Torveaux

Sorry Cubmaster Jerry, but I think you are mistaken. It is the Pack Committee Chair that is responsible for "recognize[ing] the need for more dens, and see that new dens are formed as needed". - Cub Scout Leader Book page 23-4. The Pack Committee Chair with the help of the Pack Committee and the Charter Organization Representative select the leadership.

I'm a Webelos I den leader. While some of the stuff is academic in nature, much of it is hands on as well. What I try to do is mix and match parts of the academic type requirements with some of the athletic/outdoors requirements. I see the opposite problem (Webelos becoming too much like Scouts) with Patrols and the Tan shirts. (among other things) It seems that most of the focus of the 'powers-that-be' is to find a good Troop to join, rather than to enjoy Webelos for its own merits. I do agree that Fitness is not a good name for the Activity Badge. (the others are more related to the person...Aquanaut, Readyman, etc.) Why not Healthyman? Check out Athlete.

We just had our Webelos den camping last weekend. Foil packs are the best/easiest way to cook on a campfire. You don't need to buy a dutch oven or any other specialty cooking items. Cut up potatoes, carrots, celery and onions and some type of meat. Have each girl put the items she wants in a foil pack, add a Tablespoon (+/-) of water in the pack and wrap it up tight. Put the pack right on the coals. Cook for about 15 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Seasonings can be added before or after cooking. (I prefer before)

I think the question is not whether 'freedom of religion' is mentioned in those documents. Rather, it is whether those documents acknowledge the existence of a higher power. The 1st Amendment to the Constitution was never intended to prohibit such government acknowlegement of a higher power. It was intended to prevent the "Establishment" of a government religion. The purpose was derived from the direct experience in Europe where governments tried to mandate adherence to a specific set of beliefs and practices.

Linda J, Sorry, I was making a tongue-in-cheek poke at those who get so wrapped up in the letter of the rules that they become oblivious to reality. The rules say the uniform is not to be worn with 'civilian' items. For sticklers, this means that undershorts and shoes without the BSA logo must not be allowed.

If he is not 11 until May and does not have his AOL, he can't cross into Boy Scouts with his classmates. Personally, I would have the Web II leader continue to work with him from Feb-May to give him every chance to get done with the AOL. Part of that time is to check out Troops to join. Maybe if he is getting close the other boys would want to stay together for an extra month or two.

While the tan shirt and oval patch are an OPTION, they are not required. No reason to buy the tan shirt unless the boy has outgrown the blue one.

My daughter just turned seven and is in a small troop in her school. Fortunately, the leadership, such that it is, realized that it was better for her if she could work on Try-Its and such at her own pace in addition to the ones done as a Troop. My wife held a party for the girls over the summer at which they worked on some Try-Its items. She is not a leader, just a great mom. I would second the suggestion that you look elsewhere or form your own troop. There are likely others who want a more robust program. Either way, I applaud your effort to do the best for your daughter.

I think the problem we run in to as does the sports teams issues, is that Native Americans are not some monolithic group that speak with one voice. Some appreciate the effort, albiet flawed at times, to honor their ancestors. Others see any use of Native images by non-Natives to be abusive. There will not be consensus, so we must agree to disagree and move on.

cc329, The Webelos religious requirement is, well, a requirement.

From a purely legal standpoint, the reasoning of the judge is faulty and the whole thing could be kicked back due to it. The Judge cited the earlier case that had been effectively vacated by the Supreme Court due to a lack of standing. That SC decision made the 9th circuit's earlier decision moot. So the Judge essentially cited a non-existent precedent. Those who read the Constitution as prohibiting any government acknowldgement of the existence of God simply do not understand the document at all.

I think there is a focus problem here. Is it better for the boys/troop if they lose two leaders or one? Loyalty to one individual over the boys seems a bit short-sighted. I guess I may be a bit biased as I work in a Pack that has a CM that does not understand his role either. SMs and CMs are not the Presidents/CEOs of the Troop or Pack. The COR and CC determine what is best for the unit and the SM/CM are there to deliver a program, not to select the leadership.

Public schools are not normally that small. We are talking about a private school wherein children actually learn right from wrong and do not grow up with such a poor understanding of the Constitution.

Our Pack is small too. (not quite as small as yours) We also are associated with a small school, so our potential is limited to a max of about 10-20 boys per grade if we got 100%. We generally get 25-50% of them early on and keep 10-25% through Webelos. We just had our recruiting meeting/1st Pack meeting and we had some new families and a home-schooling family from the Parish. I guess if our school was as small as yours I would look into making Scouting part of the curriculum (of sorts). At our school the Brownies get almost 100% participation because they hold their meetings almost exclusively during school hours (lunch/recess once a month). Our Principal really supports the boys being Cubs because the data shows that Cubs are better students and better behaved (at least at our school) than the average student. The Cub program also shares elements with the curriculum anyway (citizenship and such) so it augments what the teachers are teaching. Good luck!

Presentism rears its ugly head. It was not considered traitorous to decline a position in the Army circa 1860. It was not until after the War Between the States that the concept of the federal government really developed. R.E. Lee was being loyal to his state which had the full legal right at the time to leave the union. He comported himself with the grace of his day. Had the South employed a system of labor similar to that in the North (wherein people were not enslaved per se, but were effectively kept in servitude with wages that did not cover their basic needs...) the same problem would have occurred. The North was forcing the South to accept duties and such that were destroying the economy of the South. This was the root cause, not slavery. Today we recognize slavery as an abhorent practice, but to suggest that slavery was the root cause of the Civil War shows a elementary school understanding and ignorance of the details surrounding the actions of the Southern states.

The sash is a great idea. It never occurred to me before, but I think I would like that better than the red vests.

Technically speaking, footwear is not allowed while wearing the Scout uniform. The uniform cannot be mixed with 'civilian' items, so unless you have some BSA produced footwear, it is taboo. At our local camps they are very specific that open toed shoes are only allowed on the beaches or in the showers.

Use what you have as long as it is in good shape. This illustrates yet another reason why the argument about the uniform being 'uniform' is just silly and should be abandoned for a more practical solution.

Knots may or may not say anything. Our new CM put himself in retroactively for the Tiger and Cub Leader awards. He held both positions in the past. I know he could not have completed the requirements, but I found out about it when the things were awarded in Roundtable. His motivation is purely pride. Our CC is an Eagle and he wears 2 or 3 of his many knots on his uniform. The CM felt upstaged by the CC, so he invented his own and will wear them. The guy has no self-respect. From my discussions with other leaders at Roundtable, it seems that many packs simply hand out the knots to anyone who serves as a DL, whether they actually earn the award or not.

Good point Hunt, The Conference cannot really have happened if the other requirements were not met.

Grade is definitely the way to go unless there are some extenuating circumstances. My son was skipped over 1st grade and I initially wanted him to go into Tigers and stay with his age group. While we certainly wish he could have had the experience, it has worked out very well with him Scouting with his classmates.

You definitely need to have more than one Pack. The key will be to take some of your top leaders and get them to run the new pack. The tendency seems to be that people are more interested in keeping their cliques together and without top leaders the new pack will die off as well. Good luck.

Perhaps you are referring to the Seeker program? It is for Kindergarten age boys and girls.

School doesn't start up here for another couple of weeks. We did OK with our first Spring Recruiting (5 boys into a Pack of 25-30) and we hope to get 5 more this Fall. Our feeder school only has 20-30 kids per class, so with average of 50% boys we can hope for at most 10-15 new boys per year. Plans to expand beyond our school are underway, so we may grow further....stay tuned.

I am an opponent of Den Dues. I think it is hard enough to get everyone to the meetings with their uniforms and books. Expecting them to bring some money to each meeting wastes valuable time and serves no real purpose. If the Den Leaders need money to run their programs it should come from the Pack's funding. The Den Leaders should submit a budget request during the budget cycle and the Committee can approve the money if warranted. Then the Pack dues/fundraising can be set to deal with the real cost. (Alternately, the Pack can simply establish a fixed budget amount for each Den based on historical needs or some other formula that covers Den-specific costs.) We have had complaints about people feeling nickled and dimed. If the real cost of a year of Scouting is $75 (or whatever) then ask for it up front (or with a fundraising alternative). If someone has financial problems with the initial outlay, work with them on a discreet plan.