ScoutNut

"My question for highcountry is where did you find the food distributors numbers and who did you talk to?" Check your business yellow pages for Foodservice Distributors. Or do an online search for business in your area. Request disposable products (foam plates, cups, silverware, napkins, placemats, etc) and food products (cans of sauce, pasta, coffee, sugar, creamer, salad dressing, etc). Talk to the Sales or Marketing Departments or just go to the Owner / General Manager.

2nd and 3rd grade might be a bit young to expect them to do research on their own and to come up with slide ideas. A few might jump at the chance, most would simply not do it, or would have their parents do it for them. What would be a better idea is to have the Den Leader put together a variety of ideas and then have the boys vote on their favorites.

Michael's Crafts has wood canoe and paddle shapes. The boys can decorate/color them with markers and a slide ring can be hot glued onto the back. You can also use foam cut into different shapes and, using vinyl or leather lacing, or even yarn, along with beads & markers, make tepees, canoes, paddles, campfires, Indian headdresses, Indian clothing, etc. Use a small craft stick and make a talking stick or story stick.

A Pack or Den may make up any number of their own, unofficial awards for their Cubs. However, Cubs Scouts are not eligible to earn awards from the Boy Scout program (50-Miler, Mile Swim, Snorkeling, etc).

Make sure you contact your local city hall to find out what permits and inspections you might need. You will most likely need a foodservice certified person to be on site and in charge of the kitchen.

Gunny, keep in mind that Den Chief is considered a Boy Scout Position of Responsibility. It is not just about recruiting. It is not just about service. As Barry mentions, being a Den Chief is a LEADERSHIP experience for the Boy Scout. If the DC and the Den Leader work together the Boy Scout will learn a LOT about leadership, responsibility, and mentoring younger boys. A POR is a learning experience for the Scout. It is a good thing that your Scouts have a goal of recruiting more boys for the Troop. However, remind them that even if they feel "used" by the Pack, the Pack is being "used" by them also.

1) What type of Den do you lead, or are you a Pack level Scouter, or are you a District Scouter supporting Cubbing? I have lead every level of Cubs. Currently I am our Tiger Den leader, and am also active at the Pack and District levels. 2) How often does your Den meet during September to June (or your local school year)? Weekly, 3x per month. Sometimes we will have a 4th meeting if we need to. December is rather difficult for meetings, but we usually do at least 2. 3) How often does your Pack meet during September to June (or your local school year)? Pack meetings 1X per month. We try for an extra Pack activity each month also. 4) What kinds of summertime activities does your Den or Pack participate in (Day Camp, Family Camping, 4th of July parade, August swim, Webelos Camp...???) We do not have regular den or Pack meetings. We do have 2 or 3 Pack activities each month. Some of the things we do are - Fishing Derby Pack Campout Council Summer Camp Minor League Baseball Game District Day Camp Picnic / Rocket Shoot Bike Hike Kite Fly Swim Night

"This is what separates the crazies from the praticals... My Pack would not exist if we tried to meet 2-3 times a month as a Den," I am sorry, but this "crazy" has had 3 den meetings plus 1 Pack Meeting, every month for the last 12 years (excluding summers when we have 1-2 Pack activities only), and our Pack is going strong. In fact it is over 50 years old with 40 boys! ALL of our boys are into multiple things. All of our families are SUPER busy. The key is for the den to be flexible and to be there for the boys. Maybe you need to consider the boys in your den FIRST, instead of the sports. Be flexible and meet when/where it works for the Boys.

Per the Cub Scout Motto - Do Your Best! You are talking about two separate activities here right? Get a grip here folks. We are talking about CUB SCOUTS!!! He is not being sworn into the job of President! Two separate activities - count as 2 separate Electives. End of story - Don't punish the boys for the adults who don't know what they are doing!

GA HillBilly - Have you considered that BSA might not be the organization for you? Perhaps, instead of trying to change every unit you come into contact with, you should consider the concept that BSA might just not be for your family. Nothing wrong with that. Something for your family to think about.

"BSA Supply division makes minor changes to da uniform all the time without takin' it to the National Executive Board." "AFAIK, Switchback Pants were one of those "non-approved" changes (a change in material, not in color or look/function). Insignia guide changes every year or two, also without da approval of the National Executive Board." OK, I'm confused and maybe I've missed something along the way. Beavah, from your profile you are a Volunteer Scouter at the District/Council level. Has that changed? Are you by any chance now on the National Executive Board? Do you work for the BSA Supply Division? Do you work for the National BSA office in some capacity that has to do with the uniform (or anything else)? How can you possibly state that the National Executive Board had/has no approval or input over either the Insignia Guide or the new Switchback pants (and I will assume you include the Cub version, S2, as well)? Please state your source for this comment.

What's wrong with fun? Would you stay doing an activity that was boring and altogether unenjoyable? Of course not. This is not something these boys and their families HAVE to do. So, no matter what the promised benefits, if it is not enjoyable they will not be there. Robert Baden-Powell stated that Scouting was a "game with a purpose". Aren't games supposed to be fun? BSA is neither a criminal gang or a military outfit and they are not trying to be. By "gang of boys" Baden-Powell meant a small group of boys who are friends. That is what a patrol is, or should be. Cub Scouts, like Boy Scouts like to have fun. Webelos are supposed to be a transition of sorts between the younger boys and the older boys. Why/how could one BSA program comprise the values in another BSA program? The "values" are pretty much the same in both programs. Advancement is supposed to be done at the SCOUTS OWN speed. Not at their SM's or families. That does not mean that they should not be encouraged at all times. Of course they should. They should have every opportunity to learn and advance. They should be mentored and encouraged by their leaders (both youth and adult). However the choice and the timeline is theirs alone. Advancement is only ONE (1) method, of many, of Scouting. It is not the aim or goal of the Scouting program. I have never seen it stated in any BSA program materials that the sole purpose of Boy Scouts is to earn the rank of Eagle. A question of my own - Why would a Boy Scout Troop only meet once a month? Other than for convenience, why would you consider joining that type of Troop? Why would the Troop be OK with you using their Troop as simply a base to go out looking for a "better" Troop. Why can't/haven't you been doing that while a member of your current Troop?

"The discussion started because there may not be other options to the switchbacks. Some one stated that the twill trousers will be phased out and no longer available." Really? Where? THIS discussion started because a parent of a Wolf Cub Scout had difficulty fitting his son in the new Cub Scout S2 pants. Then in THIS discussion you compared Cub Scouts to a baseball team and the long shorts on the Cub Scout S2's to boys who wear their boxer shorts showing above their pants. Then you went on to complain about being cold wearing the Boy Scout Switchbacks as you walk from your warm house to your car. Sorry, but to me it sounds like argumentative trolling and not a discussion.

We are always encouraging boys to bring their buddies to den meetings, Pack meetings, and even Pack events like our rocket shoot/picnic. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I like the long length of the S2 shorts. Cub Scouts grow - FAST. By the end of their first year wearing them, the shorts will be almost above the knee anyway. Most of the boys, at all ages, like their shorts on the longer side. I don't see a problem here. The Boy Scout version is not meant to be worn on it's own during outdoor activities in winter weather. It is to be used as a windbreaker layer. I know Scouters who wore theirs last winter and they were fine when used with an under layer.

No argument, but Cub Scouts are not a baseball team. And, yes, I would (did/do) object to spending a large chunk of change on clothing that will only be worn once per week for just a few months of the year and then never be worn again. When my son was in grammar school, I objected to purchasing shoes that he only wore once or twice before his toes were being jammed, so I bought his shoes a bit larger. I objected to purchasing school pants at the end of school (or even the middle of Summer), only to have them not fit once school rolled around, so I waited until the weekend before school started and then bought large, hoping mightily that they would still fit by December. Why are the shorts supposed to come past the knee? Because that's the way BSA has designed them. Cub Scout age boys spend a LOT of time on their knees. Kneeling on those zippers would not be very much fun. Maybe, along with visible boxers, BSA also objects to boys wearing ultra short shorts. Which could easily happen as a boys legs are the first and fastest (right up there with his feet!) things to grow. BTW - One of my Tigers this year has purchased a pair of the S2's. He has been wearing them as shorts and I think they look great. More important, HE likes them!

Why? If a Scout is working on both the cooking MB and 1st Class, why make him do the work twice? The only "rule" as such would be that he can not use any activities from before he actually started the Merit Badge.

Anyone can tie knots. Anyone can make a woggle. Woggles and knots (any knot) are not restricted to Wood Badge use only. How would you even begin to police that. Heck, you don't even have to be a member of BSA to make yourself a knoted woggle (even out of leather).

Our Troop went to Dist Camporee this weekend. Our Pack had popcorn booth sales Friday evening, Saturday during the day, Saturday after evening mass, and after all masses (8,10,12,1:30) on Sunday. (One more weekend of booth sales YEA!!!) Saturday morning my Tiger den made spiders for our Spider Cemetery section of our Pack Haunted House. Some of our Cub and Boy Scouts participated in the annual Crop Walk on Sunday.

Having one large Den/Pack meeting that meets the needs of all of the boys for rank awards is next to impossible. The Tiger and Webelos programs are significantly different from the programs of the rest of the Pack that I can not recommend combining them with any other level. If dens must be combined, Wolf and Bear dens are the best to do this with.

As I said, popcorn is NOT a national program. Every council does their own thing. National does NOT "mandate" any part of any council's popcorn sale. You can find out what your council's profit set up was for last year by asking your Pack's popcorn kernal from last year. You can also contact your Council Service Center and get the contact info for last year's District Popcorn Chair. From what you have said, it sounds to me like your council may have had problems with units meeting deadlines and keeping the popcorn sales going. Unless your Pack did some crazy thing last year that there is no way they would ever be able to repeat this year, selling just $1 more than last year should be a BREEZE! I can't see a problem with meeting all deadlines either. You can still register a complaint that the base profit is only 27%. But, if they raise it to 30% nest year, be prepared to have to have to sell more than just $1 more to get to 33%.

While many councils/units sell popcorn, the sale is not a National program. If they sell popcorn, who the popcorn vendor is, what the incentives are, what the profit set-up for the units is, these are all done by the individual council. I believe that if your council is using Trail's End, than their cost to Trail's End (and conversely the amount that stays in council) is probably the same as any other council using Trail's End. However, based on the council's budget (much like the budget your unit makes out to see how much popcorn they need to sell), the council then decides how much profit will go to the units. In our council, our base profit from Trail's End popcorn is 30%. We can get an additional 3% if we meet the same type of criteria as you - attend kickoff, meet all deadline dates, and increase sales over last year by a certain %. We don't always make the increase %, but that's OK because we don't count on it. We work on the 30% and everything else is extra. If your council has always had a base of 30% profit and just dropped it to 27% this year, that is definitely worth a call to your DE and to the Council Popcorn Chair to complain. Let them know that at 27% they are making the sale hardly worth the time and trouble to participate in. It will not change anything for this year, but if enough units complain and threaten to stop participating, they very well might re-think things for next year's sale. One year, instead of a flat % increase, my council got fancy and required an increase in each type of popcorn. If you increased every other level, but not the top tier $50 tins (or any other level), you missed out on the extra profit. Boy did they get an outraged earful from everyone! The next year we were back at a flat % increase.

Library - Look for books on magic tricks

You need at the LEAST 1 more leader. Two would be better because that way the den can be split easier at some point. How about the other Tiger family that stayed on? Those parents have a handle on the Pack''s program by now, and, if you used Shared Leadership, have experience in leading the den. Pull one or both of the parents aside at the next den meeting and ask them to help. While most of these families they might be new to your Pack, they are probably families from your son''s grade in school. Do you know any of the other parents? Do any of them interact well with the kids? The suggestion to find a parent who is a former Scout is a good one. Also, families with a daughter in Girl Scouts are more likely to volunteer for their sons too. All requests to help should be done on a face-to-face basis with the parent of your choosing. Mass broadcasted requests seldom work, and if they do, you might end up with a volunteer you can not work with. At the next den meeting, with the help of the boys, put together a short list of den rules/consequences that utilize the Promise and Law. They should be learning these for their Bobcat and this will help reinforce what they are and what they mean. Put them on a big piece of poster board so the boys can see them every meeting. Add to that positive reinforcement. Have each boy make a coup stick of some sort (check out the How To Book). For every good thing they do (bring book, wear uniform, help fellow Scout, be polite, etc) they get a bead for their coup stick. They can collect beads or trade every 10 beads for 1 fancy bead and possibly a $1 store trinket from a box. Or, you could have a large bead jar with a line every few inches or so. If a boy does a good thing he gets a bead to put in the jar. If he does a bad thing he takes a bead out of the jar. Every time the beads reach one of the lines on the jar the den gets a special treat (Popsicles, pizza party, pick a trinket, special outing, etc). Asking each family to help out for a set number of meetings is a good idea too. It will help them to get to know the program, you, and the boys in the den. It will also give you a chance to scope them out and find potential leaders. Make sure YOU and all other den leaders take all of the training. Training will help give you ideas on how to handle your den. BTW - For clarification purposes, the following is not exactly correct - "the Guide to Safe Scouting states that, "One-on-one contact between adults and youth members is not permitted." Therefore, you will need a Den Leader with at least one Assistant Den Leader for anytime you meet with the boys. When an Assistant is not available ask a parent to help. This is a requirement, not a recommendation. There are no exceptions." This poster is confusing the BSA rule of 2-deep leadership and no 1 on 1 contact. From the Guide to Safe Scouting - "Two registered adult leaders or one registered leader and a parent of a participant, one of whom must be 21 years of age or older, are required on all trips and outings." While 2-deep is a good rule to follow at all times, it is only mandated for trips and outings, not for den meetings. Of course with 13 Scouts you would have to be nuts to meet with any less than 2 adults. No 1-on-1 contact means that no adult can be alone with any youth that is not their child. One leader in a room with 2 youth is fine. One adult taking a single child out in the hall, out of view of anyone else, for a discussion is not.

Wow, I guess I should reload the original post before sending! The boy is a Tiger. Tigers MUST have an adult Partner with them at all times. If your Tiger Den Leader just met him, he must not be the boys Tiger Partner. Unless this man is his legal guardian he can NOT sleep in the same tent as the boy. You would also need written permission from the boy''s parent/guardian in order for this man to be allowed to attend. If this man is the boy''s legal guardian, your DE can prevent him from becoming a BSA leader, but that is about all. The DE has no say in weather or not he can attend den or pack meetings, or den/pack events like the camping trip. Sit down with your Charter Org and discuss the situation. Then sit down with the parents and discuss the situation. The decision is up to your Charter Organization. Also, please stop discussing this families problems with others in the Pack who are not directly involved. Ask the new Tiger about gossip, he has a Tiger Requirement on the subject.