The weekend of being a Dad.

  This weekend was our District’s Webelos Woods.  It was located up at Camp Cooper.  Camp Cooper has not been in the Boy Scout Summer Camp rotation since 2005.  It is now generally used by Troops for weekends, OA for events, Districts for their events and training courses.  It is where I went through Wood Badge in 2009.  In 2011, the second weekend of Wood Badge was held there.  Rumor has it that Camp Cooper is going to be put back into rotation for the 2012 Boy Scout Summer Camp season.
To me, Camp Cooper is a magical place.  It’s a place that I came to realize what Scouting is all about.  So, it’s special for me.

I first heard Webelos Woods was going to be put on at a May or June Roundtable.  The moment registration was open, I signed Elliot and I up for it.  I promoted it lightly within the Webelos I & II Dens before the end of school and towards the beginning of school.  For various reasons the Webelos I did not sign-up.  Think Sports.  The Webelos II did not sign up due to the fact that they went last year (to a different District’s Webelos Woods) and they had an invite from a Troop to go Crabbing this upcoming weekend.  I get that.  So, Elliot and I were the only ones going to Webelos Woods.  The Webelos II need to camp with a Troop for their Arrow of Light and to check-off other requirements needed.  The Webelos need to see if this is a Troop that they want to join.  It’s a natural process.

So, I was pumped to go, but Elliot was not really.  He said that he wanted to go, but swapped back and forth a lot.  After explaining what Webelos Woods is, what would go on there and the promise of going to a Waterpark afterwards, he said he would go.  Yup, I bribed the kid.  To which he said as I left his room “Dad, don’t take offense at this, but your kinda nuts about Scouting.”  I explained that I was not offended.  We both laughed about it.

Well, that’s a wake-up call.  Something that I have known for awhile.  I had laid off a lot of Scouting stuff over the summer, but I plotted about what “he” was going to do for Webelos.  Plus, I had worked up a lot of stuff via the Summertime Pack events that any Scout would be able to use as a requirement for their rank.

Towards the end of the Summer and the beginning of the school year, Elliot did work out both the Traveler and Aquanaut Activity Pins.  I have given him those pins.  He also has the Bear Summertime Activity Pin. These were paid by myself and not out of Pack money.

Going into Webelos Woods, I had planned on him earning the Outdoorsman Activity Pin.    In light of that conversation, I realized that I was not going to push it.  During the weekend, I point blank asked him if he wanted to work towards stuff.  He replied, No.  Clear answer.  Message received.  I stopped.  It was just a weekend of Dads/Moms with their Webelos son.

I spent time talking to other Dads and going through the Lo-Cope course that they had, which was completely amazing.  It was very Wood Badge-ish and I learned something that I am going to take away and use at the Pack Meeting. I also participated in the Webelos to Boy Scouts talk from the Scoutmaster.  While, I have seen this online and read a lot, I got a ton of information. Grouping both activities together, all the information came together on what to look for in a Troop for your son and how to NOT become a Helicopter Parent.   The Troop that was putting it on was there on display for the Webelos & parents.

So, for the rest of the weekend, I was Dad.  We had a great time. It was early in the weekend that this happened, so it was good.  Elliot was able to hang out with another Pack that I knew and he made fast friends.  So much so, he asked me to have a playdate with one of them.

Overall, the weekend was an eye opener on several levels.  This, is just the first one.  Being a Dad and not a Cubmaster or Scouteradam.

So, more to come on the other levels in the coming days.

Read Full Post »

Gathering Activities for Cub Scouts

The key to hopefully controlling or attempting to control Cub Scouts before a meeting, is to play a Game.
Where our Pack meets is at the school gym.  In that gym there is a door.  In that door is a room.  Within that room there are balls, scooters, hoops , hockey sticks and other things that bounce.  Every meeting, each Scout runs to that room and pulls out something and plays with it.  To me, it’s really not gym class and they are not in school so they should not be in there.  It also bothers me that the boys do not respect the School’s property and think that “we are not in school, so rules do not apply to us” type of thinking.

It’s one thing that I am going to bring up at the Annual Pack Planning Meeting.  Boys don’t go into the room.

Suffice to say, having a gathering activity is what is needed.  In the past, I have been somewhat successful.  paper airplane flying the farthest contests, throwing paper balls towards a mouse trap area and setting them off and other ideas .

I recently found a website that has a lot of ideas for Skits, Songs & Games.  I have picked the Ah Soh Gi game for maybe Join Night.  But, it’s now in the rotation.  I will also use the Ring of Fire game that was played at our Disc Golf Summertime Activity Event.  Ring of Fire is basically the boys standing in a circle around a Disc Golf Hole and trying to get their Disc’s into it.  Those who accomplish it, get to take a step or three back and try again.  This is repeated until the last Scout gets their Disc in.  They win.  It’s an elimination game.  It’s a skills game.

While Mike Rowe will tell you that he learned a lot from British Bulldog, we need to have safer games in general.  Many of the boys in the Pack do not like things flying towards them and others have a medical condition that if hit would cause serious injury.  Hence, my cause for worry.

Also, the boys like to play Tag a lot.  Usually it’s Toliet Tag or something not very Scouty.  I generally stop these because of the non-scouty part, but also I had one boy fall flat on his face and smack his teeth on the ground.  It resulted in a lot of pain and I thought he chipped a tooth.  He was fine afterwards, but it has stuck with me.

So, here is another game that is a game that they need to pay attention to, but is a lot of fun.   Ah Soh Gi Game.  There is a video on the website that shows how to play.

++++++++++++
Everyone sits in a circle, and learns the 3 commands and their movements.

1) Ah! – the person says “Ah” loudly, and puts their left or right hand across their forehead in a saluting motion, with fingers pointing at the person next to them.

2) So! – the person says “So” loudly, and puts their left or right hand across their chin in a saluting motion, with fingers pointing at the person next to them.

3) Gi!– the person puts both arms together in front of them in a clapping motion and points to someone else, anywhere in the circle.

The phrases must always go in that order, and each phrase needs its correct hand motion. You go when you are pointed at by someone next to you using “Ah” or “So,” or by someone across from you using “Gi.” When you are “Gi”ed at by someone you start the sequence over again.

When someone makes a mistake (ie, goes out of order, uses the wrong hand motion, hesitates in confusion for too long) they are out.

When someone gets out, each member of the group puts a hands in the middle with thumbs up, and calls “You’re outta here!” – like a baseball umpire.

That person leaves the circle and the group closes in the space. The person who was on right side of the exited person starts the sequence again, by saying “Ah!” and pointing to the left or right.

The game continues until there are two people left.

Read Full Post »

July Summertime Pack Event

Saturday was our 2nd Summertime Pack Event and it was Disc Golf.  As per normal Oregon weather, it rained. Ok, drizzled a bit in the middle of July.  A total of seven boys  and several Dads and a Mom braved the wet weather and went out to have fun.  Look, Oregon is the  BEAVER STATE, a Beaver is on our State Flag, we have the U of Oregon DUCKS and the Oregon State University BEAVERS!

As part of my years of being a Cub Master and slowly learning that “Scouting is a Game with a Purpose” I realized that if we do something as a Pack or Den that there has to be a purpose.  Disc Golf.  Yup, you can get a Beltloop out of it.  You can use it when your a Webelos to satisfy the Sportsman Activity Pin.  After about 30-45 minutes of instruction and practicing, we hit the links at Orchard Park in Hillsboro, OR.  I had never played there, but what a great course. It’s flat and wonderful to play.  Even the Pack Treasurer got in a round.  (He’s the one in the front).  My friend who I worked with at Nike, oh so many years ago, helped put on this clinic for us.  He is a ASM for a Troop in another District and a regional disc golfer who competes all the time.  He offered to help us over me facebooking about Disc Golf one night and that led to a long conversation over lunch with beer one day.    He had his son and four other guys come out and help us learn how to play and also walk the course with us.  Totally awesome!  Think St Andrews and Golfing.  Minus Balls, Clubs and Beer but with Caddy’s telling you how to address the tee and how to shoot.  That was us.  Yes, there were even prizes handed out by Scott, which were given to him by Rainy-Day-Games.  I didn’t know he was going to do that.

The boys and parents had a great time.  I found a place to play Disc Golf. I also figured out a good game to play before/during a Pack Meeting that is INDOORS!

The next wonderful thing is that Scott has offered to come to Roundtables to talk about how to teach Disc Golf to Scouts of all ages.  He has also offered to help coordinate a clinc/tournament in District or Council.  I have forwarded his name and offer to several people within Council and our District.  I think it would be a wonderful thing to do in the Spring.

Here is the great thing.  Even the BSA National website thinks it’s a great idea. Look here.  So, who knows.  Maybe Pioneer District will have a Spring Scout Fling?

Finally, Scott’s son needed to talk to Webelos who are close to crossing over about joining Boy Scouts.  It’s a requirement for First Class.  Techincally, the boys had to be CLOSE/Webelos II to crossing over.  These boys are Webelos I.   We obliged with the four Webelos I to listen to his talk.  It was just Matt and the Webelos.  I didn’t stick around to listen as it was their time.   Reason this happened today, is on Sunday he is off to Summercamp and would like to have the Scoutmaster Conference and get rank.  While I know the requirement says close/webelos II I would call it good in my book.  But I am not a Scoutmaster or ASM.  It’s up to them to judge.  Yes, Scott and I did talk about the specific’s of the requirement and we understand what is written.  I atlest obliged with asking the boys to help out a fellow Scout. There was the Good Turn done.

Read Full Post »

The Webelos Beltloop co·nun·drum

There are 53 Academic and Sports Beltloops (& Pins) that can be earned by any Cub Scout during their time within the Pack.   This program is great since it helps the boys not only explore areas that they are interested in or sports that they play.  These can be earned as a Den, Pack and with the family.  Once earned, the Beltloop and/or Pin should be immediately present to the Cubscout at the next Pack meeting.  Many of these beltloops can be actually earned by completing school projects such as Art Beltloop during Art time.  Every school generally has an art class. During first grade several boys in the Den were in the school Chess club.  So, they earned the Chess Beltloop just by being in that.  Another easy one is Reading and Writing, the kids are in school to read and write, go the library and sometimes keep a journal.  Hence earning that beltloop.  For the sports side of beltloops, what kid does not know how to play Kickball?  Just like “There’s an App for that”, there is a Beltloop for that. Oh, and there is an App!  Reguardless of how athletic a Scout may or may not be, there are several sport beltloops that they can work towards.  Not everyone is into Football or Baseball.  They could be the next Dude in Bowling or a wicked Disc Golfer!
So, what’s the conundrum part?  When a Bear becomes a Webelos I then II, the whole Beltloop process starts over.  Beltloops in particular count again, but the pins do not.  It does not mean that the Beltloops previously earned go away, or don’t count anymore.  The Cubscout has earned them.  They are his.  Within Webelos, the Beltloops can be used to complete several Activity Badges.  There is the conundrum.  Actually two.  The first is, many Webelos Den Leaders are NOT aware that the Beltloops can be used for the Activity Badges.  They do.  It should be explained to both the Webelos and their Parents.  The more sticky part is really a Pack based policy.  When a Webelos re-earns a Beltloop that they got as a Tiger, Wolf or Bear should a Pack  re-buy the betloop and present it?  In our Pack, it is a no.  They already have a beltloop and has been given to them.  There is no reason to have two.  If the Webelos looses it, the parents should re-purchase it from the Scoutshop.  If every Beltloop was earned, that would roughly be $80.  No kid has a belt that large to wear them all.  I would encourage the Webelos Scout to push further and earn the Pin and award the Pin with an explanation during the awarding that they re-earned it, got the pin and it counts towards whatever Activtity Badge it works for.  I would get a policy in place about earning Beltloops a second time and explain it to the Webelos and Parents.  That will stop hurt feelings before they happen.

So, what Activity Badge would work with a Beltloop.  Let’s look at the Aquanaut Activity Badge.   While it is in the Physical Class in Webelos, it is not a required Activity Badge as Fitness & Citizen for the Webelos Badge.  It is also not required for the Arrow of Light Badge either.  The Webelos Badge does not allow for two Physical Activity Badges, but it can be used for Arrow of Light. The Aquanaut is very attainable and is linked to the Swimming requirement in Boy Scouts.  So, it’s well worth the time and effort to complete it as a Webelos.  The Beltloop that goes along with it is…any guesses?  Yes, Swimming.  My son, Elliot, earned it and the Pin while in Maui in Feburary 2011.  Ok, he actually finished it with going SNUBA off the beach and in the pool.  SNUBA was the icing on the cake, since he worked up to it.  It was the reward actually.  Elliot is a fantastic swimmer and loves to snorkel in every pool he can find.  Looking at the Aquanaut Badge under requirement 8, you can earn the Swimming Beltloop to complete one of the three other requirements.  If you look at the requirements of Swimming,  it’s like looking at the prerequisite for Aquanaut.  There is also a Swimming Merit Badge and it’s required for the First Class rank in Boy Scouts.

By taking a look at the Beltloops and the Activity Badges, you will find that there is a purpose to them being offered.  If you work with the program and incorporate all aspects the boys will get more involved in the Webelos program, get excited about earning Webelos Bling, and really be ready for the Boy Scout Troop and the requirements needed to get to Second & First Class and beyond.

Swimming is a vital skill in life.  Most of us take it for granted, but it’s also a great source of fun! I should know, I almost drown in a neighbors pool when I was 8 or 9.  I freaked out cause I was not a good swimmer back then after diving off the diving board.  No one jumped in after me, but I spluttered to the side.  All the adults just stood there screaming at me to swim.  I figured that they might have just given me a drink since that was what I was trying to do.

Read Full Post »