ScoutNut

Just to clarify Brew, what will your Pack do if they ever get real radical and end up recruiting some Tigers in June? Are you stating that you will not allow them to participate in any Pack activities over their first three months? Or are you stating that you will not award them a Summertime pin even if they attend three summer activities in their first three months?

No, the Summertime Award is not a rank, but it IS a LEVEL SPECIFIC Cub Scout Award. Tiger specific awards should be earned WHILE A TIGER. That means that all requirements for the award should be completed while a Tiger, The same goes for Wolf specific, Bear specific, and Webelos specific awards. A boy is eligible to be a Tiger Cub Scout June 1, following his graduation from kindergarten, and continues to be a Tiger until May 31, at the end of his first grade year. On June 1, following his last day of first grade, BSA officially makes him a Wolf Cub Scout. Boys joining Cub Scouts as a Tiger in September have the opportunity to earn 4 Summertime Award pins during their time in Cub Scouts. Boys joining Cub Scouts as a Tiger in June have the opportunity to earn 5 Summertime Award pins during their time in Cub Scouts. I realize that the point is that if the boys complete the requirements, they should get the award, and yes, the old single color pin would stop these silly quibbles. However, in their infinite silliness, BSA has chosen to make this a level specific award, and I feel that it is unfair to the June Tigers to ignore any summer awards they earn over their first three months as a Tiger, because Tigers joining in September have not had the opportunity to earn them yet.

This discussion only proves that BSA has volunteers writing some of their copy. Most of the BSA sources I found simply state that the Cub has to attend a Summertime activity each month in order to earn his pin. Lets us look at this logically (I know I am asking a lot!) - The BSA National info on the Summertime Awards here - http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/cubscouts/leaders/awards/unitawards.aspx Show the orange Tiger pin with the orange necker, and slide. The same for the other Cub levels. Nothing is stated here about "ranks" when earning the individual pin. Cub levels start on June 1 of each year - regardless of which rank award the Cub has, or has not, earned. A boy who registers as a Tiger Cub in June after the end of kindergarten, is a Tiger over the summer, and eligible to attend the Summertime activities of his Pack. If he attends one activity each month he is eligible to earn the orange Tiger Summertime pin. The next summer, he has finished 1st grade, becomes a Wolf on June 1, and attends his Pack's Summertime activities as a Wolf Cub Scout. If he attends one activity each month he is eligible to earn the red Wolf Summertime pin. The next summer, he has finished 2nd grade, becomes a Bear on June 1, and attends his Pack's Summertime activities as a Bear Cub Scout. If he attends one activity each month he is eligible to earn the green Bear Summertime pin. The next summer, he has finished 3rd grade, becomes a Webelos on June 1, and attends his Pack's Summertime activities as a Webelos Cub Scout. If he attends one activity each month he is eligible to earn the blue Webelos Summertime pin. His last summer as a Cub Scout, he has finished 4th grade, continues as a Webelos, and attends his Pack's Summertime activities as a Webelos Cub Scout. If he attends one activity each month he is eligible to earn a second blue Webelos Summertime pin. A boy who registers as a Tiger (or any other level) in September, is out of luck earning the Summertime award for the previous summer when he was not yet a Cub Scout. Why/how would a Tiger who joins in September get a Tiger Summertime award? Would a Tiger who joins in June get TWO Tiger Summertime awards? Or, would you just ignore his first summer completely? The only Cub who is at their level over TWO summers, and thus can earn TWO Summertime pins, is Webelos.

Are these "Camp Bucks" from the district/council, or are they specific to your Pack? If they are specific to your Pack how can you guarantee that all other Packs and Troops will honor them? Will this be the only incentive offered?

What makes the best Pack meeting ever? That's easy! Having FUN! More hands on kid fun, less sitting on hands listening to adults talk.

Is this mom's daughter a first year Cadette? How is the daughter? Shy/quiet, pushy, or somewhere in the middle? Does she agree with her mom's agenda items? How does she get along with the other girls? The fact that the folded Troop she was a leader for was in a different Service Unit (SU), and that she is still the Treasurer for that SU, tells me they live in the SU. It also suggests that she could find no Troop/Group in that area that she felt was a "fit" for her daughter, or more likely, since as Treasurer the area leaders all knew her, could find no Troop/Group willing to take her on. From her actions, it sounds like she is trying to get the girls at her daughters level to break off into their own Troop (with her as the leader of course). I think the leaders need to have a heart-to-heart talk with this mom. For the record, if I was a non-leader parent who had suggestions for the Group/Troop, I would talk to my daughter, and suggest she talk to the other girls if she liked my suggestions. What happened after that would be up to daughter, and the other girls. I would NOT push it with the other parents. I did that with my son when he complained about his Troop's program being boring. I told him to talk to the other Scouts, PL's, SPL, etc. A few things improved, but most stayed status quo until they got a new, younger, SM.

Our Girl Scouts used the 3-tub method. Scrape off food into trash which then gets taken directly to camp trash cans. Wash in hot soapy (biodegradable) water. Rinse in warm water. Put in mesh dunk bag. Dunk in cool water w/a couple of capfuls of bleach, or sanitizing tablets. Hand bags on clothes line to drip dry. No drying cloths. They can easily spread stuff that is not tummy-friendly. Air drying is best and any sanitizing agent evaporates. We have used this method with our Cub Pack also, but we find that with car camping, and the larger numbers involved, it is sometimes easier to go with disposables.

Why is the parent at the meetings if she is not a leader? Someone (your Troop leaders!) needs to remind this woman that the Troop belongs to the GIRLS. That it is the GIRLS who decide how it is run, and what they do. She needs to be told that 1) it is her DAUGHTER who should be doing the cookie selling; 2) if she feels her daughter (her) is doing to much fundraising then by all means please cut back; and last but certainly not least, 3) she needs to BUTT OUT. Again, it is the GIRL'S Troop, not hers. Good luck!

Your way is not "right" or "wrong". As you have noticed, there are issues with whatever way you do things. Does the Pumpkin Patch have a picnic area? You might consider having everyone meet there first. Do a Cub Scout Promise with the Sign, go over any rules for the day, and then do a face painting ceremony for any Bobcats. The boys might like showing "the world" their face paint!

The only time we have a Pack activity instead of a Pack meeting is during the summer months of June/July/August. Those are simply fun activities, not formal meetings. Every other month we have a Pack meeting, complete with opening flag ceremony, where any awards earned the previous month are given out. Any Pack activities done during a particular month are separate events, done on a different day from the Pack meeting. These would include haunted house, sports games, hikes, service, etc. That is not to say that Pack meetings are only award ceremonies. We often include fun activities, such as Pinewood Derby, pot luck dinner, cardboard vehicle relay race, special presenters, etc, as part of our monthly Pack meeting.

Just curious, are you collecting applications, putting youth, and adult, information into your personal email account, and disseminating that information to others, in your capacity as Unit Commissioner to the Pack, or in some other capacity? Also, just a note, email accounts are not secure storage. They are regularly hacked, and used to spread spam, and viruses.

These are the 2008 versions. If you want to do this then at least use something a bit more current. There are 2010 versions out there if you look a bit.

>>"The COR wants to replace the CC. Can he do that? Can he replace the Cub Master also? If so does he need a reason other then they don't like the sister troop?">"They are encouraging boy scouts to leave. (They had boys in the Troop)"

So, WasE61, is your stepson still in this Troop, or did he quit along with your wife?

>>"Oh, I reckon there's a fair bit of doubt about it, ScoutNut."

Both, and T2Eagle's too!

I'll bet you could tie yourself to a tree with a clove hitch while singing "I'm a Little Teapot". BSA would still only REQUIRE Adult Partners, and ScoutParents (gag), living at the same address as their Scout, to fill out the bottom of their Scout's youth application. Of course, parents can fill in an adult application for every position in the Pack if they want to. They can also get all of their friends and neighbors to fill in adult applications. That is entirely their call. Your Pack may do it differently, but I never required a completed adult application from anyone who was doing a one-time, or temporary, Tiger Adult Partner fill-in. The only thing I ever required was that, if it was not one of the other Tiger Adults, that the Tiger introduce them, and that they participate with the Tiger, and not sit on their duff in a corner. And, of course there is only room for one ScoutNut! I am, after all, unique! How does that go? "There can be only one." (This message has been edited by ScoutNut)

We do Halloween themed games at our October Pack meeting. Each den comes up with, and staffs a game (pumpkin bowling, candy corn relay, bean bag toss thru witch/ghost, etc), and the dens (including siblings) rotate thru each game. At the end we give out party bags (from $1 store) with Halloween pencils, activity book, spider rings, etc. Games, and setup are, planned out at our Pack Leader/Committee meetings in September, and October. We also do a Pack Haunted House on the Saturday nearest Halloween that is used as a Food Pantry service project. Each den takes a part of the hall, and creates their own scary area to "haunt". We involve Scouts, parents, and siblings. It is a lot of work, but also a lot of fun, and it helps stock the Food Pantry before the holiday season.

Tiger Adult Partners, and the rather silly ScoutParent, are signed up on the YOUTH application, NOT the adult one. There are "fill-in" radio buttons to designate the position(s) you are interested in. No Youth protection, background check, or payment of fees, is required for either. The BSA position codes you listed (AP & PS) are what ScoutNet spits out for recharter purposes after reading the filled in radio buttons on the youth application. While you are reviewing the Adult Application, notice on page 2 that the only Unit Position Codes for Tigers, or ScoutParents listed for use on the adult app are that of TL - Tiger Cub den leader, and PC - ScoutParent unit coordinator. At the bottom of the list of applicable position codes it states clearly - "ScoutParents (PS) and Tiger Cub adult partners (AP) complete the bottom portion of the youth application."

>>"The mission for the District Committee, Commissioners, and professionals is to grow Scouting. This means that a District has to take advantage of every opportunity to do so. School Open Houses are too great an opportunity to pass up, and if a Cubmaster doesn't want to do it or cannot do it because they need to attend that night as a parent, it's definitely your job to be there helping them grow Scouting."

BSA only requires a Tiger Adult Partner to fill out an adult application if the Adult Partner does not live at the same address as the the Tiger. If the person filling in the info on the bottom half of the youth application to be Tiger Adult Partner (or ScoutParent) is not a parent, but does live at the same address as the Tiger, then all that is required is the parent's signature on the application.

As Fansome stated - The Pack that he is CM for is NOT one of the units he is COR for. Online rechartering will only stop a COR from registering as a CM in the SAME UNIT.

While GSUSA seems to have pared down the awards they show on their current "where to" uniform pdf's, the National organization lists religious recognitions under "Special Opportunity Awards" in their Insignia List. The National organization also mentions in various areas that religious recognitions are allowed to be worn on the GSUSA uniform. This is from a section for adult volunteers - "The national organizations listed below have created religious recognitions to encourage girls to grow stronger in their faith. Each faith organization develops and administers its own program. Girls can wear recognitions earned through their faith organization on their Girl Scouts uniform." Some councils go into more detail about exactly where religious recognitions can be worn. For instance, from Girls Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania - "If the religious organization of the individual member provides an award, it may be worn on the right side of the Girl Scout uniform with the membership pin on the left." For more specific detail, this is from the National site before their Insignia site was redone - "Religious and Other Awards - Wear these awards in a single horizontal row on the right side of the uniform blouse, level with the Girl Scout Membership Pin, or on the vest in the area below the membership stars or troop/group numerals, and above the next official insignia already on the vest. On the sash, these pins go in a horizontal line below the membership stars." "Note: Wear only three such awards at a time to avoid a cluttered shirt or uniform. Choose to wear those that are most meaningful to you."

Nope, according to BSA Rules and Regulations, money raised for Scouting MUST be used for Scouting. Money and equipment raised/purchased for the purpose of Scouting can not go into the CO's pocket to be used for non-Scouting purposes. If a unit folds, the CO has a choice - If they plan on starting up a new unit, they can keep the folded unit,s money and equipment in trust for their new Scouting unit. If they do not plan on starting a new unit, then once all of the current unit's outstanding bills have been paid, the balance of the money and equipment reverts to the council to be used for Scouting purposes. The same is true of GSUSA, but without a CO, there is no middle-man, so to speak.

I am a bit fuzzy over a few things - Are you the District Commissioner for both school district A, and B? Is your son a member of that Teacher CM's Pack? Which school district is the school you were handing out fliers in? Is that the school that is the primary recruiting grounds for Teacher CM's pack? Do any other Packs recruit from that same school? If so, did you pass out fliers for them as well? As District Commissioner, did you ever contact the Unit Commissioner for Teacher CM's Pack to find out what was going on?