for scouts. It's the day everyone shows up to find out who there teacher is and get the list of supplies. There are about 600 kids at the school, K-5th grade. I want to get families invited to the first pack meeting that is before Scout Night.

We will have Scout Night later.

School Open House/Registration will be here in a few weeks. I want to have a display to recruit Cubs. Need some ideas. Prefer to NOT be outside because of the heat. I will have one lunchroom table, maybe two, inside the cafeteria along with other displays.

I have a display board with some pictures on it. Will have a flyer with short description about Cubs, info about August pack meeting and when is sign up.

What else?

Display a uniform?

Books?

PWD car?