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WDL Mom

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  1. Hi, Thanks for your responses. We have had 2 Scoutmasters in the past 2 years so how things have been run, may not be how things will be run. Previously, the NSP stayed together and moved on together. Then the Troop had a year or so of mixed age patrols. Now we are sitting with 2 NSP patrols, and I am not sure what will happen. My guess is that they will move forward together, otherwise by numbers they would overwhelm the existing patrols. And I am not sure that the older guys want to be split out with a lot of younger guys. I realize that you can do the Tenderfoot, 2nd and 1st cl
  2. Hi All, Our Troop has 2 NSP with a total of 18 new scouts. We have 2 existing patrols beyond the NSP. As the new scouts move through Tenderfoot and into 2nd and 1st Class requirements, there has been a divergence of who needs to work on what for advancement. I realize that this would occur, since those that attend regularly will have greater opportunity to learn and apply their new skills. My question is: How does the PLC and Troop Guides plan for instruction with the new scouts if you have 18 boys that are in so many different areas? The new scouts have almost doubled
  3. Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I think that I will propose that he "update" his training and share his expertise with the other new tiger den leader. If that doesn't work then I will pursue the shorter individual version where I can update him on the changes. I would also want him to update YPT as well. Either way he would get some training... which is the whole point!
  4. Hi All, I am the Pack trainer for a Cub Scout pack. We have a new Tiger Den leader that was involved with the Pack in the past, before any of our current leaders time. He claims to have had "all" the training. I have checked with the Council office and they only have record of him having taken two Commissioner courses. The Council a number of years ago had a "black hole" issue where many training records disappeared. He no longer has the training cards. What to do? I would like him to take the course and refresh and perhaps share his experience with the other Tiger Den leader. W
  5. Hi, Been there! I have a den of 12 Webelos II's. We have been together as a group since Wolf. They are a HIGH ENERGY group. If you don't have something for them to do, they WILL invent their own activity! Some things that have worked for me, your mileage may vary... 1. Divide and conquer. I NEVER have any activity for 12 boys. They can't/won't sit and listen. I split them into 3 or 4 groups. They rotate to 3 or 4 different stations. These stations are manned by parents, ADL and a Den Chief. It is much harder to cut up when you are in a group of 3. Plus you get to pick t
  6. Thanks for the replies. I have visions of 10 and 11 year old boys on the elementary playground with their snow boots and pants, stocking caps and mittens. I just don't feel that their gear is sufficient for the conditions. Not to mention their (and my) lack of cold weather training. I don't want their first Boy Scout experience to be miserable! I called all my parents, almost every one of them thanked me for canceling. Makes you wonder what it would take before they would have pulled them on their own?? Kind of scary having that level of trust/responsibility for other folk
  7. Hi All, My Webelos II den was scheduled to go to Klondike this Saturday with a Boy Scout Troop. We are looking at single digit temps for a high with wind chills down to -20. I played the "bad guy" and canceled the trip for the Webelos. No winter training and gear that isn't substantial enough for that type of wind. Our District has NEVER canceled Klondike. At what point does this become sheer stupidity? At summer camp they restrict activities due to heat index, what is up with wind chills? I checked through the GTSS and found no information about temperatures. Is there a gu
  8. Hi, No dues here either. We charge the registration fee and Boys Life if desired. Popcorn sales cover everything else. This includes things like their scout book, neckerchief, all awards, den materials, etc. Camping or ballgames or extra events may have an additional cost. No den dues either.
  9. Tarp Fold: Use a large tarp that goes under a larger troop tent. Put 6-8 boys on top of the tarp. They must turn the tarp over without anyone falling off the tarp. After they turn it over, then they have to fold it as small as possible without anyone falling off. After about 4 folds the group can step one guy off per fold. Works well as a race with two groups.
  10. Hi, Try Google and type a search for Recycled crafts.... A ton of sites come up. Here is one site from the list. It is hard to know what to suggest, when you don't see the actual size... http://www.makingfriends.com/recycle.htm Hope this helps.
  11. The Troop wanted the Webelos I to participate during the day until after the campfire, but only Webelos II could camp. The Troop wanted them to have something to look forward to when they become Webelos II's. Let me tell you, when the wind starting blowing at 2 am. I was wishing I was a Webelos I leader... It got cold.
  12. Hi All, We had a joint Webelos and Boy Scout camp out this weekend. I went over the equipment list with my son. He is responsible for packing his own stuff and has gotten better at it. As we were loading the car, he commented that his bag was too heavy. So I decided that maybe I should take a look. First thing out was a pair of swim trunks and goggles! Apparently he remembered that this camp ground was the same as Day camp this summer and figured they might go swimming! The day time high was 50 degrees... Did he have all the listed items - yup. I won't detail what else wa
  13. Hi All, Our Webelos II den participated with a local Troop in a joint camp out. It was a lot of fun and the Troop did a wonderful job. Thought I would post the details in case anyone else was looking for ideas. The Boy Scouts camped out Friday night at a local camp and set up tents and equipment for the visiting Webelos. The Webelos arrived Saturday morning. The Webelos and their parents could set up their own tent or use Troop provided tents. The troop also had sleeping pads and heavy weight sleeping bags as well. During the day on Saturday the boys did the following events:
  14. Hi All, As a follow up... We found out that the base percentage given back to the units is NOT 27% it is 25%. Which seems low to me, but, what do I know? In order to get up to 30% you have to jump through a series of "hoops". Will we be able to increase our sales by $1? ... maybe. Our Pack leadership did discuss looking elsewhere for fundraisers. However, in our community the popcorn sale is well received and publicized. It is unlikely that we could earn as much in another effort. I guess we just have to live with it.
  15. Hi, The following paragraph is the response from the DE: "The 3 percent in question is the bonus commission that Units earn by completing the 3 requirements: Attend Popcorn Training, Meet Sales Goal (last year + $1), and turn in money on time. The bonus commission provides an incentive for Units to push themselves to improve over their previous performance. In previous years, requirements for commission have been different (sometimes including recruitment, FOS, other Scouting things, etc). As a bonus commission, its designed to be a reward, not a penalty. The Council Popcorn com
  16. Hi All, Our Pack is selling Trails End popcorn this year. We thought that the Pack received 30% of the sales. We have heard from our Council that we will only receive 27% not 30%. In order to receive the extra 3% we must do the following: Attend popcorn kickoff (did this) Turn in money in on time (we will do this) Sell more this year than last year. The third item is causing us some turmoil. We sell over $20,000 worth of popcorn. I think when units sell a lot of popcorn, there is a more limited upside of what they can increase from year to year. We will be losing a goo
  17. LisaBob, I can see myself as a Webelos Transition person for a troop once son bridges as well. I also plan on continuing as the Pack Trainer for our Pack, so I should have connections going both directions. I had a thought. If the boys won''t/can''t come to your event, what about going to theirs? For example, our Council has a huge Cub Scout Halloween camp out at our local camp. Go camping with your Pack and 900 of your closest friends! Carnival games, BB''s, archery, haunted house, hay rack rides and the whole bit. Thing is, by 5th grade the Webelos have been there a couple of
  18. Hi, Our District ran a similar event recently. The DE''s did boy talks at all the area Jr. High Schools. We had 5 troops in attendance. 1 boy showed up. I heard through the grapevine about the event and ended up crashing with my Webelos II''s.... I didn''t know that it was only for Jr. High age kids. Ooops. I am frustrated with a related situation. My den has 13 boys, all of whom have expressed interest in bridging to Boy Scouts. Our Pack feeds traditionally about 3 troops in town. Troop 1 is large - 70+ kids. They probably don''t need to bother recruiting, just rake in
  19. Hi All, I think we plan on him starting with my den and evaluating as we go. I did contact our DE and was told that we could place him where ever it seemed appropriate after consultation with the parents. He (the DE) is in discussions with the Autism Society in our town about starting a Pack specializing in scouting for kids with autism. The thought is that scouts could participate in one or both Packs. The Pack hasn't started up yet, but, might be an option down the line. A couple of questions I am still pondering... 1. When my den of Webelos II bridge to Boy Scouts d
  20. Hi All, I had a new Webelos II scout join my den last night. The scout is 11 years old and is diagnosed with Aspergers. When talking with Mom, she indicated that he is chronologically 11, but, functions on more of an 8 year old level. (I am not sure if this is intellectual or social or both.) He does have a full time aide in class. Mom is attempting to have a respit (sp?) worker attend den meetings with him. Anyway, she asked if he could be placed with a younger den, and I have no idea what the rules/standards are within BSA for such a placement. As of right now, he is placed
  21. We have had a magician and animals from the zoo at past Blue and Gold banquets. Probably the best received was a Comedy Sports team. They do improvisation skits based on the suggestions of the boys in the audience. Absolutely hilarious and the boys and adults loved it. Kind of like Whose Line is it Anyway on tv.
  22. Hi, I may be in your exact spot as well. I have 3 new scouts starting as Webelos II. One thought we had that hasn't already been covered; link up with your Webelos I den when appropriate. Our Webelos I are covering some Fitness pin requirements and have invited my 3 new scouts to join them for the session. Might help with meeting some of the pin requirements.
  23. Hi All, In my internet travels I stumbled upon an ambulance service in the UK that provides free downloads for some basic first aid advice as MP3 files for your MP3 player. Here is the link: http://www.secamb.nhs.uk/audio-bank/audio-downloads/first-aid-audio-downloads-for-your-mp3-player Not the way I would want to see the scouts taught initially, but, it might have some uses... Maybe review, maybe used for kids that are auditory learners... I wouldn't mind maybe seeing other information available this way...maybe some history of scouting. Of course we might end up
  24. Hi, I emailed my DE and he approved the activity, including the zip line and the team building activities. I would like to take the boys to a nearby cave as well. It is very tame as far as caves go. It is highly traveled, pretty much novice level. There might be a couple of squeezes but that is pretty much it. Haven't run that one by the DE yet... Other things I am planning for next year... For Readyman: I have one parent that is a nurse and another who is a former EMT. I have access to CPR dummies, so we will do a session on rescue breathing and CPR. I would
  25. Eamonn, One possiblity might have been to contact the Department of Human Services in your area. If DHS is contacted, then they investigate the claim and take it from there, including contacting the school and the police. They will take reports from third parties and I believe from individuals that aren't considered Mandatory Reporters. (At least they will in our area.) DHS will probably not tell you the result of the investigation. Doing this will set the system in motion. It is confidential. It could very well upset both sets of parents.
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