Faith

Right, both yours were in first grade (I'm assuming) when joining (despite age.) I was wondering if a child isn't 7 AND isn't in First Grade, were they still allowed under special circumstances (my example being with siblings.)

Ok, here's the thing. There were two parents at the meeting. Both with two sons, one going into Kindergarten this Fall, one going into First grade. When I went to help them sign up the first graders, one asked if her Kindergartener could also join so they'd be together. The other parent liked the idea and said she'd like to know as well. I told her I didn't believe so (due to both being 5 until November and next March and going into K5) but I'd ask the DD (this was to cover my own butt.) He said sure, no problem, brushed it off like it was nothing. He then came over and helped them fill the stuff out. Our CM heard this and pretty much stated what I did, that he thought they were too young. The DD pretty much shushed him until the parents were gone. I then went on to explain why I asked that and he kept saying he didn't see the big deal, this would keep them together. I told him I understood that, I just thought when their fellow classmates hit first (and possibly join up), they will be a year ahead of the rest (I wasn't sure if this was frowned upon, allowed, etc.)

Welcome! Glad to have you here

Reading that and only dealing with cubs, I was wondering the same. I had no idea there were some still in scouting past 18 (I need to do some more looking into Venturing.) I like qwazse's response, I couldn't see myself viewing it any other way if I was in that position currently.

Hi all, Yesterday a couple of us (CM, asst. CM, 2 den leaders and our DD) met at the library with some parents from the local elementary schools who were interested in their sons signing up for scouts next year when they enter first grade. After a minor...discussion (I will not call it an altercation) with our district director who was also there, this question came up. I'm gonna nose around online as well and see if I can find more information on this: I was always under the impression that a scout had to be 7 OR in the first grade to join. My son won't be 7 until second grade (due to when his birthday falls) but he was allowed in last year due to his grade, not age. Is there any 'exceptions' to this rule that would allow a kindergartener or 6 year old into scouting (as a Tiger, not any rank that may exist in some areas for younger boys.)

That's great to hear I really felt (and again I shouldn't assume) that I was on the same page with a lot of the parents in mine. The posts I saw today were definitely a surprise. I had to go snoop just now to see if they posted anything on it since then but none have.

I never knew of the 'onmyhonor.net folks' until today. As I said before, no one in my pack ever shared their feelings on this with me and I kept mine to myself as well. However today, I saw a bunch of them posting stuff from that site on FB (which is odd to me that they decide to do that today before any other time.) I have no problem with this (as a scout parent and a Christian) but I have no idea how this will impact our pack, if at all. I am happy that more boys will have a chance to be a part of this now.

Awesome! Thanks so much

Yes I'm loving the speed. And fonts and images and links - I'm too much of a forum nut to be here seeing this haha. Yay!

Welcome to the forum, hope to see you around!

Yay forum update! Loving the look of it (much neater imo), trying to see if I can find anything buggy while poking around. Comments to replies seem to have disappeared (unless I'm looking in the wrong area) but other than that I haven't noticed anything else.

Thanks you two Not sure where the comments went (the forum changed on me!) but yesterday I pretty much decided to keep it to simple targets and let all the other areas 'go all out.' Easy setup for us, a happy CM (I will make sure to make the displays colorful while being sciency in 'form') and happy scouts who get to shoot

Meh, its getting old. I do enough jumping through hoops for work on here, lol. Although I'm sure this is just a small hoop compared to what I'll see later on so I'm not complaining. I'm just gonna plan to do what I can - something very basic beforehand and then a normal firing range. They have tons of other things planned out for other areas that have science/engineering/technology/math written all over them. Apparently I was given this as no one else could come up with anything. I wonder why!

I was visualizing that - heart attacks all around (and I'd be the first I'm sure.)

I did point that out, that we'd be forever 'restocking' on cups, balloons and water (not 100% sure on the amount of scouts participating but regardless we'd be doing it a LOT.) Love your idea about trajectory, I will pass that along. I have all ideas she will say no to that as well (it seems to me she's mainly going for eye catching 'setups', over anything else.) But regardless we can show that in our den to our boys if nothing else.

Well, after no reply from the CM, I asked her at the meeting today. She pretty much said no to all of it. Said we could brightly color boxes for them to shoot at with the bows and fill plastic bottles with colored water and have them shoot at that. Not sure what 'science' I was supposed to incorporate with those two ideas or why I was asked to plan it, ah well. Husband said no to the bottles (they covered that at training Saturday after this discussion), I told her clear plastic cups I would think would be better for the liquid, didn't get a response on that so we'll see come closer time.

This cracked me up, as I haven't seen one award or patch on any of the adult leaders in our pack yet. I'm not sure why (I know some of them have been in it 10+ years) but I can't recall seeing one. Therefore I can't say if it would 'bother' me or not, I highly doubt it although I can see where the excess may look tacky (I don't mean the stuff you rightfully earn but putting EVERYTHING on there, including stuff that shouldn't be on there.) I personally think the old patches are cool, I wouldn't mind seeing them if someone wore one around me (I'd have to be nosy and ask about their experience but that's about it.) As for uniform pants (saw someone mention this), I think myself and our cubmaster are the only two that wear them. Everyone else wears jeans or dickies.

Our Tigers love to wear their uniforms but I've noticed at pack meetings that a lot of the older boys come in their school uniforms, not their cub scout uniforms. The neckerchief sliders are a PITA, we are forever having them slide off no matter how tight we get them on. I try to get our scouts to wear them to all our outings as scouts, to get them accustomed to wearing them later on as well. I know some scouts who haven't worn one from day one so I figure the earlier the better. With that being said, I agree with a majority of the comments in this thread and think there is room for improvement with the uniforms. Our boys have complained about how hot they get in theirs (especially when outdoors) but so far no one has refused to wear it (in our den.)

@ Packsaddle, what else do y'all do fundraiser wise? I'm looking for suggestions to present at the next roundtable since so many are against selling it. The prices are ridiculous, imo, I got quite a few complaints on the stuff I sold last year (they knew it was for a good cause but people will still complain, especially those that purchased from me online.) If there are better alternatives out there, I'm all for looking at them. We currently do nothing else but popcorn.

I will say right now I am a big woman. I had to go to the scout shop to get my pants as well, as I couldn't find the size I needed online. With that being said, all of the more fit (and probably more capable) parents who were given the option as den leader, along with me, refused to step up to plate. I'm sure they'd have preferred someone else more in shape but alas it didn't happen. Not one person has pointed it out (which I appreciate) and since becoming a leader, I have started watching what I eat and walking at least a mile everyday. Hopefully by next year these pants will be much too big, lol. But if not, ah well. I still get out there with the scouts and do my best, as they do. And I'm sure cookies does too (And yes, its very hard sometimes online to get across your point without sounding rude - it happens to us all.)

We received a paper last year saying they would take no returns. What our pack did was get the scouts to go around, collect orders, then ordered only what an order was placed for (if scout A had an order of 20 bags, they ordered 20 bags, etc.) I'm not sure how they did it in the past (and I know there are many flaws here and is limiting us on sales we could do with supply on hand) but apparently they were burned many times in the past so this is what become of it. Some that ordered never turned in money, so those were the ones sold 'on hand' instead of placing an order. My son sold $770 worth, I think the highest was $1200 (and we only had maybe 18 boys out of...70-ish sell it.) A lot of our parents despise selling it (they sell so much for the elementary schools that this takes the back burner.) I admit due to his popcorn sales, we didn't sell a thing for his school this year (my friends/family said the popcorn was enough.) We talked about it at the last roundtable and I discovered many of our leaders are against selling it. But for those 18 that did sell, it helped cover quite a bit this year so I think if you're not gonna sell it, so be it, but don't say no for those that do (else we'd all be paying out of pocket for everything.)

I wasn't so awfully boring as a teenager but grew up quickly right before my 20s (and am now pretty boring myself.) I still really don't drink (only when my ambassador program requires it or we have a big get together here at the house.) I do *not* get drunk. The husband is much more lenient with his intake (not alcoholic status but after work he likes a beer every now and then.) But with that being said, I don't think he'd ever leave a meeting to go have a drink. Only reason I'd ever leave is if it was an emergency or something I couldn't avoid. Even as an occasional smoker (shame on me I know) I refrain from smoking at any function/gathering that is scout related, whether they provide areas or not.

If they do, I didn't get that email either! And maybe its best you didn't ask that, I'd be afraid to see the answers (I'd still read them of course but that's beside the point.)

All that celebrating should counter any soberness. Thankfully that email didn't make it to my inbox so I'll have a drink tonight in your honor (the rest you'll just have to figure out on your own)