Miki

Hello, my cub scouts participated in Scouting for Food in both the drop off and pick up portions of the event. They had a blast, even though they were underfoot of the Boy Scouts. My question is, does this event assist them in any achievements or electives? I have Bears, but I know a few Tigers and Wolves also attended. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Even if it doesn't earn anything for them, the boys gained an appreciation of what goes into planning and attending an event like this, and they were made aware of the fact that people need help on every scale - including putting food on the table.

Hi, loving this Stem/Nova program. We did TechTalk in a small group of Bears. I made them aware that they will not receive these awards until the make rank next year, so we are slowly working on their achievements. Unfortunately, our council does not have any mentors, if these boys wish to achieve supernova. My husband found the book at the scout shop, and the requirements online closely reflect what is in the book. However, the book gives more guidance to the counselor on how to achieve the module's objectives.

Hi, I am trying to plan a den meeting where the boys who need/want help building there Pinewood Derby Cars can do so at the meeting. I have lots of single moms who don't have any tools. I don't even think they have a hammer or screwdriver to their name. In light of the "Age Guidelines for Tool Use and Work at Elevations or Excavations", how does a BOY make his own Pinewood Derby car? I mean one that isn't a block of wood, with paint, and four wheels. Is the expectation that they use the "prohibited" tools outside of Cub Scouts, so there isn't a liability? I am trying to stick to the spirit of "Boy Made" while still following the guidelines. Quite a challenge!

Have you checked out the tools you recommend using against the "Age Guidelines for Tool Use and Work at Elevations or Excavations" http://www.scouting.org/filestore/healthsafety/pdf/680-028.pdf Just saying, maybe us "Lady Leaders" are playing by the rules better than you Pioneers.

Thank you for the link on how to update. I knew about the page, but not how to update the information! Fixing ours to have accurate info as I type. M

My husband is one of the nay sayers of Badge Magic, so I have to sew all of the badges on our uniforms. Sharp needle, short stitches, mono filament thread. I must admit I cheated on the Cub Scout uniform and bought the diamond plastic holder, so that the pocket was still usable. My hand did not fit in the pocket to sew the Tiger badge on. For a Tiger project, felt cut into 18 inches by 2.5 inches and folded over to make flaps works great as a pencil holder. You can put a button on to hold it shut, and no sew button hole, because felt doesn't fray easily. The felt is easy enough to sew through so you can use the hand embroidery needles which have large eyes and dull tips. It would be much easier than having the little guys try to sew through the embroidery on a patch. If you have access to a few sewing machines, making pillowcases are a breeze! For Bears, we are going to make polar fleece hats. I have a few sewing machines, and the boys will be learning bits about sewing. I am not sure what requirement/elective this will gain for them, but I want them to learn the skill. We have a winter event in our council, and we will be the only den there with dinosaur hats, making my boys easily identifiable -- the true reason behind my madness! Have fun!

Yes, Den leaders are trapped for the most part. Started as tiger den leader, became tiger coach and wolf den leader (wife of cubmaster, too). The trap is rather well constructed. A den leader becomes attached to the scouts in the den. I started with 4 tigers who were "my boys". Then in wolves I was warned to prepare for 1-2 new boys. 6 boys later, they became my top 10 favorite cub scouts. Issues with parents aside and bad days for each boy aside, they have become near and dear to my heart. I have put the same amount of effort into the success of the 10 boys as I would if I focused singularly on my own son. Some of you will say that is too many boys for a den -- I agree, but I could not decide to which ones I would break my promise of a spectacular year of fun! It is with some concern I approach this recruitment season, what will I do if only 1 or 2 new bears join? Can I deal with splitting my top 10? It will be an interesting fall. So trapped I stay. I don't like outdoors, I don't like bugs, I don't like pushy parents, I don't like paperwork. Ultimately, I will see these boys through to Boy Scouts as long as they wish to have me as their leader. I will go camping, I will get eaten alive by bugs, I will continue to deal with pushy parents and I will fill out all the necessary paperwork to see that they advance into the strong individuals I envision they will become.

Tiger scouts are amazing ants in their pants, squirmy, wiggly creatures! I was Tiger Leader two years ago, and Tiger Coach this year. It was a hard transition for my husband coming from 25+ years of Boy Scouts "boy led" to "parent led" cub scouts. I see you have taken the plunge! My advice is remember that these are 6 year olds, and not 12 year olds. There is a VAST maturity difference. These boys will tell you that freedom means you can fart whenever, where ever you want (been there, gotten that answer). You will need all the cooks you can get. I ran the program by myself, because I didn't know I was supposed to get help. Remember it is only 1 hour a week, and best of luck. I would be tiger den leader again in a heartbeat! M