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2eagles- The ARC in my area is "greater chicago". We are about 30 miles northwest of chicago in Mchnery county. I was unalbe to find any class offerings off the ARC website. I will try to call to see if I can get a voluteer to work with us. It certianly doesn't seem important enough to warrant a road trip but if you know of someone in this area, please pass along the contact info. I appreciate the help! I'm trying to find a structured program for this requirement rather than teaching on my own for a couple reasons: 1. I think it covers some really important life skills so I want the information to be accurate and informative and hands-on. (though I do think it should be age appopriate...the program that was described with all of the stations and lots of talking sounds too involved for this age group) 2. By now, the boys in my den are probably getting tired of hearing me talk to them! (and I'm a bit tired myself). I think it's always more interesting to work with the pros when learning in scouts. The firestation suggestions sound promising...I'm going to reach out with some phone calls tomororw and move on to the local troops and council from there. Thanks again to all for the tips!

Calico- Thanks for the encouragement. And you're right that just a little rewording is all that's needed. I wish the leaders in my pack were as clear-thinking as the scouters on this forum. They looked at me like I had 3 heads when I suggested we re-work the rules to be more sensitive. The response was simply "this is the way we've always done it and we've never had a problem...next issue" And just to set the record straight, I think it's great to encourage the boys to learn to cook and to bond with Dad or any other male in the process. And I do think this is a fun opportunity and it is of course, all in the name of fun and charity. I'm not trying to wreck a tradition here, just loosen the language a bit so it doesn't make the family that doesn't fit the mold or the couple that doesn't fit the sterotype feel like it's not an event they can particiapte in. When my 2 scouts bake their cake each year with my husband, it's just another day in the kitchen with Dad. He does all the cooking and they often work right along side him and I think it's wonderful. They'll make good husbands some day! One more thing I forgot to mention in my original post...there's also a prize for the cake that is "obviously made by Mom". Guess who made that cake last year....the Dad that's a pastry chef. Go figure. Maybe his scout would have felt more proud if they won the "best overall cake" or "most creative".

Thank you all for the responses....you made some great points and gave sound advice. Admittedly, I'm probably a little more heated about the issue because I've seen how it affected Moms and scouts in my den. The suggestions to actually write the copy are great. It would be a lot harder for the committee to ignore me if I've done the work. I don't even mind if the rules suggest that scouts should take on the challenge and bake with someone who doesn't really know their way around the kitchen...I know this is meant to be fun. It just needs to be worded in a way so non-traditional families can jump in on the fun too. However, since I don't cook I may be backing myself into a corner here :-) For the guy who gave the father/daughter dance example---point well taken but I do think the cake auction is different. If the father/daughter dance invite said that only Dad's can attend with their daughters because we all know every Dad has 2 left feet and they're absultuely not allowed to take any lessons or advice from Mom it would really change the meaning of the whole thing, don't you think? The cake auction rules can so easily be changed to include everyone. Also, the cake rules are making sexist assumptions that men can't cook (and woman can!) which isn't the right message to send cub scouts. Anyway, thanks again to all. I'm new to this forum and it's great to know there's help out there when you need it! I have been rolling this around in my head far too long and I'm ready to take some action to make it right.

Like many packs, we have a cake auction at our B&G. The rules drive me absolutely crazy. They explicity say only Dad's and scouts can bake cakes and there "absoluely be no advice, insturction or help of any sorts from Mom"....this theme is repeated in the rules. I happen to have 2 boys in my Den who don't have Dad's around to bake cakes with due to divorce and no involvement. I've brought this issue to the pack last year and then again this year with no change to the rules. They told our single Mom's to jsut go ahead and bake the cakes with their scout but the Mom's chose not to...they felt really uncomfortable and chose not to participate so they didnt' feel they had to bend the strongly stated rules. I think this is a shame considering they participate in EVERY other pack activity. The other called in an uncle to work with her scout but the scout felt terribe about the whole ordeal. Nowhere else in cub scouting have I seen such a strong emphasis on selecting a specific sex parent for an activity. And besides, aren't we well beyond this aniquated sterotype??? In my house, my husband does all of the cooking so making a cake isn't such an enormous feat like the pack makes it out to be. There's also a Dad in our pack that's a pastry chef which makes the whole thing even more ludicrous. Anyway, is it just me or does the cake auction rules crazy??? Advice?

Thanks for the tip....I'll reach out to a troop in my area to see if they can help.

I'm new to this forum and I'm trying to find a structured program for my Webelos Den to earn Readyman. I've looked high and low on the web & can't find a hospital, firestation or red cross sponsored program out there in the northwest burbs of chicago. I know Red Cross has the BAT (basic aid training) course that fulfills all requireents but I can't find anywehre to take the class. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places??? Any help would be appreicated.