funscout

LisaBob, I agree that den level Show and Sells are a huge help for the kids whose parents don't have access to an office. We sign up for time slots by dens, but we do allow siblings to go with big/little brother's den, if that helps the family. The total earned during that time period is then divided up between the number of scouts who participated.

Pizza Hut offers a percentage of their profits to organizations who sign up for a 2-hour time slot on a particular night. (week nights only) Our Pack is going to try this, because we won't be "out" anything by trying. All we have to do is hand out flyers to friends and family (plus Pizza Hut will have some on site) and then every time a customer includes a flyer with his payment, we will get a percentage of their total purchase. Our local grocery store does this, too. You just hand them the flyer when you pay your bill at the check-out. iiipopes - I love the idea of a fundraiser that is only for camperships!

Maybe we'll see lots of bicycling merit badges earned this summer, as some may choose to bike rather than drive so much. I know someone who bikes 30 miles to work every morning (he is able to shower at work), so he isn't as concerned as the rest of us about gas prices. I drive my younger son to school every day, because his Ritalin wouldn't last for the whole school day plus both bus rides. I joked that we were going to have to start riding our bikes the 7 miles to school. He thought that would be fun until I pointed out how much earlier we would have to get up!

Good Point, LisaBob! Kids do pick up on what they see and hear adults doing. I have "corrected" a few scouters during scouting events, but I think you're right, that the kids don't usually hear the corrections, or apologies. Yes, I think the adults should apologize when they swear in front of the kids. If a troop has a problem with adults swearing, could a fine be given each time they swear? When my younger son started trying out swear words (that he had heard on the bus), we used a "swear jar" and each of us was fined a dollar every time we swore. This helped my husband, too, who does let the occasional "bad word" slip out! Okay, I confess, I did have to put in a dollar one time, too!

Can you imagine how long it would take to start a baseball game if EVERY nationality represented in the United States got a chance to sing the National Anthem in the language of their ancestors? And how would we decide what order to sing them? English, 1st, of course, but maybe I would want a Norwegian version sung next, while my husband would want a German version, etc.

Anybody can check out materials for free from public libraries, so it doesn't matter if the ALA doesn't want to associate themselves with the BSA. I just checked out 20 books on different countries, and I told the librarian that I was planning on using them at a cub scout den meeting. My cub scouts were learning about a country of their ancestors' heritage. The librarian was thrilled that I was boosting the library's circulation numbers for the month!

Thanks, LisaBob, I thought that was the answer. At the time I didn't think it was worth an argument over this, but I've been curious, so thanks for answering my question.

Kristi, I think you are doing the best thing for your situation. If you stayed in your Pack just so "they" wouldn't win, then you would be miserable, and your job could suffer. By moving on, you will "win" a better situation, even if "they" think they have "won." Good Luck!

I have a question about Arrow points. Can a boy still earn Wolf arrow points when he is a third grader in a Bear Den, and is concurrently working on the Bear rank? A few years ago, when I was Advancement Coordinator, our CM had me get his 3rd grader a couple silver arrow points for Wolf that he had worked on over the summer. This boy had been to Day Camp, where he worked on Bear requirements and electives. I told him I didn't think that was right, but he insisted, so I got them for him. Does anyone know if that was okay or not?

Does anyone know if the Cub Scout version of Down and Derby is any different than the commercial version? From what I've seen on various websites, it appears the only differences are some "extras", but not in the movie itself. The scout version also comes with a patch (until supplies run out). If anyone has seen both versions, could you let me know if the movie was the same in each?

Just curious... How many of you actually answer your door when you see 2 young men in suits walking the neighborhood? I used to always answer and talk politely with these Mormon missionaries, even though I disagree with their views. A couple weeks ago, though, I was sitting at the computer, and saw a pair walking to my front door. I'm feeling a little guilty now, that I didn't answer the door.

I have personal experience with getting a wet floor due to the ground cover sticking out beyond the tent walls. One windy night when I hadn't gotten the guy lines taut enough, the wind blew the sides of my tent inward, so the ground cover was then exposed on one side. When I crawled out of my sleeping bag the next morning, I was surprised to feel my knees get wet. Luckily, my therm-a-rest mat kept my sleeping bag dry, but I learned an important lesson that day.

When my son's tent-mate vomited in our 20 year old Eureka Timberline tent, I didn't even consider washing it. (my husband and I had honeymooned in that tent, just like FScouter) At that same camp-out, a wind storm bent one of the poles at a 90 degree angle, and one other pole had been slightly bent for years. I didn't know Eureka was so good about replacing parts, and I did not want to try cleaning it, so we threw the tent away. My son hasn't wanted to buddy up with another scout ever since then! His new tent is a 2- man tent (the other was a 4 man), but it's more comfortable for just one person, so he tells the other boys there isn't enough room to share. I also like the advice to set up your tent before a campout, to make sure every thing is okay. One time my family borrowed a large tent from my parents, and we discovered at the camp site that the rain fly was missing! It was a hot summer night, with no chance of rain, so we were okay, but it could have been a disaster!

I forgot to tell more than just pool/lake information about the boy scout camp in our council. The campsites have canvas tents on platforms, with cots provided. There is a central dining hall and the pools have showers with hot water. Each campsite has rustic latrines, but if a boy (or adult!) is too squeamish about using them, he can go to the dining hall to use flush toilets. Our troop usually attends the last week of camp, and the latrines are none too pleasant by then!

Our council's boy scout camp has two small lakes which are used for boating and fishing, and two pools for swimming. Our district's day camp has moved around recently. For many years, it was located just 10 minutes from my home, and it was within walking distance (through a path in the woods) to the Country Club. We were only able to swim in the mornings, since members would be swimming in the afternoons. Last year, the camp got moved farther away, due to a merger of districts. It took me 45 minutes to get there. We had use of a pool on site at all times of the day, so the boys got to swim every day. This year, day camp will be about 30 minutes from my home, and there is no pool at the park. The boys might be bussed to a nearby recreation center, but will probably only get one day of swimming.

Our Pack and Troop both do Scouting for Food each year. Ours was also on March 25th. We've done it both ways, where you go out only one time, knock on doors and ask for food donations, or where you drop off labelled bags and pick them up the following week. One house that we visited gave the boys 4 flats of canned goods! We found out that these folks give to the Food Pantry regularly, and just hadn't made it out there yet. It was a nice surprise for our boys. Our Pack also makes up food baskets for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The boys decorate the box/basket and bring assigned food items. We then give a check to the pantry so they can buy turkeys in Nov. and hams in Dec. to go with the baskets. The lady who runs our small town food pantry is always very appreciative and writes a glowing thank you note each time.

Packsaddle, I am pro-life and I am against any drug that purposely causes abortion. As far as the birth control pill, I don't know of anyone who takes it in the hopes of having an abortion. In your way of thinking, anything that has even a slight chance of causing an unborn child to be aborted should be viewed as wrong in my eyes. In that case, all pregnant women would have to avoid riding in a car, since a car accident could kill the baby. They wouldn't be able to walk around because an accidental fall could kill the baby. So, would they have to spend the whole 9 months lying in bed? That wouldn't work, either, because the mother would become weak and overweight (and could get gestational diabetes) and could die during labor, which could also kill the child. Obviously these scenarios are ridiculous. Even though I don't like the birth control pill's side effects, I am not against women taking it since it is not INTENDED to cause abortions. If I were Catholic, then I would also be against all birth control, but I'm not Catholic. All drugs have side effects, and people have to weigh the benefits and risks to determine whether it is worth it. I was 35 when I was pregnant with my second son. My doctor recommended that I have an amniocentesis (sp?) done, due to my age. I chose not to have one because of the slight risk of miscarriage, and I knew I would not abort the child, no matter what the problems might be. I am not against other women having the procedure done, however, because the intent is not to harm the baby, it's just a miniscule risk. Thanks, Beavah, for bringing us back to the real issue.

I also have 12 Webelos scouts. I tried to split the den, but no one else would step up to lead. I have several parents who are willing to help, but are not willing to be leaders. At most den meetings I have 2 or 3 adults, plus a den chief, to help me out. I try to plan 3-4 different stations, when possible, with one adult at each (all in the same room, of course), and the boys rotate through the stations. Games, of course, are played with the whole group. That's when it is nice to have a large den. I, too, have boys who miss meetings, but you can't just give them an award that they haven't earned. I let the parents know what their son missed, and I also remind them that they can use family, school, church, etc., activities to count towards requirements. When parents take the time to look through the Webelos book, they often find that their son has fulfilled some requirements.

LisaBob, I'm curious to know what the boys think. Will you let us know? Personally I agree with you that this would be much more worthwhile as a service project than a fundraiser. It's nice when the boys have fun, too!

I am on my second "tour of duty" as WL. When my 4th grader crosses over to his older brother's troop, I am planning on registering as an ASM. I volunteer with the troop, which I know is not the same as being an ASM, but it sure looks a heck of a lot easier! My former Asst. WL is an ASM with the troop, and he says it is WAY easier than being a Webelos leader. I do enjoy my Webelos den (as I did, with my older son's den), but I will be saying good-bye to Cub Scouts in about one year. I would be interested in being a troop/pack liaison, however. We should all thank you for keeping the scouting numbers up! I only know of a few other families who have 3 or more boys in scouts. Also, you've given a lot of your time to cub scouts already, so don't feel guilty about taking time to spend with your family (especially when you have a new-born). Like LisaBob said, there are other ways you can give to the Pack without having to devote so much time. Or, devote some of that time to the troop, since you'll be in cub scouts again before you know it.

Clydesdale, thanks for the advice. Our Pack didn't do this because we were worried about the non-winners not getting anything. We always give out the Pinewood Derby patches, and we've also made them their own "driver's licenses", so everyone does get something. It was just so much fun for everyone to hear the creative "awards" given out, and the looks on those boys' faces (especially the Tigers) was priceless! Even my (then) 4th grader got quite a kick out of having the "fastest looking car." Last year the PWD committee gave out small trophies to the non-winners, but they did not give a reason for why the boys were getting them, other than participation. That did not work so great. Only the new scouts (Tigers) were thrilled with the trophies. All the "old" scouts were just disappointed to not get a big trophy. So, this year, I recommended that if we wanted to do something for the non-winners, then it had to be meaningful. I really like your idea of the small wooden plaque with the hot wheels car on it. I will suggest that to the committee. It would be good to do something different, because even with the return of the "creative awards", the older scouts would probably be rather "ho-hum" about another small (non-winning) trophy.

Our Pinewood derby is next month and we're thinking about going back to something we did a few years ago. We gave out small trophies to all the scouts who didn't place in the top four, and we had a card with a special award for each one. This took some time, but the boys loved it. I'm looking for more ideas of descriptions that we could use. Here are some of the ones we have used: most colorful car fastest looking car wildest looking car best car with a driver (like a Lego guy) best animal car best snack car (one year my son did a watermelon car) I'd appreciate any other ideas. We have a list of the ones we used before, but it would be nice to have several new ones. After the scouts race, we'll figure out the awards while the family race is going on. Thanks!

I used to work as a speech-language pathologist with kids ages 6-21 who have autism. most of the children I worked with were lower functioning than the boy in your troop, but I do know that most kids with autism spectrum disorders do have difficulties with communication and social skills. The "picking on others and being picked on himself" would certainly be due to poor social skills, but could also be due to poor communication skills. While most kids will pick up on subtle cues (verbal and non-verbal) which would tell them how to react to a situation, those with autism have to be specifically taught what each cue means. I would ask the parents if they have any pointers for you. Explain the situation to them and maybe they can tell you things to say or do, which will help this boy get along with others better. I remember when I was student teaching, and I was trying to teach high school aged autistic students to use socially appropriate behavior on the city bus. Many of them would be taking the bus to their jobs when they graduated from high school. We role played appropriate conversations and made sure they knew that certain topics were not to be discussed. After our first real bus ride, I discovered I had left out a very important part of the training. The boy sitting next to me whacked the newspaper that a stranger was reading, and asked, "How do you like the weather?" Yes, he used an appropriate topic, but I had failed to teach him how to appropriately START the conversation! The other scouts in your troop may need a lesson on how to help this boy, also. In the example above, I was able to apologize and explain to the man with the newspaper, and he was very understanding. If I had not been there to explain, however, you can imagine how upset he would have been. I wouldn't recommend delaying this boy's rank advancement simply due to poor scout spirit. He might not be able to do any better, with out special reminders or specific cues. If he tends to act out more during "down time", you might want to talk to your SPL about having a schedule for this boy to follow. Routine is a big deal to those with autism, and knowing what to expect often helps calm them. One boy that I worked with would throw a fit if his school day deviated from the norm. He was okay, however, if we wrote down the change for him. We couldn't just tell him, he had to see it in writing. Good luck with this challenge!

I decided to lighten up this emotionally charged discussion on reproduction by telling a funny story about a family friend. When my brother was in 6th grade, he and one of his friends came home one day and told my mom all about the "sex talks" they had had at school that day. The other boy then looked at my mom with a serious face, and said, "Don't tell my mom because she doesn't know about this!"

DanKroh, I sympathize with you over your emotional decision to terminate your second set of twins. I think most of us have made it clear that we, too, would choose the mother's life over the baby's, even though this would be a painful decision. I have to agree with Ed, though, in saying that MOST women who choose abortion do so because of the inconvenience. I personally know of 4 women who had abortions during their college years, and each of them did so only because they were single and didn't want the shame and inconvenience of being pregnant. Two of these women even had TWO abortions during their college years. I have no idea what happened to them in later years, because they were not close friends of mine. Packsaddle, I don't know enough about in vitro to have an opinion. I'm sorry I've kept you waiting. I do not like the idea of implanting numerous eggs in a woman, as we've seen the health consequences of carrying multiple babies. Someone else mentioned that Catholics are against the "prevention" of life, and that is true. The ONLY birth control that is okay with the Catholic church is abstinence, or the "rhythm method", which calls for abstinence while a woman is ovulating. We all know how well that worked, given the large size of Catholic families in the past. The way I look at this issue is this: Those of us who are pro-life/anti-abortion feel that the life of the unborn child is more important than the convenience of the mother (with the exception of life threatening pregnancies.) Those who are pro-choice/pro-abortion feel the mother's choice is more important than the life of the unborn baby.