The Blancmange

Bear Cubs is for 3rd graders. As was mentioned, it is not unusual to have 2nd year Webelos who are 11, but an 11 year old 3rd grader is the unusual part.

In response, Glenn Beck starts a grass-roots effort to have eagle replaced as national symbol. The turkey vulture is seen as the leading candidate for a replacement.

NealOnWheels wrote: What does your son and his buddies say? You beat me to it. Let your son choose. Both of these troops sound like reasonably successful, albeit different, troops. Let him pick the one where he feels most comfortable. (This message has been edited by the blancmange)

I'm not exactly sure what you're asking here, but your campout sure sounds like a lot of fun! If your concerned that the activities on the campout need to focus on advancement activities, that is absolutely not the case. For that matter, den meetings don't even need to do so (Fast Tracks and the new 2010 program seem to encourage this, but that's a subject for another thread). Something like a family campout should focus on fun activities. We always try to have a mix of things that might relate to advancement as well, like a nature hike, but those are things that should be fun as well. I think you're on the right track planning this. So it doesn't become stale, find a new location each time and always be on the lookout for new games and activities. I have a binder where I keep track of good ideas I hear or see. Before someone else points it out, I think the only thing that raises a G2SS concern is the eating contest. I know water drinking contests are out, but I can't remember anything about food.

One more thought - who would you rather lose, a scouter who wants to make up the rules as he goes along, or a scout who plays by the rules? It's not too hard to imagine this converation taking place with little Johnny: "Mom, this sucks. I did everything the book says but they won't give me my Webelos badge. Something about also doing the requirements for Arrow of Light. Even thought I've liked scouts so far, I think I'd rather play soccer. At least there, when I kick the ball in the net, they chalk it up on the scoreboard."

Lisabob wrote: It would almost certainly also cause other problems, including the possible loss of the CM . . . I understand where you're coming from, but maybe that's what should happen. This CM is obviously someone who knows what the requirements are. This appears to be a case of someone who wants to run his own little feifdom his way. I doubt this is the only instance where his version of the program differs from the real program. Irsap's analogy to imposing First Class requirments on a Second Class Scout is spot on. If the CM's toes get stepped on by insisting that a boy who has properly earned a rank receive that rank, then I'm sorry, but that's too bad. Don't misunderstand what I'm saying here. I am not suggesting that it is not appropriate to encourage and help the boys memorize these things as early as possible. I do that. But I am not going to impose a requirement prematurely and hold a boy back.

Thanks for the tip. I've always had problems with the bars crumbling. I'll have to go to Sam's and buy a big package and stick it in the closet for a while. Who would think that soap goes stale, and that it might be better for something in that state?

Here's what I would do as a WDL: Once I am satisfied that the boys have completed the real requirement by explaining the oath, law, motto and slogan (along with all the other requirments, obviously), sign them off in the book, fill out and turn in to the CM a Den Advancement Report http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/33847.pdf When the CM questions it, point out that the WDL is Aklea for Webelos and is the one who should sign off on these things. When he still refuses to give the award, discuss it with your CC. If it needs to go beyond this, I would find a new pack. However, I think it might be interesting to see what happens when you find a parent whom you know well to file an appeal to your district for denial of a Cub rank. That would probably see the situation rectified in short order.

I did this as a cub 30 +/- years ago. I have not seen anyone do it lately either. It was a similar process to making a PWD car - start with a blank block. If I remember right, it comes in 2 halves with the inside carved out for the rubber bands. I believe they are balsa wood, so it is easier to carve. If you didn't paint them and just used markers or something to decorate them instead of paint, you could probably make and race one in 40 min. Only one way to find out - get a kit and give it a try.

I'm not sure if you're looking for activities for the new crossovers or the Cubs still in the pack, but if it's for the Cubs, our council had a nice, impromptu raingutter regatta at their overnight camp. They gave out blocks of 2" pink insulating foam, dowels and card stock for a sail. Each boy and his father then carved the foam, decorated the sail, and had several opportunities to race his boat. It was one of the most popular stations.

Here's a link with a pic as well: http://www.wintercampers.com/wintercamperscom-home/winter-camping-skills/how-to-build-a-quinzee/

At first blush, this sounds cool, but I wonder just how much it costs to sponsor an Indy Car. Not cheap, I'm sure. Is that the best use for our extra dues?

What, you don't think a Stalker MB would go over well now?

Yes, that's it. I like it. But the fact that it's under the apparel category rather than uniforms still leads me to wonder if it is intended to replace the uniform hat.

Hopefully they will be bringin back one cap and slide for T-W-B levels. I was recently at our council shop and they had a new CS hat in stock. It was black with "Cub Scouts" in colorful, decorative text. I was told that this is an official uniform hat that can be used at all levels. I looked on Scoutstuff.org and wasn't able to find it, though.

Lone Scout wrote: Why on earth would a troop, boy scouts or girl scouts subject their kids to an environment such as the one basement mentions? Again, I wouldn't allow it in a million years, that is, the kids in my charge being subject to that environment and calling it Scouting. Kids should be out starting campfires with flint and steel, catching, cleaning, and eating a trout, making rope bridges and towers, shooting arrows, canoeing, and all that good stuff. They will see the seedy side of life soon enough and if they go to college, they'll be forced to take Sociology and really have it fed to them. I have many times taken my kids to our local rescue mission to help serve or deliver food (church, not scouting function), and never experienced anything like basementdweller described. At the shelter in my city (a small city - 70,000 ppl), behavior like this would simply not be tolerated. The person would be asked to leave and would not be welcome back. Try volunteering at your local shelter. Sit down and talk with some of these guys and I think you will discover that many of them are not all that different from you. I've had several homeless men as clients over the years. They have lost jobs, had medical or mental problems, substance problems, etc that caused them to end up there. Many of them are veterans. If you put a face on these men, it is hard to be so dismissive. How does the Scout Law suggest a scout act in this situation? BTW, I was a sociology major, and I'm not sure what you are suggestingis "fed" to students. Usually we're the ones accused of having the ivory tower mentality. (This message has been edited by the blancmange)

What message are you sending these men and this church and your community when you pick up your ball and go home? I agree completely. It's not as if this is a halfway house for released convicts. Most organizations operating homeless shelters have a pretty low tolerance for drug/alcohol abuse or other misconduct by residents. Why not use this instead as an opportunity for education and service. Suggest to your troop that they periodically cook and serve a meal for the men.

I have never seen any other retail establishment that needs to shut down for a week for inventory. When I was in college, I worked nights for an inventory service. We would go into stores much larger than any scout store and complete the inventory in one night while the store was closed. Obviously there is a cost associated with this service, but there must be a cost to having a week worth of lost sales, while still paying the employees?

I'm sorry to hear this. Condolences to you and your family. I think the campership is a wonderful idea.

I listened yesterday to an interview with Terry Gilliam (Monty Python, etc.) on NPR's Fresh Air. A question came up to the effect of what influenced the creativity and imagination that is evident in all of his work. One of the things he cited was his time spent camping with Boy Scouts as a teen, particularly telling stories around the campfire. I also remember, I was a bit older, 12, 13, as a Boy Scout, being up in the forests above - in the mountains above Los Angeles and at nighttime around a campfire and stories being told. And it's - to me, the real magic is just wonderful because suddenly you're transported from your own world into other worlds if you let yourself go. And that's the key to letting go, trusting the storyteller, relax. Only a brief discussion of scouting, but from someone whom you might not expect, and an influence that we don't always associtate with scouting. http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=121751887

If he still chooses to sit out the pledge, that's his 1st amendment right. But it's my 1st amendment right to make him uncomfortable. Which point of the Scout Law does that fall under?

My question is about youth protection. Here you have an adult dealing directly with a boy without another adult involved. You must object to phone conversations as well? Actually phone calls would be worse becasue with email and FB there is a record of the interaction preserved.

While Scouting for Food might be a terrific idea for the majority of people! Even specialty food drives for a specific purpose with genuine intent to help are good. But maybe there are those who wouldn't appreciate having a Scout show up on his door step with a bag of food for his holiday dinner embarrassing him by reminding him of his inability at the present time to feed and care for his family at no fault of his own. Those feelings may overwhelm the good intentions of the scout's efforts. I realize you're just using this as an example, but it piqued my curiosity. In our coucil, units deliver the food collected from Scouting for Food to a local food bank, who then distributes it to those who need the food. Are there units who deliver their food directly to those in need?

Sorry Lisabob, I think we were typing at the same time and I basically said the same thing.

I don't recall a definition of active for Cub Scouts, but I would guess it's the same definition used for Boy Scouts: being registered with a unit. One would think. However, the Webelos Handbook itself defines it as "Active means having good attendance, paying your den dues, and working on den projects." This is arguably a more onerous requirement than the Boy Scout definition. "Good attendance" isn't further defined, but in the context of the Cub principle of "Do your best," I would be inclined to consider absences due to the flu excused.