ScoutNut

As I have stated before - in GSUSA, as in BSA, it is ALL about the leader. If the leader is comfortable taking her girls out to do sports, camping, horseback riding, canoeing, etc, then the girls will experience those things. If the leaders are comfortable with only "inside" activities, then that is what the girls will be doing. UNLESS - the GIRLS demand more from their adult leaders. If that is the case, then good leaders will try to make what the GIRLS want happen for them. My daughter was in GSUSA from 1st thru 12th grades. As high school Seniors the girls decided to use the last of their Troop money to all register as Lifetime Girl Scouts. My daughter is turning 30 this year, and credits GSUSA, and her leaders (which included BOTH her mom AND dad) with helping her to become the woman she is today. My son, on the other hand, who is turning 27 this year, loved BSA, but ONLY because of the Troops, and adults, he worked with OTHER than his OWN Troop. In his own Troop he was made fun of, harassed, and insulted, by both the boys, and his Scoutmaster. All because he was different. He was a big kid (not fat, just over 6' by 6th grade with feet and shoulders to match), very smart, and kind. He also was (and still is) ADHD. So, do not condemn an entire program because of what happened to you, or your child. Every experience is unique. If you truly want to make a difference - VOLUNTEER. If you touch even one child's life in a POSITIVE way you will have done good!

We DIG having fun - Gooooooo Dozers!!!!

Where, when, how often, was pretty much left up to the individual den leaders. Most generally did the 4 meetings per month route. That was 1 pack meeting, and 3 den meetings. Sometimes, a den would hold a den meeting the week of the Pack meeting which increased their den meetings to 4. Sometimes, one of the den meetings would be an outing, Sometimes a den would have their 3 den meetings - plus - an outing. It all depended on what was going on in the individual den each month.

Ahhh, those "teachable" moments. I say the next time you misplace your keys, your "better" half drags you outside, gathers all of your neighbors, and makes you sing and dance while they all point and laugh at you. or You leave something on your desk at work. When you go back to retrieve it your boss makes you do a silly song and dance number in front of all of your co-workers. Having "fun" yet? What "life lessons" have you learned? Other than - 1) to never trust anyone enough to tell them when you have lost/misplaced something 2) to lie when asked questions about lost/misplaced items 3) to sneak around and "steal" back your own things - and my personal favorite - 4) instead of being courteous, and helpful, to treat people like crap when they are in need of a bit of help. My ADHD son would certainly agree that - YES - it IS bullying and/or hazing! He ended up pretty much hating his SM, and many of the Scouts in his Troop.

The position of BSA is VERY CLEAR. The ONLY dens that can camp alone as a den are Webelos. Tigers MUST do EVERYTHING with a parent partner present. Tiger / Wolf / Bear dens can ONLY - camp with the PACK as a WHOLE - OR - camp at a council run camp. Period. Obviously, it is just me, but my feeling is - what are you teaching these brand new to Scouting families by doing this? How does bending/ignoring the rules teach good citizenship, or develop good character? Right off the bat you are teaching these boys, and their families that rules are for everyone else, not you. You, being special, can do whatever you want to, just by pretending it is ok. You want to camp? Talk to the Cubmaster, and the Committee Chair about putting together a Pack Family Overnighter. Get trained, organize the campout for EVERYONE. Do it right. Or form your own camping club, and do whatever you want.

We had our annual Christmas decorating/cocoa drinking/cookie eating/carol singing get together for the Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts of our church/CO. Ornaments were all made by the Scouts and used to decorate the bushes around the church. After decorating the bushes we went into the gym/hall for refreshments and carol singing. Cub Pack and Girl Scouts alternated years to host event.

What is your position within this Troop?

This is all a load of horse excrement ! The Guide to Advancement is NOT open to "interpretation". The requirements for Star Scout do NOT "vary" by boy. They are set in stone by BSA. As for the POR nonsense - The BSA states in the requirements for Star - While a First Class Scout, serve actively in your unit for four months in one or more of the following positions of responsibility (or carry out a Scoutmaster-assigned leadership project to help the unit): Boy Scout troop. Patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, senior patrol leader, Venture patrol leader, troop guide, Order of the Arrow troop representative, den chief, scribe, librarian, historian, quartermaster, bugler, junior assistant Scoutmaster, chaplain aide, instructor, troop Webmaster, or Leave No Trace trainer. You stated in your opening post that the Scout served as Troop Librarian for 4 months and 1 week. Librarian is a valid POR. He was never removed from his position, or told he was not doing a good enough job. He served the required amount of time. From the Guide to Advancement - Boards of Review - 8.0.1.1. - Not a "Retest" or "Examination" A Scout must not be rejected at a board of review for reasons unrelated to advancement requirements. Where - exactly - does BSA state that showing a BOR how to set up a tent is a requirement for the rank of Star? Also, how does setting up a tent - by yourself - show leadership? Is the Scout supposed to bring other Scouts into his BOR? Not allowed by BSA. Is he supposed to "lead" the members of the BOR in setting up the tent? Nonsense! 8.0.1.5. - After the Review If a board does not approve, the candidate must be so informed and told what he can do to improve. Most Scouts accept responsibility for their behavior or for not completing requirements properly. In any case, a follow-up letter must be promptly sent to a Scout who is turned down. It must include actions advised that may lead to advancement, and also an explanation of appeal procedures. The council must keep a copy of the letter. I would contact your District Advancement Chair, and have him/her have a friendly chat with your CC, and COR, on how they are doing things. "Slowing down" a Scout is NEVER a valid reason for delaying a BOR. BSA SPECIFICALLY states that a Scout is supposed to advance at HIS OWN PACE! I would also consider looking at other Troops.

As the others have said - just call. You will not get into trouble, arrested, or anything scary at all. Simply tell them what you want, and you will be transferred to the correct person to help. Just like with any other outing. I suggest contacting small, local, stations. You can also contact local high schools, and colleges. Many will have their own newspaper/newsletter, radio/tv station. The plus with this is that the boys might end up attending the school, and this might spark an interest that will lead to their own involvement.

Our Pack never mandated/required the place/time/frequency of it's dens meetings. That was left up to the individual den. Generally we all met weekly for 1 hour. That would be 3 den meetings of some kind (reg/outing), and 1 Pack meeting, per month. Sometimes the Webelos would meet for 1.5 to 2 hours less times monthly, but again, that was up to the specific den. I never was bothered with weekly meetings. You get to know your boys, and their families. They are less likely to forget what day to show up (do we meet this week or next week or ?). They stay connected to Scouting as an integral part of their life. There are also more opportunities for flexibility with the boys. If they miss one meeting there are still 2 more den meetings they can attend that month. If there are only 2 den meetings, and they miss one, they will have missed a lot more.

First of all - to Sidney - the OP did NOT state she would "finish the coloring so it looked like he did it". What she DID say was she would "doctor those coloring pictures to work for him (add puff paint along the lines.)". Puff paint on the lines allows her son to "see" the lines, and be able to color within them - on his own. Now, to Christineka - First of all, you will need to sit your son down and have a conversation about his disability. He has to acknowledge that yes, he DOES have a disability, and it WILL affect how he interacts with others. Yes, he CAN do pretty much what ever he wants to do, however he might not be able to do those things the same way that others do them. Pretending he can, and that he is not disabled, is not good. As others have stated, he needs to learn to speak for himself. Let his leader know when he has a problem with something. You, and your son, need to talk to his leaders - in advance - and lay out his limitations, and way to accommodate for them. Stress that he will need sound and touch to replace the visual cues he will not be able to sense. Puff paint on lines is one way (offer to supply the paint). Simply doing a hard trace of the lines with a closed pen might also work without the added cost of buying puff paint. Provide the den with a "belled" ball so they have one handy for whenever they decide to pay a game. Give your son a backpack, and have him carry his slate, stylus, and brailler, with him to every meeting. That way he is Prepared, and you do not have to rely on knowing the schedule for each meeting (which can change at a moments notice). Purchase your son a large print, or braille, issue of his Cub handbooks. Visit your local Council shop to see what they can do for your son. You might also convince your son to talk to his den about his disability. He can describe how he sees the world. He can also let them know the help he might need from them - and the help he will NOT need. Let your son know that different is simply different, not better, or worse. Also help him realize that everyone is "different" in some way. If we were all the same what fun would that be! Have FUN!

Yep, Cub Scouting is just the start. It is about getting the families who have never camped, have no experience, and no equipment, outside. If you can hook them, or at least their Scouts, on camping during the Cub years you will have done well. As they say - ages and stages. Camping for Tiger - Bear Cubs is basically intro camping. Webelos can camp on their own, and get a bit more adventurous. Boy Scouts are much more independent, and older Scouts can do high adventure stuff. Make sure your Pack families have FUN camping. Take your family out on your own FUN adventures.

The end of the Pack year is for graduating to the next Cub level. Awards that have been earned should NEVER be held back. Present the boys their awards when they have earned them. Do not hold them hostage for months until the Pack decides THEY want to give them out!

What Blue & Gold was - originally - was simply the birthday party for Cub Scouting. Which is why it is traditionally held in February, the birthday month for BSA. It was/is the "target for obtaining rank" because February is a good time frame to use for completing rank award requirements when planning out your Cub year. A February completion date should not be written in stone, however, it is very doable, and gives procrastinating parents/Scouts a goal date to shoot for. What better time to celebrate your Scouts achievements than at a birthday party! BSA encourages a February/March crossover of Webelos to Boy Scouts because Webelos who have had more time with their new Troop before Summer, will be more likely to attend Summer camp that first year, have a better first year Summer camp experience, and will be more likely to stay in Scouting.

Segments are small curved patches. Here is an example from Ideal Emblem Co. - Some councils use them, and some do not. If your council does not sell them you can order them online from a number of patch suppliers. They are a cheap, fun, way to recognize participation. We would give them out for whatever activity the Scouts participated in. Things like monthly Pack meetings, Pinewood Derby, Pack campout, service projects, Pack activities, etc. The boys would sew them on the back of their red "brag vest" in circles around the council patch. Webelos crossing to Boy Scouts often had the back of their vest covered in lots of circles of patches. It made for a nice memento of their Cub years! We handed out segment lists to our den leaders so they knew what was available. They then included segments needed in their monthly list of awards to the Award Chair. The segment participation patches were given out at every Pack meeting along with any other awards earned that month.

Boys like having FUN! Bringing the families into the fun helps them to get them hooked. Those parents are more likely to volunteer if they truly feel like a part of the Pack FAMILY! Some game ideas can be found here - http://macscouter.com/Games/

Talk with your Tiger Partners about doing your Go See Its on Saturday, and get input on what time frame would work for all/most of them. Always call ahead. Just tell them you have a group of Tiger Cub Scouts and most will work with you to give them a kid friendly tour. Calling at LEAST two weeks ahead is good because that gives the place time to set up for your visit, and you time to tell your Tiger Teams. Also, there might be other groups vying for time slots to visit, or other things going on at the facility that you might have to plan around. Go to your District Roundtable meeting and ask other Cub leaders in your area for ideas of where to go. I always had everyone meet at the outing place. It was easier for everyone, and allowed some to leave earlier, or come a bit later, if necessary.

Good guest speakers - Police Canine unit Local nature center Local chapter of the society for creative anachronism - or a BSA Venturing Crew that specializes in this Local EMT from FD/PD/hospital for first aid demo Local zoo Local police dept - fingerprint all kids - talk about safety Local science teacher - fun/messy/interesting science stuff Local VFW - do flag talk/demo

Why is your son involved? It seems like this is all about what YOU - the Troop adult representative - wants to do with the den. Either your son is a genuine Den Chief - or you are. You can't have it both ways.

With just 6 boys a relay race might be a bit difficult with just the boys. You could do kids (Scouts & siblings) vs parents. That is always fun and involves the entire family! If your Pack meeting will be this month you could do a (turkey) feather race (keep throwing a feather down a course and back to start). Or use a balloon with a turkey drawn on it and keep it in the air at all times. If it touches the ground the player has to start over. If you do balloons be sure to have some replacement "turkeys" for any that give their lives for the Scout's fun! If you are planning a December meeting, snowball races with a plastic teaspoon and cotton balls is fun. Scoop a cotton ball out of one container, run to the end of the course keeping the "snowball" on the "shovel". Drop the "snowball" in another container and run back to hand off the "shovel" to the next in line. We always did a pot luck dinner for the December meeting, with everyone bringing a side (have someone keep track so you don't end up with 6 containers of potato salad!), and the Pack buying the meat dish. The highlight of our December Pack meeting (aside from the food and Santa passing out Pinewood Derby cars and candy canes) was our Popcorn Pie Toss. The top 10 popcorn salesmen got to toss a whipped cream "pie" (paper/foam plate with whipped topping on it) at the leader of their choice. Good, messy, fun! A cool Bobcat Ceremony is a MUST! Look online for lots of ideas. Do mini ceremonies for the belt loops too. Keep them in theme with the belt loop. For instance, attach basket ball loops to b-balls and bounce it to the Scout. Snacks depends on the time of the meeting, and if they would interfere with the Scouts dinner. If you opt for snacks go with something healthy. Ants on a log (celery with peanut butter or cream cheese and mini choc chips or raisins), or ticks on a toilet seat (apple rings with cream cheese and mini chips or raisins) are good. Or just fruit and milk. Always check your families for allergies! Have FUN!

Good grief ! Go look for a new Pack to join. One that is run correctly, and does the fun stuff that you and your son want to do. Life is to short to put up with all of that drama. You want your son's Scouting experience to be better? Find a better Pack!

Since you only have 5 Scouts, talk to your families about what they would like. Find out about allergies, and dietary restrictions. What kind of facilities, and equipment will you have? How many meals are we talking about here? It will be a lot easier to manage with only a small group. Foil packets, if you have the use of a nice size fire pit, and with a small group, can be fun. Pre-prep, and pre-cook, most of the stuff at home so the kids don't end up with raw meat. However, if you have grates to put over the fire, or a camp stove, you can cook just about anything that you do at home.

How - exactly - is the CC stepping on those other adult's toes? What is he doing that he should not be? I suggest the Scoutmaster, or COR, have a friendly talk with him. A lot depends on what he is/is not doing, and how it is actually affecting the boy's program.