caveman21

Wow. I've been off the forum for a little while and just got through reading this entire thread. Lots of points and counterpoints on this subject. We have established that a SM can't take rank away. That is true. I wouldn't use that as a threat when dealing with unruly Scouts, unless I was really good at playing poker. It's a bluff. What I would use is the fact that Scout Spirit must be demonstrated as a requirement of each successive rank, along with living life according to the Scout Oath and the Scout Law. As a SM, I have no problem telling Scouts, families, the Troop Committee, COR, etc. that little Billy Bob will not advance to the next rank until he corrects whatever problematic conduct issues he has. As a SM, its my call when a Scout goes before a review board to try and get his next rank. Case in point. I have a 2nd class which transferred from another unit. A few weeks ago, I noticed him not showing up in uniform. When asked about it, he said: "I haven't changed patches on my uniform yet." At that point I tell the Scout to bring in his uniform and I will sew the patches on for him. Its a standard service I afford everyone in my Pack and my Troop. A couple of weeks go by, the Scout is still not in uniform and has not brought it in for me to fix. A ask him about his uniform, and he replies "I just don't feel like wearing it." At the next meeting I pull him aside, along with the SPL and the ASM, and inform him of the requirement for showing Scout Spirit to advance. I also inform all involved that the Scout will not advance if he doesn't fix the uniform problem. At the next meeting he wears his uniform, takes it off after the meeting, and asks me very nicely to please sew his patches on it. End of issue. I realize that this is a very mild case compared to Scouts pulling knives, shanks, guns on each other, but the basic principle is there. If and when bigger problems occur, we developed a Pack/Troop Code of Conduct that is handed out to all newcomers to our group. It states what is expected of them and the price that will be payed if the code is violated, up to expulsion from the Pack/Troop. So far I haven't had to pull that trump card, but its there when I need it.

Wow! Thanks for all the great ideas, folks!!! My wife, who is the program director, has been in a mild panic state because she might be doing this day camp by herself. The lady that did the camp director job last year might not be able to do it this year due to health issues, so I am trying to help her out as much as possible. Last year was our first doing the day camp, and she did a very good job setting the camp up around an Olympic theme, and I did the archery range. Talk about an eye opener!!! After the first day working with cubs that had never picked up a bow before, it took all the courage I could muster to come back the second day. It was well worth the effort, seeing the cub's skills improve by the end of the week. Thanks again for all the ideas, keep em coming!

Hello all, I am looking for some ideas for day camp activities. Our theme this year is Pirates. We will probably have 200+ Cubs this year (we had 150+ last year) and will need 10 activity stations. 2 of these will be BB guns and Archery. One station will be "Man overboard", where the cubs throw bicycle inner tubes with ropes tied to them at #10 cans 20 feet away. Another station will be an obstacle course, which we need ideas for also. Any input will be appreciated.

Here's a quote for the group: "He's a rebel and a runner, he's a signal turning green, he's a restless young romantic wants to run the big machine. He's got a problem with his poisons but you know he'll find a cure, he's cleaning up the systems to keep his nature pure." Thats from the group Rush, off of the Signals album. The song is New World Man. Scouts have a tendency to be specialized, the same way as adults do. They find they have an aptitude for a certain field either because it comes naturally to them or they enjoy it. The key seems to be making skills that might be difficult for them more enjoyable to learn. Rotating tasks when camping might not be popular with the Scouts, but they will learn from the experience. A duty roster with rotating jobs for each day of camping seems to work well from my experience. I see the benefits of being well-rounded almost everyday at work. I have been working at a boat manufacturing company for over 12 years, and in that time I have done many different jobs dealing with building boats. I have worked in the engineering department, done fiberglass part repair,mold repair, assembly, built molds, built plugs, built prototype parts, tested boats, and currently run a lamination department. I have taken every opportunity to learn all that I could about all phases of boat manufacturing, and when business gets slow, I am one of the few who do not get laid off. This experience gives me the background to honestly push learning all that they can to my Scouts. Life lesson #1: The more you know, the greater your value.

Hope that Santa was good to everyone!! He (or she as the case was with me) brought me a Coleman coffee percolator for keeping up with those Scouts on the camping trips. My committee chair (aka my wife) got tired of seeing me use my old dented up aluminum coffee pot and hooked me up! Yes I have my hands full but its something I enjoy doing. I was active in scouting as a youngster and people dedicated their time so I could have the experience. I like to think that I am paying it forward. I learned pretty quick that the key to keeping the kids in Scouting is getting the parents involved. Delegating leadership and spreading out the workload is what helps keep one from getting burned out. It's like I tell them at roundups, you aren't only signing your children up for Scouting, your signing yourselves up. I am lucky in that I have a good group of parent/leaders to help me out. Well, once again I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!!

Thanks for the greetings and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Hello Paul, It sounds like you have quite the situation in your pack. Here's some advice that I hope will help. Your pack needs to have something attractive to offer Cubs if you want to get them to join. Something I have found effective is organizing "Scout Saturdays" once per month and using the morning to allow Cubs, Boy Scouts and parents to do something fun together. One of the biggest hits has been "frisbee golf", which is basically laying out a course in whatever area you have to play in and using frisbees to play a round of golf. If done right, it allows the Cubs to earn a belt loop, spend quality time with their parents, and allows the Boy Scouts the opportunity to develop leaders skills by being judges. Everyone seems to enjoy this activity, along with others that we do. Flag football, soccer, baseball, and softball are other popular sport activities and painting, map and compass and science are popular academic activities. The key is getting parents involved. Without them a program won't last.

Hello to all! My name is Ron White (not the comedian!) and I am the Cubmaster and Scoutmaster for pack and troop 377 out of Youngstown, Florida. We are a relatively new group, formed in 2005, and currently have 6 Scouts and 35 Cubs registered. I found this site while surfing for Scout related sites and figured I would give it a try. Looking forward to exchanging ideas and info with other scouters. Later!