needs some advice- dealing with another leader

[moosetracker]

I saw the catapult at roundtable. You take a block of wood (I have a bunch left over from finishing the basement.) Then you screw a small block on top of it. (We'll have to cut that small bit.) Then glue a clothespin on top, gluing a craft stic to that, with a plastic bottle top on the end. I'm still debating about what to launch. Maybe I'll bring a few different things for launching and the boys can test to find out which materials fling best. We could even make a science experiment out of it.

 

As for minecraft, I have some issues with it. I teach the 4-5 year old class at church. I have had some major issues with one particular boy. (I suspect a number of special needs, such as add, odd, and asperger's, but mom doesn't believe in labels.) I babysat this boy one day. He showed up with the ipad. He played it nonstop for 5 hours! Finally, he had to go to preschool and his teacher, having great authority made him leave it behind. I turned it off. After preschool. the boy displayed his odd behaviors. Fortunately, my kids started music practice, which calmed him down considerably. At church, if he colors the picture I bring, he turns it into zombies. I realize zombies are the big thing these days, but they are not appropriate in a church class of 4 and 5 year olds. Anyway, fortunately, I have not heard anything about zombies at scouts. I've only heard about mario kart.

 

(Interestingly enough, the mother of this little boy is the wolf leader.)

Yes, the catapult sounds like a variation of the popsicle stick one.. About the same shape, with ability to launch the same type of missiles.. Sounds like a fun time.

[moosetracker]

All these catapult contraptions always sound interesting, but will any of them stick Jello to the ceiling? or is that a college level catapult project?

 

Stosh

Sure Stosh trying to paint horns on the little cubbers foreheads.

[Momleader]

Mini catapults painted in Christmas colors as ornaments. Smooth over with this leader and let them know that sometimes both groups benefit from doing things in an age appropriate environment.

[Tampa Turtle]

So what is Minecraft. I got two totally different versions of Minefield, but no Minecraft.. Tried looking it up, it shows a video game, which if your just talking you and your son not at a scout event, may be what it is.. Otherwise I doubt it's that unless you are going for your videogame beltloop.

 

Do the cotton balls fling well?.. I was debating doing popcorn rather then marshmallows, but still will be messy when stepped on, and probably still would be picked off the shoe and eaten.

My son made me play Minecraft. It was pretty fun computer version of Legos where you can make some cool stuff. If I was still Cubbing I'd play a little to help talk to the boys.

[Stosh]

Mini catapults painted in Christmas colors as ornaments. Smooth over with this leader and let them know that sometimes both groups benefit from doing things in an age appropriate environment.

Let's see who can launch Santa and his tiny little reindeer the furthest!

 

Or maybe have a rooftop target downrange and those that can put the sleigh on the roof. Extra special prize for getting Santa down the chimney, too.

 

Oh, man, could I have fun with this one!

 

Dwarf tossing and elf bowling is so passe!

 

Stosh

[Nike]

I saw the catapult at roundtable. You take a block of wood (I have a bunch left over from finishing the basement.) Then you screw a small block on top of it. (We'll have to cut that small bit.) Then glue a clothespin on top, gluing a craft stic to that, with a plastic bottle top on the end. I'm still debating about what to launch. Maybe I'll bring a few different things for launching and the boys can test to find out which materials fling best. We could even make a science experiment out of it.

 

As for minecraft, I have some issues with it. I teach the 4-5 year old class at church. I have had some major issues with one particular boy. (I suspect a number of special needs, such as add, odd, and asperger's, but mom doesn't believe in labels.) I babysat this boy one day. He showed up with the ipad. He played it nonstop for 5 hours! Finally, he had to go to preschool and his teacher, having great authority made him leave it behind. I turned it off. After preschool. the boy displayed his odd behaviors. Fortunately, my kids started music practice, which calmed him down considerably. At church, if he colors the picture I bring, he turns it into zombies. I realize zombies are the big thing these days, but they are not appropriate in a church class of 4 and 5 year olds. Anyway, fortunately, I have not heard anything about zombies at scouts. I've only heard about mario kart.

 

(Interestingly enough, the mother of this little boy is the wolf leader.)

Curious if your zombie lover has older siblings. There is a big gap between #1 and #2 &3. My younger kids knew and did things way before their classmates because of their big brother.

[christineka]

I saw the catapult at roundtable. You take a block of wood (I have a bunch left over from finishing the basement.) Then you screw a small block on top of it. (We'll have to cut that small bit.) Then glue a clothespin on top, gluing a craft stic to that, with a plastic bottle top on the end. I'm still debating about what to launch. Maybe I'll bring a few different things for launching and the boys can test to find out which materials fling best. We could even make a science experiment out of it.

 

As for minecraft, I have some issues with it. I teach the 4-5 year old class at church. I have had some major issues with one particular boy. (I suspect a number of special needs, such as add, odd, and asperger's, but mom doesn't believe in labels.) I babysat this boy one day. He showed up with the ipad. He played it nonstop for 5 hours! Finally, he had to go to preschool and his teacher, having great authority made him leave it behind. I turned it off. After preschool. the boy displayed his odd behaviors. Fortunately, my kids started music practice, which calmed him down considerably. At church, if he colors the picture I bring, he turns it into zombies. I realize zombies are the big thing these days, but they are not appropriate in a church class of 4 and 5 year olds. Anyway, fortunately, I have not heard anything about zombies at scouts. I've only heard about mario kart.

 

(Interestingly enough, the mother of this little boy is the wolf leader.)

Yep. #2 (#1 is not in the household) is 18 or 19? and #3 is 13. Both of those boys have diagnoses and have obsessions with video games and movies.

[christineka]

I seriously wonder why the practice of having ladies as den leaders. I think the boys would have much more fun with guy leaders. I try, I really do, but I know that guys would let loose and allow the boys more fun.

[dedkad]

I saw the catapult at roundtable. You take a block of wood (I have a bunch left over from finishing the basement.) Then you screw a small block on top of it. (We'll have to cut that small bit.) Then glue a clothespin on top, gluing a craft stic to that, with a plastic bottle top on the end. I'm still debating about what to launch. Maybe I'll bring a few different things for launching and the boys can test to find out which materials fling best. We could even make a science experiment out of it.

 

As for minecraft, I have some issues with it. I teach the 4-5 year old class at church. I have had some major issues with one particular boy. (I suspect a number of special needs, such as add, odd, and asperger's, but mom doesn't believe in labels.) I babysat this boy one day. He showed up with the ipad. He played it nonstop for 5 hours! Finally, he had to go to preschool and his teacher, having great authority made him leave it behind. I turned it off. After preschool. the boy displayed his odd behaviors. Fortunately, my kids started music practice, which calmed him down considerably. At church, if he colors the picture I bring, he turns it into zombies. I realize zombies are the big thing these days, but they are not appropriate in a church class of 4 and 5 year olds. Anyway, fortunately, I have not heard anything about zombies at scouts. I've only heard about mario kart.

 

(Interestingly enough, the mother of this little boy is the wolf leader.)

Our Council just held a one-day zombie-themed day camp. They had a huge turnout with something like 400 boys in attendance. Zombies are big at this age!

[moosetracker]

I seriously wonder why the practice of having ladies as den leaders. I think the boys would have much more fun with guy leaders. I try, I really do, but I know that guys would let loose and allow the boys more fun.

There's no practice, at least around here.. Not sure if that is something LDS does differently.. Basically, our practice is to happily take whoever is willing to volunteer for the job.. Some are women & some are men. There are some women who are excellent and some who are not. Equally with men, there are ones who are great at it, and others that stink.. Our pack right now is predominantly men in the direct contact positions. But I have heard men say things like they did not get involved in cub scouts, but waited until their kids got to boy scouts and then volunteered. There perspective was that cub scouts is not "manly" enough..

 

Seriously it is all in the personality of the person, and who can relate well with children.

[Stosh]

I seriously wonder why the practice of having ladies as den leaders. I think the boys would have much more fun with guy leaders. I try, I really do, but I know that guys would let loose and allow the boys more fun.

Before everyone tags me as a bigot, keep it in mind I'm only reflecting generalities that have long standing traits backing them up.

 

When a young boy climbs his first tree, the mom will stand at the bottom and constantly call out, "Be careful!", while at the same time dad is standing there calling out, "How high can you go!".

 

Traditionally the female has been identified as the caring nurturing of the two genders that work well with the Cub Program. For years the Den Mother was the norm. Young boys, tended to by a caring, concerned, nurturing adult. Yet when the boys get older, the shift moved over to the SM as male, the adventurous, exploratory, challenging gender for leadership. While boys need both qualities to develop properly, the shift from the caring female influence to the adventurous male influence seemed to fit well with the development of young men.

 

Granted over the past 40 years those roles have become blurred and in the process offer up quite a bit of confusion for the developing youth.

 

While I am not a fan to letting loose and just having fun, I do see the need for both dynamics within the scope of character development. While a single mom can do all she can in the early years of their son's development, there still seems to be a deep desire for them to have their boys exposed to male role models especially in their adolescent years. What do they see/want that we don't/can't always provide?

 

Could my wife hold her own as a SM? Sure, she's comfortable in boots, flannel shirt, bluejeans and hardhat. Her experience comes from working in the National Forestry Service as supervisor for crews that would survey vast expanses of Alaskan wilderness. Dropped off by helicopter and picked up a week later at a designated site miles away. She's an experienced canoeist/kayaker, that would prefer camping the weekends over anything else on her plate. But I know for a fact that when she has gone out as my second on whitewater/camping trips, she always cautions the boys "Be careful, if anyone wants to portage around you can." In this day and age that might be the proper thing to do, but where's the adventure in that? On the other hand, I stand at the top of the rapids and tell the boys, "Lots of water, it's fast, a ton of rocks, let's see who can make it the furthest without jamming up on the rocks or rolling over!" I do however, tell the Mrs. that if I don't make it, don't send any of the boys down!

 

It's a guy thing, but I don't see it as a Cub thing. Definitely Boy Scouts, however.

 

So, the question remains, am I a chauvinist or a realist?

 

Stosh

[Nike]

You're a realist, Stosh, Boys want to be with other boys and men. By eight or nine they are sick of moms and sisters. Our pack began to reach out to the troop and ask for an ASM to be the WEB ADL in order to shepherd both boys and parents into the Boy Scout frame of mind. It works well.

[moosetracker]

I seriously wonder why the practice of having ladies as den leaders. I think the boys would have much more fun with guy leaders. I try, I really do, but I know that guys would let loose and allow the boys more fun.

Perhaps a realist. I definitely wouldn't call it chauvinistic.. But, there is that blurred line thing..

 

Sounds like your wife may not have the advantage on you to challenge the boys, but she would far outshine a lot of male Scout Masters who are currently out there. It all depends on who you are going to compare her to. Same with the reverse. I do much better with helping adults and can deal with handling scouts only if I plan well and let the activities speak for themselves.. I am not all that good with children, so I bamboozle them with so much activity that I don't have to deal with them much.. But my husband on the other hand can become a big kid, and dig in and get dirty with them and laugh with them.. He is much, much better with young children. So are a lot of my male den leaders better then I from what I can tell. But, I am sure there is some women out there who can best my husband.. Perhaps my daughter-in-law who I think is also awesome with the cubbers. But, I really haven't made a comparison of who is better between the two, I just know both are better then me. Really compared me to almost anyone and most (male or female) will rank better then me.

 

So my feminine side is not well suited to fit into this "nurturing" definition of women.

[Brewmeister]

I seriously wonder why the practice of having ladies as den leaders. I think the boys would have much more fun with guy leaders. I try, I really do, but I know that guys would let loose and allow the boys more fun.

It goes back to the whole "Den Mother" thing. I agree with Stosh's assessment, and unfortunately it has tended to keep the CS program rooted in arts-and-crafts rather than the outdoors.

[Stosh]

I seriously wonder why the practice of having ladies as den leaders. I think the boys would have much more fun with guy leaders. I try, I really do, but I know that guys would let loose and allow the boys more fun.

For the Tigers, exploring the program for me should be the emphasis. Hanging out and going to really neat places is #1.

 

Wolf/Bear should be the arts/craft kinds of things. Learning to make things, working together, team building, being successful are #1

 

Webelos 1 & 2 are the transition years. Some craft things, but more along the line of woodworking, kinds of things, a bit of camping, getting out and finding out what sleeping in a tent is like, campfire hanging out, enjoying nature, exploring something other than what's inside some building.

 

Webelos can start the introduction of male role models or gals that really like the outdoors. Kinda a pre-adventure exploration time for the boys.

 

Boy Scouts? - let the adventure begin, full-time!

 

Sure, the boys still make the wood duck houses, but they go out and put them up and maintain them.

The do the Readyman thing, but do it to a fuller extent all the way to back-country first aid.

They go to sleeping in the local state park to BWCA.

 

And seriously, how many 16-17 year-olds want to be hanging out at the wilderness campfire with Mom? Both my mom and dad were avid outdoor campers their entire life, but I still didn't want either of them hanging out with me and my buddies. That goes beyond the male/female issue!

 

Stosh