ScoutNut

Since there will be at least 2 adults with your Wolves, you will have help corralling them. You might even have more adults (and more kids) if they combine groups. Have some silly songs to keep them occupied. Going over how a Scout should act and having a code of conduct for them should be good. I don't know how your Day Camp is set up, but at ours, the boys don't have long to wait for the activity to begin. They are usually pretty interested in what is going on and what they will be doing next. Remember the staff will be helping too. If boys get to rowdy at my station I will usually have them sit down. Also, I will have the quiet ones go first, if possible. The boys see this and settle down.

OGE - Did it say/show any changes for the Cub uniform?

Considering your theme - Medieval - You should contact your local Society for Creative Anachronism Kingdom. You can find them here - http://www.sca.org/findsca.html Although it is rather short notice, they might be able to do something for you. A Joust, or even a wandering minstrel would be nice.

I second what John said. There are very specific requirements that must be met for the facility and the program end of things. If your Program Person is not going to NCS (?), then YOU will be responsible for ensuring that all standards for programing are met. You can't plan a program, especially one as big and complicated as yours, without knowing what to do, and how to set it up! And to do it all in a little over ONE MONTH! That's NUTS!

OK - Lets hear it from other Cub Leaders out there - How many of you pay LESS than the $25 ea that Bayou Beaver spent, for a Council Parent/Cub weekend at a regular Council Cub Camp? How about at a Cub-World? I would venture to say not many. Our Cub Summer Adventure Camp Weekend costs $108 per Scout and $83 per adult (early bird prices were $88/$63). That cost covers the facility costs (including electricity, water, gas, etc), insurance, the Ranger, all supplies (crafts, bb's, replacement arrows, game equipment, etc), table/chair/awning rentals, food for lunch, dinner, campfire snacks, breakfast, water bottle, t-shirt, and a patch. I am sure I am leaving out a bunch of expenses too. If you, as you say, can accomplish TWO (2) camping trips for your entire FAMILY for a total of $50, and include all food, site rental and all craft and other activity supplies, then you are are a better budgeter than I have ever seen. Unless we ate 3 meals of bbj sandwiches and maybe splurged on 1 box of dried cereal, and walked to the campsite, I could not do ONE(1) family camping trip for $50. BTW - You do NOT have to sell popcorn to earn Quality Unit.

WOW! 4 weeks long! 3 different sites! All at the same time? Or different dates? You must have one HUGE District!! The longest I have ever heard of a Day Camp running is 1 week. Do you get a lot of Scouts to sign up for a 4 week long day camp? Have you taken National Camp School training? If not, then get in touch with your trained Camp Director(s). They are the ones who are responsible for making sure the camp is set up correctly and the programing covers everything it should. For a 4 week long program you are going to need a LOT of activities to avoid repeats and boring the Scouts. Depending on the amount of volunteers you have (you are going to need a lot of those too), you can pretty much repeat the same activities and timetable at the different sites. However, some of your activities will depend on what facilities you have at the different sites. Do you have enough room at any of them to include archery? You will also need enough equipment, and trained folks, to cover the 3 sites. If you can swing it, archery is a great tie-in with the Medieval theme. We did that theme in our District a few years back. Each group of boys was their own castle. They created their own Coat-of-Arms to describe who they were and to display at the end of their tables. We also got a bunch of cardboard pizza circles donated and made shields, and used plastic gallon milk jugs to make helmets. I can't remember all of the stations we had, but we did have jousting with foam water noodles and making a compass using a magnet, cork and a needle. I think one of the crafts was a stained glass looking picture of a castle using plastic wrap. The one activity the boys really liked (besides archery) was the catapults. We tossed bean bags at boxes decorated to look like castles.

Foe Pack camping I never use the regular, public campsites. As you have found out, even the primitive sites are WAY to expensive, simply because you are limited on the number of tents and people per site so you would have to have a lot of sites to cover all the families. We always use the Youth Group Camp areas. Lots of room and a lot cheaper!

Welcome! And THANK YOU for taking BALOO training! Go pull out all of the stuff you received when you took your BALOO training. In there you should have a listing of all approved Cub Camping facilities in your area. If your planned camp ground is listed you should have no worries. If it is not listed, go back to your pile of BALOO stuff. One of the handouts you received should be the Pack Overnighter Site Approval Form. This is the form you can fill out and give to your council so that they can approve the site for Cub camping. On the form it lists Mandatory Standards and optional Site Amenities. Under the optional amenities (nice if they have it but not mandatory) is - # 15 - Clean and warm showers are available for all campers. Under the list of mandatory things a site MUST have is - # 4 - Drinking water from an approved source is provided at convenient locations and is readily accessible. # 9 - Each family site is within 300 feet of a sanitary toilet facility. That's it. So, bottom line - YES - Cubs must have drinking water available. However it can come from a well with a hand pump. There is no requirement for a sink with running hot and/or cold water. YES - Cubs must have bathroom facilities available. No back woods, dig your own cat hole or pack out your own poop camping for Cubbies. However, the bathrooms simply need to be sanitary. That means you do not need fancy buildings with flush toilets. Pit toilets are fine. Have a great time! BTW - When you filled out your BALOO course evaluation form, you DID check the box that said - YES! I would LOVE to help staff future BALOO trainings! didn't you!?

When I had my son's den we charged $10 per year. This covered the larger supplies and some entrance fees for den outings. For everything else we would ask parents to bring in stuff and we would scrounge. With my Tigers, I do not charge den dues. The Tiger Team in charge of the meeting provides the supplies needed. For every day supplies like crayons, glue, paper, etc, the Pack has a supply cabinet at our CO where we keep all sorts of "stuff" that is available for all dens to use. Whenever someone in the Pack notes that something needs replenishing, they usually bring in some. Right now we are getting rather short on glue so the next time I am passing the $1 store I will see what they have. One dad brought in a large packet of blueprint sized (EX-LARGE) blank paper. One aunt brought in paint and crayons left over from a day care event. Still another parent had extra booklets from a safety assembly she brought in. I am constantly copying coloring pages at work for Pack meetings and all of the extras go in our cabinet for den gathering activities. We have sea shells, pine cones, bird seed, tape, twine, flower seeds, paper cups & plates, napkins and paper towels, plastic gloves, grocery bags, foil, beads, cording, etc, etc. Our cabinet REALLY needs to be straightened out! Spread the cost, involve the entire Pack!

"How is the Patrol Method reinforced with the scouts if constant parental contact is the norm?" How is the Patrol Method enforced with the other boys who have parents along at campouts? Same thing. This boy is simply a bit young and emotionaly dependent yet. As long as the dad is not doing things for the boy, stays with the other adults, and the boy is working with and sleeping with his Patrol, I really do not see a problem. The boy will grow and mature in his own time frame.

I pick places that are at a maximum, 2 hours away. Most are just about 1 hour. My purpose is that we encourage Pack families to come out for the day's activities if they do not want to camp overnight. Anything over 2 hours is to long for a day outing.

It is supposed to be coming to a Scout Shop near you soon - Of course that is what we were told in September, October, November, December ....

BSA is looking for feedback on it's National Web site. Now is your chance to tell them how they are doing and what you would like to see included on there. https://scoutnet.scouting.org/survey/cgi-bin/qwebcorporate.dll?idx=HKMJ3X Or go to - http://www.scouting.org/ The survey is on the home page.

How old is the boy? Is the dad doing things for his son that the son should be doing for himself (setting up tent, cooking, clean-up, etc)? Does the dad interfere with the way the boys Patrol operates? Does the dad overrule the SPL or his son's PL? Does the boy sleep with his dad or with his Patrol? Or, is the dad simply there, providing transportation and a background presence? BTW - medical conditions are not always obvious to the outside viewer. Unless you are privy to inside medical information (not just what the parents have decided to tell/share with people outside of the family) you can not say for a certainty that there is no medical condition.

If you are truly interested in helping then the place to start is to attend your District Roundtables - regularly. This helps you get to know who the folks in your District are and lets them get to know you. Also, often if there is a need for volunteers, Roundtable is where the need will be publicized. Your DE is to busy to coordinate all District volunteer opportunities on top of his regular duties. Every District has different committees of volunteers who do different things. Each committee has a Chair and each District will usually have a District Chair. If your Council/District Committee Chairs and Commissioners have never met you, don't know who you are, and don't have a clue if you are a reliable volunteer or not, how do you expect them to know that you are interested in helping out? You should check your District/Council newsletter & Web site. Every newsletter (and most Web sites) I have seen, from lots of different Councils, includes at the very least a list of the names of the different District Chairs, and often their contact info. I started off many years back when my Council mentioned at Roundtable it was looking for folks to help with our Council-wide popcorn distribution. I signed up at Roundtable to help staff various District activities and events. Every training I attended I would fill out the evaluation form and check that YES, I was interested in staffing a future training. Eventually, they realized they had a couple of real suckers - um-mm - enthusiastic volunteers, yeah that's right - in their midst! I must say that I have met some great people and made some good friends in the process.

Why not have a rank ceremony at this month's Pack meeting so he can be recognized in front of the entire Pack?

Nope, I'm not mistaken. There is nothing to interpret. I quoted the Tiger Cub Joining Requirements straight from the Youth Application. I never said a boy could not join at any time he chose. However, when ever a boy chooses to join the BSA, even half way thru the year, he must, AT THAT TIME, still meet the current joining requirements. If the boy Kittle is asking about has completed kindergarten, he may register as a Tiger Cub Scout, even though he is curently 6 and will not turn 7 until January. If the 6 year old boy is only entering kindergarten he can not join Cub Scouts yet. His parents can consider registering him as a Tiger in January, after he turns 7 and meets the joining requirements.

The Youth Application states - "Tiger Cub Must be under the age of 8, have completed kindergarten or be in the first grade, or be age 7." These are the requirements to REGISTER as a Tiger Cub. It does not state that they may be reached at some future time during the year. If the boy does not currently meet the joining requirements, at the time he is filling out his application, he can not join. If this boy has COMPLETED kindergarten he can register as a Tiger Cub. If he is going INTO kindergarten, and is not yet 7 years old, he can not register.

The yellow shirt is not the only "female" version shirt. The tan shirt comes in "female" too. I think that you may be having problems finding the yellow shirt and blue slacks because since the tan/green combo became OK for women Cub leaders, not to many folks wear the blue/yellow any more. Personally, I rather hate that yellow shirt myself. I just can't see tossing it when it still has some more life in it, it's only 13 years old. The Scout Leader uniform inspection sheet states that - "Neckwear is optional but must be worn according to specifications in the Insignia Guide." The BSA Insignia Guide has this to say about the Cub Scout leader's neckerckhief - "Cub Scout leaders may wear the blue and gold Cub Scout leader's neckerchief." and "A Webelos leader wears a neckerchief similar to the Webelos Scout neckerchief, except that it has gold embroidered edging and is larger." There is nothing that states that the blue and gold Cub Scout leader's neckerchief should only be worn with the yellow/blue combo female Cub leader uniform option. Female Cub Scout leaders can wear the blue/gold leader neckerchief (Tiger or Cub version), the Webelos leader plaid scarf, the blue/gold Oscar de la Renta Cub Scout scarf, the bolo tie, or nothing. These neckwear options are to be worn with BOTH the blue/yellow and the tan/green uniforms. The BSA Insignia Guide does not state that the green/red/gold Boy Scout scarf is an option for female leaders in the Cub Scout program. Slides, both official and unofficial, can be worn with any neckerchief.

I wear the blue/yellow scarf. My slide depends on the theme of the day or my mood. I have lots of slides! My general wear slides are my tree slice w/burned paw print and my turks head.

Actually, we appreciate you guys. The new, and old, leaders who take the extra time and effort to join a forum like this one. Who ask questions, learn as much as they can from many different sources, and try to do things the right way to give their Scouts the best possible program they can. Keep on learning and Happy Scouting!

There is NO BSA regulation at all that states that a boy can not sleep alone in a tent. Sleeping with a buddy is a better idea than sleeping alone (and more fun from the boys point of view), but BSA does not state that sleeping alone is not allowed. (Basementdweller, your BALOO instructor was spreading a Scouting Myth) Most boys will have at least 1 friend in the Pack, otherwise they don't stay very long. The two families can buddy up with the adults sharing a tent and the boys sharing another. Or the boys can share a tent and the adults can each sleep alone (or with their other children) in their own tents. I have never had a problem with this when I have explained that it is a Youth Protection issue. Families understand and work with it.

Info on the courses should not be that hard to come by. Contact either the specific Course Director or your District Training Chair. Contact info for the Course Director should be on each registration sheet for the training course that you filled out. Contact info for District Training Chair should be available either on your Council Web site or from your Council Service Center. As others have stated, you should wear your uniform to trainings if you have one. However, it is not mandatory. If it is an outdoor training and you are staying overnight, a tent is necessary or you will be sleeping under the stars! For the trainings that I have attended, and the ones that I have been CD for, a list of things to bring has been supplied to all registered participants.

We have a lot of our boys in sports too, and yes, it does affect attendance. However, we are flexible, and our families are well practiced at doing multiple things all at the same time! At our Pack meeting last night we did our "gathering" portion for rather longer than usual because it was looking a bit bleak. But eventually we had most every family (and a few newbies!) show up. Our Wolf den was on stage receiving their awards when 2 of their number, in soccer pads buttoning their scout shirt over soccer uniform, came running full speed into the hall and onto the stage!

"I am still confused about Cub Scout Pack Camping. OK, so G2SS says that MOST times the Cub brings a parent or Guardian, but that other times they can get away with having an assigned adult. For being in the tent, however, the Cub can not be in the tent with only one adult who is not their parent, right? Can one adult be responsible for more than one Cub? Can the adult have their own tent and put two cubs in a tent together?" The BEST senerio is that the Cub attends with at least 1 parent (Tigers MUST have a parent-no exception). Failing that the boy can come with another family member, or different Pack family. However, you should have a signed permission slip from the Cub's parents stating who is responsible for their son (you should have signed permission slips for every boy anyway). Also - The Cub can NOT sleep in the tent with the adult. The boys can be in 1 tent and the adult in another, but the Cub can not sleep in the same tent as an adult who is not his parent. Driving - Rule of 3 - 1 Adult & 2 Boys - 2 Adults & 1 Boy - Both are fine. Not fine - 1 Adult & 1 Boy who is not Adult's son.