What are your Scouts working on? (Boys & Girls)

[Granny_Weatherwax]

You are SO lucky you know about OA already! I'm on pins and needles nervous about oldest son. He has self-esteem issues, and finds it really hard to stick himself out there, so the kind of things like OA elections are difficult. He does not handle rejection well at all... AARGH! So wishing our SM would tell us.

 

Both boys finsished Climbing MB, and tey are going to a few MB Colleges in April.

 

Younger needs to get his first aid signed off in the book so he can start the First aid merit badge.

 

 

Climbing is a great badge; I hope your boys enjoyed it. I think climbing has helped with DS's self-esteem. DS is rather stoic so I cannot really tell how he feels by looking at him, but I think (by projection maybe??) that he feels better when he can scale a cliff or a wall that some of the other boys cannot.

 

I am lucky to know about OA this early. It's only because of Jambo, though. DS struggled every year during OA elections and finally wrote it off as a lost cause and chose to focus on other awards instead. I am hoping he will be excited at the call out in June.

[ravinlunachick]

My Brownies are meeting today to take some care packages to a local homeless shelter that serves families. They made special little gift boxes for the girls there (with things like cute hairbrushes, hairbows, lip gloss, socks, lotion, and toothbrushes), and collected other general items during cookie sales as part of their "Change a Story" Journey badge. This will be an ongoing service project for our troop.

 

We're getting reading to go to our second council-sponsored campout next month. The girls had a blast the first time, and they're really excited about going back. They'll earn their Home Scientist badges while we're there.

[Miss Marple]

DS has finally gotten the dimensions needed and will be working on his project write-up. Hopefully he will get signatures next week from the organization and be able to present to committee the first part of April. Then, hopefully, he'll get on the schedule for the district approval at the end of April and be able to start the project in May after school is out.

 

He will be pouring 5 concrete slabs along a walkway at the assisted living complex. This complex is quite large and has nursing home, assisted living, retirement homes, etc. The organization will then purchase and install benches on these slabs. This will encourage the elderly to get outside and walk - they will know that there are rest areas every block or so. My 18 year old did his Eagle project for the same organization. Their paternal grandparents are in the assisted living portion of the facility.

[Mrs Mungo]

We did an engineering fair today. Whew, it was a lot of work! They did marble runs, egg drops, floating structure contests and a raingutter regatta!

[Punchie]

We've been busy since the last update!

 

Daisies

We've continued working on the 3 Cheers Journey. At our 1sr Feb meeting the focus was on birds. They made masks and then danced to some bird-themed songs while holding streamers. They also made a thank you poster for the SPCA volunteers. At our 2nd Feb meeting, the highlight was making animal care/safety postcards. I need to figure out how to make copies then put them into a book - a copy for each girl, and a copy for the SPCA.

 

At our 1st March meeting, the K9 officer visited. It was a blast! The best part was when he showed the girls how the dog could fly like a superhero - the dog chomped down on one end of a chew rope, the officer held onto the other end and then swung the dog off the ground in a circle.

 

The last thing we did was an overnight at the aquarium. The girls loved it! We somehow managed to score sleeping spots right next to the sea lion tank, so the girls got to wake up to the sea lions swimming. :)

 

And I know that DD isn't a Brownie, but I love what my Brownies are working on at the moment for their Journey's service project. They are making the centerpieces for a local soup kitchen's Easter dinner. We found some small baskets from the $1 bins at Target, and they'll be filled with glitter Easter eggs (the girls loved making the eggs), and pom-pom bunnies and chicks. I didn't realize that there would be a lot of children at the dinner, and it makes me warm and fuzzy to know that they will enjoy the centerpieces. And hopefully some of them will be able to take them home.

[prairiewindmomma]

Mine is finishing up his requirements for the Arrow of Light.

[Mom in High Heels]

I forgot about this thread. I posted another one on Indy the other day. He got his AoL this past weekend (Mar 22) and placed 3rd in the Pinewod Derby on Sat (Mar 23). Next month he crosses over to Boy Scouts. He's so excited he can hardly stand it. He's been looking through the merit badges to see which ones he wants to work on. Of Course the first one he wants to start on is Archaeology, but I don't think he knows what all it entails. Yikes is it a lot!

[starwarsmomma]

middle son got a pep talk from one of the ASM's, and is now working on First Aid, Camping, Cit in the Community and Cit in the World (or is it Nation? I forget.....). -- all at two different Merit Badge colleges coming up.

 

Oldest son is working on his wilderness survival, welding and automotive maintenance...-- two of those at a merit badge college, and the wilderness survival with the troop.

[Ameena]

DD is a first year brownie doing the old try-its, and so far this year she's earned: Animals, Computer Smarts, Eco-Explorer, Dinosaurs Councils Own, Point Click & Go, and the first key of the Brownie Quest. She's got a couple things done for a few other try-its too.

 

She's set a goal to earn at least 1 council's own Try-it from EVERY council during her time as a Brownie. I don't know if she'll get there, or if my pocket book can take it! Some of the council's charge outrageous shipping to send even a single patch outside the council.

 

We've been slacking due to family issues - need to get back into our weekly patch schedule when dd is well.

[dm379]

Ds is still loving it. He lives and breathes scouts right now. He's already packed for his first camporee which isn't until the last weekend of the month. He did get his webelos badge at the Blue & Gold with the rest of his den so he was very excited about that. Right now they're starting Arrow of Light for next year and are working on some STEM stuff.

[DawnM]

He has plenty of time.

 

Web 1.

[DawnM]

Taking a little step back. I think we wont' be able to get 6 MB by June, but we still are on track to get 5 Eagle merit badges by the end of June. We finished one completely, are working on two (physical fitness and Family Life) and then they are each signed up for two for camp this summer which they have done most of the paper work for already.

 

We had a little glitch with a person who said she would work with them and it just wasn't a good fit at all. She was very impatient and yelled and I will not let either of my boys work with her anymore (thankfully she isn't part of our troop.)

 

Dawn

[jen3kids]

Older ds has finally finished his Personal Fitness mb and has started Cit in the Com. I'm having to use the carrot and stick approach with him to get anything done. And, I'm hating it. I totally didn't want to do it, but he says he wants to do them but he has no drive to do them it all. I hoped that once he got started on it he would see that it is not such a big deal, but he's just not interested. He had a friend of ours who is a judge tell him that when she had to choose between 2 candidates for a job and the only difference was one was an Eagle Scout - it showed dedication and perseverance. Another friend discovered that some colleges/universities give partial scholarships if Eagle Scouts. That got his attention, but we'll see if it sticks. He can get his other required badges done at camp this summer, if he applies himself.

 

On the complete opposite side, younger ds is totally gung-ho. He hit a bit of a rut in his rank advancement this winter, but he's back on board. He has plans to be Star by the end of September. He'll finish up Cycling this week, hopefully. That 50 miler is a killer! He'll get a lot of Family Life done over Spring Break, and should have it done by the end of the month. He's also got Personal Management open. At camp he'll do Swimming and ?

 

Dd is still working on her Silver Award with her GS troop. They're working hard, but not making much progress it seems.

[momofkhm]

I wasn't going to answer cause it sounds so small. DS just joined scouts last month, well it's April today, so 2 months ago, middle if Feb. He's working on Tenderfoot. He's in that waiting game for the physical retest part. So while he's waiting for that, he's also doing Second Class stuff. Then also the computer merit badge. The troop did a lot at the meeting last week so ds is finishing up. He'll go into work with dh on Thursday for part of it too.

 

He's really enjoying it!

[LisaKinVA]

Boys: Oldest received his Star Scout in Dec., and is now working on his Life (he has all of the requirements, just serving time in rank, which he'll have in June). He is a PL this term, and is on-track to lead his Patrol to the first Honor Patrol in the history of the troop. He wants so badly to be SPL...I'm not sure if the troop has ever had a 13yo as an SPL. He only has two Eagle MB to earn, plus Cooking, to finish up the Eagle badge requirements...so if all goes well, sometime in 2014, he may have his Eagle done or underway! Younger DS is now a Web 2. He received his compass points and badge last week, and is finishing up Engineer and Scientist...they are going to do Craftsman this summer (I know they are over half-way done with all of the activity badges). Both boys are looking forward to camp. Oldest finds out about OA this weekend at the Spring Camporee. Ordeal would be in 2 weeks.

 

Girls: Oldest is AHG Explorer, she just finished up Outdoor Skills, 7 C's of History and Fire Safety...she'll finish up Camping at the end of the month, she's working on Ancestor Detector, Family Helper, Memory Making, Physical Fitness, Emergency Preparedness, Bible Basics, Home Care & Repair and Insecta-Inspecta. She's also earned Cake Decorating, Aviation, Daughter of the King, Cooking, Swimming, Horsemanship, Computer Fun, Internet Adventurer, and Space Exploration. She's earned 2 service stars, and is nearing a 3rd. Younger is an AHG TH. She's working on Outdoor Skills, 7 C's of History, she'll do Fire Safety at the end of the month. She's working on Ancestor Detector, Family Helper, Memory Making, Physical Fitness, Emergency Prep, Bible Basics, and Home Care & Repair. She's also earned Cake Decorating, Aviation, Daughter of the King, Computer Fun, Internet Adventurer, Space Exploration, Toys & Games, Our Heritage, and Gardening. She also has two Service Stars.

[justamouse]

We're a few skills away from both first class and second call all in one swoop.

 

All of the men in my father's family are Eagle, so it's a given that those are his goals.

[felicity]

My Boy Scout just got back from a camping trip to Yosemite. He had a blast, even though it was literally freezing. Pretty shocking though for kids from Southern California. They continued work on the cooking badge. He's still working on Gardening and Reptiles and Amphibians. There was a big meeting last night that I wasn't able to go to about the Order of the Arrow. He's not eligible yet, so he couldn't figure out why he had to go listen.

 

My Webelo is working on the astronomy and collection belt loops. He and dh drilled holes into a strip of leftover wood and put magnets in the holes. DS can now use that to hang up his collection of Jr. Ranger pins. He has about 15 of them.

 

My Brownie, dd7, has had two big field trips in the last couple of weeks. She went to an animal shelter and to help at the library. It's been so fun to be able to do those with her. She's my public schooled child and I miss her during the day. Next year my youngest will be a Daisy. I'm planning to start her troop but I'm not sure I can still help lead dd7's Brownie troop. They are both big commitments.

[Miss Marple]

We made it through the Scoutmaster conference and the committee conference. Now he is on the agenda for the district review - hopefully it will pass without problems and he can get on with the task. Sadly, though, we discovered that his uniform no longer fits. He squeezed himself into it for the committee review, but I will need to get a new shirt and pants this week for the district review. I looked around the store room for some adult sized items, but the only things we had were either little boy sizes or XXXL men sizes :p Oh well, it must be done. If he breathed too deeply, I know the buttons would pop off his shirt. He's been into "bodybuilding" for the past year now.

 

The assisted living center wants to get the project done asap so that the residents can begin getting outside more easily.

[higginszoo]

My oldest is finishing up his last three merit badges for Eagle. He has one more requirement left on Cit. in the Community and one more left on EPrep. He just got his plan approved for Personal Fitness. He's looking at projects, as his first one didn't work out (reforestation for the Bastrop Fire area). He's also starting conditioning for Philmont this summer -- he'll be doing the PTC Family Program Trek (he has some minor physical special needs that make 30 miles more realistic than the 100 the troop trek is shooting for). He's waitlisted for NYLT (he was supposed to go this winter, but flu hit). He needs to meet with his counselors on Radio and Cooking, which are done, but not signed off. Dh was hoping that the change in requirements would light a fire under him. But it wouldn't take much for him to meet and get it signed off, so I don't think his evil plan will work.

 

Next one just finished her Trees badge, and I think that they did Budgeting this year, too. They're all very 13 and her leader, bless her, has a difficult time getting them to do much. When they have a service project, they're good workers. They're just not very badge-oriented anymore. She's going to turn 14 and try venturing this summer.

 

Younger ds was just tapped out for the OA. Dad and big brother are thinking of doing their brotherhood during his ordeal weekend at the beginning of May. He has to schedule conferences with his counselors on Camping and Cit. in the World, and then he'll be ready for his Star SMC. He has Cit. in the Nation, Cit. in the Community, Rifle Shooting, and something else in progress. He'll be doing Trailblazers at Philmont Training Center this summer, followed immediately (the next day) by summer camp with the troop. He's signed up for E Science, Kayaking, Metal Work and Wilderness Survival. He's excited that he'll get his Philmont belt before his brother's friends who will be finishing their Eagle this spring and doing a full Philmont Trek in July.

 

My little one and the rest of my Daisy/Brownie troop are getting ready for their first campout this month. She'll be a Roper at Philmont this summer.

 

We'll be going to Philmont because dh has decided he wants to train for the new Game Design badge (the training isn't strictly necessary, but it's fun to all go -- our older dd has decided to go to OYAN Summer Workshop that weekend instead of the Philmont Trek). There is a possible move in the works for this summer, so the boys especially would need to wrap up what they can here.

[starwarsmomma]

My oldest is SOOO excited!

 

He's going to Philmont for a winter camp program!!!!! :D

 

I need help. We live in texas. The area we live in rarely gets snow or ice.. (son has never seen REAL snow!!!)

 

He's going to be doing skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, etc... if someone has ideas on what to have for him, please let me know...

He wears an adult medium (yes, he's only 13 too! LOL)

I want to try to start looking for things now, so that we can do a little at a time so it doesn't cost too much right at Christmas.

Any advice, input, experience, etc would be greatly appreciated! :D

[MomtoCandJ]

Snow pants, coat, warm hat and gloves or mittens, good insulated boots, wool type socks, scarf.... Not sure about good brands, I have all my stuff from walmart

[starwarsmomma]

thanks melissa! Not sure where I'm going to buy that stuff-- nobody around here sells that stuff that I know of...

[Ameena]

thanks melissa! Not sure where I'm going to buy that stuff-- nobody around here sells that stuff that I know of...

 

Check thrift shops, if you don't mind used. Most are putting the winter items on sale right now and you can get some really good deals.

 

Otherwise - try Land's End.

[MomtoCandJ]

I would try online as well. When we moved from Georgia to Michigan, we actually hit a thrift store in Kentucky to get some winter gear for dd. we moved at the end of Febuary of 2011 (it was near 80 in Georgia when we left, when we got to Michigan it was 10 and a snow storm brewing)

[Jeanine in TX]

DS just earned Life Scout rank and is the Senior Patrol Leader for his troop. He is working toward getting brotherhood rank in OA. He has all of the Eagle-required badges except camping. Technically, he's earned it, but his troop likes to give it with Eagle rank. I don't think he's earned cooking; but after reading an earlier comment, he should probably get it soon.

 

DD is a Senior Girl Scout. She recently started working on her Gold Award project and hopes to finish it by August. Dd is also on a teen leadership committee for the local council.

[starwarsmomma]

Middle son just finished his scoutmaster conf. for 2nd class. Got his First Aid finished today too-- he was very productive today! LOL

[Jennifer3141]

We found the most awesome CS troop in the world last week. DS is so excited he cannot believe it. So he's done his bobcat badge this week and we're moving onto the book and belt loops. His pack leader is incredible and lives less than a mile away so he is encouraging DS' enthusiasm every step. He dropped off some Nova information yesterday so now I have to figure out what that is.

 

And I started leadership training for DD's new GS troop out here in the fall and I have to head into town tomorrow to get some badge information. She wants to her as many extra badges this summer as DS is going to earn stuff.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Thanks for the wonderful updates everyone. I bet there will be more as the end of the end of hte school year approaches and summer camps begin.

 

--

 

My DS had a SMC - his first with the new troop even though he has been with them almost a year. The SM want s DS to finish his Eagle project as soon as he can so that he can earn his Eagle and move on to Palms. DS has enough merit badges to earn muptiple palms but he is wasting his time by letting his eagle project sit.

 

He is finally moving ahead on the Cooking MB. This is the last item for him to complete in order to earn the NOA segment for Camping. Once Cooking is compelte DS will earn the segment with a gold device.

 

I hope he finishes these two things soon. If not for his benefit than for my peace of mind.

[Miss Marple]

We got our third Eagle Scout this week!

 

My 15yo passed his final Board of Review Thursday night! We are waiting to do his Court of Honor because my fourth son is meeting the BoR next month, and then hopefully we will have our fourth Eagle Scout.

 

 

Congratulations!!! What an accomplishment!

[Miss Marple]

Ds's Eagle Service Project proposal has been passed by district. Now on to completing the project. Ds is vastly relieved :).

[starwarsmomma]

Oldest should be doing his Life scoutmaster conference today at campout, then BOR next week.

[chiguirre]

Geezle got his Scout rank. He managed to ask an older scout to sign his book, ask the Scout Master for his conference, tie his joining knot (a HUGE accomplishment for him because he struggles with fine motor skills a lot), and talk to the advancement chair to get on the BOR list. I'm very proud of him because that was pretty far out of his comfort zone and he did it. We're going to district camporee in two weeks so he should be able to get some of his Tenderfoot requirements done.

 

My Juniors are almost done with the aMuse journey and we've done 8 badges this year. Next year we'll have more Juniors, so it should be even more fun. We're going to our SU campout in 3 weeks and the girls are very excited. Trinqueta's looking forward to summer camp. She's doing a horseback riding camp in June and a pioneer camp in July.

[Jennifer3141]

I did the camp training for our GS troop today! We have an incredibly dynamic group of leaders now too and we all bonded so much that we are going on a leader overnight next month to discuss more troop options.

 

DS is making a cake with his father this weekend for the father-son cake bake pack meeting Tuesday night. His theme is the solar system. We've discovered as a family that commercial fondant tastes like silly putty. Mars and Jupiter are for decorating purposes only. :ack2:

[MrsBanjoClown]

We had our Blue & Gold banquet tonight. DS8 earned his wolf badge, several patches, 3 belt loops - hiking, fishing, and bowling, a gold arrow point and 3 silver arrow points, and the God and Me pin and patch. He's already looked through his bear book at all the things we will be doing next year. I can tell the electives are getting a lot more involved. I found out that day camp is the same week as VBS at our church, and VBS at my in-laws' church, which the boys like to attend. We're going to have to make a decision as to what to do that week.

 

DS6 is very excited that he will get to be a tiger cub next year!

[jen3kids]

 

My boys are camping this weekend. Younger ds should finish off his requirements for both 2nd class and 1st class. All he'll need is his BoR and his plan is to be Star by the fall. He was chosen to be Assistant Patrol Leader, again. For some reason, the boys elected a totally new scout into the Patrol Leader position. Ds is his helper. I thought it should be the other way around, but the 2 of them work well together so I'm sure it will work out. He didn't get much done over Spring Break on merit badges though.

 

Older ds will be meeting with his Cit in the Com counsellor in a couple of weeks to get most of it signed off. He is the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader and has his sights set on finishing Eagle by Christmas. He's one of the few older boys on the camping trip this weekend and he is not fond of wild, screaming kids. I think he was assigned to work on knife/saw/axe safety and fire-building with the new boys. I encouraged him to be strict, but calm with the boys. Hopefully it went ok.

[Seasider]

thanks melissa! Not sure where I'm going to buy that stuff-- nobody around here sells that stuff that I know of...

 

 

Look for a military surplus store. You can often get stuff there really cheap!

 

For Philmont in winter, don't skimp - invest in some merino wool undergarments, including socks and underwear. He needs moisture wicking clothing. No cotton clothing is allowed.

 

You might want to just do a google search for "Philmont in winter" or similar terms. Many experienced folks often blog about it, complete with excellent recommendations for how to prepare for it.

 

Hope your son is physically conditioning himself for this experience. If he is not used to altitude, the adjustment in the cold may be tougher. Be sure he is running several times a week.

[LisaKinVA]

Update: My oldest was nominated to, an accepted his nomination into Order of the Arrow! Ordeal is the last weekend in April...which is also the family campout...and also the weekend I'm going to IOLS.

[Jennifer3141]

I have a younger CS and I have some questions.

 

DS is an Aspie. DS is currently in love with scouting. He's working on 3 belt loops, and two pins. He's honestly stymied only by the fact that things like the pet care belt loop require two weeks of care. If it wasn't for that requirement, he'd just sit down and spend 8 hours in a day reading and making the poster. So I'm grateful that there's a forced time frame to make him slow down a little.

 

But I,look at the CS Wolf book and he's going to be done with that stinker in about a month if he keeps this up. Since he doesn't turn 8 until July, should I go back to the Tiger book and work on that with him? We slow down in the summer. I'm worried when we go back to weekly meetinsg that DS is going to sit there slightly bored because he will have done all the Wolf book work.

 

We started him in Wolf because that's where he age group peers are.

 

Homeschooling make scouts easier and harder in some ways. For example, the reading and writing belt loop: Visit a library and get a library card. Really? You mean like we do every Thursday? And he's had a library card for three years. :laugh:

Now the diary for a week detailing his activities is a great idea and writing a letter is a great idea but we're going to splash through those in well, a WEEK. And the academic pin? Particpate in a school or community organized reading program. You mean, like we do EVERY summer with our library's summer reading program? Yeah, we kinda smash right on through that one too.

 

And we're active in 4-H. You want a belt loop? Take the 6 week 4-H golf class, like we were planning on doing anyway. Bam.

 

I love that nerds are more socially accepted in CS. But what do you do when you're raising Lord of the Nerds? DS could go back to CS den meetings in the fall with the whole darn wolf book done. I'm not going to stop him. He's NOT on his Wii or his DS!! I'm flipping thrilled. But I'm wondering if I shouldn't just get the Tiger book and do that this summer in addition to the belt loop, pins, and Nova award goals. Then I could put the wolf book down and keep more in line with his den.

 

With my DD, I'd worry that this is more about decoration and less about education. But with DS' Aspie tendencies this is about, "Here's my list. I don't know this. I will go learn about this. And then I can check this off my list." CS has given him a very extensive list with very concrete rules. Oh, that tickles the Aspie brain.

 

He turns 8 in July. We could have the Tiger book done by then.

[Jennifer3141]

So, is he registered as a Tiger or as a Wolf? If he is a Wolf NOW, he should not go back and do Tigers--that ship has sailed. If he was a Wolf this year (as a second grader) he will be a Bear this coming year as a third grader. When does your Pack do Crossover? Some officially move the boys up in the spring and some in the fall. He'll be a 3rd grader this fall, right? So, he'll be in the Bear book either in this spring or the fall, depending on your Pack's structure.

 

eta: he HAS earned his Bobcat already?

 

Another thing--you do realize that Duty to God is a foundational tenet of Boy Scouting? I see from your signature that you consider yourself an atheist. This is going to cause a problem on down the line with Scouting if your boy shares your views. The boy must espouse a belief in God, though there is wide latitude for his concept of God.

 

 

He earned his bobcat in three days. He joined CS three weeks ago during their spring roundup. We weren't sure where to put DS so we put him in a den with boys closest to his age.

 

And yes, they are aware I am an atheist. We also infrequently attend the local UU church. That satisfied the cubmaster. We questioned the heck out of each other on the religion and homosexuality issue and I quite happily found that we have a rather liberal troop. That's why we are there. Our troop is also deliberately NOT affiliated with a particular church so there is a greater amount of diversity within the group, also another reason I even considered CS. After this, if DS continues to be in BS, we graduate to a liberal Quaker troop. Those leaders and boys have actively petitioned BS to change several of its policies so I can happily work alongside that group as well. Considering that the local BS troop has 100 boys and DS' CS troop is 40ish. they must be doing something right. :)

[Jennifer3141]

Well, as the end of the CS year is quickly coming up, he'll be a Bear next year in the fall. Do you have one more full Pack meeting left this spring? If so, have him earn his Wolf by then and then on to blue neckerchiefs! If he's registered as a Wolf, then he does not go back and do Tigers--that's for 1st graders.

 

Your current Pack may be fine with your loose association with the UU church and the proposed troop may let it slide, but he WILL be asked at his Eagle Board of Review how he shows his Duty to God. EBoR are conducted by the Council, not the individual troop. It's not up to the troop to circumvent the 12th point of the Scout Law--for Eagle, it's up to the District Advancement Chair and the committee to examine the boy's beliefs. Eagle is a long ways away for your boy, but I did want to give you the heads-up!

 

He is not a Wolf now. He is working on his Wolf badge. That's my main issue. He could be done with his Wolf badge in 2 weeks if I let him.

 

As I said before, if he goes up to Eagle he will be in a progressive Quaker church troop that is actively campaigning for the homosexual thing to go away and for a relaxation of all the rules that drive progressives from CS/BS. I'm really not worried about that at all. As I've recently learned not ALL BS/CS troops follow the same strictures. And UU is far older and more respected than some of the upstart Protestant churches up here. The local council doesn't mess with either troop too much because both troops are the largest in our area. Drive away the progressives and the whole BS/Cs thing collapses up here. Suits us just fine. :D

 

It's obviously not the right troop for you. That's fine with me! It's the right troop/s for us.

[m0mmaBuck]

DS is a Tenderfoot and working on Orienteering and Camping. This weekend he went to a workshop and earned Radio and Electronics.

 

DD is in American Heritage Girls and we as a group are working on Young Meteorologist. She also just earned Pet Care and is working on Zoology.

[starwarsmomma]

Two kids going to BOR's this weekend. Guess I need to make sure their scout pants fit, and all their patches are sewn on. lol

[starwarsmomma]

Ds is going to the troop meeting very briefly to get blue cards signed off and then to a wilderness medicine seminar at our search & resuce team. We have the only collegiate s&r team that is fully certified.

\

We're jealoius!

 

SM spent a few days trying to find someone local here to work with boys on this... so far nothing, but we do have a few leads (that haven't returned our calls yet. -- suspecting they are getting ALOT of calls for help. LOL)

[Granny_Weatherwax]

He is not a Wolf now. He is working on his Wolf badge. That's my main issue. He could be done with his Wolf badge in 2 weeks if I let him.

 

I think the issue is one of semantics and scouting culture. Calling a boy a Tiger, Wolf, Bear or whatever is simply what happens when a boy joins that particular den, independent of having earned the rank. Whether the boy joined a particular den in August, December or March, he would be called by the appropriate moniker. This is the exact opposite from Boy Scouts where the boy must complete all requirements first and then gets to be called by the rank.

 

If your son did indeed join a Tiger Den and is in First Grade, then he may earn his Tiger. Since he will be 8 in July I assume he is a 1st grader. In that case yes, go back and do Tiger. It will be a lot of fun for both of you.

 

By August (when he is entering second grade) he should be ready to begin work on the Wolf requirements. Your task will be to hold tight to his enthusiasm until then because the requirements should be completed in the scouting year and not before.

 

If he is in Second grade and joined the Wolf Den then he works on Wolf. He may not go back and earn Tiger. I would recommend that he work on earning his Wolf, arrow points and belt loops. If he is interested in the NOVA awards, move forward on those.

 

 

 

One nice thing about the Cub Scout program is that it can be self-paced (not all dens or packs are happy about boys working independently and prefer each den to work on the same things, at the same time). It sounds like your son will be one who can take the program and run with it. Just wait until he can sink his teeth into those Webelos achievements!!

 

Anyway, welcome to Cub Scouting!!

[Jennifer3141]

That is the information I was looking for! THANK YOU!!!

 

We worked on our Tiger badge independently of a group last year because of the social issues. So I have the Tiger book too. We didn't complete some of it because DS lost his enthusiasm and I should have pushed him more. Honestly, I felt really lost going back and forth between the two and I still do. I just did 6 hours of GS training on Saturday and Journey training on Sunday so all my language is in GS terms right now.

 

And I walked into the first pack meeting thinking I'd have more help placing DS. DS is working mostly at a third grade level. Well, he's all over the map because we homeschool. We get to do that. First grade math but third grade grammar and on his third year cycle of history which our PS doesn't even do. :lol:

 

DS is only 7. But the third grade boys look HUGE compared to him. There are only 3 other homeschoolers in the pack and we all seemed to have gotten placed randomly. I think our cubmaster may have done it by height. DS' father is 6'4 and I'm 5'9.

[Mrs Mungo]

That is the information I was looking for! THANK YOU!!!

 

We worked on our Tiger badge independently of a group last year because of the social issues. So I have the Tiger book too. We didn't complete some of it because DS lost his enthusiasm and I should have pushed him more. Honestly, I felt really lost going back and forth between the two and I still do. I just did 6 hours of GS training on Saturday and Journey training on Sunday so all my language is in GS terms right now.

 

And I walked into the first pack meeting thinking I'd have more help placing DS. DS is working mostly at a third grade level. Well, he's all over the map because we homeschool. We get to do that. First grade math but third grade grammar and on his third year cycle of history which our PS doesn't even do. :lol:

 

DS is only 7. But the third grade boys look HUGE compared to him. There are only 3 other homeschoolers in the pack and we all seemed to have gotten placed randomly. I think our cubmaster may have done it by height. DS' father is 6'4 and I'm 5'9.

 

I am involved with American Heritage Girls, not Cubs. DS just finished his Cub career and bridged over to BS. I *think* AHG and Cubs have similar rules.

 

Beginning Tiger Cubs must be under the age of 8, have completed kindergarten or be in the first grade or be age 7. Cub Scouts must have completed the first grade but not completed third grade or be age 8 or 9. And Webelos Scouts must have completed third grade but not completed fifth grade or age 10 but not yet 11 1/2. Theyo have to go on to Boy Scouts before they turn 12 (? someome correct me, if I am wrong there?) and not before they are 11 1/2. If you skip your son ahead, then at some point he would not be old enough to join the Webelo Level. At some point he would developmentally and socially behind the other boys by a long shot. My son didn't do Tigers, Wolves or Bears; he joined as a Webelo. He still finished everything he needed, earned his Arrow of Light, etc. There is no reason to rush things.

 

Scouts is an area where I believe (and most scouting groups do too) it is better to keep them with kids their own age. My eldest dd could read independently at age 3, at 12 her favorite book was The Iliad. I know what it is like to have an advanced child. Anyway, you are free to take it with a grain of salt, jmo, ymmv, etc.

[Jennifer3141]

 

Beginning Tiger Cubs must be under the age of 8, have completed kindergarten or be in the first grade or be age 7. Cub Scouts must have completed the first grade but not completed third grade or be age 8 or 9.

 

 

Thank you too, Mrs Mungo!

 

Where we have the homeschooled people confused is we have several new people in the troop who joined this spring (like DS) so not only do you have kids who aren't following the tradtional 1st, 2nd, 3rd grade rule but you also have kids joining at the near end of the school year. I would totally agree with DS being a Wolf in September. He's like a Tiger and a half now basically. And CS doesn't have half animals. :)

 

And since he has a July birthday if we weren't homeschooling, I would have had the option of keeping him home another year before entering him in K and I would have done that. I'd rather he be older than younger in school, especially because he is a boy.

 

For homeschooling, his sister is in third so I've made him do most of his work alongside her. They're 14 months apart. I wasn't going to do two seperate curriculums. In the beginning, it simply took him a little longer to get stuff. We fracture a bit because DS is better at reading but they are doing history together.

 

MM, since your DD is different than her AHG peers by schooling how has scouting (does AHG call it, "scouting?") worked for her?

[starwarsmomma]

As a mom with scouts in both CUB scouts AND boy scouts, I wanted to give you a different point of view.

 

Cub scouts is very, very different from boy scouts. Night and day different! So what you are seeing as a parent of a cub scout and making it work with your family's religious views is MUCH simpler in cub scouts. It works for your family and is a good fit. That is GREAT! I think cub scouts is wonderful for boys and it sounds like what I'm reading is that you are working to be a very involved scouting mom! Awesome-- the more parents are involved, the better experience the boys have. :D

 

You have alot of time ahead as a cub scout parent. And that is good. You and your son will grow in knowledge and skill through cub scouts. That's a good thing!

 

Now, the other view-- of a mom with 2 boys in BOY scouts. SOOOO different. I'm not talking to you about eagle boards (a whole bigger level of issues you might encounter)... Let's talk about just the regular part of boy scouts. Boy scouts is a totally different world from cub scouts. For one, the parents are not there-- this is about the BOYS adventure, the boys becoming responsible, capable young men. The transformation and difference in the boys is astounding! You won't believe it! :D

 

When I say the parents are not "there"-- I mean it. Even parent volunteers are expected to be in the frame of mind as an adult leader, not a mommy or daddy to their scout. The kids are expected to not go to mom or dad for help or assistance. They go to a their Patrol (similar to a den) or to a different adult leader. So there's alot of stepping back wehre you were completely involved-- that's a hard adjustment, trust me! :D

 

But there is alot of religion involved in the everyday of scouting. And I say this from a troop that has an equal mixture of Catholic, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, etc... The prayer at every weekly troop meeting is generic, but ALL participate. Duty to God is mentioned frequently. ALOT of service projects are at religious places. Every scoutmaster conference and Board of review (moving up in rank) involves the question of Duty to God. The people running those-- at every troop-- take it very seriously.

 

While you say you will search for a troop that is not stringent upon the religion aspect, I think what you don't realize is that in BOY scouts it's really different . You might have people telling you it's "no big deal" and go ahead and join their troop but I think there is a communication disconnect there...

 

As an involved scouting mom, I have personally seen GREAT, awesome kids get really upset over religious beliefs. Their family is athiest, and the boy has a difficult time as scouts is not structured to support that dynamic. They usually either lie (which is against scouting principles) or drop out. I'd hate to see any boy upset over this, so I'm just giving you a heads up. Perhaps this is something that your family can take some time to decide a way to handle that will not harm your son. Make sense?

 

You have alot of time to figure things out between now and then. And who knows-- your family might at some point find some religious denomination that is a good fit. (I am not trying to convert you to anything, but just saying who knows what might happen between now and the next 5-6 years).

 

Now, can we PLEASE get back to the positive point of this thread-- about our kids doing fun and exciting things in whatever scouting program they are in??????

Edited April 17, 2013 by Moderator
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[starwarsmomma]

Oldest son is waiting until JUNE to find out about OA... I'm dying here... LOL I really wanna cheat and hack into some database somewhere and find out. Is that possible? :lol: LOL

 

He also just informed me that his newest goal is to finish his Eagle by March of next year. He's decided he wants to join Venture after eagle. And now he wants to also start visiting those in the area... eeek! :coolgleamA: Don't know much about venture, to be honest. Just kinda had Boy scouting figured out! LOL

[Alessandra]

So, is he registered as a Tiger or as a Wolf? If he is a Wolf NOW, he should not go back and do Tigers--that ship has sailed. If he was a Wolf this year (as a second grader) he will be a Bear this coming year as a third grader. When does your Pack do Crossover? Some officially move the boys up in the spring and some in the fall. He'll be a 3rd grader this fall, right? So, he'll be in the Bear book either in this spring or the fall, depending on your Pack's structure.

 

eta: he HAS earned his Bobcat already?

 

Another thing--you do realize that Duty to God is a foundational tenet of Boy Scouting? I see from your signature that you consider yourself an atheist. This is going to cause a problem on down the line with Scouting if your boy shares your views. The boy must espouse a belief in God, though there is wide latitude for his concept of God.

 

Margaret has given you good advice about what rank your boy should be. BSA has specific age/grade requirements, which can be found on page 17 of BSA's Guide to Advancement:

 

http://www.scouting....e/pdf/33088.pdf

 

BSA advancement does include religious requirements. You can find a list of them by rank here:

 

http://usscouts.org/advancementTOC.asp

 

I copied and pasted the Wolf requirements for you:

 

DUTY TO GOD (Page 94)

• Complete the Character Connection for Faith
  
  • Know. What is "faith"? With your family, discuss some people who have shown their faith - who have shown an inner strength based on their trust in a higher power or cause. Discuss the good qualities of these people.
     
    
  • Commit. Discuss these questions with your family: What problems did these faithful people overcome to follow or practice their beliefs? What challenges might you face in doing your duty to God? Who can help you with these challenges?
     
    
  • Practice. Practice your faith while doing the requirements for "Duty to God."
    

  [*]Talk with your family about what they believe is their duty to God.

   

  [*]Give two ideas on how you can practice or demonstrate your religious beliefs. Choose one and do it.

   

  [*]Find out how you can help your church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or religious fellowship.

 

 

I do have two practical suggestions that may be a help. If you want to get more viewpoints on the religion bit, you might try the forums at scouter.com. The people there can be quite outspoken, but they have a wealth of knowledge and experience. It is good to be aware of BSA policies in general, in case your Council changes or in case you move and are in another Council.

 

The second thing I would suggest, from my ds's own experience, is to do some of the CS requirements more thoroughly than asked for, if your ds is interested in a subject. For example, when my ds was a Webelos scout, he did Engineering pin -- one requirement was: 'Make drawings of three kinds of bridges and explain their differences. Construct a model bridge of your choice."

 

My ds built every brig (lots!) in a K'nex Education kit. He made drawings of dozens of different types of bridges and learned about bridge history. We (I helped, as he was not allowed to use google images at the time) googled bridges in our area and ds put together a local bridge scrapbook. We saw a NOVA video about a bridge being built over the Mississippi. It was much more than required and ds loved every minute of it

 

Another thing you can do is choose the harder requirement when there is a choice. One of the 'character connections' recommends this.

 

http://www.scouting....evelopment.aspx

 

Your question about going through requirements quickly is one that often comes up on scouter.com. One excellent bit of advice is that the boy who is advanced should not race ahead of the den, but bring the den along with him. My ds did this as a Bear. He brought in his work for the Tall Tales requirement - charts, maps, a library of books. His den leader asked him to help the other do this requirement. (At the time, my ds was too shy to do much talking, so DL did most that, but ds was proud AND the rest of the den finished the requirement.)

 

You could add in some of the CS Fun for the Family activities -- there is a whole series of awards for this.

 

http://www.scouting....gram/index.aspx

 

http://www.scoutstuf... for the family

Edited April 17, 2013 by Moderator
Removed quote from offensive deleted post