ScoutNut

The Charter Organization owns the unit. It is their call who is in their unit, and who is not. They can kick anyone out of their unit, for any reason, or none at all. If a CO ends a membership with their unit, they are supposed to notify Council ASAP so the registration can be pulled off of their charter. It would then be up to council to say if the person looses his BSA membership completely/permanently, or if they are allowed to transfer to another BSA unit. Since BSA is a private organization, they also have the say on weather someone can, or can not be a member of BSA. However, DE's are reluctant to loose even one youth because of the impact it can have on their performance, and salary. Therefore it would have to be a pretty big, nasty, issue, such as youth protection, in order for a DE to allow a youth to be kicked out of the BSA permanently. If it is not a large issue like YP, and the CO has no problem with the boy staying in their unit, the council would/should not get involved.

Again, as long as the boy is not a Tiger (who MUST have his Adult Partner with him at all times), have the mom contact the family of one of her son's friends in his den to ask if they will take him and be responsible for him. She can send along a tent for the boys to use, or the Pack can borrow one from a Troop. BTW - I have camped with a 1 year old. It takes a bit of coordination, some camping confidence, one of those kid carrier packs, and it would help if her Scout is older, but it is very doable, and fun.

The site works fine for me! Maybe it was simply a passing glitch.

If the adult responsible for supervising a Cub Scout on a campout is not a relative then they should not be in the same tent. If the adult is a parent of another Cub Scout then the Scouts can sleep in one tent and the adult next to them in another. If the person is a relative, without any other children, then there are two ways to go. The parents give written permission for the relative to share a tent with their son. The relative buddies up with another Dad/Scout pair and the adults share one tent while the boys share another. In your scenario however, none of this applies. You stated that the mom WANTS to spend the night with the boy on the Pack Family campout. Mom - Scout son - sibling, all in one tent together. Sounds fine to me. So what is the problem?

The Family Camping explanation is a kind of generic overview of an overnighter, for ANY BSA level, that includes families, Scouts, and works on program elements. This is usually a council/district event. It then explains Recreational Family Camping, which is a family camping on their own, without a structured Scout program involved, on Council property. Cub Scout Overnight Opportunities (of which Pack Overnighters is one) is an entirely different section.

Basement is correct, approval of ANY campsite used for Cub Scout camping is entirely up to your council. The form he linked to is what is used to get council approval. Many of the State Park Youth Group camping areas around me have pit toilets or porta-potties. All are approved by my council for Cub camping. I do not know of any camp area without a water pump that my council has approved for Cub camping.

There are 2 different starting dates in the plan for the same reason there is a one year Webelos plan as well - Different CO's do things differently, and new boys can start at different times.

Both Tenderfoot, and Second Class have cooking requirements. Yes, the requirements for T-1 can all be worked on at the same time, however the cooking requirements build on each other. For Tenderfoot a Scout merely has to assist in the prep and cooking - "On the campout, assist in preparing and cooking one of your patrol's meals. Tell why it is important for each patrol member to share in meal preparation and cleanup, and explain the importance of eating together." Second Class expands on that, using additional knowledge of nutrition and planning - "On one campout, plan and cook one hot breakfast or lunch, selecting foods from the food guide pyramid. Explain the importance of good nutrition. Tell how to transport, store, and prepare the foods you selected." First Class puts all of his prior learning to use - "Help plan a patrol menu for one campout that includes at least one breakfast, one lunch, and one dinner, and that requires cooking at least two of the meals. Tell how the menu includes the foods from the food pyramid and meets nutritional needs. Using the menu planned in requirement 4a, make a list showing the cost and food amounts needed to feed three or more boys and secure the ingredients. Tell which pans, utensils, and other gear will be needed to cook and serve these meals. Explain the procedures to follow in the safe handling and storage of fresh meats, dairy products, eggs, vegetables, and other perishable food products. Tell how to properly dispose of camp garbage, cans, plastic containers, and other rubbish. On one campout, serve as your patrol's cook. Supervise your assistant(s) in using a stove or building a cooking fire. Prepare the breakfast, lunch, and dinner planned in requirement 4a. Lead your patrol in saying grace at the meals and supervise cleanup." My recommendation would be to sign off on the Tenderfoot cooking requirement FIRST. Why put the cart before the horse? This is a LEARNING PROCESS - NOT A RACE! BTW - Webelos are NOT Boy Scouts. To have them acting as Boy Scouts and doing Boy Scout age appropriate activities as Cub Scouts is wrong, and against the BSA program. It seems that rushing these boys is nothing new. (This message has been edited by Scoutnut)

Yes, a 6-7 year old who is in 4th or 5th grade could be a Webelos. The only problem he would have is he would not be able to cross to Boy Scouts with his den. He would have to either find something to do in the Pack for the next 3-4 years, or drop out until his 10th birthday. Of course, I would have a lot of problems with a 1 or 2 year old in first grade. It would not matter if he was the greatest genius who ever lived, he would still be just a toddler in diapers without the physical abilities to complete any part of the BSA Cub Scout program. Try wondering about something that makes a bit more sense.

Well for just your Tigers families, you could have each one bring a board game. You could tell them about / give them some stuff on animals that can be found in the area of the park you are staying at. Then go on a mini hike to see if they can find any evidence of those animals (skat, tracks, nests, etc). Bring a box of non-latex disposable gloves, and a bunch of plastic grocery bags. Do a clean-up hike around the campgrounds. Get all of the den families involved - Bring some sports equipment and play a game of softball, ultimate, horseshoes, etc. Bring a couple of water guns, some empty soda cans, and do target practice. If the weather is warm, do a water balloon toss. Play some large group games (check out Appendix DD in your BALOO packet, or do a Google search). If there is a river or lake near by, have everyone bring fishing poles and do a Fishing Derby. Put together a couple of air launchers and do Stomp Rockets. You said the Park Ranger was running a campfire program. Is it for just your group? Can your families contribute anything to the program? Talk to the Ranger, if it is OK with him/her use the down time to have all of your dens come up with a skit, or a song to do do at the campfire. Bring some BSA literature to share, and make copies of stuff off the 'net for handouts. Be sure to remind them to keep everything in good taste. It is always a good idea to have each group let you know what they are doing beforehand.

If the Scout - 1) is NOT a TIGER 2) has permission from his parents/guardian to allow this other dad to take him on the campout and to be responsible for him 3) is NOT sleeping in the same tent as this other dad Then it should be fine. However, this should be the EXCEPTION, and NOT the rule. Otherwise you will end up with all youth and no adults at every camping trip. Make sure your BALOO camp leader gets permission slips, and health forms, from everyone who will be attending the campout.

Wow, 2-3 hours of free time in the middle of the day is quite a lot. Not much time for anything after that but maybe a quick game and then to get ready for dinner. Does the BALOO trained person in charge of the campout have anything planned for "down time"? What is planned between that and dinner prep? Is there a campfire program planned for the evening? What kind of facilities are in the Park? Are you asking for just the Tigers, or for everyone on the trip?

June 1st is NOT the deadline for rank advancement. It is when the BSA computer system automatically bumps up every Cub Scout in the system, and allows new Tiger Scouts to be registered. As you noted, the Cub Scout Leader Book states that if necessary, a Cub Scout can be allowed extra time to complete his rank badge. However, there are a few "buts" attached to that. The extension is for the RANK award ONLY. Not for electives, or any other level specific awards. Since a Cub Scout can only work in one level at a time, he can not work on ANYTHING at all in his new level, while he is finishing up the old level's rank award. I have given Scout's this option a time or three over the years. Since we have no formal Pack meetings over the summer months, like you, I have given them until the first den meeting of the school year (end of Aug, beginning of Sept). If they turn in their old Handbook, completed, at the den meeting they will receive their rank award at the September Pack meeting. Not one Scout has ever taken me up on it. Usually they will kick it in gear, and finish up by the last Pack meeting of the school year (late May for us). However I have also had some who just don't bother. They get their new books and that's that.

For information specific to the den you are a leader for, BSA has put in the front of every Cub Scout Handbook a Parent Guide that explains a bit about BSA, and EXACTLY what their son's Cub Scout level is all about, including all about what they need to earn, how they need to earn it, and how the parent is involved in all of that. For information specific to the Cub Scouting program in general, BSA has a number of literature resources that can be found online, and at Council Scout Shops. One of those is the "Cub Scout Parent Information Guide". For information specific to the Boy Scout Troop Program, A parent should first read their son's Boy Scout Handbook. It explains EXACTLY what your son needs to know. For information on the Boy Scout Program in general, BSA has a number of literature resources that can be found online, and at Council Scout Shops. One of those is "Orientation for New Boy Scout Parents". Parents can also sign up at BSA's MyScouting and take any of the online trainings. For UNIT specific information, that is up to the UNIT COMMITTEE to put together. Many units have a unit guide, which explains unit specific info, which they give to all new families. For fundraising events, like popcorn, the fundraising Chair should create a flyer, with ALL information pertaining to the activity, and make sure every Scout, and Scout family, in the unit receives it. Updates and/or changes should also be communicated to the entire unit. In the case of your popcorn prize distribution, Were you the ONLY Pack leader at this particular Pack meeting? Where was the Popcorn Chair? Where were the others members of the popcorn committee you mentioned? Where was your Committee Chair? Any of the above would have been a better choice than a brand new assistant leader who had zero knowledge of the whole thing. BSA recommends that units run an annual Parent Meeting to explain the program, and any unit specific things to the unit families. Since you are a brand new den leader, and not a committee member, I would recommend you concentrate on the boys in your den, and leave the business things to the Pack Committee which is responsible for them.

Bad people do bad things all of the time, for a variety of reasons. There is not a whole bunch that can be done about that. Certainly, taking away, or updating, an ID badge will not stop them if they really want to do something. If a business is dumb enough to give an individual they don't know, cash, or even a check made out to the individual, then that business deserves to loose that money. Changing a council's recharter date will not help.

When a council (or District in Twocub's case) recharters is NOT dependent on weather you are a Pack, Troop, Team, Crew,or Ship. Fiscal is a business term and has nothing to do with the Scouting program. Your council's FISCAL year runs from January thru December. Every council runs their fiscal/charter year DIFFERENTLY. If you want to know why YOUR council does something, ask YOUR council. In general, from what I have heard/seen, councils move to a January recharter date due to it being easier on them from a business financial standpoint. A council IS a business after all, with all of the taxes, paperwork, and whatnot that includes. The BSA Scouting PROGRAM YEAR runs from September thru August. This is the same for ALL councils nationwide. Yes, there is some overlap of stuff for the UNIT COMMITTEES to deal with. However it is nothing earth shattering, or all that complicated. It also has nothing to do with, and does NOT affect, the PROGRAM you deliver to the BOYS in your unit. So your ID card has the wrong position on it for a few months - so what! I have not had to show my BSA ID card to anyone in 15 years. AGAIN, what is printed on an ID card does NOT affect the PROGRAM you deliver to the BOYS in your den. BTW - Packs, and most especially dens, should NOT be soliciting donations of money from any person, or business.

Yep, 1 week ago you you were desperate to find a way to get your son to Jamboree because you did not want him to "miss out on this exciting opportunity". Now, all of a sudden this was all done against your consent and you want your money back? Really? Way to many inconsistencies over the past 2.5 years for me to believe anything but that this is simple trolling.

Another troll posting. I doubt that anyone alive could have as many "inappropriate" things happen to them, and their friends, as this poster seems to want us to believe.

Sorry, my opinion, but based on old posts, this sure sounds like a troll to me.

There are horse stables across the country. Often you will find them in more rural areas, or near state parks. However, many cities also have horse stables. Many cities have horse mounted police patrols. Horses wear horse shoes. Those shoes must be made by someone. I agree, while the counselor might have a list of resources in his pocket, it should be up to the SCOUT to do his own work for the badge.

Just as in a Troop, a Pack and a CM do NOT "work under" the Committee. The Business People (Committee, and the CC), work WITH the Program People (SM/ASM - CM/ACM/DL - etc). Who all work FOR the COR and the CO who OWNS the unit.

>>"My 1st year in leadership position is just about up. Been VERY ACTIVE for two years."

Since the effective date is April 1, 2010, what happens in all of those councils where they have been allowing their Scouts to earn them since the beginning of the year? Do they just fudge the completion date to state April 2, 2010?

Hey, and it's not even April yet! However, contrary to what was mentioned by BSA, it seems the end date for earning these is still 12/31/10.

It is basically however you want to do it. We also have only 1 den per grade. However, we also have den numbers because the boys want a den number on their shirt, and many have den yells that revolve around their number vs their level. What we do is have den #1-5. Whatever number the outgoing 5th graders are gets recycled back to the incoming 1st grade Tigers.