ScoutNut

It depends on the council, but I believe that most have an annual solicitation program, of one kind or another, for their members and their families. In my council it is called "Family Partnership". Many councils also have 1 other council product sale during the year. Some councils do Girl Scout calendars some do magazines/nuts/candies. Like BSA, Girl Scout council sponsored product sales are not mandatory. Neither Troops or individual girls are forced to sell cookies or magazines. However, if a Troop wants to get permission to hold a money earning event they must participate in all of the council product sales first. This does not mean that every girl in the Troop must sell. It means that the Troop must sell something. It can be the basic minimum, everything they can get their hands on, or anywhere in between. My girls wanted to do a fundraiser to help purchase supplies for their Girl Scout Gold Award project. We re-uped some of our magazine subscriptions and sold a few cans of nuts. Very minimal and low key, but we did earn about $100. We did a bigger push with the cookies for our regular Troop funds. This allowed the girls to do gift wrapping at our local Borders Bookstore to earn Gold Award funds.

What do Girl Scout councils do with all of their Cookie money? The same things that Boy Scout councils do with their popcorn money! They pay for staff salaries, upkeep and expenses at council offices and council camps, camperships, financial assistance, and, of course, programing. That 400 million does not go to National GSUSA. The profit earned by each council's cookie sale stays in that council. Just like BSA's popcorn profit stays with each council. Like BSA, some GSUSA councils do very well with product sales and others struggle to find the funds they need. Most GSUSA councils have at least 1 camp and 1 main office. Many have more than one. My council has 4 camps and 2 offices. We have summer camp programs at all 4 camps and troops can utilize the camps at "off" times for troop camping, day use, meetings, events, trainings, etc. The "offices" are actually service centers that house council offices, shops and numerous program areas. The Service Center nearest me has a computer center where girls can go to work on computer related badges, a library where troops can borrow program materials, and rooms (w/kitchen facilites) for meetings, trainings, events, and troop sleepovers.

You do not have to have regular Summer den meetings in order for your boys to start work on their Bear requirements. All the boys need is their Bear book. Remember, most rank requirements should be done with the family. Summer is the best time for families to complete many of them. Like many of the others here, we hold den meetings right up until the end of the school year. At that time we hold our Graduation Pack meeting. The boys receive their new neckerchiefs and books. In June we go to a minor league ball game. Lots of fun & fireworks. July is camping month. We are doing a Cub Family Campout and some are going to a Council Summer Camp. August will be a end of Summer picnic. We haven't yet decided on a theme for this. Dens start holding regular meetings again after school starts at the end of August. Talk to your Pack Committee to see what your Pack has planned for Summer. Then talk to your Den's families, tell them the Pack's plans and find out what they want to do. Maybe they would be interested in meeting as a den once a month. Maybe they will feel that monthly Pack activites will be enough given their Summer shedules.

I have known many men who were members of GSUSA. My husband was one of our co-leaders for about 8 years. There was a handicapped dad who was leader for many years. A neighboring council had a dad on staff who ran many programs for the girls. My hubby helped him out one year when our 2 councils collaborated on a 2-weekend event (1 at their camp & 1 at ours). Our parish grammer school currently has a dad who is very involved with the schools Girl Scout troops. He has been intrumental in getting our Holy Name Society (a Catholic men's organization) to sponsor the school's GS Troops (they are also the Charter Org for our Pack & Troop). There are other men in our area who also are leaders or troop helpers. Like BSA, GSUSA has rules reguarding safety issues which must be followed. Also, like BSA, there are some members who would rather see a single sex organization thruout. Thankfully, unlike in BSA, I have never run into a GS group which treats willing leaders and helpers like unwanted trash just because they are the "other" sex.

My son has earned 3 Roman Catholic religious awards so far. He will begin working on his next one this summer. My daughter, as a Girl Scout, has earned all 5 that she has been eligible for. As Shemgren stated each award focuses on a different aspect of their faith. Each award is also written for a specific age group. As they get older they learn a little more about their relation to their faith, and go into more depth with each new level. BTW - the little pins from the Scout Store are called Knot Devices. Many of the religious awards also have (available at the same time/place as when you get the awards) small corresponding pins similar to mothers pins.

What I tell both my GS Leaders and my Cub Scout Parents is that they need to stop complaining about the cost and/or quality of the product and comparing it to similar retail products. You are not selling popcorn or cookies. You are selling Scouting! Sure you could come up with a different fundraiser that might make you more profit, but that is not necessarily the point. The Scout products have the program name featured on the product. If people just wanted microwave popcorn or mint cookies they could buy Orville's or Keebler's. They buy Scout products because they know that they are supporting the Scouting programs.

Who can resist Dirt Pudding? Tasty, fun, and easy too! 3 cups cold milk 2 pkgs.(4 serving size)Instant Pudding, Chocolate or Vanilla 1 tub (12 oz)COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed 1 pkg. (16 oz.) Chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed HINT: Crush cookies in zipper-style plastic bag with rolling pin or in food processor. MAKE pudding as directed on package using 3 cups milk; let stand 5 minutes. STIR 3 cups of the whipped topping and of the crushed cookies into the pudding OR alternate layers of crushed cookies and pudding/whipped topping. SPOON into 13" x 9" dish. Sprinkle with remaining crushed cookies. Refrigerate 1 hour. The best way to serve this is in a new, x-large, clean, plastic flower pot. Line pot with foil. Add some gummy worms inside the dirt, crawling on top and hanging over edge of the pot. Get a new plastic flower sized to fit the pot, sanitize the stem and insert in the dirt. Serve with a new, clean, garden trowel. Have fun!

Sorry, but it is Marty_Doyle who is correct and not Twocubdad. With the many LDS units not doing the Tiger program and the boys who join after 1st grade there is no way BSA will discontinue the diamond Webelos rank badge any time in the near future. This is just another urban Scouting myth right up there with the Tiger one that crops up every year! And SC, talk about "unfairness", how fair is it to make a boy wait approx 7 months to receive a badge they have earned? That is what would have any boy in our Pack screaming mad! One of the basic policies of the BSA programs is immediate recognition. Boys need that to stay interested and involved. All rank badges (and any other earned badges) should be given to the boys at the very next Pack meeting following completion of the requirements. Maybe if the boys would receive their badges when they earned them, and had some time, while still in that level, to wear the badge and show it off, they would not be so concerned with who has what badge when they move up a level.

Welsh Industries has 151 different stock patch segments. Here is their website: http://www.welshind.com/segs.htm

Sorry about the overlapping. You are a faster typer than I am and I have a tendency to type a bit then do some actual work (it would be nice if I could get paid for this, but no such luck LOL!) then come back to finish my post. As for 10 year olds screaming about the unfairness of it all - no I don't think so. In the 9 years I have been with Cub Scouts their has never been a problem. The boys are excited to be a Webelos. A big scout fish in the Pack pond. The Webelos program is different from the other Cub Scout programs. The boys know this and are are proud of that. Sure they are proud of their past Cub Scout awards, but those are from when they were just "litle" Cubs. Now they are big, bad, Webelos working towards their AOL and getting to know the "really big" guys, the Boy Scouts. Trust me, unless adults make a big deal out of it, most boys will not care very much.

Webelos is a transition time between Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting. Part of that transitioning is the tan/olive uniform and wearing only the most current rank badge. This does not make the Webelos rank badge superior to the other badges. The uniform & insignia changes simply makes the Webelos Scout stand out a little from the rest of the Pack. They start looking (and thinking) more like the Boy Scouts we would like them to eventually be. Perhaps BSA should take out the option completly, but I don't see it happening. We have had Webelos dens where 1 or 2 boys would start 4th grade Webelos with a brand new tan/olive uniform with no rank badges at all. The rest of their den would still be in their old blue uniform with all of the rank badges and arrowpoints. We have never had any boys feel bad about not having any badges on their shirts. We have also never had any complaints of boys showing off because they stayed in the blue with all of the badges. Please, let the boys focus on the program and not on how many badges they do or do not have on their shirt. Your attitude as Den Leader has a big impact on your boys.

From the online Cub Scout and Webelos Scout Inspection Sheet (since I do not have a copy of the Insignia Guide at hand): "Webelos Scouts wear only current badge of rank (Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, or Webelos badge) centered on pocket. Option: Webelos Scouts who have not earned the Tiger Cub rank may wear all rank badges earned with diamond-shaped Webelos badge." I think this spells it out pretty clearly. Boys who have earned their Tiger rank should remove everything (ranks and arrowpoints) except their last (current) rank badge from their shirt (tan or blue) once they graduate into Webelos. Boys who have not earned their Tiger rank may leave the rank diamond in place on their shirt (tan or blue) and add the diamond Webelos rank when earned. I personally do not think that the boys will have a problem with this. If your boys are having problems, you could try having them vote, as a den, to all wear only their latest rank badge. Webelos wearing only their most current badge of rank is part of the way BSA transitions Cubs to Webelos to Boy Scouts. BTW - it is the policy in effect currently and Webelos should be following it now.

Because the Tiger Rank is still fairly new, most of the ceremonies out there are for Tiger graduation not rank. It is fairly easy to just take one of the other rank ceremonies out there and change it to be for the Tiger rank instead. Our B&G theme this year was music. I found a sing-a-long advancement that was kind of cool and just added a verse for the Tigers. It worked out fine!

Check with your local library first. They just might have a copy already. Our library keeps copies of all current scout (GSUSA & BSA) handbooks in the Youth section. I am not sure about the Fieldbook though.

Yes, if the scout & his family wish (their choice, not the Pack's), and the boy has not earned his Tiger rank, they can transfer all of their scouts ranks, arrowpoints, and whatever else to the tan shirt for Webelos. Once he crosses to a Boy Scout Troop he would be required to take off everything except those badges which can be transfered to the Boy Scout uniform. According to the Uniform Inspection Sheet, the option of wearing the ranks diamond w/ arrowpoints is open only to those Webelos who have not earned Tiger rank no matter which color uniform they choose (badge placement is the same for tan or blue Webelos shirt). All other Webelos should be wearing only their most current badge of rank (Tiger, Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, Webelos) on their left pocket. My question is who in their right mind would even consider transfering all of those pain in the finger arrowpoints?? Not me, that's for sure! They were hard enough to get on looking halfway decent the first time! Nut

Your biggest problem is the 2-lane track. That really limits things. Ask at your local Roundtable or give your DE a call and see if anyone has a 3-lane track that you could borrow for the evening. We have a 3-lane track and had about 34 boys racing this year. We do round-robin and every boy races every other boy and on every track. We don't care about speed, the 3 boys with the most wins race for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd. Our race was on a Friday evening & was supposed to start at 7 pm. Well as often happens, there were some snags! We were not able to get into the hall to set up until after 6pm. So, with some confusion and much racing around, we finally got the race started at a little after 7:30. We also had some special guests (mayor, alderman, police chief, & press) who tended to slow things down somewhat! Everyone had a blast! With a break near the end for snacks, our guests to race and photo shoots, we still managed to get everything cleaned up and get out the door by about 9:30 pm. Even with 2 lanes, with enough adult help, you should be able to pull off a round robin in around 2.5 hrs. You just need to keep the boys racing and the races moving! If the boys are having fun their families will be too. Good Luck! Have FUN!

Rank insigna - The most current badge of rank is worn centered on the left pocket of the Boy Scout tan shirt above the AOL award. The most current for a brand new Boy Scout would be his Webelos badge. He can leave his oval Webelos Rank badge on his tan shirt untill he replaces it with his Scout Rank badge. Also don't forget Cub Scout service stars. These can be worn on the Boy Scout uniform too.

Actually, for rank badges, if the boys have chosen to wear the oval Webelos badge they can wear that until they have earned their Scout badge.

I have found my Tiger dens to be a bit Go-See-It challenged also. Many of my boys, and their other family members, are into many other activities as well as Scouting. Sometimes getting them to a trip that takes the better part of a Saturday is hard. The 1 hr ones are a lot easier because we just use the regular meeting time. Also, some months we don't have a lot of trip time available. Meetings are taken up with working on Haunted House, Showtime, Cardboard Box Car Derby, or B & G table decorations. Then we have the holidays. We "Do Our Best" and the boys seem to have fun! Gee - Maybe you could volunteer to become his Assistant Den Leader! Sounds like he could use the help and he will need it even more next year when they go into Wolves. You could drag him along to training with you! Does your council have a Pow Wow or University of Scouting coming up? Those are lots of fun and you would learn lots of great stuff!

What I tell my parents is that Den trips and Den activities come first for the rank requirements. Only if they miss an activity will I take a family trip or activity in it's place. You need to take the time to explain the program to them. Sometimes more than once! Another thing to stress is that only activities that they did with their son while he was a registered Tiger Scout can count. Last year I had a parent who signed off on a lot of electives with notes by each one that they were done on a family trip 2 years before!

Most religious organizations use Scout Sunday to recognize those of their members who have earned religious medals that year. Our church is very pro scouting. Scout Sunday mass is very special. The banners made by the boys earning their Parvuli Dei religious emblem are used to decorate the church. All of the servers and minsters are either boys or Scouters. All of the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and their leaders, in uniform, gather at the back of the church and process in before the Pastor. We carry in the American flag and the Pack and Troop flags. The boys and the leaders sit together in the first pews in the church. During the mass, the religious emblems are blessed, a little is told about each one. Then the Scouts and Scouters are presented their medals while an ASM sing "On My Honor". After the mass we have coffee, juice and patries in our Parish Hall for the Scouts and their families. You can do as much or as little as you and your church like. I would reccomend including the religious emblems if any have earned them though.

Girl Scout Week, like Boy Scout Week, celebrates the beginning of Girl Scouting in the USA. The "birthday" of Girl Scouting in the USA is March 12. Juliette Gordon Low's birthday is October 31. World Thinking Day is a day to think and learn about, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world.

We stopped elimination races because they were just no fun for the boys. Once they were eliminated many chose to go home. We now do a type of round robin with the whole Pack (no separate Den races). We have a program which allows us to have each boy race every other boy and in each lane. It works out great because we keep all of the boys racing right up until the end. if it is getting kind of late we just drop a round. We then take the 3 who have won the most races and have a race off for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. We use Asst Scoutmasters from our Troop as finish line judges and Boy Scout Den Chiefs as helpers. When the boys come in their cars are checked, weighed, and given a number. The boys get a drivers license with their picture and car number on it. The boy (ONLY the boy) then takes their car to the parking lot where it stays until their number is called to race. When they hear their car number the boy gets his car from the parking lot and hands it to the starter (Den Chief) who puts it in the correct lane. The boys in the race go down to the finish line to wait and cheer for their car. When their race is done the boys put their cars back in the parking lot to wait for their next race. We have a couple of dads who have a table set up with spare parts, tools, hot glue and graphite. They act as our pit crew and fix any problems with cars. The race area is also roped off and only the starters, judges, and 3 racers (3 lane track) are allowed inside. Before the final race off for 1-2-3, we take a short break for snacks and drinks. Our 5th grade Webelos Den makes stands for all of the cars as part of their Craftsman badge. The 1-2-3 cars each get special ribbons for their place. Everyone else gets a pinewood derby ribbon with best "something" on the back. Everyone also receives a pinewood derby patch segment for their patch vest. We do our PWD as our January Pack meeting. We have an opening and closing flag ceremony and have a few announcements, but no awards are given out. Usually no one has done a whole lot anyway what with the holidays and getting ready for Pinewood. I know we got our race program off of the internet. Ours is DOS based and I know there are newer versions out there. Do a search, there are quite a few PWD sites! Just remember to keep it fun for the kids and don't stress the "gotta win" theme! Hope this helps!

I agree with Bob. Leadership abilites do not spring forth full blown overnight. Has this boy been trained? You state that the pinning issue has been raised with the boy and his parents. Has it been solved? If it has, then it is a dead issue and should not affect anything. If it is still ongoing then your SM has a whole different problem than just if this boy qualifies for andvancement.

nosretep - The suggestion to see if your Pack can subsidize the boy (& possibly his brothers if they are having problems as well) is a good one. One of the reasons the boy does not come to den meetings may be because the mother is embarassed that she does not have the money for dues, books, uniforms, etc. If your Pack committee can't find the money in their budget for BSA registration, a book and den dues have them talk to your Charter Organization. Your CO might be willing to help pay for financially needy boys. By the way, the den leaders, parents, and Cubmaster should not be going to the council with these problems. These are problems that should be addressed by your Pack Committee and your Charter Organization. I also would not sweat the lack of proper uniforming. You can encourage the boy to wear the uniform parts he has properly, but a uniform is not necessary to belong to BSA. As others have said, you can not force the boy to come to meetings. The most you can do is keep them informed and try to make it possible for them to want to attend. You said that he never earned his Wolf rank. That is a shame, and it looks like he might not earn his Bear rank as well. But keep this in mind, maybe earning the patch is not important to him. Is he having fun at the meetings he attends? Is he learning new things when he shows up? If you answered yes to these 2 questions then the boy is still getting something very useful out of Cub Scouts. Work on your Charter Org and Pack Committee to fund this family. In the meantime, make a copy of the Wolf requirements and electives from the internet. http://usscouts.org/advance/cubscout/bear.html http://usscouts.org/advance/cubscout/beararrow.html Give them to the boy and his mom and ask them to work on whatever rank requirements they can. The mom can initial next to the ones her son has finished. Waiting to do the vests until you can get an adaquate amount of felt is a good idea also. If you don't want to wait, there is no rule that the vests must be felt. Check out other red fabrics that might work. Also, did you ask your fabric store manager if they could give you a discounted cost on the felt because it was for Scouts? Try it, you might be suprised at how many stores are willing to help out! Do Your Best!