Tiger Safe and Smart Belt loop

Hi!

Well, we went to our local fire department with our den recently. And our Den Leader asked us to finish the Tiger: Safe and Smart requirements so the boys could get the loop at the same time.

So, for the last week, we have been working on that.

Requirement 1a: Memorize address

Well, we recently moved so we had to do that anyway. Took about 15 min, but my son has it down now.

Requirement 1b: Memorize a emergency contact phone #

I taught my son my cell # when he started Kindergarten so we just used that.

Requirement 1c: Take the 911 safety quiz

Grateful for this because I never taught my son to call 911. Matter of fact, he called it 999. So, we practiced on my cell phone, talked about what a true emergency was, and took the quiz.

2A: Stop, Drop and roll

Well, I thought he learned that in school but maybe he just didn't pay attention. So we reviewed that, why you would do that, and practiced it.

2B:

How to safely roll someone else in a blanket to put out a fire

Had to explain that and we practiced it

3: Make a fire escape map with your adult

Well, my son is not that great at drawing so we went around and drew the map. We marked our smoke alarms, showed arrows where to go, discussed our safe place to meet..

4: Explain map and practice fire drill

Yup, that was the fun part. My son was on his hands and knees crawling, touching handles carefully ;looking for heat, counted the stairs to know how many, even if it is dark... He loved it!

5: Find smoke detectors and test them

We only have 2 so this was easy

6: Visit a emergency responder station

We went to the Fire Department with our den

This was an easy one but it took a lot of thought into our fire escapes. And my son learned new things that I thought he already knew. Interesting, informative and very IMPORTANT!

So glad we did this one now..

Scouts visit to the Fire Department- Tiger: Safe and Smart requirement #6

Recently we visited our local Fire Department!

And the kids had a blast.
We did this for our Safe and Smart adventure.

 We only have 2 official cub scouts and one member who comes to the meetings but hasn't signed up yet. Also we have 2 little sisters that join us for the meetings. So we had 5 kids visit the Fire Station. I am really thankful there wasn't more because it was hard to keep the kids in line. They wanted to run around and do their own tour but we, the parents, kept making them come back to listen to our guide.

So, when we 1st arrived, we had one member we had to still wait on. The kids were bored and we let them run around the front of the building to try to get some energy out. While this was going on, our den leader was asking our tour guide a lot about Fire Station  #9. We found out that they have volunteers and paid workers. All the training is free. Our guide is on a fast track course to become an EMT, which he says is a lot to learn. He has been with he fire department 13 years. 2 paid and the rest volunteer. He has his own company that started taking up a lot of time so he switched to volunteering. So it was really nice of him to come out at 6:30pm to give some scouts a tour!

We also learned that volunteers are always welcome. And they love when people bring them meals.

So once our final member came, we started our tour. Each child received a Fire fighter's hat. Boys received a red hat, girls a pink.

 We started in the building, showing us the meeting room, where they do reports, the living room, the bedroom, and we glanced at the work out room. 

Then we checked out the actual trucks. Each truck is with the company about 10 years and then replaced. But they have to take really good care of them. This particular Fire Station had 2 trucks and 2 EMT vehicles. The first truck was for emergency's on the ground. It had hoses, ladders, jaws of life, lots of axes, lots of fire extinguishers, first aid bags for any situation, and just a lot of stuff. The 2nd truck had a ladder that extends on the top. Of coarse the kids wanted on that but ALL the adults were like," heck no."

But our guide did let the kids in the fire truck, which was a big highlight!

Then he showed them the thermal scanner. It helps the fire fighters know how hot the fire is or where it is. He demonstrated by having teh kids put their hands on the wall and leave it there for a minute. Then he showed them how the heat from their hands were on the screen. The boys laughed and thought it was so cool.

After that, the guide gave each kid a bag that had colors, stickers, a safety coloring book, ect.

We let the kids loose again on the parking lot while the parents had a lot more questions. 

All in all, one of the best den meetings we have had.

Thank you for your service and the great tour Fire Station  #9....from den #9!

Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary for a requirement

For Tigers in the Wild Adventure

Requirement 7

Our den did most of Tigers in the Wild during their camping trip. My son couldn't go because of a stomach flu. So, we made other plans!

We were so excited to go to Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary  in Montgomery, TX! I LOVE wolves so I was super excited for this requirement.

I made a shirt for my son to wear that has his pack # and that he was a tiger. At the time, he didn't have his pack shirt. So he wore his "new" pack shirt on this adventure.

When you park, you have a small hike to reach your area. Then you sign a release form. Then you wait for your guide to start. As your sitting there, you can see all the wolf dogs and the one wolf they have. Beautiful! And let me tell you, right within 5 minutes you will have a favorite. My son's favorite  was Big Boy and mine was Achilles.It was also lunch time for the wolves. So it was interesting to see how they were fed.

When the guide starts, he gives you some basic history of how this wolf sanctuary started. How it's run, what they feed the wolves, how people mislabel dogs as wolf dogs, and the traits of a wolf.

He asked the 2 boys there, who has a stronger bite. Shark, wolf, dog? My son said wolf. All the adults said shark. He was right, we were wrong. So the guy looked at my son and told him he had a gift for him in the gift shop. What can I say? That got my son's attention!

Then we started our tour.
Here is the link to the Bio's of the wolves:
http://www.saintfrancissanctuary.org/bios.htm

First we saw the enclosure for Tala and Remus. And we were told how they came to be there. Remus' brother is also on the premises but separated far away as possible to stop the fights. We were also told how much wolf was in each animal. Stories of the animals that show just how intelligent they are. You gain a deep respect for each animal, if not love them.

And thats how the tour continued. You learn about the background of each animal. What percentage of wolf they are. The personalities of each one. You learn about wolf traits vs dog traits. You learn who the alpha is and how she still controls the others. Mystery is a beautiful yet such dainty alpha.
You learn about the 3 pack that they have, the first to be known in an enclosure of 2 females and 1 male. It was awesome!
Here are some pictures.

After you have seen all the wolves and learned so much about them, you get to meet and PET a wolf dog! Yes, she is of lower wolf content but who cares! Interesting fact: we went there right after it rained. When we petted Tala, the guide had us smell our hands. No wet dog smell!
Here are some pictures of Tala walking down , letting the visitors pet her.

After Tala left back to her area, we were set free to explore a little. They have a cool memorial that was set up for the wolves that have passed. My son wanted to see it and I have to warn you, its sad. But it was beautiful! Want to take a guess at who built it? It was an Eagle Scout project for a young man in 2011 from troop 928. I think he did an awesome job!

After having a quiet moment walking around and reading the names of the wolves that have passed, my son hunted down our tour guide. And this is the surprise that he had for him.

My son and I were taken aback by the Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary patch. But it was a pleasant surprise. Then we hunted down the gift shop and did some serious shopping. Did I mention I love wolves? I had to get a beautiful necklace that had Mystery's fur inside. Not to mention it is getting close to 2016, so I had to get a new calendar. T-shirts are always great to have, so my son and I bought matching T-shirts. They had grab bags, cups, beautiful pictures, magnets, Christmas tree Ornaments... I went a little nuts. LOL
But all the proceeds go directly back to the wolves. So hey, they need it, right?
And yes, they DO need it! They are in desperate need of repairing a fence. This fence will cost them $20,000. So go visit them! If you don't have time, there are many other ways to help.
Many ways to help
GoFundMe Page for the fence
Another way you can help is by going to their amazon page and buying from their wish list. Or through Amazon Smile. Anything will help.
Amazon Wish List
I hope ya'll can go out and visit. I had a blast and my son swears he did too! And you can always use cub scouts as an excuse to go visit. He just NEEDS a new badge, right?