ScoutNut

You have had the last 4.5 months to get to know the families in your Tiger Den. You have seen, with Shared Leadership, how they each work with the boys. By now you should have a pretty good idea who would make a good leader & would not. You should have an informal talk with your Committee Chair, Cubmaster & Charter Org Rep about possible candidates. You, & the above folks, can continue to observe the Tiger families for the next couple of months if you wish. I would say that March (at the latest) should be the time when you all (CM, CC, COR & you) decide on who you want to approach to be Wolf Den Leader (you will need an Asst Den Leader too). Most councils hold Spring trainings so your new Den Leaders can get trained right away (you need to take CM training too).

OGE - Can you please site a BSA source that states that - "The concept of the Eagle Leadership project is that it is to be a service project of lasting import to the community" I can not find that requirement anywhere. What I did find in the Project Workbook is - "How big a project is required? There are no specific requirements, as long as the project is helpful to a religious institution, school, or community. The amount of time spent by you in planning your project and the actual working time spent in carrying out the project should be as much as is necessary for you to demonstrate your leadership of others." "Helpful" is a far cry from "lasting import to the community". GWD - on your question about the Eagle BOR, also from the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook - "Although your project was approved by your unit leader, unit committee, and council or district advancement committee before it was begun, the Eagle Scout board of review must approve the manner in which it was carried out." So, yes, it is possible that, in a year, his EBOR might not approve how the project was completed. Not LIKELY mind you, but possible.

"I was basically told last night that in our district, that a BOR is not allowed to "fail" a boy for any reason!" Told by whom? Did they give you a reason or site a BSA reference for saying something like that? Per BSA BOR Training - "If the Scout is not advancing, the board should certainly give the Scout the opportunity of learning what he needs to do to advance. He should be given a definite time for a subsequent board of review. Finally he should be given information about appeal procedures. In a good troop, having a Scout deferred for advancement by the board of review is unusual. If there is a problem with a Scout, normally he will not be presented to the board of review." This does NOT mean pass no matter what!

Welcome Ryan! I am also located in IL. A few questions - Why are you looking for other Troops that celebrate Scout Sunday in the same exact manner your Troop does? While it is wonderful that your church (CO) celebrates Scout Sunday, if you have multiple faiths in your Troop, what are THEIR religious organizations doing to celebrate it? Is your Troop doing anything to encourage the other religious organizations of it's members to celebrate Scout Sunday? Scout Sunday is a time for Scouts to celebrate their OWN duty to God, & for religious organizations to celebrate their Scouting youth. A time for the Scouts own religious community to recognize their youth members who have worked hard to learn about their faith & earn it's religious award. Some youth do not feel comfortable attending a religious service for a faith other than their own. Some faiths do not approve of their members attending other services. OK, I'm done with my observations! Now, on to what we do. Scout Sundays (both Boy & Girl) are a rather big thing at our local Catholic church. There is one mass designated as "Scout Mass". While we do not "run" the service (that is our Pastor's job), Scouts (youth & adult leaders) are used for as many of the readers, altar servers, cantors, etc, roles as possible. All of the Scouts line up at the back of the church, in full uniform, with their leaders. At the start of the service, the Scouts lead the procession down the central asile, carrying the flags, in front of the altar servers, Pastor, etc. The Scouts & leaders then fill up the pews in the front of the church. An older & a younger Scout are designated to bring up the offerings. On Boy Scout Sunday, the Parveli Dei banners are used to decorate the altar & one of the ASM's sings "On My Honor". The Girl Scouts can not decorate in the church due to GS Sunday falling in the church's Lenten season. At the end of the mass service, the religious awards that have been earned are brought onto the altar & blessed by the Pastor. A representative of each level earning a medal comes up, describes the medal & the work involved & then awards the medals to the youth. Pictures are taken of each group, & the attending Parish community applaudes them. After the service is completed there is a celebration for the Scouts & their families in the school/parish hall. On Boy Scout Sunday there is a continental breakfast of sweets, juice, milk & coffee. The Webelos pick up their banners & more pictures are taken. On Girl Scout Sunday there is also a continental breakfast. Projects from the various religious awards are displayed & each GS Troop puts on a short performance of some kind for their families & fellow Scouts. Our Pack & Troop are both chartered by the Holy Name Society of our local Catholic Church. The HNS also sponsors the Girl Scout Troops in the church's school. I would have to say that 99% of our members are of the Catholic faith. However, we do have some that are not, & we have invited them to our church's celebration if theirs is not holding one. We have also supported our non-Catholic members in earning the religious awards of their faith & attended the celebrations at their religious organizations when these awards were received. Hope this all helps! BTW - Our church has changed the date of their Boy Scout Sunday celebration so it would not interfere with the Super Bowl!

I would say that adults who are active in both GSUSA & BSA should wear the uniform of the capacity they are serving in. If they are attending a GSUSA event as a GS leader they should wear the GS uniform. If they are attending A BSA event as a BSA leader they should wear their BSA uniform. It they are attending either event as simply a parent, then no uniform is called for. I would say that for Cuboree's, Pack meetings, Pack Family Camping, etc, that a GS uniform is not really necessary. The same would be said of a Girl Scout event. In both cases the sibling is attending as a family member. The only times I would say it was appropriate to wear all types of Scouting uniforms would be - Some type of Community Service like a flag ceremony Joint Cub/Girl Scout events Eagle COH Gold Award Ceremony Scout Sundays That, of course, is simply my own opinion. There is no written rule. Also, if you can get your son or daughter to wear their uniforms when they don't absoulutely HAVE to, you are doing a LOT better than I ever was able to do!

Not sure if you are looking for a specific kind of candle prop, but the easiest one that comes to mind is - Take a log of some kind. Cut a slice off down one side. This will give it a "base" so it can stay upright & not roll. Drill as many holes along the log as you need for your candles. To get fancier - Drill the holes on the sides deeper than the center hole. That will give your center candle more height than the rest. Drill your holes at graduated depths with the 2 ends the deepest & the middle the shallowest. This will give you a candleabra type shape like this - /\. Cut a slice off of one, or both, sides of the log. Carve, wood burn, or paint a decoration on it. Hope this helps some!

You could also order her a "back of the Vest" patch from one of the patch companies. There are many for leadership, sharing & caring, someone special, thank you, sister, helping hands, etc. For stock patches there is usually no minimum quantity. https://www.advantageemblem.com/ http://www.design-it.com/ http://www.joycrest.com/ http://www.patchsales.com/ (This message has been edited by ScoutNut)

Yup - Sometimes it seems that the whole purpose of some of the changes GSUSA makes is simply to make more money. Charms & jewlery that cost significantly more than a patch (& actually significantly more than similar retail products). All of those Focus Books that are not supposed to be copied, forcing every girl in a Troop to purchase their own. Or, forcing leaders of Troops who can't afford all of that expense, to be copyright pirates by purchasing 1 book & photocopying it! Insisting girls use the original "Go For It" Focus Book (not a copy) when doing their Silver & Gold paperwork. And if the boys think their uniforms are impractical, expensive & fit funny, they should wear what the girls have for a while & they will NEVER complain again! I must say that I was happy to see the "older" girls split up into the 3 levels. Now we will see if they get their own program materials, or if GSUSA will stay with 1 basic program (Studio 2B?) for girls from 6th to 12th grade. Hopefully they will go with separate programs for each level, but I am not holding my breath on that one.

BSA has important training that you can do right now, on-line. http://olc.scouting.org/ Youth Protection training should be taken by every adult, registered or not, in the Scouting program. For the registered leader it is essential. For the non-registered parent it helps them to understand how we are protecting their children. Cub Scout Fast Start Training should be taken ASAP after you register. I would recommend you do all of the sections of the Cub Scout training. It will give you a better idea of how the Pack runs & how the different dens fit in the program. New Leader Essentials is only 1/2 of the council training you need. You should sign up for Cub Scout Den Leader Specific ASAP. That will give you some good insights into working with your Wolf den. You said you are doing everything yourself. That is not good. Your Asst. Den Leader should be helping you. If he is not, you should look for either a replacement or an added Asst Den Leader. Also, remember that the requirements for the Wolf (& Bear) rank award should be done MOSTLY at home with the families. You can work on some in Den meetings, but you should NOT feel that you need to do all of them. Cub Scouting is family centered. The boys & their families should accept the responsibility of working on the requirements themselves.

Welcome Bing & Happy New Year! How many Scouts do you have in your Wolf den? With multiple ADHD'ers, the more Asst Den Leaders you have the better! My son (now 1 month shy of 18 yo) is also ADHD. You might find these resources for ADHD & Scouts to be helpful - http://www.scouting.org/boyscouts/supplemental/pdf/ADHDTips.ppt http://www.faqs.org/faqs/scouting/leader-hints/section-8.html http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Oasis/1938/scout2.html There are lots of resources for new leaders at BSA National - http://www.scouting.org/cubscouts/resources/newleader.html Actually, the best help for a new leader is to take as much training as they can! Have a GREAT Scout year!

Yep, the soda bottle rockets are great! If your facility can let you have the use of a hose this would be a good "big" outdoor activity that could even serve to cool off the boys. Another good one for that is a water balloon toss. If you have access to slingshots (small) or catapults (large) these would be good for outdoors as well. We have even used the catapults with water balloons! I see some kind of cannon ball launching as a fun station! How about having each group build their own cardboard pirate ship. This would be a kid sized one, with no top or bottom, that a boy could get into & carry around. This would be a good ongoing group project that could cover the entire day camp period (week?). They could name their ship, and, along with their ships flag that they also create, could serve to identify their pirate crew. The last day of camp you could hold a camp wide Cardboard Pirate Ship Relay Race. You could have 2 crews race against each other at a time, thru various stations (stop to get your grocery bag full of water balloon cannon balls - stop to fire your cannon balls at a target - stop, no wind, must wait 10 sec for wind to start up again - etc). Depending on how many crews there are you could have more than 1 race going on at a time. Winning crews race against each other until the final winner gets a best sailors certificate for each of the crew. We do a cardboard derby every year in our Pack & the boys love it.

Treasure chest/map Making a pirate hat Making a pirate flag for each crew Make a treasure bag Compass Raingutter Regatta Fishing Predator/Prey games with ocean animals Sailors knots Talk like a pirate! Pirate skits Oriental Trading stuff Ocean in a Bottle: Each kid gets a baby food jar (or any other little jar or clear water bottle for that matter). They then add small sea beads, glitter, water, baby oil and blue food coloring to create their own ocean!! (Hot-glue the tops so the ocean doesn't drain on your floor) "X" Marks the Spot Play like Pin the tail on the donkey-- Before the party make a treasure map from poster board and mark an X for the location of the treasure. Also make a pirate flag (small squares of colored paper) for each child with a skull and crossbones on one side and double stick tape on the other. At game time cover the players eyes (one player at a time) with a pirate's bandana. Spin the player gently 2-3 times, then point him towards the map where he will attempt to find the treasure with his flag. The player with the flag closest to the treasure wins! Treasure Toss Before the party decorate a cardboard box to look like a wooden chest, or use a real chest if you have one. Leave the top off or open. Make or purchase five bean bags. This is a simple bean bag toss game where the children will take turns tossing the bean bags into the box from a pre-determined location. Variations - For older children make Draw a map on a large box. Cut three large holes in the map/box and the children will attempt to get the bean bags into the holes. Just like a bean bags toss game at a carnival. Peg Leg Race: Three legged races. Gold Nugget Treasure Hunt: Spray paint small rocks to make the gold. Hide. Give each child a handmade 'nugget' bag made from black cloth. Sunken Treasure: Cleaned out all your child's old "McDonald" toys from the past year or so, and added some gold coins, etc -- anything that fit the theme. Fill a small pool with water and put the "treasure" in the bottom. The children can use shovels and kitchen utensils (can't use their hands, except the littlest who were under 3) to "dig" for sunken treasure. Panning for gold: spray paint some rocks (more of that trusty gold spray paint) gold. Fill a small wading pool with water and added a 25 lb. bag of sand (about $3) and the "gold nuggets". Give the children metal pie plates and show them how to "pan" for gold. Marooned: A game of tag were the person chasing everyone is "Shark" and the marooned sailors can go to the "Island" (home free - a towel on the floor) one at a time. When the shark catches a sailor he becomes a shark too and tries to catch sailors. The last remaining sailor wins the game. Decorate felt hats cut and glued as pirate hats. Cannonball Piata: make from a balloon, paint black. Pin the parrot on the pirate Draw a picture of a pirate ship on some poster board and have the children throw Styrofoam balls (cannon balls) at it. This can be done from the cardboard Pirate Ship. Get a refrigerator box and cut in half. Divide children and put each team in their box. Give team one, 2 dozen ping-pong balls and see how many "cannon balls" they can toss into the other teams "ship" to try and sink it. Team two can catch the "bombs" and toss back into team ones ship, but they cannot pick "bombs" up off of the floor. After team one has used their 2 dozen balls, give team two a try, then count the bombs to see who sunk who's ship. Walking the plank: Use a little tykes pool or other hard side kiddie pool and make a wooden plank to go across the top. Purchase enough rubber alligators for each child and put them at the bottom of the pool. Then filled with water. As they go out at Musical Island, they walked the plank. Island Hopping Place several pillows around a large open area. Tell your children they are islands. Have the children hop from island to island without falling in the water. Make up stories about pirates and alligators while playing. Pirate Costume Ideas Bandannas Cut out square pieces of red cotton, polka dotted or plain, to make bandannas. Tie around the children's head. Belts Cut large strips of black cotton to make the belts to tie around their waists. Eye patches Cut out eye patches from black cardboard and fasten rubber bands onto them and put over one eye. Mustaches Give each child a black eye-liner pencil and provide a mirror for them to draw a mustache on their face. Pirate Name What's a pirate without a great pirate name? Provide them with buttons to write a name on and pin it on their clothing. Buccaneer hats - fold a sheet of tissue into a 20x15 inch rectangle. Now fold the rectangle into a 10x15 inch rec., with the major fold at the top. Fold the corners of each top side down 7 inches and crease. There should be about a 1 inch space at the top. Fold bottom on each side up 1-1/2 inches. Crease. Fold up 1-1/2 inches again and crease. Turn hat over and repeat on the other side. Staple hat together at edges. On the right side of hat, slightly off center, staple a feather behind the cuff or brim. Stick a gold seal over the staple. Hooks - Draw a hook on cardboard, cut it out and insert it in the bottom of a Styrofoam cup. The kids then insert there hand and it looks like a Pirate's Hook Hand. 3. Get earrings from Mom that are clip-ons. Add a red kerchief from the dime store and make an instant "scurvy swabbie". Use instant tatoos to create real swashbucklers. If possible, get white t-shirts, and using reb/black fabric paint or shoeshine applicators, paint stripes on them. Some fun sites: http://familyfun.go.com/parties/holiday/specialfeature/doca0603_pirates_sf/ http://www.atozkidsstuff.com/pirates.html http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/pirates/pirates.html http://users.tinyworld.co.uk/giggles/Pirate%20Theme%20Birthday%20Party%20Games.htm http://www.themeunits.com/Pirates_c.html http://www.kathimitchell.com/pirates.html

Adult leaders can wear the Venture strip above the right pocket. See the current Uniform Inspection sheet for male leaders here - http://www.scouting.org/forms/34284.pdf

Charging something up front for registration is a good idea. Even if the Pack is supplying the lunch free, a $1 registration fee will help to get a good head count. When you are having an event catered (or even just supplying the food) an off-the-cuff head count is never a good idea. Did your Pack do this last year? If this is an annual event, talk to the person who ran it last year. While uncooked dogs & bagged buns can both be frozen for future Pack use, you need someone with enough unused freezer space. If freezer space is unavailable, you can sell the unopened stuff to your families & leaders for a minimal amount. In your case it sounds like you are having the event catered with pre-cooked food. Dogs on buns can not be frozen, but if you have leftovers you might consider taking them to a local homeless shelter. The folks there will really appreciate it & the food will not just be tossed out.

Mark, either your council has decided to stay with one leader per pack Cub level in hopes of ensuring sufficient leaders for their units, they have simply never changed their paperwork, or the person in charge of recharter is not aware of the change. This change was announced at the National meeting about 3 years, or so, ago. It might have been the same meeting that they announced the Tigers would go to the blue uniform, or the one before that. Copied from the New-Unit Application form - "Packs must have a den leader/Webelos den leader/Tiger Cub leader who should be registered as an adult in the pack." From what I understand, this was done to help small Packs who would have had a hard time chartering if they had to register a leader for a level with only 1 or 2 boys.

Actually what their Pack needs to recharter is - 1 COR (who can also be dual registered as CC or a Committee Member) 1 CM 1 CC 2 Committee Members 1 Den (Tiger, Wolf, Bear OR Webelos) Leader 5 Youth Members The requirement to have 1 den leader for each level you have boys for was dropped a few years back.

Yep - Feb 4 is indeed Scout Sunday. It is also Super Bowl Sunday. Since our CO (Holy Name Society of our church) has a big Super Bowl party, my church has switched our celebration of Scout Sunday to the following Sunday (Feb 11).

I still think it would be more useful, & easier, to simply call your council & ask them. You also did not specifiy if you wanted the volunteers or just the professionals & council employees. Your council would be able to tell you that info also. Getting the correct info directly from your council is much better, IMO, than getting info from another council. Trust me, your council will be glad to help you. They are not allowed to yell or bite!

I'm not sure why you would need a generic organizational chart. If you want to know who to go to for what at your council, you would be better off with a listing specific to your council with contact info. Every council is set up a bit differently, but this is how mine is put together - Scout Executive / CEO Asst Scout Executive Field Director District Executives Registrar Office Manager Program Services Secretaries Check out your council's website. They might have an employee listing or contact page. If the website does not have all of the info, give them a call. I am sure they would be happy to help! (This message has been edited by ScoutNut)

It's called the Unit Money - Earning Application. It should be filled in by the Unit & approved by Council for ALL non-council sponsored fundraisiers (like popcorn). http://www.scouting.org/forms/34427.pdf

I was refering specificly to the questions involved, & they are about the Immaculate Conception. The Rosary Patch program teaches about the Mysteries of the Rosary. The Mysteries covered in the program for 2006-07 are the Glorious Mysteries. The Nativity is not one. Of course, technically, the Immaculate Conception & the Last Supper aren't either, but they do figure into them. These are very basic questions that serve simply to illustrate some of what the youth have learned.(This message has been edited by ScoutNut)

Just one comment first, even though your CO is a Catholic Church, you probably still have members who are not Catholic. Be sure to let those families know what you will be working on & get written permission for their boys to participate. With a large group it is harder to do something "creative" so that all of the boys get involved. It also depends on how much time you have to prepare & how much time of the Jan Pack meeting you are allocating to this. The questions essentially cover 3 events, the Resurection, the Last Supper & the Immaculate Conception. You might consider spliting the boys up into 3 groups &, with their parents help, have each group take one event & put on a little skit, take turns telling the story, or do some kind of presentation, making sure the questions on that event are covered. That way everyone learns about each event & there is no boring question & answer round robin. Or, you could have a group of adults put on a skit about the Resurrection/Ascension. Seeing a skit is more fun than simply being read to. After the skit you could simply ask the whole group the 5 questions & pick different boys to answer each one. If the skit has kept their attention there is no reason to have each boy actually answer every question individually.

"I believe that in theory, the main function of the Cubmaster is to run pack meetings, but I know that there usually ends up being more to it than that." It depends largely on your Pack. You said that you are in one of the largest Packs in your council, hopefully that also means that you have a full, functioning Committee. With a decent Committee, including a Committee Chair (CC), Charter Organization Rep (COR), Advancement Chair, Treasurer, Fundraising Chair, BALOO, Outings Chair, etc, etc, who are all doing their jobs, the only job you should have to do is Cubmaster (CM). "Would it potentially interfere with my direct involvement in my son's scouting experience, and in his den?" Yes. You can only be registered in one position at a time. You can either be the registered CM or a registered DL, not both. It really does a disservice to both positions to try to do them at the same time. Currently you are both a Tiger Partner & an Asst Den Leader. In my opinion, being your son's Tiger Partner is the most important thing you are doing right now. Is the CM stepping down immediately? With such a large Pack, there is no Asst CM? You should have a get together & talk to your CC & COR. They are the people in charge of "hiring" new leaders. Find out what their expectations are & when they would want you to take over. If at all possible, waiting until the end of this Tiger year would be better. As Tiger Partner you are supposed to be with your son, and PARTICIPATING alongside him in everything he does. Or, as I like to tell my Tiger Partners, "stuck like glue"! That will be very hard to do if you are also CM. My CM's wife took on the role of Tiger Partner for their sons. Other things to consider - Your den will need to find a new Asst Den Leader for next year. You will need to take Cubmaster Specific training ASAP. Hopefully you have already gone thru the entire Fast Start, including the CM portion. Good Luck! In the end the decision is one only you can make. BTW - Here is the BSA job description for CM - Conduct a pack program according to the policies of the BSA. Complete Cubmaster Fast Start Training and position-specific Basic Leader Training. Attend monthly roundtables. Plan and help carry out the Cub Scout program in the pack. This includes leading the monthly pack meeting, with the help of other leaders. Help the pack committee with a year-round recruitment plan for recruiting boys into Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouting, and Webelos Scouting. Know about and use the appropriate and available literature, including Boys' Life and Scouting magazines, Cub Scout Program Helps, and the Webelos Leader Guide. See that the pack program, leaders, and Cub Scouts positively reflect the interests and objectives of the chartered organization and the BSA. Work with the pack committee on (1) program ideas, (2) selecting and recruiting adult leaders, and (3) establishing a budget plan. Guide and support den leaders. See that they receive the required training for their positions. Help organize Webelos dens and encourage graduation into a Boy Scout troop. Help establish and maintain good relationships with Boy Scout troops. Maintain good relationships with parents and guardians. Seek their support and include them in activities. Involve male relatives such as uncles and grandfathers so that Cub Scouts will have additional male role models. See that Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts receive a quality, year-round program filled with fun and activities that qualify the dens and pack for the National Summertime Pack Award. Guide Cub Scouts in goodwill and conservation projects. See that the responsibilities specified for the assistant Cubmaster are carried out. Help the pack committee chair conduct the annual pack program planning conference and the monthly pack leaders' meetings. Work as a team with the pack committee chair to cultivate, educate, and motivate all pack leaders and parents or guardians in Cub Scouting. Take part in the charter review meeting and annual charter presentation ceremony. Request den chiefs for all dens and, after selection, see that they are trained. Recognize the den chiefs at pack meetings. Conduct an impressive graduation ceremony for Tiger Cubs. Meet with the unit commissioner, Webelos den leader, and Scoutmaster to establish plans for the Webelos Scouts' transition to Boy Scouting. Help plan and conduct impressive Webelos graduation ceremonies involving parents and guardians, the Scoutmaster, the Webelos den chief, the Webelos den leader, and the troop junior leaders. Conduct impressive Arrow of Light Award ceremonies. Encourage high advancement standards for all Cub Scouts. Help bring families together at joint activities for Webelos dens (or packs) and Boy Scout troops. Support the policies of the BSA. (This message has been edited by ScoutNut)

Aww, Cripes! You are so right Wingnut. I knew that it sounded familiar. This guy is simply pushing his own product. He tryed back at the beginning of November. Must not have gotten the bites he hoped so now he is lying about it to try & drum up business. Real nice! Well don't count on my business. I think a home made compass hunt will teach compass skills, be cheaper, & be fun for my Scouts!

I have looked at the site, and, while it does sound interesting, I can not see using it as a fundraiser. I think it is more like letterboxing than geocaching because you do not need a gps. However, like both, what happens when you get to where the treasure is supposed to be and nothing is there? Sure getting there might be fun, but if you have paid $ you want SOMETHING at the end. Many of the sites for letterboxing & geocaching that I have seen have not been kept up & have no stamps or items in them. Many of the sites no longer even exist. That is not a big problem if you are not paying anything. To pay a scout for a map to nowhere can end up being a VERY big problem.