FireStone

Our Pack does a winter campfire in December, and Webelos dens have done winter cabin camping. If you have a big indoor space you could try something like a paper airplane derby. And we occasionally in Januarys have done a battleship overnight, but last year we couldn't. Similarly, we have considered doing a museum sleepover/overnight.

It's in 2 places on my son's shirt, one will be covered by rank patches (it's where his Webelos rank badge was). The other spot is where the Pack number was. He's going from a 3-digit Pack number to a single-digit Troop number, so it shows. I'll try to get it out if possible, but he's already a year into this shirt and the way he's growing, he'll need another size up in a year, so this is probably a temporary situation anyway.

They were badges that I sewed on, so off the shelf from the scout shop and hand-sewn on myself. No adhesive added. I might try goof off first. Thanks for the idea.

My son just crossed over and we're debadging his uniform shirt that still fits perfectly well. Don't want to buy a new one if I can help it. But the removed badges left some bits of a glue-like residue on the shirt. All badges were sewn on, no badge magic. The residue looks like it's just from the badge backing. Is there any trick to removing this stuff. Or can it even be removed at all?

I saw a facebook post/rumor that the BSA is possibly voting next month on whether to continue STEM programs. I know, it's a facebook post, far from reliable. But it sounded somewhat credible. Anyone have anything more concrete on this? If true, I can't say that I'd be surprised. But it also seems premature to just do away with them. More likely I'd expect National to revamp the STEM programs. The current requirements, at least at the Cub level that I've worked with, seem kinda of oddly positioned next to the adventurous outdoorsy program we're more known for. Especially post-COVID (i know it's not over, but it's better), where parents have been specifically wanting things for their kids that are more outdoors. No one wants to sit inside on a computer anymore than we have to lately. It's a weird thing to bring kids into Cub Scouts after hyping up the outside adventure part of things, and then offer them the Nova program where the first requirements are usually to sit and watch tv shows or videos. I've also found it hard to stay motivated to encourage the Nova program with older Cub Scouts, when the Webelos program is so much more focused on preparing scouts for troop life, getting more familiar with camping, cooking, patrol method, etc.

But we're really talking about structure within a structure. Within another structure, really. The Pack has it's own structure, dens, etc. We show up at camp and that in itself is structured, being there at a certain time, in a certain place, in a specific campsite, meal times, etc. And then within that we add in scheduled activities, be at the BB range at X time, then we're hiking here, then we're doing lunch, then archery... I think the mix of structure and free play is what works best for the widest array of families. We're not going to the neighborhood park and letting them loose on the playground for 3 hours. Just showing up at camp is more structured than most of the things kids can do around town. We're going on planned and structured camping trips, with some planned activities, but also some free play time worked in. I do all of the marketing and promotional stuff for my Pack, and for several years the slogan we were getting from National to use was "Build Your Adventure". There is a certain free-range DIY element to the program we are selling. If families are coming into this expecting either more structure or more free-range, I think in both scenarios the families got the wrong impression of us.

Another Den Leader made the comment upon seeing the Eagle square knot on my uniform that I must be the resident expert on being a DL. My response was that I'm not, at least not based on that square knot, because no part of the Eagle requirements cover cat herding.

We've been working to reduce meal excess, too. We had a guy who was a real foodie a few years back and while the meals he prepared were great, the amount of gear and work it required of all of the adults was too much. We were lugging heavy stoves, grills, coolers, etc. I actually got a hernia from lifting one of the coolers. Now we do much more light-weight cooking, smaller portable stoves as needed, simpler meal plans. And everyone is happier because of it. It's less work and stress on the adults, and everyone has more time to enjoy the camp.

Quickest way to ruin a camping trip is to plan out every minute. Our good trips are the ones where we have a morning thing, and afternoon thing, and everything else is free-range. My son's first camping trip with our Pack years ago was over-planned. Despite lots of activities on the schedule, at the end of the weekend when I asked him what his favorite part was he said, "Log battles" (2 scouts stood on a log and battled to see who could stay on longest). 😄

We do a Pack meeting with various stations explaining camping basics, setting up tents, what to pack, how to stay comfortable, etc. I often run the "camp comfort" station and try to make it fun for the cubs with goofy stuff like putting on different kinds of hats and having them pick which one is best for the cool Northeast 40º nights we get around here. I'll bring a bunch of random hats like a Super Mario hat, old airplane pilot hat, straw cowboy hat, etc., and end with a lightweight but warm beanie. We talk about staying warm and dry. Uncomfortable kids (and adults) can quickly grow to dislike camping. Make it fun, and have them participate. I've done tent setup contests, grab a random tent and see if a den can work together to set it up having no idea what it's supposed to look like. The kids who know tents end up showing the ones who are new to camping how to do it, but everyone feels accomplished when they get it done.

Thanks everyone. I think I saw "service" and immediately jumped to ideas similar to our typical Cub Scout services projects. And not that those wouldn't necessarily qualify for this either, I just got thinking on this wrapped up in that more "standard" scenario. When in reality, and especially after reading the comments here, this needs to be viewed from a more personal spiritual perspective. I like the idea of presenting this as a question of who in the scout's life could use some help with something, and let them (with their parent and/or spiritual leader) answer that question. That definitely helps. Thanks, everyone!

I don't know why but I'm stuck on this one. It reads more like an individual act than a service project: " Under the direction of your parent, guardian, or religious or spiritual leader, do an act of service for someone in your family, neighborhood, or community. Talk about your service with your family. Tell your family how it related to doing your duty to God." Any ideas or suggestions for this? I've got a bunch of scouts that need to complete this requirement and not a whole lot of ideas to give them. And I'm interpreting this as something that should be viewed more as an individual act of service than a group project thing. Not the usual picking up trash at the park kind of thing. Is that a reasonable assessment?

Is there an official BSA policy on Cub Scouts being dropped off for den or pack meetings with no parent present? My understanding is that from 2nd grade and above, drop-offs are ok, but I can't seem to find any documentation on this. Anyone aware of any official BSA stance on this?

Scouts UK now has a Squirrels program starting at age 4. It's only a matter of time before the BSA acts on the realization that they are missing out on this additional year of collecting dues instead of waiting until they are 5-year-old Kindergarteners. i skipped the Lions year with my daughter. I still feel Tigers is even too young. 2nd grade is the ideal minimum age to start scouting. On the original subject of cost, my Pack does one unified neckerchief for all ranks. I don't require my dens have the handbooks, everything is available online. And we don't require the uniform pants. Just shirt and hat. We've been doing the single neckerchief thing long enough to say that they neckerchiefs do last 5 years in most cases, we have very rarely ever had to replace one (just one time if i recall), they cost a buck less than the BSA ones, and they are custom with our Pack number embroidered. We save each family $45 just by having a single neckerchief.

Kids will often say they'd rather stay home, relax, play video games, etc. My son is for sure one of those kids. But I also see my son absolutely love scout experiences and activities. He came home from summer camp just so happy with the experience, saying he loved camp, that it was awesome, etc. It's not a lack of enjoyment or a preference to do other things, I think kids still genuinely love outdoor adventure and the type of fun that scouting offers. The issue for me personally (and maybe for scouting more broadly) is convincing kids (and parents) to embrace this kind of adventure, to try it, and then to keep coming back even when sometimes it's a little hard or inconvenient to do so. And that includes those times when as they get older that negative peer pressure can become a bigger factor.

That confused me as well. Seems kind of odd to test mid-week if you're not testing before camp, too. Only doing mid-week testing means you aren't paying much attention to how scouts and leaders are coming in to camp, if any are actually sick. Those pre-event checklists aren't exactly fail-safe, testing is more reliable than self-diagnosis checklist forms. Especially when kids are more often asymptomatic. I'm generally not a big cheerleader for my local council, but on this issue I'm glad they implemented a pre-camp testing requirement for all council summer camps. We knew going to camp that there was a pretty slim chance anyone would bring COVID with them if everyone was either tested within days of camp or vaccinated. I saw the camp director have to turn a scout away at the health screening check-in for not having a pre-camp COVID test. It's unfortunate to see that happen, but I think it's a good rule and I am thankful that the camp enforced it. Hopefully that scout was able to find a local rapid-testing clinic near camp and come back in a few hours.

Cubs cannot advance in rank at their own pace like in a Troop. They can only reach the rank that their current grade level allows. So Awarding rank at the end of the year (or some other predetermined time) is the way to go. Adventure belt loops and pins are the method of awarding achievement in between ranks. Scouts should be recognized for what they have achieved in a timely manner, but ranks probably are best left to be awarded together at some pre-determined time or event.

It can be done. The cub camp I went to with my son required testing within 72 hours of arrival for all unvaccinated attendees. Most scouts in our Pack went to a testing clinic the day before, we can get both rapid and PCR tests done around here in under 18 hours. If they tested on Friday and arrived at camp on Saturday, the likelihood of exposure in that small window of time is very low. It's not perfect, for sure, but it helps. And I have to imagine that in some of these cases where COVID made its way into camps, pre-camp testing might have prevented it.

Anyone know what their testing protocol was? They mentioned a pre-event medical screening checklist, seems that COVID testing wasn't a part of it. Probably could have avoided this if they did have a pre-camp testing requirement. I know some parents aren't happy about putting kids through the testing. But it's a reality we're stuck with right now. Either we test everyone right before camp or we end up testing everyone anyway when a suspected outbreak occurs.

The funny thing is we have pretty much the ideal opportunity to sell that kind of outdoor fun right now. Parents are favoring outdoor activities over indoor because of COVID, and the BSA still encouraging the same, if you can do something outside instead of inside do it outside. I haven't held a den meeting indoors since Feb 2020. We're pretty good at getting kids outside and having fun. If only we had a National marketing campaign available to us to reach local families with that kind of outdoors-heavy message. Instead, the latest marketing materials and stock photography we have from national are heavy on masks, which is trending out of fashion for parents, especially in outdoor settings. We're missing out on an opportunity to sell what we do best, at a time when we are outside even more than we have been in years past.

You're not wrong, I get it, I'm breaking rules. I'm not telling scouts that this is how I get badges or t-shirts or whatever else made. There isn't a Pack or Troop what hasn't bent some rules. Does everyone here live 100% by the rules of the BSA, every document, every code, uniform code, etc? I know that doesn't excuse it either, but it's just sometimes how we keep things moving, locally, reducing the council or national interference. As long as it's not something that goes against YPT, I'm ok with bending a rule like this.

The BSA was on a path to extinction a long time ago. That path has just branched off in some random directions over the years. The current branch (the abuse settlements) might be accelerating things, but we've been in this struggle in some form for way too long. Who are we, why are we relevant today, what do we offer kids that makes them want to be scouts, what should a modern sustainable scouting program look like? All questions we've all asked and no one, not even National, has answered. I'm all out of excuses to give parents. How many years in a row can I say "Well, we're still cheaper than some sports," as fees go up yet again? I don't have an answer to any of it, and no encouraging words for anyone to convince them to stay. I get it, it's hard to be even slightly enthusiastic about this program today. As for the badge designs, all I can say to that is to do what I do: stop asking for approvals. Use your own vendors, get stuff made without the BSA lording over what you design. I know, not the way we're supposed to do it. But at this point, I'm willing to bend a few rules to get things done for my local program. That's all that matters to me right now, these kids showing up for meetings and trips, no matter how small a group they are, just looking for some fun things to do and some badges to earn.

Council staff does seem excessive. The few interactions I've had at the Council office left me feeling like there is a lot of bloat. That and they seem to not mind the appearance of being a high-cost operation. The office dress code seems to be semi-formal, suit and tie. Which for a Scouting organization strikes me as very odd and out of place. I was there once when the entire staff was headed to the conference room for a big lunch, I'm sure on the Council's dime. No one was brown-nagging it, they had ordered a ton of food from somewhere. The building was recently renovated, fancy new lobby, all modern and high-end, wall-mounted TVs, exposed log beams to make it look like a luxury cabin. And then when they say they'll pay for something for scouts, like the trophies we were promised for the District PWD, instead they give the kids plastic Harry Potter cups that they probably got for free somewhere. When I was trying to get some lawn signs to promote the Pack around town, I had to go through 3 different people to get them. How many people are involved with marketing over there? 50 people on salary and the only guy I ever see come out to anything local is the FOS guy looking for donations. It's all run like a fancy corporate office, and I'm not sure how much of that is needed to truly function but I suspect they could do without a fair amount of it. Other that the person who files our charter paperwork each year and a few other folks, I'm honestly not sure what most of the rest of them do.

A phone is a tool, like any other, and likewise should be taught to be used appropriately. It could have a lot of uses in a scouting setting, but unfortunately many units ban them. And in some cases, as evidenced by this thread, they even cite non-existent policies to enforce a ban. I think we're doing a disservice to scouts to just say "no phones" instead of recognizing that technology is here to stay and guiding them on how and when to use it in a scouting setting appropriately.

Good to hear it went well. I'm definitely looking forward to Cub resident camp next month, it will be nice to be back. Interesting (although not surprising) to hear that so many units share the same struggles and lack of district/council leadership on keeping meetings going during the shutdown. I'm less than enthused lately about many council-related topics and lack of support, so I guess this shouldn't have been a surprise either. My council comes around when they want money. When we need them, forget it. Our local Packs and Troops have held meetings outdoors and done pretty well despite having to go it alone and figure things out. I don't know exactly what I expected from council but it would have been nice to see them make an effort. All they did around here was organize a virtual district Pinewood Derby and then never delivered the trophies they were supposed to get. My Cub Pack did see a large drop in active scouts and registered membership. I'm crossing over 4 AoL scouts next year, definitely the smallest group we've sent up to a troop in many years. Still hoping I can convince 1 or 2 more to come back in the fall. Funny thing I'm most looking forward to at camp is the dining hall. I think we've been doing so many things outside, literally every den and pack meeting has been outside, I'm kind of looking forward to the only indoor part of summer camp.