Liz

I'll keep my eyes open. I think the ones I have were salvaged off uniforms from the "uniform bank" at the round table. It doesn't bother my daughter one bit, but OCD runs in my family... I don't actually have OCD but every once in a while I can display OCD-like annoyances at minor things like this. I've been scouring ebay but after squinting at hundreds of photos of patches for sale I still can't find a shiny numeral 1.

Help! My daughter's numerals on her Cub Scout uniform are mis-matched. All her numerals were upcycled from previous uniforms. Two of the three numbers have the kind of shimmery style red background, and one (the numeral 1) is the plain matte background. Does anybody have a shimmery background red #1 patch they would be willing to part with for a reasonable cost? I have a few random things I could trade, including some other red numbers (not sure which ones, I know I have some 5s to spare).

Mine doesn't get a ton of use but it's been rattling around in a pocket or handbag for several years (at least 4 or 5) and hasn't broken yet. Probably if it was used heavily it wouldn't last a long time, but... it was under $5.

I'll try to borrow one first, and buy if necessary. I may still get this for the kids to use for opening packages, using the screwdriver, etc.. Or just ask the parents to provide one for each of their kids and float this as an option alongside the BSA ones if they don't have one already.

Ok, answer this for me: Are any of the pieces shown on this tool a can opener? https://www.cabelas.com/product/hunting/knives-tools/multitools/pc/104791680/c/104740380/sc/104461380/cabelas-multi-tool/2001015.uts?slotId=0 I know it's a $6 itty-bitty pocket knife. But I own one - slightly different model but I think I paid about $4 for it several years ago. Mine has a flashlight instead of all the other pieces, but it's a pretty solid little tool and it gets the job done. I'm still willing to explore the idea of borrowing one, but honestly it looks like hardly anybody other than Victorinox puts can openers on pocket knives anymore. And even they don't put it on half of their offerings.

Kids or cubs. Not just boys. Don't forget cub scouts isn't just for boys anymore. The requirements say "open a can" - you don't think that should be start to finish for each kid to open an entire can? We don't have that many cubs though. Most likely 4 cubs total (2 in the girl den and 2 in the boy den). I guess maybe some of them will choose to carve two items too. We'll figure something out.

I'm just afraid if they have to take turns it will take for-ev-er.

I actually have one of the $6 Cabela's multitools - it's a different model and has fewer options but includes a flashlight. It's tiny! Mine actually has a keychain attachment. But it seems decent quality. Thing is though, it doesn't have a can opener. I haven't spoken to the parents yet but I'll work on that.

Thanks, guys. I don't mind buying a $30 knife for my own kid, but I'm not sure I want to buy half a dozen of them... and I have a $50 gift card for Cabela's which is why I was looking there. The problem is you can't always be sure that spending $30 gets you good quality, although admittedly a $6 multitool probably isn't great quality. I was hoping Cabela's wouldn't put out something that was complete garbage with their name on it, but I don't expect it to be the tool the kids use through high school. Just trying to get something so we can get their tasks taken care of with. I know the can openers used to be standard and I know I've owned them in the past (and never used them) - but I'm not finding a lot of them on current pocket knives. I think scissors have kind of taken their place. Maybe I'll check to see if any of the other parents have one we can borrow.

So, I'm planning out for January when our Bear dens will be doing their Bear Claws requirements, and I've run into a little hitch. One of the requirements so to *either* carve two items, *or* accomplish a long list of tasks with a pocket knife. I think the kids will actually have more fun and learn more by doing the second option, although I'd like to offer them the choice. The problem is that one of the things they need to accomplish is "open a can using the can opener on a pocket knife." And I can't find a lot of options (and none affordable) that include a can opener tool. It's kind of a dinosaur that nobody really uses anymore. Not to mention that even if I do find one I'm also going to need a YouTube video or something to teach me how to use it. LOL! They all include bottle openers, but not so much can openers. I'd like to get each of the Bears a Cabela's $6 Multitool and not have to buy just one Leatherman to share for the same amount of money. All advice on this subject is welcome. Thanks!

That is an AWESOME suggestion. Thank you!!

You think that’s great. Just wait until a three year old girl starts asking you every night at bedtime, “I can be a Cub Scout when I be bigger?” And you can smile and say “Yes.” This is my happy reality. And being able to pass that Bear Cub scarf down at Crossover that used to belong to my now-adult boys... priceless.

That would be my guess too but the page shows a recent update. I bet they just overlooked it.

Thank you! My cub invented a game the other day just on her own that involved turning their slide into a water slide and a bunch of other activities she and her sister could enjoy together - they played at it for a couple hours! I marked the “invent a game and play with your friends for 30m” off for her. She is really excited about earning this award. She is the only one in her den that went to camp sadly so I think she’ll be the only one to get it. But maybe next year we can get more of them to go. As a side note, USSCOUTS doesn’t list that last option for inventing a game on their website, but it’s on all the other sites that explain the award - any idea why?

What kinds of activities do your dens and packs do for this? The requirements seem a little vague in spots. What is an "outdoor sporting event" and what constitutes "participate"? Is playing Capture the Flag (and other outdoor games) at Cub Scout Camp participating in an outdoor sporting event? Or does it need to be more like being on a soccer team? What kinds of conservation projects do you find are successful and meaningful for cub scouts? Any other tips on this award? http://usscouts.org/usscouts/advance/cubscout/Outdoor-Activity.asp

This would be my understanding. I clarified with my local council that my adult kids (who were also Scouts) could go to cub scout camp in the same role as a parent would be to my daughter, because they are actual immediate family - but even then they had to research a little and get back to me with the OK. I believe a step parent qualifies as a parent, but if there is no legal relationship at all between the adult and the child, from a liability standpoint that isn't going to work. He needs to be treated like any other adult leader in that case.

The kids are becoming very good friends very quickly, with lots of plans to meet up over the summer just to hang out. The other boy that was in the den, and who I hope to get back involved as we create solutions for the preschooler problem, is a child in my daughter's class at school that she invited to Scouts in the first place. In our community, the mix of boys and girls is working to our advantage so far. That doesn't mean we won't have more distinction between the dens if we get big enough to do so, but I think we'll always have joint activities. The kids just really like each other.

Unfortunately, this is exactly the situation we are in. That's what makes it tough. Technically it's registered as two dens. But since we only have a total of two girls (one of whom rarely shows up) and two boys (one of whom we may have just lost) it's not feasible for us to run separate programming. If we grow enough to split into two dens functionally, we'll do so. We just had an all-day outdoor den activity at our house yesterday. It worked well here because parents rotated keeping the little ones somewhere else - usually inside the house which was fine, or off playing on the swings. We had the families together for lunch but the rest of the time the three year olds were out of sight. We only had the two Wolf cubs (my daughter and the brother of the twins) plus the Lion cub brother in the other family and that was fine because he was able to actually participate. The problem is this is less feasible in the church where we usually meet. I think maybe I'll suggest we move our weekly den meetings to my house. When the weather turns nasty we can have the 3 year olds play in my daughter's room with an adult. The location makes a HUGE difference. Next week we are planning a hike, starting at my house (we live near a trail) and the plan is to meet here and have one parent stay behind with the little ones and the rest of the parents hike with the Wolves and lone Lion.

... to get them out of the "hair" of the Scouts? In my daughter's den there are three 3-year-old younger sisters who are pretty much always there. One is my daughter and two (twins) are the younger sisters of one of the other Wolf cubs (soon to be Bears). The twins and my daughter are only days apart in age and will probably become a Lion den in another couple of years. Due to simple child care and transportation issues, all three little girls are usually present at den meetings just because neither I nor the other family have anywhere else for them to be. We try to divide up and have an adult watching the little ones, but they really want to be involved in what the bigger kids are doing and we don't have a place to physically restrict them from breaking loose from their own group and jumping in with the older kids. It's causing enough of a hassle that one of the other cubs, who doesn't have any younger siblings, has stopped coming. His mom says it's just "too chaotic" with the little ones running around. And frankly she's right. They are just not of an age to be able to sit still and listen to or participate in material that's several years over their head, and frankly the 2nd graders aren't THAT much more mature themselves so they get sucked into the chaos of preschoolhood pretty easily. How do other groups handle this? Any ideas for activities we could get the three preschoolers interested in, like a really good book of preschool activities or something along those lines? Or other ideas? I've floated the idea of my husband watching all three kids at our house on Den nights, but with the current "climate" in child protection he's not comfortable with the liability of being alone with other peoples' kids even outside of an official capacity where two-deep leadership is required - and I can't say I blame him. We can (and sometimes do) keep our daughter home but the other family doesn't really have that option right now for logistical reasons.

Several years ago, our church had a pastor that was the leader of a thriving Boy Scout Troop. The Troop lost its CO and naturally came to our church to ask them to sponsor the Troop. The Troop was turned down primarily because of BSA's anti-gay policy. Our Elders wouldn't even discuss it because of that one problem. On paper, our church organization still has an anti-gay policy as well, but public opinion has changed and, at least in our local church, the membership is not for the most part in support of that policy. For many of us, our religious believe that all of God's children deserve honor and respect equally, regardless of sexual orientation, means that there's a fundamental conflict between the BSA's values of "Duty to God" and "Morally Straight" as it has up until now been defined by BSA national. I strongly support the proposed change, and if it means we lose some of the more backwards-thinking charters or individuals, so be it. I am hoping that my church will now reconsider charting a troop or crew if this burden is indeed lifted. I think there will be enough people and COs to fill in the gaps, given some time. The question weighing on my mind is whether it will be enough to allow schools to start charting again, or whether they'll also have to change their stand on atheism. That's another topic, though.

THANK YOU!! You guys are the best. Sorry I don't hang out here that much anymore. I was able to get one ordered from A Scout is Thrifty... and for roughly half the cost of a new shirt even with shipping added. It won't be here in time for this weekend, I'm sure (because Friday is a postal holiday) but he'll just have to manage. I have an inquiry in to our local uniform bank, too. Maybe if I hear back from them they'll have something he can use even if it's the "wrong" shirt and we can donate it (and any outgrown tan shirts) back after the weekend is over.

Thanks!!

My son needs a Venturing uniform shirt THIS weekend. Now that he's seen the floofy ventilated weird shirts they're selling at the Scout shop, he really really really wants one of the older style uniforms instead. He wears a Men's M or L. Short sleeves preferred, but he'll take long sleeves before he'll take one of the new uniforms. If there's someone out there willing to take paypal and ship it out Priority very soon (like, tomorrow would be awesome) I would pay whatever *reasonable* price you ask. I'll pay as much as a brand new shirt, plus postage, if it's in very good condition. So if you really want a new-style shirt but you didn't want to spend the money because you had a perfectly good one already... here's your chance! Crossing my fingers that someone out there has one to sell. I don't even care if it isn't clean. I can wash it myself.

I did respond that night (July 2). I haven't received anything back yet. Not even a refund. I do need to keep going with this, but at the moment I'm not feeling very well... I think I've got a mild virus (husband is home from work today sick, too), plus all the normal late-pregnancy-exhaustion. I just don't have the energy to deal with it right now. I was near the Council office the other day and thought about stopping in, but all I could think about was coming home and crawling into bed so I figured it wouldn't be the best time. At the very least I need to know exactly how/when they are issuing the refund. Are they mailing me a check? Crediting the Troop? So I will need to contact them at some point anyway & I need to be prepared to discuss the rest of the issues as well. I'm just not sure who the best person to talk to is, whether it's the lawyer who wrote me the letter or someone else.

Good to hear your experience was positive! There's a website where you can buy all sorts of interesting things in single-serve packets for a reasonable price: Minimus.biz -- items include gluten-free soy sauce, individual packets of peanut butter, and a variety of salad dressings. Actually, it's a good place for anybody to stop by... they don't specialize in "special diets" per se, but just in reasonable prices for single-use and single-serve items and they do have a fair number of things which happen to be gluten-free or whatever.