jethro

Wow, we're really spoiled. I'm not sure of the exact statistics of our district, but 30 to 50 square miles sounds about right. We're right next to the council headquarters and scout shop at one end of a 200+ mile long council. So while some folks have a drive of over 4 hours to HQ, it's only 15 minutes or so from two other councils. (And a long walk from my office! )

Sorry I can't help you, but I'm interested in any replies you receive. Although we're in the Del-Mar-Va Council, Horseshoe is the closest Council camp to us. (Actually, a small sliver of the property extends into our council.) It certainly has a storied history, but I don't know about its current condition or programs.

Thanks to all of you for your insight on this issue. I'm the Wolf den leader for 11 active second graders* (up from 8 Tigers last year). I never received much guidance in terms of meeting frequency from other leaders, so last year in Tigers we met three times a month (one pack meeting, one den meeting, one Go-See-It). This may be standard practice, but thinking back 30 years to my time in Cub Scouting, it didn't seem like enough. It must have been fine in our case, though, because all of the Tigers except one, who moved away, are now Wolves. Now, with more achievements to be completed, I feel like we need more meetings to share all of these activities with the boys. As a benchmark, I look at what my oldest son did last year in Wolves, with a different leader. They met only twice a month, INCLUDING the pack meeting, and are now down to five Bears this year. So I made an executive decision: this year, Wednesdays are Cub Scout nights. Pack meetings have always been on Wednesdays, so we'll fill in all or most of the other non-holiday Wednesdays with den meetings or activities. Meetings will be short (this week's was just over an hour) to appeal to a second-grader's attention span and bedtime. I'm crossing my fingers that this will work out, and that parents won't consider a weekly commitment too much. [*] I may post more on this later, but I've decided not to ask the pack to add another Wolf den. Eleven boys is certainly more than the ideal den size, but if we split, one den would have only five boys, which seems small to me. I also (knock on wood) have some very committed parents, including a new ADL who seems to be working out very well. Wish us luck! - jethro.

I manage a 14-person branch office for a civil engineering consulting firm. We plan and design transportation projects. No fascinating job history here ... I've been doing pretty much the same thing since grad school. It's been both challenging and fun, and we have a great bunch of people. And, BTW, I wore a flat hat. Those things ROCKED! (This message has been edited by jethro)

...the graduating Eagles from my troop, even those who still lived in town, never stayed involved past 18. I didn't even realize it was an option. Anyway, I'm thrilled to be back in Scouting. Thanks for the "virtual campfire" where we can kick back and discuss ideas. [by the way, how do you keep posts from being cut off?]

(original post cut off) By way of background, I grew up in Pack and Troop 595 in Hawk Mountain Council, PA. My father died when I was 13, and Scouts played a huge role in shaping who I am. I loved Scouting; I made Eagle in 1985 and traveled to Philmont the following year, just before my 18th birthday. It was the last Scouting activity I participated in until now. For some reason

Hello, everyone! Two of my three boys are starting in Cub Scouting this year (one Wolf, one Tiger); my other is three but wants to join anyway. I volunteered to be the Tiger den leader, only vaguely remembering from my own Cub Scout days what I was getting myself into. It'll be fun! And the Internet sure makes more resources available to leaders than way back when.(This message has been edited by jethro)