WestCoastScouter

When we have our den or pack meetings, many times I see the boys neckers to be ALL over the place on their neck...

So I do call them over and kindly then show them HOW to fold it, and to put it on... give them a wink and send them happily on their way... they'll get it soon on their own !

The boys do like these fun uniform inspections... check their nails, shirt tucked in... I kinda pretent to be a drill seargant... they all giggle as I walk down the line of boys, cuz they know that I am normally a goofy leader with them. Told one boy, "IS THAT A PLEDGE PIN ON YOUR UNIFORM." Ok.. the dads get the joke, boys dont.. but that's ok.

Ok... I'll admit that I was proud of my sharp looking boys at the district Pinewood Derby Race... as where they and their parents.

This post is mostly for fun discussion... :-)

I've never commented on insignia misplacement to anyone. But I have seen lately some cub scouts with their council patch at the bottom of their short sleeve, den patch on wrong arm...

Even saw a leader that put his BALOO patch (completion patch) on his left arm, where a DL, or CM patch would be...

Again, I just smile and I know that since 90% of our boys are good with their insignia placement that I should just let it go.

Should I be more of a stickler ? or should I just not worry at all... which is what I think I should do.

I do give all new scouts a uniform placement guide flyer, and also tell them the local tailor shops names and Ph numbers that will do patches for about $2.00 each...

Just a side thought on maintaining your troop. Around here most of the troops are connected to a cub pack with the same Chartering Organization. You might want to think about keeping in close contact with the Pack your bridging from ? or to think about starting a pack to help "feed" into your troop. You dont want to be a one age group troop over the next few years. Just a thought...

I used to be part of a Pack that had an extremely poor program, and one in which the Webelos Dens only met 1x a month, and just did not prepare the boys for the transition. As a result our big brother troop suffered from a lack of good quality boys who could make the transition. This year only 5 of 15 Webelos II boys actually bridged to a boy scout troup... my son and I left that pack last month...(This message has been edited by westcoastscouter)

We require that the boy personally invite a friend, or other boy to come and join. I have had the boys prepare invititations to a fun event... trip to police or fire department, city hall to meet the mayor, or a saturday morning nature walk...

They then hand out those invitations to two friends... We have doubled our size by this simple recruitment idea.

The patches help encourage them to keep inviting friends. If half of your boys get a friend to join that's a 50% increase. Then if THOSE NEW RECRUITS ask a friend... See the snowball effect !??

and it really does work... and that is not counting the flyers to schools, good newspaper press about our community service, and other advertising...

I think we should look at the reason for the rule... the spirit of the law so to speak...

Isn't it to prevent double dipping? Fulfilling multiple requirements with identical service?

The only reson I could see for such a strict interpretation would be to require a scouter to volunteer "longer" in time, meaning he had to work at it for a longer period of time... keeping him around.

both arguments make some sense.

I would like to thank everyone for their comments...

It looks like the key here is the interpretation of the phrase, "Dates of service used to earn this award". That phrase is just below the language that says for example, "Complete 2 yrs. as a registered adult leader in Cub scouting in a pack."

So in my opinion, the "dates of service" relates to the type of position. So that when you are a Cub Scout Leader you can earn only one knot at a time... As a Boy Scout Leader you can earn only one knot at a time, as a District member you can earn only one knot at a time... but that if you volunteer in completely different positions... i.e. A cub den leader, and the District Commissioner... then there is no conflict of "double dipping" your time.

Thoughts?(This message has been edited by westcoastscouter)

Ok... having some discussions with another leader on knots.

Please let me know if I am right or wrong.

You cannot earn your Den Leader and Cub Scouter Knot during the same time session. Must earn one knot, and then start again a new period on the 2nd knot.

However, if you are a Den leader and say District Committee member, you can earn Den Leader Knot, and say the Scouter Key Knot, since they are completey different areas of scouting... (not the same activities as a leader)

?? help?(This message has been edited by westcoastscouter)(This message has been edited by westcoastscouter)

Can someone wiser and more knowlegable than me... Could you give me a one or two paragraph on what these two positions do? Thanks !

There is family campout committee's idea to camp at a Farm... that is being opened up to us to use. No Fee from the farm company.

I recall a rule about using non-approved campgrounds? Needing council approval ? Help...

I agree that you must at least try... A First grader is obviously going to be doing everything with a parent... most of them are just learning to read !

So if mom or dad does not go along to the Go See Its, or does not complete the other requirements, then no award. Even for Tigers its an award, not a paid-your-dues patch. Yet, every opportunity should be given to allow a parent to make up a missing item by the end of the school year. We are in February right now, then still have four months? Is there a rush to get it done by the B&G ?

I'll elaborate on the issue. Our pack has grown due to the work of two former scout dads, one was even an Eagle. I am a Bear DL and see a huge difference on how these two leaders of Tigers and Wolves vs. past years. Thus we have 4x a many younger boys than Webelos... The Tigers, Wolves, Bears meet 3x a month, while the Webelos meet 1x a month.

There have been disagreements over the past year with the CC and CM, and these two "younger boy" DL dads. These DL's have helped us grow from 40 boys to well over 60 boys. They are the ones that volunteer to do the recruitment, plan the campout, ect. And a vast majority of us on the Pack Committee wanted one of them, either one, as the incoming CM, as our current CM departs as his son bridges out.

Thus when it was "announced" that thie "Executive Committee" had met and selected one of the current Webelos-1 Dads as the new CM. This gentleman has been a 50% attendee to Pack Commitee meetings, has never been a DL or worked with boys, and is rather introverted.

We all assumed that we would discuss and vote on who to recommend. We all know that the COR, who has NEVER attended any function is clueless, and just signs whatever papers are brought to his house.

Many of us took this as a last snub on us younger leaders... Should we consider breaking off and forming our own Pack ?? If we do.. the curent pack would be left without any Tigers, Wolves, or Bears...

Last year we just strung the beads on, and then came back up and down through again on the bottom bead. Thus going through it twice. This seemed to work fine. None ever came off.

... so you see my point.. the COR is supposed to be educated and to select the CM. The outgoing CC, CM and ACM "meet as the Executive Committee" ??? and do the handpicking ? vs. getting imput from all parents and leaders... Lets just call it the last minute annointing as they walk out the door... so as to keep their grasp on power.

They handpicked the incoming CM... (no discussions with the Committee, and our COR never comes to meetings.) Others were interested in being CM.

We have some divisions in our Pack Committee...

At our last meeting the CC announced that "Per discussions with the Executive Committee... which is me, the CM, and the ACM" we have decided that ....."

Is there such a thing as an Executive Committee for a pack ? I cant find where such a thing exists? or is this just a way for them to make decisions without discussing/vetting them with the entire Pack Committee ?

For potluck... a greater at the door to "direct people' as to where to place their dish, and where their den will be sitting can also speak to those families that show up empty handed. A brief referal of them to the nearby Supermarket deli to pick up some friend chicken can then be requested.. such as, "Hello Smith family... welcome! So good to see you! Oh.. did you remember that tonight is a potluck ! Goodness nothing huh !?? Mom or dad, we have a few minutes, can you quickly run to Safeway to get something ? Yes? oh good ! The Webelos are over there, thank you so much, this way no one will be hungry."

Also, do what happens at scout camp. "No Seconds until the CM announces as such" Usually giving 5 minutes after the last person goes through the line, to let the last person eat some and give him a chance to also go for 2nds... not merely the food disposal dads !!

You must be a bit of a dictator to keep from being walked over !

Is it possible for me to serve as both a DL & a District Committee member ?

Just to check.. you just cannot offcially serve multiple positions within a UNIT ?

I am a mere DL, and was speaking to our UC, when I used the phrase, "My boys have been..." I stopped, looked at him and said, "Well.. let me correct that they are not 'MY' boys... they are the boys in Den 1."

The UC... an older gentleman who is much wiser than I.. simply replied, "No... they ARE your boys.. you care about them, provide a quality program for them, for many you are a father figure to them, so in your heart.. they are your boys, and that's ok." Nuff said for me I thought !!

Can a DL also be the Pack Trainer for the same pack ??

I am putting together our Pack Family Campout in late April.

I'm looking for some new ideas for activities for the boys. We always do a hike, have an astrometer come out at night, have shot off soda liter rockets, done knots, and done dutch oven cooking demos.

Anything interesting that others would suggest ? About 30-40 kids total will be there.

A den is not allowed to go on its own campout...

A pack may conduct a family campout...

So my Question is: What is a pack family campout? Does this mean that the whole pack must be invited? What if only one age group of the pack, with their parent attends?

What if the parents of our den wants to do an overnight, just us at the nearby Scout Camp on a Saturday night ? Must we invite the rest of the pack to go with us? Must we organize it for the whole pack to attend?

or is the term "family campout" meaning that the cub scout must be acccompanied by the adult..?

My pack is in need of some ceremony props and displays.

I recently saw an Advancement Ladder with the different neckers on the rungs, and the names on the clothespins.

Does anyone have plans to a ladder like this ? or to other cool cerememony props that we can build?

Photos of some would also help us... Feel free to send direct message to me.

Thanks...

We were having a planning session for some outdoor activities, and there was a disagreement.

When we travel to a nearby County Park to partisipate in their Jr. Ranger - Nature Program (on a Saturday)is it required that the boy's parent/guardian come along?

Or is it ok to have the boy come along with no parent/guardian so long as there is always two deep leadership?

The idea of doing your best, after working on it with mom and dad, and with some prompting... is that I do.

So more clearly.... another DL just says, "Raise you hand in the cub scout sign and REPEAT AFTER ME..." There is no memorization at all required. Is this too little ??