dedkad

So for all you hand-sewers, what's the trick to sewing on the patches? The patches are so thick I need a thimble to push the needle through. It's very slow going, and I can't see how younger boys could manage.

I know! Girl Scout cookies sell themselves. I think asking people to buy a $20 bag of popcorn is kind of embarrassing.

If you decide to fold, I think you should spend all of the remaining money you have on a really cool outing for the boys as a group instead of sending them each off with their own money.

I know, I know, I am totally overthinking this, but I just want to make sure the boys have a good time, which also includes bunking with someone they want to bunk with, and none of them will want to bunk with these problem boys. If I can give them a logical explanation on why the tent assignments ended up the way they did, then they might be more understanding and not feel like they are being punished if they end up in the tent with one of them.

You heard second-hand from the dad den leader that everyone wants to quit or move to a different pack. If I were you, I'd make some phone calls myself just to make sure he is accurately reporting how others feel. Chances are, though, they won't feel the same nostalgia you do about the pack and just want to make sure their boy is having fun. If you think what your pack offers is better than the other packs in the area, then fight to keep it. Otherwise, save yourself, the other parents, and the boys the stress of the constant leadership turnover and move to another pack.

I think this might be a good way to approach it. I might even expand on your questionnaire and have them list whether they'd prefer to sleep alone (maybe I'll get lucky and the problem boys will want their own tent), what their normal bed times and rise times are (put boys on the same schedule together in the same tent), and have them list up to 3 boys they'd be willing to bunk with just in case I need more options. I think taking all those factors into account, I could come up with some tent assignments that I could argue were done logically and not by popularity.

BD, you know absolutely nothing about his pack or his den. This could have been some or all of the boys' first-ever camping experience. Maybe all the nearby campgrounds charge outrageous fees and the pack and families are low-income. Maybe they were all busy and could barely squeeze in a quick overnighter nearby. Maybe he has an absolutely amazing backyard that is far better than any crummy public campground with wall-to-wall people. A backyard camping trip is better than no camping trip. If you want people to listen and respect your opinion, then I think you should reconsider how you deliver

I asked a friend who plays a lot of tennis, including club tournaments. Here is what he told me: "Not sure about some of these, maybe do a google search for tennis drills. Forehand alley rally is where each person stands on the right side of the court and hits forehands to the other. It's always over the net so 3 & 4 are the same. I think 1 & 5 is where you stand close to the net on the service line and hit volleys/short hops back and forth."

I'm not being judgmental. I've been known to buy the water bottles when it's convenient. I just have a real issue with our throw-away society and all the waste that plastic water bottles generate. I've been to the recycling center at the local landfill and have seen all the effort, cost, and manpower that goes into recycling, so just knowing that they will be turned into a recycling center isn't enough. I'd really like to see us cut down all the waste at the source. As Scouts, do we take advantage of society's throw-away attitude and capitalize on it or do we try to set a better example and pr

But what about the environment...

I will be taking my Webelos on their first, and probably only, camping trip without a parent along, and I'm wondering how to work out the sleeping arrangements. I will have up to 7 boys going, and there is not enough room at the site for each boy to have his own tent. If I left it strictly up to the boys, I would have 5 boys who all get along and would all want to share a tent and 2 that are left out. I don't think it is a good idea to bunk the 2 left-out boys together because they both have very different behavior issues that won't mesh well together in a confined space. How do you work out s

Thanks for the link and the excerpt. It would have taken me awhile to sift through all 133 pages of that manual to find the answer!

I have a message in to the Council, but I'm wondering if Cubs Scouts are allowed to participate in the Shoot O Rama's. What about Webelos? In order to earn our AOL, my Webelos have to do an outdoor activity with a Boy Scout troop. I thought the Shoot O Rama would be perfect for that.

I think it also causes one of two things to happen: 1. Leaders take their boys on less trips because the paperwork is too cumbersome (Sometimes great opportunities come up, but the deadline to submit a tour permit has already passed.), or 2. The boys go on the trip anyway, without the paperwork.

There are some on here who contend that as soon as the school year ends, a Scout's ability to earn rank ends. Why some people choose to hold such a hard line, I'm not sure. I'm glad it's clarified now.

I honestly think it is important to go over these things with your den as well as your parents. If the parent is the abuser, the boy would need another outlet to discuss the problems.

Of course he was found not guilty. It was Florida. Look at Casey Anthony.

It takes a special GS leader to want to take 7 Brownies camping by themselves. A 2nd grader has minimal cooking, cleaning, and tent set-up skills, so you're pretty much doing it all for them. And what about all those middle-of-the-night bathroom trips? Think those girls are willing to walk to the bathroom by themselves in the dark? I think family camping at that age is entirely appropriate and preferred.

Yes, great press! http://news.yahoo.com/us-jamboree-requires-health-conscious-scouts-153904236.html

KDD, cracking is more fun.

qwazse, it falls on the den leader because the AOL requirements say to visit a troop WITH YOUR DEN. That's why she's asking and why I'm asking.

The dens in our pack only meet once a month (not counting monthly pack meetings). Sometimes we have to throw in an extra meeting or two throughout the year to get everything done, but I can tell you that it is possible to achieve rank with once a month den meetings. Since you are swamped with doing everything yourself, have you considered just meeting with each den separately once a month, then having one den meeting where they all come? When you think about it, trying to juggle all the dens at one meeting, is kind of cheating them out of doing things that are more age-appropriate and fun for

Locally, we are seeing the same with Cubs. I think we would be better off to get rid of Tiger Cubs. I think we get too much burnout of kids and volunteers with 4 1/2 yrs of Cubs. I know I barely survived my tenure of 4 1/2 yrs as a Tiger Cub through Webelos den leader (along with another year as a Cub parent). Our troop is busting out at the seams at this point. The Cub pack, which had over 100 scouts when I was involved, is down to less than 30. I've been a leader since my son was Tiger. Now going into our final year as a Webelos 2. I agree that there is burnout. I'm burnt out and fee

Without the Bobcat, he can't earn his Webelos rank, so Bobcat should be his first focus. I wouldn't worry about doing the Readyman and Outdoorsman requirements over again just for him because his past performance pretty much shows that he is not going to earn his AOL. I have a similar situation with a boy in my den, and I'm just trying to get him to focus on earning his Webelos rank by the end of his 18 months. AOL is way out of reach for him due to missing too many activities and not completing homework. Just getting the Webelos rank would be a great achievement for my particular boy. I

This year our most popular pack meeting was the Sheriff's K-9 unit demonstration. Last year one of the favorites was an egg drop contest. You should have seen the creative packages the boys brought with them to protect their eggs. After each drop, we opened up the package and cracked the egg to make sure it wasn't hard-boiled. I liked the egg drop because, unlike Pinewood Derby, it was something the boys could build without an adult helping. The boys were so successful in their packaging that only one egg out of over 30 cracked. We'll have to drop from a bigger height next time. 10' wasn't eno