Our Journey Through Tiger Cub Scouting - September 2008 About This Page:

[christiejay]

Hi everyone! I thought I would start a journal or blog of sorts about our journey through scouting. So I guess I will start off as I would a trip report and make some introductions.

First there's me, Christie. I'm 37 and apparently I am going to be known as "Akela". More on that later. I spent one year (3rd grade) as a Brownie Girl Scout.

Then there's my husband, Jay. He's 39. An Eagle Scout, a former Assitant Scoutmaster and has worked a few summers at our local district Boy Scout Summer Camp.

And last but certainly not least, because without the boy you can't have a boy scout, is our son Joshua. He's 6. Make that 6 1/2. He is thoroughly excited about joining scouts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First I guess I should address why my husband, scout extraordinaire, is not the one to be involved in all this. Normally he would have been. I think this is the moment he has been waiting for ever since the sonogram confirmed we would be having a boy. But, Nissan (his employer) had other ideas. In an effort to not lay people off, they have been getting creative with weekly work schedules and moving people around within the various departments. Well, last month they decided to go to a three-shift operation for the first time. And of course Jay got moved to the afternoon/evening shift. He works from 3-11, plus commuting time, so now he can't do anything during the week. Cub scouting requires an adult to participate in all aspects of scouting with the boy, and since Jay can't do it, guess who gets the privilege? That's right, me. I'm excited about Joshua being in scouts, and I hope he sticks with it all the way through, I just wish Jay could be the one to be more hands-on on a daily and weekly basis. Of course one day he might get moved to a different shift, so maybe I won't be there forever. One can only hope.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One day about a week ago Joshua brought home a note from school that stated there would be a meeting at First United Methodist Church for anybody interested in becoming a scout. This church is one of a few in our community that sponsors a troop, so that's why the meeting was there.

A few days later Joshua brought home a flyer from our district scout office about the meeting. It gave the date and time and told how much the registration fee was. It mentioned the Boys' Life magazine subscription. But the best part was, for everybody that joined that night they would receive a free Pinewood Derby racecar kit! Oh boy, was Joshua excited!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Info/Registration Night

We arrived at the Methodist Church gym thinking we would be a little late. We had left our house in plenty of time, but the shortest route takes you across the train tracks. And of course there was a train. A long train. A slow train. A long line of cars waiting for said train to go past. And because there is a traffic signal immediately after the train tracks, once the train passed it still took quite some time for the traffic to clear. But we made it to the church and found a great parking place.

There were a few rows of chairs set up in the gym and most were already full. As we entered, volunteers from one of the local packs were handing out some paperwork. We got the official registration form, a sample issue of Boys' Life magazine, an informative flyer about events throughout the year and two more flyers about a couple of upcoming district-wide events.

I led Joshua to the far side of the seats where there were a few chairs still empty. A lot of people were just standing up in the back. I learned later that tonight was one of the most heavily-attended info sessions they've had in the past few years. I started filling out the registration form which was tricky with no hard surface to place it on.

After a few minutes the program started. A boy scout taught everybody the cub scout salute and we said the pledge of allegiance. Then the district director (?) spoke for a short while about scouting in general. Next up were representatives from the three local cub scout packs. (I had thought there was a fourth one at the Catholic Church, but maybe they are only Boy Scouts and not cubs.) One was sponsored by the church we were at tonight, Pack 88. Another was sponsored by one of the larger churches in town, Pack 345. And the third to speak was sponsored by the church we are members of, Pack 12. They each told a little about their pack, like when they meet, some of the things they do each year, and stuff like that. Then - surprise - the director came back and said we had a couple of minutes to discuss with our boys which pack they would like to join, then a decision had to be made.

A lot of people were not prepared for that. The lady next to us leaned over and said, "Did he just say 2 minutes???" Well, there wasn't really anything for me to discuss with Joshua. He doesn't know any other boys in scouting so there was no reason why he would pick one pack over another. And I would prefer to be involved with the pack that is sponsored by our own church. Since all the packs' meeting times were convenient to us, that's the pack we chose.

At this point, the boys were ushered over to the far end of the gym, where some boy scouts had set up a tent and other items to make a campsite. They were supposed to talk to the new boys about scouting, but I think it quickly degenerated into chaos, as most of the boys ended up running around the gym chasing each other.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The parents split up into separate rooms, based on which pack you decided to join. There were about 9 who went into our group. I think about 4 of those were parents of first graders, which will make up the Tiger Cubs. A couple of leaders from the pack were there to discuss details and answer questions. We were informed that we didn't have to pay the full amount for either registration fees or the Boys' Life subscription. Because this pack is chartered on a calendar year, the amount due would be pro-rated for the remaining four months of the year. So that was good news. Even though neither one was very expensive, we were still able to save a few dollars at this point.

Uniforms were discussed. We were told that all the boys really needed were the shirt, neckerchief, slide and cap. And of course the Tiger Cub Handbook. A few of the parents had questions, but otherwise it was pretty quiet in our room. We were told that we would not meet this coming Monday. That would be a leader meeting so that the calendar could be set. The first pack meeting would be Monday, September 15. We were told where to meet at the church. I was a little surprised at us being the only church members here tonight, considering the number of boys at our church. So the other parents were not familiar with the church. What they have done in the past, I guess it's the easiest way, is for everybody to meet by the church playground on that first night. The playground is on the back side of the church, right across from the two main parking lots, so that should be a simple thing.

I gathered Joshua from the gym, then tracked down our free Pinewood Derby kit. For some reason, they weren't making a big deal about handing them out. Maybe they forgot? But since it was being advertised, I wanted to make sure we went home with one. Joshua wanted to open it when we got home. He was a little disappointed to see that it was just a block of wood. I tried to explain that he had to build the racecar. He wants to get started right away, but the derby is not until the spring, so there's lots of time for that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

September 6, 2008

Time to Get the Uniform!


Today is Saturday so Jay is off work. I have informed him that he "gets" to take Joshua to the local scout shop to purchase his uniform and handbook. He didn't sound very excited about it, but I reminded him that this is one of only a few times he is going to be able to be directly involved with Joshua in scouts, so it was his task for the day. He told me to make him a shopping list so he wouldn't forget anything.

Tiger Cub handbook
Cub Scout uniform shirt - either small or medium
Tiger Cub neckerchief - orange
Tiger Cub neckerchief slide
Tiger Cub cap
the patches he needed for his uniform

Jay wanted to argue with me that Joshua could use one of his old neckerchiefs (because any neckerchief will do) but I said no. I explained to him that Tiger Cubs have to wear an orange neckerchief, and since he was never a Tiger Cub he doesn't have an orange neckerchief. I don't know why this was such a big deal for him to argue about. But can you tell how seriously I'm taking my role as "Akela"? By the way, Akela means "good leader" and that is what the cub scout's adult partner is called. I even had to register myself on the official form, so I got the pleasure of being able to tell Jay that I was official about this!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jay had other errands to run while they were out, so it took them a while to make it back. But they were able to get everything on the list. They got a medium-size shirt so hopefully it will last him all three years of cub scouting. Webelos (4th and 5th grade) wear a tan shirt so he will need a new one by then anyway. Maybe we can take care of it for three years. Maybe. We got the council strip patch - we are in the Andrew Jackson Council in Mississippi. We got a "1" and a "2" for the pack number. And we got the purple circular patch that Jay says is something about world scouting? My question is, if every scout has to have that patch, then why doesn't it just come already on the uniform, like the American flag patch does, and the Boy Scouts of America strip does?

Well, if you've read any of my trip reports, you know that my strength is in planning and organizing. It doesn't matter what it is, if there's anything that needs a plan of attack, I love to take that on as a challenge. So I've already read over most of the handbook so I know what we need to start working on now, and what order things need to be done as you earn your badges, patches, beads and pins. I think this is going to be fun!

[Colexis Mom]

Interesting read Christie!! We just signed up Colin for Tiger Cubs last night. Hopefully Matt will be doing most of the stuff with him, and not me, since it's more outdoorsy stuff (and that's not me )!! I'll definitely be following along

[genhand]

that's so funny! I was talking to DH about scouting for the kids tonight! But in our area, it doesn't start until the kids are about 7 or 8 years old! But I will get to learn from you since I've never been into scouting neither was DH! but I just think it is good value for the kids!

[emtpej]

Christie,
You could be a really great cub scout leader / den mother!

We worked with a pack that was at a different church from ours because that one met on Sunday afternoons and also the folks across the street were going to be a part of it and our sons were the same age. I was a cub scout leader all the way until our older son joined Boy Scouts.

Our younger boy declined to join Cubs as he did not have any friends that would be able to be in his den. Oh well...

One of my favorite websites / program helps was:
USSSP: Baloo's Bugle

Your pack should be able to give you a list of what topics each level will cover over the course of the year. You can then find the program helps at baloos bugle, if you need them. Usually, each parent / boy team is responsible for the program of the den on a rotating basis.

Man, with you to organize and Jay to lend his expertise on scouting skills you could have a really great program for some special cubs!

[Teresa]

I don't have any boys - so I'm fascinated by Boy Scouting. All 4 of our DDs have done Girl Scouts, and while I think it's a great program for girls, I prefer the BS way of doing things. (like - the money MY child earns selling something is put in an account for MY child. My DDs have always been huge sellers of cookies - usually about 500 to 750 boxes, sometimes 1000 or more. I resent when some parents don't do anything and their kids sell like a dozen boxes, and yet the money the troop earns is used evenly!!) Okay, mini-rant over!!
I like the idea that the basic patches come with the shirt already. That would be nice! GS stuff doesn't.

Good luck, and have fun! You'll love it! (I got to be a Cub Scout for a few years - they registered me as Terry. There were about 15 boys in our neighborhood, and me and DSis. Until I started really "looking" like a girl, it was a blast! - so much more fun than GS!!)

[emtpej]

I did finally find a link to the world crest badge. I don't know why it does not come pre-attached...

(Insignia - General) The World Crest Badge...

For those who have trouble sewing those !@#$%^&*( tiny patches on (including myself) there is:
Badge Magic for Scouts - Attach Boy and Cub Scout patches and badges - no sewing

Our pack has always had the money to give all of the boys a pinewood derby car or whatever we were racing that year... the 'giveaway' part is kind of a gimmick / marketing...
Oh, and your can decorate it as you like (within the rules, of course) so you can make it look like the car of your favorite driver or one the kind of cars Jay makes (or not).

One year, we glued on the upper portions of a plastic army tank and my son got one of the 'appearance' prizes!

[dejavu]

I was my son's Den Leader for all the years up until Boy Scouts. You would be very good at it, based on your self-professed organizational skills (and your detailed meeting report so far!)

It really is so much fun. I still have my shirt and all the doodads and can't bear to get rid of it. A word of caution on not sewing the badges- we had lots of boys lose their badges once their shirts went through the wash a couple of times. I can sew and could've made a small fortune sewing badges on for people.

One more word of caution- I always did the pinewood derby car with my son, and he did the majority of the work and was very proud of his creations. When we showed up for the 1st Pinewood Derby competition, I realized that I should've given a pre-derby lecture to my son. About 1/3 of the cars were amazing creations done by the dads. They obviously were pros with power tools and made cars that were worthy of an adult competition- but a little upsetting for the kids who actually made their own cars. Check and see if your group does anything to level the playing field. Later on, our group implemented a sort of "dad's car competition" to keep the fancy vehicles from competing with the boys' cars. And make sure you tell your son it doesn't matter if his car "wins". We always had at least a couple of boys storming off and crying when their prized car was the slowest in their heat. If they know what to expect from the start, it won't be so hard to accept whatever happens.

Geez, I've been out of scouting for years and I apparently am still obsessed with it.

[emtpej]

Originally Posted by dejavu

Check and see if your group does anything to level the playing field. Later on, our group implemented a sort of "dad's car competition" to keep the fancy vehicles from competing with the boys' cars.

There are a lot of groups that i have heard of that do just that. We had just enough boys in our pack to keep things nice because we created enough 'appearance' categories and had first, second, and third place for each level / grade so that every boy got something. We also held an un-official race for the girls.

[caitdanmom]

That's geat. DS did not enjoy Cub Scouts, but I believe it was because of the den that he was in. I have 2 Nephews that are Eagle Scouts and DSis boys are actively involved. DB is still very involved even though his boys are out. Have Fun!

[christiejay]

Originally Posted by Colexis Mom

Interesting read Christie!! We just signed up Colin for Tiger Cubs last night. Hopefully Matt will be doing most of the stuff with him, and not me, since it's more outdoorsy stuff (and that's not me )!! I'll definitely be following along

The pack leaders who were at the info meeting stressed that when they camp, they choose places like state parks and such, that have restrooms and showers nearby. So no backcountry or primitive camping for the younger guys at least. I can handle that. Plus, camping on the USS Alabama (a yearly tradition for this pack) sounds way cool.

Originally Posted by genhand

that's so funny! I was talking to DH about scouting for the kids tonight! But in our area, it doesn't start until the kids are about 7 or 8 years old! But I will get to learn from you since I've never been into scouting neither was DH! but I just think it is good value for the kids!

Too bad they won't let them start at 6. I thought that was a nation-wide thing. I agree about the values.

Originally Posted by emtpej

Christie,
You could be a really great cub scout leader / den mother!

One of my favorite websites / program helps was:
USSSP: Baloo's Bugle

Well, I just don't have the patience to be "the one in charge". Only on a small-group level. I've been the leader in things like Bible school and it has never turned out well. Thanks for the link - it looks like it will come in handy. Yes, I've learned that each scout/adult partnership is responsible for the programs on a rotating monthly basis, which kind of scared me. So any helps will be great! I saved the website on my Favorites for easy reference.

Originally Posted by Teresa

Good luck, and have fun! You'll love it! (I got to be a Cub Scout for a few years - they registered me as Terry. There were about 15 boys in our neighborhood, and me and DSis. Until I started really "looking" like a girl, it was a blast! - so much more fun than GS!!)

That is too funny!

Originally Posted by emtpej

I did finally find a link to the world crest badge. I don't know why it does not come pre-attached...

(Insignia - General) The World Crest Badge...

For those who have trouble sewing those !@#$%^&*( tiny patches on (including myself) there is:
Badge Magic for Scouts - Attach Boy and Cub Scout patches and badges - no sewing

Our pack has always had the money to give all of the boys a pinewood derby car or whatever we were racing that year... the 'giveaway' part is kind of a gimmick / marketing...
Oh, and your can decorate it as you like (within the rules, of course) so you can make it look like the car of your favorite driver or one the kind of cars Jay makes (or not).

One year, we glued on the upper portions of a plastic army tank and my son got one of the 'appearance' prizes!

Thanks for the info on the World Crest. That's interesting that you used to have to earn it. I saw an ad for the Badge Magic in the sample Boys' Life we brought home. I wanted to add it to the shopping list for Jay to get, but he refused. He said he's heard too many stories about it leaving sticky stuff on the shirt if you decide to take the patches off later, and that it ruins the shirt. Why you would want to take the patches off, I'm not sure. But I guess I can sew good enough just to anchor a few patches down, although I will have to go out and buy some coordinating thread. That's cool - I should mention to Jay to make it look like a Nissan and see what he says!

Originally Posted by dejavu

I was my son's Den Leader for all the years up until Boy Scouts. You would be very good at it, based on your self-professed organizational skills (and your detailed meeting report so far!)

It really is so much fun. I still have my shirt and all the doodads and can't bear to get rid of it. A word of caution on not sewing the badges- we had lots of boys lose their badges once their shirts went through the wash a couple of times. I can sew and could've made a small fortune sewing badges on for people.

One more word of caution- I always did the pinewood derby car with my son, and he did the majority of the work and was very proud of his creations. When we showed up for the 1st Pinewood Derby competition, I realized that I should've given a pre-derby lecture to my son. About 1/3 of the cars were amazing creations done by the dads. They obviously were pros with power tools and made cars that were worthy of an adult competition- but a little upsetting for the kids who actually made their own cars. Check and see if your group does anything to level the playing field. Later on, our group implemented a sort of "dad's car competition" to keep the fancy vehicles from competing with the boys' cars. And make sure you tell your son it doesn't matter if his car "wins". We always had at least a couple of boys storming off and crying when their prized car was the slowest in their heat. If they know what to expect from the start, it won't be so hard to accept whatever happens.

Geez, I've been out of scouting for years and I apparently am still obsessed with it.

Thanks for the compliment, but as I just mentioned I don't really have the patience necessary to deal with a large group of kids. But maybe since the parents are also attending it won't be so bad when it's my turn to be in charge of the programs.

Jay has already been researching car designs online. He found some that looked like the Cars movie stars, and one that was Gene Simmons' tongue it was called KISS my pinewood derby racer I'm sure he will help Joshua on the racer when it comes time, but judging from the simple design of his own racer from years past, I doubt there will be too much work put into it. I'm not sure on the procedures this pack follows, it will be interesting to see how it turns out. Oh, and I think I need to give Joshua a pre-everything lecture. He is so easily frustrated when he can't immediately master something, or at least see some progress. But I think Scouting will be good for him in that regard.

[oldmom]

the used to be a number of great web site for cub scouting and at least our council had a meeting the first of every month where they literally handed you a month's worth of meeting ideas, activities etc. There was a Pow Wow every year where you could piick up a notebook with a year's worth of great activities, etc. DS joined Tiger cubs and stayed in the program until he graduated HS. He got his Eagle at 14 and stayed to help. It's an awesome program. I was a Den mother and on the committe for BS.

[christiejay]

Originally Posted by oldmom

the used to be a number of great web site for cub scouting and at least our council had a meeting the first of every month where they literally handed you a month's worth of meeting ideas, activities etc. There was a Pow Wow every year where you could piick up a notebook with a year's worth of great activities, etc. DS joined Tiger cubs and stayed in the program until he graduated HS. He got his Eagle at 14 and stayed to help. It's an awesome program. I was a Den mother and on the committe for BS.

Okay, so I know it doesn't concern pack meetings, but I did run across this site a few months back:
http://www.scoutingwiththemouse.com/

That's great about your son's interest in scouting. I hope Joshua gets into it that much.

[dejavu]

Invest in the clear thread to sew on the badges. Then you don't have to worry about matching the thread to the colors on the badge.

[christiejay]

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Tonight I finished reading through the Handbook. I had only skimmed it earlier to get the basics. So what knowledge did I gain?

Main steps for this year:
1. Immediate Recognition - this is the first thing you earn. Learn 3 simple things about Cub Scouts and you earn this plastic tag with a tiger pawprint in the middle. It has a slit at the top, so it goes over the button on the shirt pocket. There are 4 holes at the bottom where you hang the cords that you will place beads on. More on that in a moment.

2. Bobcat badge - every cub scout starts here, regardless of which type of pack they belong to. In addition to the 3 things about cub scouts that you had to learn above, you now must learn 4 additional things. Then there is the "Bobcat Requirement." This consists of going over various safety rules with your son. Things like stranger issues, not going places alone, other people don't have the right to touch you, internet safety, etc. You review these through a series of what if questions. Wow, this is a biggie right off the bat!

3. Tiger Cub badge - the meat of the first year. You must "complete" (I'll come back to this) 15 requirements. There are five categories, and in each category is a family activity, a den activity and a "go see it" - a field trip. For each family project you earn a white bead, each den activity an orange bead, and each go see it a black bead. These beads are attached to the first three cords of the tiger emblem mentioned above.

4. Tiger Track beads - after you earn the Tiger Cub badge, you can start receiving Tiger Track beads to go on the fourth and final cord. You earn one bead for each 10 elective activities you complete. There are 50 electives to choose from. You can work on these at any time during the year, but you can't receive the beads until after you get the tiger badge. Oh, and you can repeat the same elective and earn an extra bead for doing it again. Interesting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scouts don't have to actually complete each activity in order to receive credit for it. Huh? The cub scout motto is "Do Your Best". So that's all they have to do, no matter how much or how little that involves. As long as they participate they can consider the activity done, and move on. I jokingly told Jay that this was like baby scouts. Just kidding everybody! I know this is just an introduction to scouts, but I still would have thought you would need to complete the activity. Well, this should make it easier to earn more beads if Joshua gets frustrated, I know we don't have to keep at it and make his frustration worse. So I guess it is a good thing after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are some additional awards that Tiger Scouts can earn:
1. Outdoor Activity Award - Attend camp, do the outdoor activity in the "bead" section of the book, and choose 3 out of 13 activities listed.
2. Leave No Trace Awareness Award - 6 requirements here, mainly all just a variation on the same theme - learn what "leave no trace" means and demonstrate what you have learned.
3. Academics and Sports - you can earn tabs (they call them belt loops) to go on your boy scout belt. There are 40 different academic areas and sports represented. Most can be worked on individually or with the family, den or pack. However, archery and bb-gun shooting are restricted to areas with the proper BSA supervision, like at camp.
4. BSA Family Program - designed to strengthen family bonds. There is a separate booklet that lists all the activities to choose from. Complete 10 activities, 2 each from 5 different categories. The family earns a certificate and pins, the scout earns a badge.

Will Joshua earn these? I'm sure with our interest in the outdoors that it will be no problem for him to earn the outdoor activity and leave no trace badges. I will probably borrow or buy the academic and sports guide book to see what the requirements are for some of these. There are quite a few that I think he would be able to earn based on his interests, but of course it all depends on the requirements. I read on the BSA website that as the boys do more in each category they can also earn pins as well as the belt loops, so this is something that he can build on from year to year. Jay told me that this program used to just be offered for boy scouts, or was it webelos? But they moved it down to cub scouts. I'm sure we will also work on the BSA family program, so I need to check out that booklet as well. I think the more opportunities Joshua has to earn a badge, the more interest he will have in the program from year to year. You know, that instant gratification aspect and all that. (Sidenote: On our previous trips to the Smoky Mtn Nat Park, we would buy Joshua a patch for each trail he hiked. He was disappointed to learn that the short nature trails did not have a patch to buy. )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Things to still do:

Check into the God and Family award program. I see that the award is broken down by age group, for Joshua that would be the 1-3 grade booklet. But I need to find out if this is something the boys work on each year, with different activities for each grade level, or if it just a one-time award. If it's just a one-time thing we will probably wait another year or two to work on that one.

Jay thinks we need to buy a den patch for Joshua's uniform. It was not mentioned at the info meeting, so we will have to see what they say at our first official meeting with the whole pack. There were only 4 1st-grade boys at the info meeting, so unless several others join in the next few weeks, I guess there will only be one den of Tiger Cubs. But even then perhaps they still need a den patch?

Looking through the handbook a bit more carefully, I realized that I should have had Jay buy me a Tiger Cub T-shirt to wear to the meetings as Joshua's adult partner. Joshua will probably need one as well, for various activities during the year. But the shirts can be purchased later, and spread out the expense a little bit. I forgot to mention that the few uniform pieces they got cost $60!!!

[emtpej]

Originally Posted by christiejay

Okay, so I know it doesn't concern pack meetings, but I did run across this site a few months back:
Scouting with the Mouse > Home

That's great about your son's interest in scouting. I hope Joshua gets into it that much.

I should have known you already knew about that site, I was going to suggest it!