Robin

Snail racing

Try using old cd's, they light up in the dark realy well and will even show up in moonlight without torches. Either see which team collects the most or write clues on them for a treasure hunt. We use the free ones that AOL give out.

One of the adverse results of our program change is taking the older Scouts away from the troop in to explorers so we now have 13 and 14 year old PL'S instead or 15 and 16 year olds. Here the Explorer section is supposed to be District based rather than Scout group based. Kids want to stay with their own Scout group (which they could have been in for 8 years rather than join something that is based elsewhere. They also introduced a rule that all new sections must accept girls, so all explorer groups must take in girls. Explorer groups are only just starting here (the UK), so time will tell if the Scout Association has got it right.

Hi You are slightly out on age ranges there - we have Beavers aged 5 3/4 to 8, Cubs from 8 to 10 1/2, Scouts from 10 1/2 to 14 1/2, Explorers from 14 1/2 to 18 and network Scouts from 18 to 26. If what you are doing is working why change? the age ranges for Scouts was changed here last year to try to retain older Scouts and is yet to prove itself.

It took me about an hour to do the disk and about another 3 to correct the mistakes. I had a few Cubs test the disk out for me last weekend and will see them tonight at cubs to find out what they think of it before I make a lot of copies. All of my Cubs but one either have a computer at home or can get use of one. Most Kids should be able to use a computer at school or the local library. We printed our own books for the old programme as our cubs didnt seem to be able to read the handbook, but I am trying to make life easier this time (I dont fancy printing 40 books again for my pack) I dont think they want all the badgework done at Cubs, more they were saving on printing costs. The Scout matrix book doesnt have badge requirements either. They will probably bring out an extra book next year to take more cash off the kids. The SA's excuse will probably be that the stuff is all on Scoutbase.

This may be very confusing for most of you! The powerpack is the new UK Cub handbook. Our whole program has been changed this year. The old handbook had a reading age of about 11 years, not very handy for an 8 year old Cub. The new book is more child freindly and is probably a good book for new Cubs as an introduction to Cubs but apart from that is almost totally useless. It has pictures of the activity badges but no badge requirements. We are supposed to hand out photo copied sheets to the Cubs. I have made up a floppy disk for each Cub with all the Activity badges on it.We are giving them to the Cubs in our distict to see if it makes life easier for the leaders.

I didnt go to Scouts after Cubs but I came back when I was 40 as Cub leader and now ADC Cubs. Your son will join in when he is ready.There are always some kids that the Cub program is right for but not Scouts.

Try http://www.sbuk.org.uk/info.centre/catalog.php?cat=190 To buy online. I expect it will be much dearer than you pay in the States.

Try word searches, printing the words on card and making a jigsaw, looking through a newspaper and finding examples of people who would be keeping the Cub promise and law or breaking them. We print the promise onto A4 card then cut it into pieces. We hve one set of pieces per group of cubs and run a quiz. every time a cub gets a question right he picks a piece of card. The winning group is the first to get all the words of the promise.

Could be this traditional English (Northumbrian) song Come here, maw little Jacky, Now aw've smoked mi backy, Let's hev a bit o' cracky, Till the boat comes in. Chorus: Dance ti' thy daddy, sing ti' thy mammy, Dance ti' thy daddy, ti' thy mammy sing; Thou shall hev a fishy on a little dishy, Thou shall hev a fishy when the boat comes in. Here's thy mother humming, Like a canny woman; Yonder comes thy father, Drunk - he cannot stand. Chorus: Dance ti' thy daddy, sing ti' thy mammy, Dance ti' thy daddy, ti' thy mammy sing; Thou shall hev a fishy on a little dishy, Thou shall hev a haddock when the boat comes in. Our Tommy's always fuddling, He's so fond of ale, But he's kind to me, I hope he'll never fail. Chorus: Dance ti' thy daddy, sing ti' thy mammy, Dance ti' thy daddy, ti' thy mammy sing; Thou shall hev a fishy on a little dishy, Thou shall hev a bloater when the boat comes in. I like a drop mysel', When I can get it sly, And thou, my bonny bairn, Will lik't as well as I. Chorus: Dance ti' thy daddy, sing ti' thy mammy, Dance ti' thy daddy, ti' thy mammy sing; Thou shall hev a fishy on a little dishy, Thou shall hev a mackerel when the boat comes in. May we get a drop, Oft as we stand in need; And weel may the keel row That brings the bairns their bread. Chorus: Dance ti' thy daddy, sing ti' thy mammy, Dance ti' thy daddy, ti' thy mammy sing; Thou shall hev a fishy on a little dishy, Thou shall hev a salmon when the boat comes in.

Think yourself lucky that you only have one like that!

I hope the 16 million is a mistake, or did 10 million Scouts just quit?

Eman, Patrol names are decided by the troop - ours are hawks, kestrels, panthers and stags. From joining as a 6 year old Beaver Scout, the progression at 8 is to Cub Scouts. The progressive awards at the moment for cubs are the cub scout award, the adventure award and the adventure crest award. Cubs progress on to Scouts at 10.5 years old There are five progress badges which Scouts can work towards: The Scout Membership Badge; The Scout Award; The Pathfinder Award; The Explorer Award; The Chief Scout Award. We dont have ranks as such. After this I would have to say that we are not quite sure as there are two new sections, Explorer Scouts for 14 - 18 year olds and Network Scouts for 18 - 26 year olds. There will be a new programe going public in June for all the sections. We are simply called The Scout Association. I suppose that sounds a bit arrogant but we were first! The paid section is mostly based at Gilwell park and London. We have our own HQ in Scotland that is answerable to UK headquarters.I would have to be convinced that it is organised. Our woodbadge is usually 5 weekends, one of which is under canvas, with projects between the weekends, but it is organised differently in other areas. We are obliged to do our woodbadge within the first 5 years of our appointment. They still do week long courses at Gilwell, but I am not sure if that is only for commisioner training. We do not have anything like the OA but there is a Scout fellowship that supports local scouting. The main difference is that some of our groups take girls, we dont have dens in our Cub packs, 6 year old beavers join without their parents having to attend and Cubs go camping without their parents - we have to have leader cover of 1 leader to 6 Cubs plus one in overall charge. Sorry this reply is not very detailed but I have just got home from a leaders meeting and have stuff to organise for Cub camp for Friday! If you want me to give more detail on anything please ask - I will have more time to reply when I am at work! There is a good website at www. scoutbase.org that will give you all of the badge requirments. Robin

We have girls in Scouting in the UK but only by the agreement of the Group leaders. Our group chooses to remain boys only, but there are a few groups around that have gone coed. In our distict one of the groups that have taken in girls lost all it's boys and then folded but it is not always a disaster. I have run Cub camps where the girls join in all the activities, but I can't get used to the sight of girls crawling out of tents in the morning wearing pink fluffy slippers!

Hi Eman I am in the UK so if there was anything you didnt ask your Queen's Scout ask away!