hondaman

I second the dietary restriction part. Be sure to have backup plans in place for people who cannot eat certain foods due to allergies, personal preferences, and the like. A lot of people have mentioned meat-centric meals so far. Make sure you have some vegetarian options in the cookbook; even if you don't have any vegetarians this year, you may get one next year. Usually, this is pretty easy to accommodate--they have veggie burgers, veggie hot dogs, and skewers that can be done with peppers and other veggies rather than meat. Likewise, be aware a lot of people are cutting gluten out

Also, to add to my previous post....I thought of a good idea for WEBELOS-aged boys, based on my first shop project from middle school (since power tools aren't required unless you're the one cutting the pieces, I feel a fourth/fifth grader can handle it). It's a letter opener and is a two-day job. Get a piece of cherry wood. Cut it into 6" x 1" pieces. Then, do the same for maple. Have the boys use a ruler and a coping saw to cut the maple piece in half, then shape one end of each piece so that it is rounded. The tool to use here is a double-cut file. To me, there is no better tool to int

When I was in Cub Scouts, we had quite a few good projects, some of which are still sitting around my place or my mom's place today. We didn't do any wood projects in my Tiger year, but I think a lot of that had to do with when I was a Tiger. Tigers were still a newish thing when I was in Cub Scouts. I wore the bright orange sweatshirt with the iron-on paws and the orange and white cap, and we didn't even have specific paws back then--they were all black paws. I'm not 100% sure about this, but I think they started having "achievements" in the mid-90s; if anyone can confirm that would be g

Once again, thanks to everyone for the responses. I had a talk with his parents, especially since he couldn't make it to his session on Tuesday. I saw him Friday instead. Evidently, the "communist" remarks are nothing new. He has been using them on politicians he doesn't like for years, or at least as long as he's known much about politics (I'm guessing either the 2008 or 2012 election). I talked to both his mother and to him, and the main issue is that he despises his math teacher, more than I had even thought. He feels she is "incompetent" and "can't teach". The same opinion i

Rick--good question. I have known his mother for quite a while through church and I know he's always had a few focus issues, but he's always wanted to succeed and hasn't really been all that negative about school until this year. He has been very negative about his math teacher, his foreign language teacher, and to some extent his chemistry teacher. I have never heard him that negative about actual teachers before, although he has been very negative of others outside of the school system (namely politicians he does not like). He does have an interest in government but refuses to hear all

Wow, thanks for all the great replies!! All of you have given me some great ideas and have answered my questions. Since some of you have brought it up, yes, he does have an X-Box, and I have talked with the parents about limiting it or even putting it on ice entirely. He also watches a lot of hockey on TV but isn't really into any shows or movies. I'm not sure if they have followed through with any of this but I will see him Tuesday and will find out. Dropping band isn't an option for him since you have to sign up for band class in school. Marching season is over but I think they hav

First, I am new to these forums and am not directly involved in Boy Scouts (although I was a Cub Scout many moons ago and earned my Arrow of Light before retiring so I could focus my non-school activities around instrumental music, computers, and baseball). I am an academic tutor who runs a support, enrichment, and homeschool business. Currently, I have a high school junior who is a Boy Scout. I am not sure exactly which rank or requirement he is working towards (again, I am familiar with Cub Scouts but not Boy Scouts) but I know he is extremely busy with activities for Scouts, particular