The Latin Scot

Our pack is combined from 3 small units; we maintain our own unit numbers but have all pack activities as a combined group. Units 1 and 2 have combined dens (Wolf - Webelos), while unit 3 has its own set of dens (Wolf - Webelos); we don't run a Tiger program: Unit 1: 5 boys, 3 den leaders, 2 committee members Unit 2: 4 boys, 1 committee leader Unit 3: 11 boys, 4 den leaders, 1 committee member, 1 cubmaster Total: 20 boys, 12 leaders The troop has its own unusual arrangement. It has taken in a few boys from a struggling unit that meets in the same building; they are still registered

Here we go! As you can see, our "field flag" is much easier to carry and can take a good beating in the outdoors (that's a coarse linen we made it out of). It still has our den emblem and the Arrow of Light on it - that's the yellow blur on the bottom - but it isn't covered in all the doo-dads and ribbons which bedeck our ceremonial flag. The most important thing to the boys was that they both look "medieval," and I think they succeeded! The boys have their own names for each flag. The primary ensign is our "Parade Flag," while the smaller banner is our "Battle Flag." They definitely gra

That's how they were when I was a kid, and how I had envisioned it. That's why we have a second flag for "field use" that's smaller, lighter, and attaches to the end of a long pole. I will get a picture of that one when I can today, now that I know how to work pictures here. :-)

Finally! I figured out how to post pictures here; this is our den flag, as you can see. The design process was a battle of who's doing what of course, but I showed them a book of medieval banners and flags, and they chose the shape and colors they liked, and what they wanted on the front, along with its dimensions. Then my father sewed it up and embroidered it for them while the boys constructed a pole out of PVC pipes and copper paint. On the back, though you can't see them in this picture, are the jumbo patches for Webelos rank and the Arrow of Light, which we found at the Scout Store. Once

Here it is! I couldn't wait to throw on the full uniform, so here is the hat at least. It's a perfect fit too; I am so excited to wear this to the next pack meeting!

Wow ... what I day I just had. Today, as it happens, is my birthday. I woke up in the morning, and found banners and balloons all over my front yard, which was a total surprise. Then this afternoon, I found out who put them there, for I answered the doorbell to find three of my little Webelos friends at my door singing Happy Birthday in big loud voices! I welcomed them in with their mother and gave them some cake ... and then they pulled out the card. And inside that card was a gift card, a gift card to the Scout Store to the amount of $100, which I was expressly commanded to spend

Actually, cold weather is not the main impetus for the change. The primary reason is that many chartered organizations do not permit camping for boys as young as cub scouts, and so this gives them a better, more clearly established option for completing the adventure without having to resort to camping with boys they feel are too young. Hence the name change as well - from Camper to Outdoorsman. Since a large percentage of the Cub Scout program is chartered through organizations who go with this option anyway, it makes sense to provide a new name and new options to complete this important adve

Wow, I am shocked to read about a Scoutmaster pulling a stunt like this. Sadly, it's not the first time I have heard of such a move. First off: if a Scoutmaster tries to strip a boy of his rank (which is utterly beyond his prerogative), the boy can and should refuse to allow the demotion. I was part of a rather pathetic troop in my days as a Boy Scout; the leaders were incompetent, the boys all troubled, and with the exception of my brother and I, nobody cared much for the program, nor understood how it worked. Well, when I was almost 12 and after a particularly grueling camp out that

I am an LDS leader, and it is important for you to know that the Bishop CANNOT require your son to earn the religious emblem in order to progress towards his Eagle. The official BSA-LDS Manual entitled "Scouting Handbook" does not permit such a restriction, and you need to make sure the Bishop knows that before proceeding. I am sure his intentions are good, but good intentions go oft awry, and his creating such a limitation could end up driving people away from the flock rather than leading them into it. Here is the link to the Scouting Handbook as used by the church. Read it and make sur

I think that stars are simply a nice, utilitarian way of showing service, not a way of showing off. I use them to show my Cub Scouts my own history of experience, but not to display my efforts to others beyond them. So, I have starts for my years in Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Varsity Scouts ... but I didn't count the years between finishing high school and starting as a Den Leader, because I wasn't a registered leader, so why would I pretend to have more experience when I do by counting all those years I did nothing? Just the other week, I received my 1-year service star for being a leade

You are lucky! My experience here in South OC didn't extend past the Ordeal, but they came and did an amazing Arrow of Light ceremony for my boys a month ago (read above), so I have a better view of them since that. :-)

Hey, welcome to the forums - where in Southern California? From South Orange County here; glad to have you aboard!

Really? Oh, I didn't know that ... well, there goes my theory, LOL. I am still learning how all this works!

I didn't even know what a veteran unit was until we started work on the Looking Back Looking Forward adventure in our Webelos Den a few months ago. Come to find out our unit is more than 50 years old (55 next year)! Well, it took a bit of doing fitting it between the council patch and the numerals, what with the position and trained patches already crammed in below - being a smaller guy, the sleeve of my shirt was BARELY long enough to fit that little thing in there - but I fit it in somehow and it has turned out to be a great way to get the boys interested in our unit's history. I say, if you

Both very fair comments that I needed to hear, and I am thankful to you both for helping me to understand his confusion and opposition. I hope I was clear enough to him about my belief that the uniform is one of the most powerful tools we have in Scouting for promoting our ideals and values. When I discussed it with the class, I didn't mean for it to be regarded as an "alternative" to the uniform - it was BALOO training after all, and the discussion stemmed from a Scouter asking whether or not Cub Scouts had to be in uniform all the time at every single activity. The gentleman's response was t

First of all: it's nice to see so many fellow teachers here! It's funny how that old idiom about "those that can..." gets perpetuated, but there are sadly many teachers out there who seem to prove it right. I can't tell you how many of my fellow preschool teachers just don't know how to work with children. It was the same when I taught high school; heck, there are university professors who prove it right. But I think this would be how I fix the idiom: Those who can, should. Those who teach, do. Those who can't, will try to anyway. Now, back to the topic at hand. I went to BALOO train

That's great! But sadly I am not in fact Mr. Herrholz; I was actually just quoting his words, but I suppose I didn't make that clear enough in that post. My apologies! I am just a young scouter from Southern California. But John Herrhoz, whomever he is, deserves credit indeed - the story is a wonderful teaching resource and I think he has a good sense of how to make Scouting meaningful and relevant. Hopefully someday I can enjoy the honorable level of credentials you and he share!

I LOVE those big neckers! My father made our troop a big batch of them when I was a Scout but I didn't appreciate them much at the time; now I need to find a plaid that matches the official Webelos neckerchief so that I can enjoy the luxuries of the real deal while still matching my Webelos Scouts in their uniforms. :-)

Well, I have to say, the Order really came through for me the other week. I had sent a flurry of e-mails trying to reach to OA to see if they would perform an Arrow of Light and bridging ceremony for the boys in my Den who had all earned the AofL together, and I was worried they wouldn't pull through. But a few days before, they contacted me and said they would come, and from then on were wonderful about communicating to me what they had planned, what they needed, and what they would present. The night of the ceremony, they were there on time, they were exceptionally well-prepared, an

I think so much of what makes an adventure really just depends on letting the boys go their own way and being excited about what they find. I took my three Webelos on a geocaching adventure for their Camper adventure requirement. All I did was hand them a device and showed them how it worked, and then followed them as we walked through the park in our neighborhood to find it. We live in ultra-suburban Orange County, CA, but there is a lot of space here to wander, and most boys don't realize how much wildlife is right here in our own backyards. As we wandered around the park, I pointed out

I just feel bad that people look at school like it's a bad thing. I adored school as a child, and most of my boys like it as well. This would have been far more engaging for me than the endless, and pointless camp outs where we went out into the woods and did nothing. My mind felt like it was atrophying on those outings. If I had had the chance to go to something like this when I was a Scout, I would have been thrilled. Not all boys crave constant activity and high adventure; I never did. But I did love learning in controlled, comfortable environments. Today's boys are used to being indoo

Well, I am curious to see how our Pack Meeting goes on Thursday. I finally got a hold of our local OA chapter and they are going to come and do the Arrow of Light Ceremony AND the bridging ceremony for my Den's boys, and I am interested in seeing what they come up with. I was frustrated about their communication issues (which have been going on for months now), but now that they have been keeping in touch about the ceremony and explained what I can expect, I am reserving judgement until they get a chance to prove themselves this week. To be honest, I was never sure of the OA's purpose or

I found it! The more I read it the more I love it, and I will practice this for a few days so that my Webelos can get the full meaning of these powerful ideas. Especially with one boy crossing over this week and getting his new Boy Scout neckerchief, this is wonderful, timely stuff here. I quote in full: "My first Scoutmaster taught the importance of the Scout Oath and Law using the Neckerchief. He would hold the open neckerchief in his hands and remind the young scouts of what was the last item of clothing they put on when they were getting dressed for the meeting: the neckerchief. He sai

Thanks MattR, I suppose I should have noted that yes, at our pack meetings we always have an audience AND a speaker, so it always goes on the left - at our meetings. Thanks for noting that important clause. And thanks to everybody; I knew I would get the help I needed here! Quazse, you asked where our pack flag was. Funny thing is, I have asked that since I was made the Webelos leader almost a year ago. It seems the closest thing we have is a flag more than 20 years old that has our correct pack number on it, but bears a name for our chartered organization that was actually dropped around

Hey fellow scouters! I have a question that has been vexing me all night, and I need some help gathering information so I can gain a clearer understanding of BSA guidelines regarding flag ceremonies. As I have related in other threads, I have worked hard to save my struggling Cub Pack by encouraging them to build Den identity and unity amongst the boys. In my own Den, the boys have worked really hard to create a wonderful Den flag, and they are proud of it, as am I. They rally to it, they care for it, and they really do see it as a symbol of their achievements and successes. For the pa