How to do it

Within Cub Scouts, the adults have to DO everything for the boys.  Meaning, setup the Den and Pack meetings along with all the events.  Yes, the boys can help with making things for events.  But, this is not Boy Scouts where they do all the planning and putting on the event themselves.  By the time parents get to Boy Scouts they are trained or have an understanding on how things generally work within Scouting.  In Cub Scouts, it’s the opposite.  Parent’s have not a clue except for those who are crossing over….  Brain Drain.  So, forget about the official Scout training that is needed to be a Leader for a moment.  There really is no training for how to put on a Blue & Gold, Pinewood Derby, Raingutter Regatta or Bike Rodeo.  You can also factor in many other events that your Cub Scout Pack does in to this.  The only way the people learn is by going through it or researching on the internet cause they are doing it for the first time.

So, here is my next project within this Blog.  How To Do it.   I currently am on the Top Ten List (still have a few to go), but  I am going to look at how to do events.  But, I want to see your How-To’s as well.  There are no prizes here.  If you have something that you do, send me an email about it @ scouteradam at me.com.  If you have a photo or two, I will put them up as well.

I will post up the Bike Rodeo that we just put on and also repost the Arrow of Light Ceremony we did in March.  I will also start sharing my plans for Pack Meetings.

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The Webelos Summer

      So, this summer is my Son’s first Summer as a Webelos.  And I am excited.  I think that it’s more ME than him.  So, I am trying to ratchet it back a few notches.  He is going to Summer Camp and I am following along.  In Scout Master Jerry’s Blog, he talks about what do you do at Summer Camp.  There are a few of us Scouters within our little Twitter/Internet Virtual Council (as I am starting to call it) that are going to Camp.  Some of us are even running it.

I have generally waited a few weeks to get back into Scouting mode with myself and son.  However, I started last night to talk to him about the Activity Badges and what he can earn.  I am thinking that Fitness, Family Member and Traveler might be a good couple to start.  This is also a long with several beltloops.  The beltloops will help him earn part of the requirements of the Badges.

He was not too receptive about any of this.  Eyes started to glaze over, so I asked him what he wanted to do.  We ended up playing a game of Sorry and Battleship.  He won Sorry and I won Battleship,but it was a great time together.  I did suggest playing Chess as he loves it.  He quickly was onto me about the Chess Beltloop and declined the offer.  The Chess Beltloop is part of Scholar Activity Badge.

Within summer camp in July at Butte Creek, there are several Beltloop and Activity Badges that he will be able to earn.  In theory he will be able to earn two beltloops and Activity Badges.  If he works on the other three Activity Badges and those Beltloops he will be well on his way for getting the Webelos  Badge.

So, back to Jerry’s Blog.  I am going to expand it a bit and mold it to Cub Scouts since he deals with Boy Scouts and Troops.  By their very nature Boy Scout Troops are run by Boys, not Adults and are more independant than Cub Scouts.  Packs generally do not have official meetings during the summer.  Unless the Pack puts on a Summertime Pack Award program, then it’s done till Fall.  If your Pack is NOT doing a Summertime Pack Award program, then you are not allowing the boys even more fun and chances to earn various awards.

Within the Pack, and specifically Cascade Pacific Council’s Summer Camp program there are three awards/patches that the Adults can participate in.  It was my goal to earn them.  However, during last years Resident Camp I realized that it would take me away from the then Bear Den and my son.  Granted, out of eight boys that went, seven Dads were there.  However, I was there for my son and watching another Bear.  They were fine, but I felt the need to be there with them.  I did not want to wander off in search of signatures or doing things to get the patch.  I did participate a bit.

Cub Scouts need a bit of direction during, well just about everything. I herd Cats & Turtles during this time.  You just cannot leave them to their own devices…for the most part.  They had their own play time near the sleeping area that I let them do what they wanted, but always close enough for the Two-deep leadership part.  Everyone was good.

So, I did not participate in that Badge.  I know that I will not do it for the other two camps that my Son will be going to for the same reason.  Also, because we will not have the dad coverage that we had last time this year.  Next year is a four night five day camp as Webelos II.

So, for Camp, that is what I will be doing.  I will be with my son and the other Scouts making sure they get to where they need to be and help as needed at those stations.  BB Guns and Archery won’t be an issue since they get it.  Others, well let’s just see what can happen.  I am not going to DO the crafts for them.  But I will hold a nail for them or stretch leather so they can nail it into place.

Back to the Webelos advancement….  It is generally the policy of our Pack that items earned over the summer are not bought by the Pack.  It’s up to the parent to buy them.  We will log them into Packmaster so they get credit for them.  It’s my general idea that the Webelos program is 20 months long without a real break for Summer.  Meaning, the boys should be a bit more active in earning their rank.  So, here is the rub.  With all that I think that my son can do over the summer, is it really HIM wanting to do this, or is it me?

Yes, he will get at lest one Activity Badge that is required outside the three for Webelos this summer.  One out of 20.  The four others not required for either Webelos or Arrow of Light possible rank requirements might happen, but will be up to him.  As well as the beltloops for others.  It really is MY goal for him to get all 20 Activity Badges and not his.

So, that’s the rub.  So far it’s all about ME and not HIM.  I know we will get a few things in, but Scouting is for him.  He drives this bus and I am the silent guide/passenger with him.  That’s my struggle for these upcoming 20 months.  I am working on not becoming that Helicopter parent or one pushing their son to do everything within Scouting.

I would love to hang out at Summer Camp and read a book or do the patch, so who knows…..

Have a great summer!

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Scout Stats

I got this from a Facebook posting: Passing it along.

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For Every One Hundred Boys Who Join Scouting…

Of any one hundred boys who become Scouts, it must be confessed that thirty will drop out in their first year. Perhaps this may be regarded as a failure, but in later life all of these will remember that they had been Scouts and will speak well of the program.

Of the one hundred, only rarely will one ever appear before a juvenile court judge.

Twelve of the one hundred will be from families that belong to no church. Through Scouting, these twelve and many of their families will be brought into contact with a church and will continue to be active all their lives.

Six of the one hundred will become pastors.

Each of the one hundred will learn something from Scouting. Almost all will develop hobbies that will add interest throughout the rest of their lives.

Approximately one-half will serve in the military, and in varying degrees profit from their Scout training.

At least one will use it to save another person’s life and many will credit it with saving their own.

Today, four of the one hundred will reach Eagle rank, and at least one will later say that he valued his Eagle above his college degree.

Many will find their future vocation through merit badge work and Scouting contacts.

Seventeen of the one hundred boys will later become Scout leaders and will give leadership to thousands of additional boys.

Only one in four boys in America will become Scouts, but it is interesting to know that of the leaders in this nation in business, religion and politics, three out of four were Scouts.

This story will never end. Like the “Golden Pebble” of service dropped into the human sea it will continue to radiate in ever-widening circles, influencing the characters of men down through unending time.

Scouting’s alumni record is equally impressive. A recent nation-wide survey of high schools revealed the following information:
85% of student council presidents were Scouts
89% of senior class presidents were Scouts
80% of junior class presidents were Scouts
75% of school publication editors were Scouts
71% of football captains were Scouts

Scouts also account for:

64% of Air Force Academy graduates
68% of West Point graduates
70% of Annapolis graduates
72% of Rhodes Scholars
85% of F.B.I. agents
26 of the first 29 astronauts

AND a previous survey of leaders revealed that:
-    seventeen of our United States Senators
-    over 60 of our Congressmen
-    eleven of our state Governors
-    fourteen of our senior military officers
-    over 1700 chief executive officers/presidents/heads of corporations are all Eagle Scouts.

Of the 214 former and present astronauts, 142 have taken part in Scouting. 33 became Eagle Scouts, including Neil Armstrong who said “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” He also was the 1st man ever to step onto the moon and while doing so said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” six and a half hours after landing.

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Final Pack Meeting of 2010-2011

 

Another year has come to an end…..within the world of Cub scouts.  Now, it’s Summertime Pack Award events! Woot Woot!
Monday was our final Pack meeting and our first Summertime Pack Event.  Yes, I held one right after another.   It’s how I did it last year, and I suspect it will be again next year.  I figure if the boys get hooked right away and end the year right, they could show up for one during the summer.
Our Pack meeting was generally brief and too the point.  Finish up with all the awards that have not been handed out, congratulate the parent volunteers and then stun a Den Leader with a District Award…;)
Crossovers and other special occasions, I bring out the Cub Master Hat.  This was one special occasion.  I needed to signify that as a Pack, we have ended a wonderful year.  Learned and did a lot more.  My two goals were simple.  Provide fun and do more cermony’s.  Next year will be more of the same, but different.

I had found “the Legend of Eagle Mountain” a while back.  I knew that I wanted to use it in the crossover.  I also needed to make a special note to the incoming Webelos II.  I found a nice section of an Arrow of Light crossover and edited it.

To the Webelos II. You’ve come to the final fork in the Cub Scout trail. Your choices are to veer off the path or continue up the trail to the next summit in Boy Scouts.  The Arrow of Light is a significant achievement on the path to becoming an Eagle Scout. It is recognized as such by the Boy Scouts of America. When you become a Boy Scout, you continue to wear the Arrow of Light on your uniform – it is the only honor from Cub Scouts that is recognized by the Boy Scout troop you join.  You are now the Senior Members of Pack 221. Please lead our other Scouts across this bridge and help them crossover to their new ranks with handing out their new books and help change their Scarves.

I needed to make sure that they knew they were special and that they are now role models.

Bike Rodeo:
Man, this was alot of fun.  Troop 221 came and helped us out.  If you would have seen the email’s back and forth between myself and the Scoutmaster, it was funny.  It rained last night and this morning. Think Forrest Gump “Big Rain, Little Rain, Sideways Rain”, plus add in the fact that the playground blacktop was worked on on Sunday to get prepped for paving leaving large cracks and some potholes.  We never thought it would be BLUE SKY with a Full Moon rising (wait, is that a song?).  It was perfect.  Guess it helps that the Scoutmaster is a Weatherman! (Gotta keep him on speed dial!)
The great thing is that many of the Boys and the Scoutmaster came from Pack 221 and they did a Bike Rodeo years a go.  So, I really didn’t have much to worry about.
I did hear that the energy of the Cub Scouts did overwhelm the Troop a bit.  Well, that’s what YOU were like a few years ago…;)
I had not done a Bike Rodeo ever.  I wanted one and Troop 221 delivered.  It’s all about Fun and the Scouts helped the Scouts do that.

Today was another good day to be a Scout.

Oh, and if you happen to have a Tiger Den Leader who tells you that he’s a “Circus Freak” and a member of a Unicycle Club and owns 6 unicycles…this is what happens to you.  He told me, you need a helmet. Gotta set an example!  Oh ok…. (Can’t wait to see what Colorado Cub Master can do to TOP THIS!)

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Pack Planning

This is the time of the year that the Adult Leaders need to come together and review and plan for the upcoming year.  Good planning will cascade to the parents so they know what we are up to.  It helps them plan.  Having events and meetings thrown at them at the last moment creates havok and the boys miss out because Family Plans come first.

Now, for our Pack, I have been doing a lot of it.  When I took over there was a simple quick meeting for the first one.  In the Winter other Committee Members/Den Leaders & Parents helped out.   That was 2009-2010.  I planned the Summertime Pack Events. That was fun.  That whole year 2009-2010 was a learning year.  Last year was 2010-2011 and it was better.

However, we have never really had a TRUE Pack Committee Planning Session.  The 2011-2012 is going to be different.  We as a Pack have several hurdles to overcome, but what Unit doesn’t.

To prepare for this, I have asked the Committee/Leaders to think about what they want to do for the upcoming year.  I have also created a quick spreadsheet of dates/events that we have done, what I would like to do and what we need to be aware of.  What I would also love to do is a 360 survey via Survey Monkey to all the Parents of the Pack.  This will help us figure out what they liked, didn’t like and what they want to do differently.  Just as we need to listen to the Boys, we need to listen to the Parents.

The tools that I am using are: Council Planning/Schedule. This will get us most all the major things that are going on within District/Council.  I also plug in dates from last year.  In searching the Internet, I found that the Crossroads of America’s Council in Indiana has a great section for pack planning. (I wish our Council had this).  I do use the BSA National resources.  These came out about this time in 2010 and are very helpful. The other website that I have found recently is Scouthelps.   This is more of a month to month thing.  However, is packed with ideas.

Journey to Excellence Award.  This has replaced the Quality Unit Award.  Is it another patch/award to earn?  Oh yes it is.  However, it is not just that.  There are  three levels any unit can attain.  Bronze, Silver and Gold.  Check the link for more info about them.  As a Unit, we will be using this to help guide our Pack to have more fun.  I highly suspect we will get Gold.  If you plug in what your QUA was for 2010, 2011 via JEA will be a snap.  My goal is not really to attain GOLD, my goal is to use the JEA and help us plan our activities. It helps us stay on track.

As part of my transition plan as Cub Master for 2011-2013 is to start stepping back and having others help plan Pack Meetings, Summertime Pack Events & etc.  I will still be in charge of the Program and respondsible for all ceremonies (ie: Crossover, Arrow of Light).  This annual planning process will help me encompass this transition since it will be up to the now Bears,Wolves & Tigers to carry on.  I am hoping to identify and train an Assistant Cub Master for this year.  He or She will start to take on more and more respondsibility as it goes on.  My hope is that at the start of 2012-2013 that they are the lead for it all.

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Pack 221 & the Junior Rose Festival Parade.

Today was a good day to be a Cub Scout!  Every year our city puts on the Rose Festival.  During that time there is a kids parade called the Junior Rose Festival Parade.  I am not from Portland, but from Montana.  I have seen a lot of parades, but hardly been in them.  I think that my first one was last year at the Multnomah Village Days Parade, with Pack 221.

Traditionally our Pack has been invited to this Junior Rose Festival parade.  I did not know how it started.  I just know that our former Cub Master told me that it’s a tradition and we have to go.  Here call/email this number and get in.   What I had heard is that it’s just for the Webelos.  So, last year I told the Webelos I & II’s to go.  They went.

This year, I told the Bears (just like last year as they were almost Webelos Is)  and the Webelos I (soon to be II) to go.  Which meant I got to go because of Elliot being a Webelos I on June 13th.  The Bear Den Leader called/emailed and got us in.  Cool.

So, here’s the thing.  Myself and the other Bear Den Leader  and three Bears were kinda running late due to traffic.  We hiked it for 6 blocks to the starting point.  Everyone is there and accounted for, great.

Bear Den Leader comes up and says “hey, I met the lady who started this 20 years ago!”  OMG. Really?  After a few moments, she appears and is currently the Rose Festival President.  Ok, this is getting really cool.

She gave me a quick history lesson about how it got started and how she’s glad to see us.  I told her myside of the story and we swapped info.  What I learned is that she took the entire Pack to the parade and marched.  Guess, what we are doing next year.

Before the parade started I explained that today at this moment, they represent BOY SCOUTS and all of them in Portland, OR.  My main goal was not to have them get all goofy during the walk.They didn’t.  They were AWESOME!  Yes, we changed the Color Guard at lest 9 times.   Were we all over the place.  Yeah, but it was good.

The whole parade was awesome.  People stood and covered the hearts, took their hats off and saluted as we walked by.  I kinda knew that this would happen and I had to explain to the boys what is going to happen.  While walking down, I saw it happen. They stood up and saluted. It was the Flag they were saluting, but it felt really good.  It felt really really really good to be a Scout today.  A Scout is Reverent.  I am not sure if the boys got it.  But I will remember this day forever. The other great thing that happened is that people were cheering for BOY SCOUTS!  Many times.  That felt really good too!

Here is the fun part.

We were first.  We were the Color Guard for the 2011 Junior Rose Festival Parade.  Everyone was behind us.

Twenty years of walking the parade.  Well, next year we are bringing the entire Pack!

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District Committee: Training Chair

On June 2nd, at a District Meeting that I was not at, I was selected to be the Training Chair for Pioneer District.   When my new Program Chair asked me to if I wanted to be it, I told him that because it was him, I would highly consider it.  I needed to ask my wife.  I was asked by the current Cub Scout Roundtable Commissioner who was and now is the Program Chair.  This was before the Wood Badge course in May.

I had set-up a meeting with a previous Training Chair many many months ago to see what was all entailed and to express my interest in it.  Through that meeting and many conversations with others in the Council and online, I figured that I could do this position.  My main concern is with my family time and being Cub Master.  I think that I can handle this.  My Cub Master position will be ending in Feb/March 2013.  Our Pack is currently expanding the Committee positions, which will help me focus on being Cub Master.  My Family always comes first, so that’s that.

One of the main reasons I wanted this position is that I feel strongly about training.  It’s what I do for work.  The old adage of “Every Boy deserves a Trained Leader” is not lost on me.  Ever since getting into Scouts as an Adult, I have wanted more and more training.  Training is learning.  In looking at other District’s I see a lot more and other trainings offered than our District.  That kinda bugs me.  While I fully understand that people can go to other Districts and Councils to train, I think that it’s the District’s job to offer the training for it’s own Scouters.

My first set of goals is to find out who is trained for what position, who has Trainer’s Edge, who wants to be a trainer, what trainings are really needed and what do people want.  I also want to set-up trainings at Roundtable for Den Chief, Tour Plans and other topics that can be good Roundtable presentations.  These would be in lieu of the breakouts for Boy Scout/Cub Scout and Venturing.  I know that one month the other year a local Scoutmaster, former Weatherman, gave a Hazardous Weather class that got people trained.

Overall, I am excited about my new position and very happy that I can be of service to the District.

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Fall Join Night 2011

Well, I am already thinking of Join Night 2011.  Since I am the Cub Master and in charge of the program, I wanted change what we did.
Generally, when I am joining something I get really turned off when the speech turns to money.  I have been to two churches that apparently were the “Fund the Church” Sunday Sermon time.  Ugh…..  God is not a 501 (c).  I get supporting them, but I just did not need to hear it when I was trying to decide where I wanted to go.
That being the reason, I needed to seperate the Join Night and Popcorn Speech.  In the past, it was the same night.  Last yea the Join Night was the normal date of joining, and then the following week, we had the entire Pack there and then gave the Popcorn Speech.
This year, it will be no different.  However, I have been wanting to do something for awhile.  Dark Sucker Theory!  Loved it the first time I saw it at Wood Badge 2009.  The Scouter who put it on, was totally amazing.  That will be the entertainment part of the night.  This will be the first real meeting of the year and I need to kick it off correctly.
We will have Flag, Law & Promise.   We will then move into Songs & Den Yells.  Then talk about Popcorn.  We might take the Parents outside and talk to them about it more and the Pack.  During that, the Dark Sucker.  After everyone is back, hand out award from summer, then Flag and sing Vespars and Cub Master Minute.

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