ScoutNut

In order to go camping, your Cub Scout Pack should have a person who is BALOO trained. Part of that training is camp sanitation. Washing & rinsing dishes with a hose (cold water?!) is never an option. You are going to get someone in your Pack very sick doing dishes this way. You should be using the 2 or 3 pot method for dish washing. Hot water should be used in all pots. The first pot should contain a small amount of biodegradable soap for washing. The second pot should contain a small amount of liquid bleach or a sanitizing agent to kill germs. The third pot can be a rinse pot and can be used either before or after pot #2. All dishes should be air dryed on a clean cloth or hung in their dunk bags. Never dry dishes with a towel. All dish water should be strained with food bits packed up separately to be either disposed of properly in an approved garbage container or taken home. The water should then disposed of either in an approved drainage area or scattered over a large area at least 200 ft from all trails, tents, camp areas, or water sources. Most camp areas have picnic tables that can be used for this. You could also bring a sturdy plastic table from home. If you want to build something out of PVC, here is a site with directions for a number of camp tables : http://www.gspiglet.org/pvcplans1-9.pdf

I have heard of one unit that is using a miner theme because of the 75th diamond. You could also use a 1930 theme and decorate like it was 1930.

Well Howdy right back at you Browniedad ! It sounds like this is your first year in Girl Scouts, I know that your daughter will have lots of fun! The patches you mentioned, "Dad & Me", "Mom & Me", and "Pets & Me" are what we call participation or fun patches. These go on the back of the vest or sash. The girls "earn" fun patches by participating in certain events. Usually the "? & Me" patches are for events (like a Dad & Me dance) that are put on by the local area Service Unit. The cost of the patch is usually included in the event fee and the patch is handed out to the participants at the event. If your daughter attended some of these events, but did not receive a patch at that time, then yes, you should be able to purchase these at your local Council Scout Shop. I would ask your daughter's Troop Leader before buying these patches though. If your daughter attended these events as part of a Troop activity then her Leader may have already purchased them for the girls and be planning to give them out at a later date. Brownie "Try-Its" are triangle shaped patches that the girls earn by completing various activites in different areas of interest. They are "official" patches and would go on the front of the vest or sash. To find out where to put insignia on a Brownie uniform you can check out the GSUSA National website : http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_central/insignia/where_to_place/brownie/ We are currently in the middle of the "Order-Taking" phase of our cookie program. We do order taking until 01/31, the cookies come in 02/19 and then we do booth sales for a month. I am the Cookie Manager for our Service Unit (our town). At least, with my girls being adult Girl Scouts now, I am not selling this year. What fun!

No official title and we don't call it Tigermania, but I am in charge of the Tiger recruitment event that our District is holding at the beginning of June.

We do "best of" certificates for every boy in the race. My daughter is usually the one filling them out as she has a wonderfully creative mind and a nice turn of a phrase. She studies each car and finds some way in which it is unique. The boys participation ribbon is stapled to his certificate and placed with his car on his trophy stand (made by the 5th grd Webelos den as their final Craftsman project!). The boys who end up in 1st, 2nd or 3rd place also get a PWD medal. The boys get a kick out of it. There is a guy I work with who is also a Cub Scout parent. His Pack holds theme PWD's. Last year's theme was sports & he & his son made a football car. This year is cartoon characters and his son has a Sponge Bob car. He brought them in so I could see them and they were VERY cute!! He said that not everyone goes by the theme, but the boys have fun with it. That is an idea I would really like to sell to our Pack. I can see it now - a fish racing a canoe in a camping themed race. What fun!!

I would talk to the COR & the rest of the committee & set down some Troop policies. Boy Scout Troop campouts are for Boy Scouts in the Troop. Since there are no secret societies or closed meetings, if other family members want to come that is fine. However non-Boy Scout siblings CAN NOT participate in Boy Scout activites. They can camp in their own area and do their own activites which are geared to their own age/interest levels. If the BOYS decide that it is something they want to do, the Troop can hold 1 or more FAMILY campouts where the activites are geared to all ages and everyone's families would be invited. Also, if the BOYS decide on it, the Troop could hold a combined Troop/Crew campout. The rules would then be the same as for Troop campouts, only Troop and Crew members can participate in the Troop/Crew activites (which would be geared for them). I bet this SM would not bring his 3 daughters to a regular Troop meeting and expect them to participate as if they were part of the Troop. I bet this SM would not have his 3 daughters work on merit badges and present them to them at a COH. I bet this SM would not take his 3 daughters to summer camp with the Troop and let them earn merit badges and do a COPE course. Why then would he think it is ok for his 3 daughters to participate in Boy Scout activites at a Troop campout??

As far as I know neither of our parents were in Scouting, don't have a clue about grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. I was never in Scouts, but my hubby did make 2nd Class. We have both been leaders in Scouting programs for the past 12+ years. My son is almost a BSA Star Scout and my daughter is a brand new lifetime member of GSUSA.

FYI - For those who may want to help - * A decision of the Executive Committee of the National Board of GSUSA on January 9, 2005 determined that a limited exception to the prohibition against girl fund-raising for outside organizations would be in order given the special circumstances. Thus, girls will be allowed to fund-raise for tsunami relief up until September 1, 2005, with funds going to any of the established aid organizations contained on the USA Freedom Corps web-site (www.usafreedomcorps.gov ). This comes from Lynda Selde, Director of International Relations, GSUSA.

There isn't a real need for Asst Den Leaders in the Tiger Den. If the den is run correctly, the Tiger Den Leader is more of a coordinator. Each boy must have a Adult Partner with him at all times. That more than covers any 2-deep problems. The Den should also be run using Shared Leadership. This means that each family should be taking turns running Den meetings. Once the Den Leader gets to know the other parents they can find one who they can work with as an Asst. Den Leader starting in their Wolf year.

There is no BSA regulation about 2-Deep leadership for den meetings. The 2-Deep regulation is for trips and outings ONLY. There is also no BSA regulation that states that a married couple can not be the only leaders. Your Pack, or your council, might have these additional requirements, but they are NOT from BSA National.

The "elimination" thing means that you eliminate a car (and the boy) after a specific number of losses. For example, with double elimination, after a boy losses 2X, which for many is only 2 races, he is out of the race completely. The problem with this kind of racing is that after a boy is out of the race what does he do? Some Packs have another track where the eliminated boys can "play". Others have various game areas. What usually happens is that once eliminated, the boy and his family just leave. I think that the elimination method makes for a MUCH more competitive atmosphere. The boys (and their dads) HAVE to have the absolute best car because if they don't they will only get to race a few times. With elimination, I have seen boys in tears and dads yelling about race results. Needless to say we no longer run elimination style races. We want all of the boys to have fun. Yes, some will win and some will lose, but with all of the boys racing lots of races, all will have FUN! They also all stay untill the end of the race!

First of all you should send out permission slips which include, along with medical info & permission to treat, when/how (car info) they will be arriving at the campout. Once you get those back you will know who is arriving when. If you are arriving on Friday evening I wouldn't do dinner. Have the families eat at home & just do a crackerbarrel after everything is unpacked & set up. For the rest - Take 1 or 2 meetings & talk to the boys about it. They can easily help plan the menus. After all, they know what they will & won't eat and it will get them involved in the planning end of things! Once you know who is arriving when, you can split up the buying/bringing among the families. For cooking and cleaning I would split the boys & adults into patrols and do kaper charts for responsibilities.

The G2SS states the use of alcoholic beverages is prohibited "at any activity involving participation of youth members". IMO if it is a Scout outing it is alcohol free, no matter where you are.

I'm with the others. The rest of your Pack may turn into ducks come April, but there is no need for these Tigers to! As the "designated as a go between" have you attended any of the meetings of this other Den? Why wasn't this spotted sooner? Is Shared Leadership being used? Is anyone in this Pack TRAINED???? Sheesh!!!!

"Besides, after watching the boys "play" with their PWD cars on the second track during the race, I don't think they really have that much fun simply watching their car run down the track." No, of course they don't. That's why most eliminated boys will just give up and go home early. However, if they are still running in "the" race, and there is any kind of chance they might win at least 1 race, they wil be up like a shot when their number is called, race to the parking lot for their car and cheer at the top of their lungs as it plunges down the track. They might be disappointed by a loss, but there is always the chance that the next time their number is called they will not lose. And up until we announce that the next race is the last one of the night for 1st, 2nd & 3rd place, that hope is still there. Then comes the suspense of whose numbers will be called and what the outcome will be. The boys don't want to "play" with their PWD cars. They want to RACE them!

I think that you should pose this question to your SPL. IMO, if you would verbaly describe the plant, it's common habitat(where/how it lives), and then show pictures (internet), you should be fine. However, I am not the one signing your book! Ask them. BTW - You can be working on requirements for your next rank even though you have not yet received (or finished) Tenderfoot. A skiing trip sounds like a good time to work on those first aid skills. So, if you have to wait until Feb or March, it will not exactly be time wasted!

"Already the ADHD Tigers parents are in the early stages of a major snit, because its not Johnnys fault. " Actually they are right, it's not all Johnny's fault. It is their falt too. As the parent of an ADHD boy & his former Den Leader, I can sympathize with all of you. Impulsivness and acting out is a big part of ADHD and can be very hard to deal with. With 11 boys and their parents all together in a small meeting space, this boy would be bouncing off the walls with the distractions. However, he needs to be held accountable for his own behaviour. He also should follow the same behaviour rules as the other boys. Some thoughts: You said "1) Reiterate that a responsible adult must be present with the Tiger at all meetings to supervise their Tiger." It can't hurt to repeat this, although there should be no need. It is a BSA rule and should be made clear to all Tiger familes at the outset. Also, the adult is not just there to supervise, his boy. They are partners, a team, and everything the Tiger does the Tiger Partner should do too. "2) In the absence of Pack bylaws, default to the councils policy as well as the sponsoring organizations discipline policy, and be very clear what those policies mean, and that they apply to _everyone_." One thing you might do is to have the boys come up with their own Den rules & consequences (guided by you). Write them up on a big poster board so they are right there in front of everyone each meeting. The boys seem to pay more attention to rules if they are "their" rules. Another thing you might do is to have a 1 on 1 conversation with the parents. Next year you will have this boy on his own, without parents, so you need to get a handle on him now. Find out if he is on medication. If he is newly diagnoised they may still be trying to find the right medication/dosage that works best for him. If your meetings are in the evening, one problem could be that his meds have worn off & he is experiencing a re-bound effect that, in some cases, makes his behaviour worse. You could suggest that the family talk to their doctor about a small dose in the evening. This would help for all of his after school activites. If they are not medicating him (or don't want to do an evening dose) then you will have to come to some understanding of a plan to modify his behaviour so he is not a threat to the other boys. Once you have ironed out things with the parents then you can do the Den rules with all of the boys. You should understand though, that over & above rules, parents, and meds, this boy will probably always be a struggle and you should be prepared for that. He will take extra time, effort, and patience on your part. If you are not ready for that you should let the family know now.

We have not used elimination PWD races for about 6 years. We use a version of the perfect-n. The boys keep racing until the end and love it!

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!! God Bless Us Everyone!

The Troop will be going on their Eskimo Overnight next week. It is a yearly activity that many look forward to. Hopefully the weather will be accomodating!

BTW - Even if he has completely transfered to a BS Troop he can still attend the Pack's B & G. You are still going to be a part of the Pack (CM) at that time, correct? As we all know Pack events are family events and he is your family. We have no Cub Scout sons, but I am Tiger Leader & spouse is Asst CM. If available, both of my kids (16yo BS/Den Chief son & 19 yo former GS daughter) attend Pack meetings with us.

This is not even something that the Committee has a say in at all. If the boy (doesn't matter whose son he is) has earned an award he should receive it and be recognized in front of his peers ASAP. If his Den Leader knew he was close enough to earning his AOL for December's Pack meeting he should have planned for it. Shame on him/her. Considering the meeting is tonight, has the award been purchased from council? What do you usually do for boys earning AOL (decorated arrow, etc)? Crossing over to BS (BS handbook, red shoulder loops, etc)? Do you have time to put anything together? Can you get the SM of his new Troop to show up tonight? With only hours to put together something, is your son willing to wait until January's Pack meeting? If not, perhaps you could recognize him tonight with a certificate and do the full AOL & also a crossover ceremony next month. With the SM's ok he could attend Troop meetings in January and then attend the January Pack meeting to receive his actual awards with a ceremony. If Jan is your PWD maybe you could have a BS category and invite all of the boys in the Troop to participate. I would DEFINATLY not allow any boy to leave the Pack without his accomplishments being recognized. That is just wrong.

I don't think that there has been an increase in "bad" Packs. I do think there are people out there that don't really understand what Scouting, and Cub Scouting in particular, is all about. Also, there will always be Packs that are not run the way they should be just as there will always be students that cheat on tests, drivers that run red lights, people who fudge on their taxes, etc. If the unit has never been run right most of the members will not know any better and the rest won't care. Looking at more than one Unit is always a good idea before settling on one to join.

Holy Name Society, a Catholic men's organization in our Parish. Many of the scout dad's are members. Actually dad's are encouraged to join to support the HNS because they support scouts (both BSA & GSUSA) and sports in the parish school. They support us financialy, do not intrude in the day to day running of the Pack or Troop, but are there when we need them. They do not actually provide our meeting space as we meet in the parish school. The church and school are both very supportive also. It's kind of a package deal with Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts all considered "school" organizations. Probably because even though there are high school aged, public school and non-catholic youth involved, the majority are students at the parish school. I would have to give them a solid 10.

"Why wouldn't a pack make such arrangements? I would think the CO would normally be happy to let the scouts solicit their employees or patrons and be proud to be associated with the boys." Every CO is different. Not only are there many, many different kinds of organizations that are CO's, each CO has their own way (and level)of interacting with their Unit(s). Some are very involved in any and all aspects of their Unit(s). Some are on paper only. The vast majority are somewhere in between. It sounds like your CO is a fire station. A fire station is not an ideal location for a popcorn booth sale. Unless it is situated in the middle of town or some other busy area there just would not be enough foot traffic to make it a good sale site. Stores, banks, and post offices have been our best sites. As for posting a flyer or having a scout stop by with his take-order sheet, that's a great idea. Did your son give it a try? It doesn't sound like he did. It also sounds like none of the other boys thought of doing it either. Maybe next year you can take your son on the rounds of the local fire and police stations! I plan on giving that tip to my son for next year, thanks!! Good luck with your new Pack!