perdidochas

We've done as many as 5. Best results are one (for older scouts) or two.

You have to play hardball. At some point you have to tell the den-leaderless Den parents that if nobody steps up, their kids won't be able to be Cub Scouts. Tell them the Den is closing down due to lack of leadership. It's why I coached soccer for a season. I volunteered to be Den Leader--I figured I was there anyway, might as well do something useful. It's now my 8th year as a Scouter.

I am not a big fan of the lower level paid staff in my local council. I find them to be rude and/or non-responsive. Our top guy is pretty good, but the rest of them are not people persons, which is ironic, considering that is what their job is. Part of why I love being an ASM vs. other roles, is that my job is just to deal with Scouts, not with adults :-)

Scoutergipper, I like the idea of askign for the police report.

Wow, I though 45 minutes after unloading the trailer was long..........

Well, I viewed PWD as a cub scout activity with my sons. They always lost, but it was their own product.

Eagle 441, Exactly. Just find a different issue, and find a more responsive part of government.

Get creative. Choose a different topic, and find something relevant to schools, and get a principal to work with him.

Please explain how being blindly consistent to the letter of the rules is going to help a predator?

True, in our troops, the boys tell the boys about it. The older boys brief the younger boys about what to carry to summer camp, usually about a month or so out. Gold Bond is one of the main topics of discussion.

Its' called Gold Bond. My sons swear by it.

Cambridgeskip, When I started as a Cub leader, I was promised that it was only an hour a week.....

Sounds like you got a good Scouter paycheck......

Without a doubt, the spirit of the rules of YP would not have two females without a male on a campout with a bunch of boys, especially in this day of headlines of female teachers and their male students. I wouldn't let my sons go on a campout without an adult male present.

Do either of these boys want to be Star? You need to talk to them about Scout Spirit. Do either want to be in OA? Talk about cheerful service. I agree with Jason's suggestions.

At least with my troop, we haven't observed the above. Mainly the boys use them as cameras, alarm clocks and to listen to at bedtime.

We've always encouraged techology. Axes, saws, tents, etc. are all technology. Our troop used to have the rule against electronics. We relaxed that a few years ago. I haven't seen any negative effects from it. In fact, I saw more problems from hidden electronics than out in the open electronics. We need to institute a tech chip, though, just to head off any future problems. I feel sorry for the adults that have to work during campouts. Most of the adult leaders in the troop carry smartphones. Handy to know about the weather if in an area with cell coverage. Also nice to post pictures on facebook during a campout (if with cell coverage). Smart phones are part of life these days.

It's a toss-up.

What has been the culture of the area in terms of that? That said, when my oldest was asked by the OA ceremony team about if we wanted the church flag to go in front with the troop and U.S. flag, he (and I ) were clueless. We are Catholic, and our troop (and the pack before it) are chartered by a Catholic Church, and we didn't know we had one. I think it's fine. You are endorsing the church to some degree by meeting there.

Cub scout camping isn't for adventure. It's to get families that don't camp to try it. Have patience, and when your boys are old enough, they will get that in Boy Scouts (make sure you find a troop that is that way). Camp more adventurously with your son on your own. Our troop is primarily car camping. We do an annual backpacking trip, and we are going to try to encourage the boys to do a canoe camping trip.

Well, the mailman we had at the time was female, so there's a pretty good chance he's mine......

That's what our troop does. It's interesting to watch how the boys' mess kits evolve over time. Most have ended up with simplicity itself--a bowl, a spork and a water bottle. My oldest son like his origami (plastic) plate and uses an origami bowl as his cup. The adult leaders do the same thing, although we do have a few extra plates/bowls/utensils for visiting parents and other guests. I've done the same as the boys, and just use a bowl, a spork, and a coffee cup, along with the water bottle. It was fun yesterday eating pancakes out of a bowl :-)