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?

Cub Scouts Outdoor Activity Award

Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award

Ok, so this is an award your cub scout can earn each year.

The 1st time they earn it, it will be a pocket flap award. This needs to be worn on the right side pocket. And from what I have read, every year after that, when earned, it will be a wolf track pin.

Now, how do you earn this?

http://www.scouting.org/Home/CubScouts/Leaders/Awards/CSOutdoorActivityAward.aspx

Here is a link that shows what each cub scout rank has to do to earn it. 

I have a Tiger, so that's what I will be talking about.

So, 1st, the tiger scout MUST finish his BackYard Jungle adventure.  It says he should do this at a camp. Then he has to do 4 of the following outdoor activities.

Here is the list from the scouting website:

Outdoor Activities

These activities must be in addition to any similar activities counted for rank advancement, and can be accomplished as a family, den, or pack.

• Participate in a nature hike in your local area. This can be on an organized, marked trail or just a hike to observe nature in your area.
• Participate in an outdoor activity such as a picnic or park fun day.
• Explain the buddy system and tell what to do if lost. Explain the importance of cooperation.
• Attend a pack overnighter. Be responsible by being prepared for the event.
• Complete an outdoor service project in your community.
• Complete a nature/conservation project in your area. This project should involve improving, beautifying, or supporting natural habitats. Discuss how this project helped you to respect nature.
• Earn the Summertime Pack Award.
• Participate in a nature observation activity. Describe or illustrate and display your observations at a den or pack meeting.
• Participate in an outdoor aquatics activity. This can be an organized swim meet or just a den, pack, or family swim.
• Participate in an outdoor campfire program. Perform in a skit, sing a song, or take part in a ceremony.
• Participate in an outdoor sporting event.
• Participate in an outdoor interfaith or other worship service.
• Explore a local city, county, state, or national park. Discuss with your den how a good citizen obeys the park rules.
• Invent an outside game and play it outside with friends for 30 minutes.

Easy, right? 

Lastly, let your den leader know you are finished with it. I just let our Den leader know about this 2 days ago. She will be contacting our pack leader's wife, who will then, hopefully, let us know if another step must be taken. If there is, I'll post it here.

Good luck and have fun doing this!

Fun With Son 2015 at Bavoy Scout Ranch

Fun with Son 2015

at Bavoy Scout Ranch

There are many activities and opportunities with your scout. I subscribed to my council's Facebook page and they post all kinds of things. Activities, camp outs, ideas, you name it and it is there.

One such thing was the Fun with Son Camp, which was one day of activity, followed by a camp fire and some boy scouts doing skits and cheers, then sleep in your tent. Next day we had some things too but check out was at 9am.  For $24 a person, you get a lot of stuff.

So, for us, we stayed Saturday to Sunday. Check in was 12-2pm. We got there around 1:30 pm. When you get there, they have packets that include a colored wristband ( ours was green because we were team hulk!), your scout's badge, a activity schedule, a map and some other stuff. We went to our campsite right away and set up our massive 8 person tent. I would suggest a smaller tent, it took forever to put up and to take down. Most people had a 2-3 person tent which I was envious of. 

So then after putting our tent up, we hiked to our 1st activity scheduled, which was BB guns. Parents get to lay down with their child on a map and help them pump and shoot a BB gun. We could also do the "wrist rockets" which were sling shots but my son didn't want to.

Next activity was leather works and catapults. The kids received a leather bracelet, which they got to "stamp" designs and letters into it by hammering certain metal stamps into the leather. My son chose to put a tiger head with the words BEWARE. Then he went to make a catapult out of a spoon, rubber bands, and Popsicle sticks. Note: all the activities really required a parents help for the tigers. 

After that, we went to make rockets out of paper and tape. They used a pipe to get the right size so that it could blast off. My husband enjoyed this the best because they worked as a team at 1st. Then he had the bright idea to design his own and talked smack about how he was going to beat my son's rocket. Other parents laughed at him smack talking to a 6 year old, whose rocket was built by my husband also. They had a blast trying to see who could go farther and highest! My husband now wants to do this activity at my son's birthday party.

So now we came to the part that my son loved, which was to make his own hero costume. He made a cape, a mask and a shield. He actually lost his shield while making his cape, so Mommy had to jump in and make another for him. But while I was working on another Captain America shield, he was helping the person running that area by picking up markers and paper off the ground.

And last activity before dinner was archery. I'll be honest, my son needed help on that too. He couldn't pull back the string and aim. The 1st three arrows landed in different parts of the grass, then the 4th, with my husbands help, had a bulls-eye. So now my husband is into that too...LOL

During all these activities, there is a tent that has goldfish snacks, cold caprisons, and bottled water that we could go to at anytime to re hydrate. 

Ok, after those activities, we headed back to the tent for an hour, where the kids who were complaining for the last hour about how much they walked, miraculously had a burst of energy. They climbed stuff, played with other scouts, ran around, played with these flyer things that the ranch gave every boy...while we parents sat on the ground or chair and just watched, exhausted.

We let him play for a while but my husband went to Walmart to pick up worms so that we could fish. So as soon as he came back, we drove down to the catch and release lake. It was really nice. My son caught 3 little perch and released them. We fished while noticing other dens were there with lots of their kids, playing games or doing stuff as a den. 

We had our other member from our little den there too but really didn't interact much. I won't lie, some people it requires me to search my brain for something to say. It then makes me uncomfortable and feel kind of forced, so I would rather do the small talk for 10 min and just walk away.  Nothing to do with the person in general. I didn't know him so well, so it was just forced. Matter of fact, I tried to call his wife to ask if she wanted me to take pics of her son and hubby but I had NO reception   ( warning to Sprint Users). And thought it might be a little weird to take pictures of them without getting her permission, so I didn't. 

Dinner was set as a cafeteria thing. You wait in line, get your food, sit at a table and eat. My son hated the whole dinner so he ate a fresh apple. He didn't even like the cake. I thought it was ok but I was starving. We had chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, gravy and cake.

After dinner, we went back to the tent to chill for a little while before heading over to the camp fire area. It was fun. We had 4 boy scouts there doing cheers and skits. I felt like I was back in a high school pep rally. My son had a blast! Even the cheers were the same that our cheerleaders did..LOL Towards the end, the kids received a glow necklace, which everyone loved. Then we went to the tent and stared at the stars fro about an hour. Most of our little campsite went to sleep but other sites were playing and laughing, playing music, and just having fun. But my little family took the cover off the tent and just looked at the different stars. Do you know, you can see a lot of satellites? I remember when I was a kid, you never saw them. But we picked out so many, it actually made me kind of sad. Won't give up my DirecTV though...LOL. But that's how we fell asleep, mu husband, my son and I looking at the stars on a beautiful clear night.

The next morning, my husband and I woke around 5:30 am. He was freezing! I was actually warm in my little sleeping bag. So he went to the car with the heater, then I really wanted a coffee and he drove 22 miles to get me a Starbucks coffee. True Love! Especially since he didn't tell me how far he was going to drive to get it. In that time, I woke my son, ate breakfast around 6:50am and just walked around afterward waiting for daddy. When Daddy arrived, we went to the little store they had, bought some really great root beer, my son got a hiking stick and some decorations for it and arrowheads. Went back to camp, where everyone already packed up and started our own packing. Check out was at 9am and they had some flag ceremony at 9:30. We didn't wait around but after checkout, we left. 

Here is the badge and the certificate that my son received. If you notice, super heroes signed it, which to my son, it is SO AWESOME!. His words,,LOL

So yes, this camp was well worth it! He also has a shirt that says Fun With Son on it.

My Family's Duty to God belt loop (Needed)

My Family's Duty to God!

Well, I'm sure this will bring some feed back..LOL

With the scouts, they support every religion out there. That way ALL boys can be a part of them. 

So, for Requirement 1, the scout has to find out what duty to God means to his family. I sat with my son and explained to him that God is very important to us. Also, I explained that to us, it means LOVE.  So, when I asked him to draw a picture, he drew Daddy, him and I together.

Requirement 2- Find out what makes each member of your family important.

So he wrote about him, me, Daddy, Grandma and Granny. He had to write what their strengths are and draw a symbol next to their row. 

Requirement 3- Make a project that shows your family's beliefs about God.

Well, I had Gold poster board ( I wouldn't suggest it) and he did some crafts on it. He drew a cross with silver stones under it. He drew his version of the devil/evil. He also drew the symbols that he made for everyone. 

Requirement 4- Participate in a worship ceremony... We haven't got around to that.

BUT!!!!

You HAVE to do #1 and then select 2 requirements from 2-4 to do. So really, he is finished. Requirements 1-3 are done.

Games Tigers Play- 2nd belt loop ( Needed)

Games Tigers Play

Honestly, we signed up for Tiger Day, which did most of the requirements for this adventure.
You can find out more by looking at my post on it.
Tiger Day!
It covers these requirements!

Requirement 1A

Requirement 1B

Requirement 1C

Requirement 2

Requirement 3

Requirement 4 asks for you to go to a sporting event and ask the coach/player question. We went  to a Junior High Football game ( we are in Texas and everyone loves football!). One of our old neighbors ( a friend from my son)  plays football for the team so we asked the parents if he can interview him at the game. They said sure. So we rushed over there ( which was over 40 min drive) and still was late. But we got to see most of the game! My son was more interested in playing with the younger siblings, who he hasn't seen in about 6 months. I don't like using names on my blog but we did get to watch #41 play, who we found out was the captain of that team. And since we couldn't interview him before the game, he was nice enough to let my son call later that evening and ask him 2 questions.
Why do you like playing football? Answer: It is fun. ( my son won't try because he doesn't want to get hit...LOL)
What do you do to get ready for a game? Answer: we get our pads and jerseys on. Then if it is an away game, we get on the bus to go play.
His team lost this game but won the last. We still said it was a great game and we had fun. Then we thanked him for allowing us to go and he thanked us for coming. ( These kids have the best manners. Their parents raised them right!)

And after the game, we had sushi! So it was a win/win for us.

Requirement 5 asks that you bring a nutritious snack to a den meeting. Well, at our last den meeting, my son brought pretzels because it was a healthy alternative snack. 

Make sure to ask the den leader what kind of allergies the kids have. We only have 2 boys in our den so it was easy. And the other scout had to make up a game for our den, that way both boys got to sign off on something. 

BackYard Jungle- Tigers 1st belt loops (Needed) with BSA Modifications

Backyard Jungle Requirement

*The BSA has modified the handbooks to make it easier for scouts to reach their goal.
So according to the Modification - you HAVE to do #5 plus at least 2 others.
So instead of doing 5 requirements you will only do 3 of them. Nice!

The 1 ft hike.

This is the 1st Tiger requirement in the Tiger handbook.

Being  me, I almost made it more complicated than need be.

I wanted to take him hiking and do it. But we haven't had an opportunity in the last month and a half, so we did it in our front yard.

I let him choose 2 spots to try to get more stuff. Since most people in Texas treat their yards, it was hard to find any bugs. But my son found a feather, some grass that looked eaten, an acorn that was eaten, squirrels in the tree above, and frogs.

So to me, that was his 1 foot hike in the city.

I also made him write everything down so that he could remember. And took lots of pictures to help document everything.

2nd requirement- Point out 2 different kinds of birds that live in your area.

This one is easy. We did this one morning while walking to the bus stop. We looked at every tree and powerline until we found 2 different birds. Ours were a scissortail and a pigeon. It was hard for my son to get a real good look at it, so I made him go online to see better pictures. The whole "listen to the bid. What sounds are they making?" Yeah, we couldn't really hear them individually.

Requirement 3- Plant a tree or plant in your neighborhood

We are staying at family's house right now so it's not exactly like you can just say, hey I'm going to plant a tree. And our neighborhood has a country club so I thought maybe they wouldn't appreciate it if my son planted a plant. So my son planted a peach seed in the back yard. Chances of it growing are slim to none but he was super excited to do it. I also had some seeds for Texas wild flowers, so he will be planting that in a pot that we have.

Requirement 4- Build and Hang a Birdhouse

I wrote a whole post on this. Here is the link.
http://cubscouttigermom.blogspot.com/2015/10/cub-scout-crafts-birdhouse-out-of-carton.html
Here is a picture:

Requirement 5- Go on a walk and pick out 2 different sounds you hear in your jungle
Super easy. Before school, we walk to the bus stop. We heard a mower, birds, squirrels, cars, the bus, the wind rustling the leaves, a swing chain clinking every time he swung...There were a lot of sounds in 15 minutes. And since we go out every evening selling popcorn, we listened one evening just for giggles. He heard crickets and birds and other stuff.

And that is how my son earned his Backyard jungle belt loop!

And yes, you need this so that your son can get his tiger badge.
What is the point? So that your scout can get to know his "backyard" or his neighborhood. To show that you don't have to go to a forest to see wild animals. To appreciate his surroundings.
So go out and have some fun exploring your own back yard jungle!


How do you make your scout memorable for next year sales?

Reminders of Popcorn Delivery

 

 

Ok, so I want people who bought popcorn from my son to remember him for next year.

How do you make 1 scout memorable from millions?

That was a hard question for me to figure out. But I figured that the more they saw him, the better luck he would have.

So I made these little reminders. I made them on my phone and sent them into walmart online to be printed. I had to change the size from 4 x 6 to a more square print but I'm ok with that.

 

 

So I cut these up and used a hole puncher in the corner, put twine through it and tied a knot.

 

Now I'm sure you are wondering what to do with this... here it is:

 

The picture actually says:

Reminder: Popcorn will be delivered the week of Nov 22nd. Thank you!

 

And I will start passing them out on October 22nd. I had quite a few people worried that they were being scammed. So I wanted to basically put their minds at ease, letting them know that the popcorn WILL be delivered. Also, I thought it would be a nice, personal touch to let people know we appreciate them.

Do you have to do it? NO! Actually, I don't know one person who has done it.

Is the extra money spent on this worth it? Not a clue!

How many did I make? 16 prints, that cost about $6. So that makes 96 door hangers.

Did I need so many? No but LJ already has 90 customers in the neighborhood.

Will my son be hanging them? No, I will be doing it while he is at school. It's 90 different houses. That would take him forever.

Will they be thrown in the trash afterwards? Probably.

Do people actually care? I don't know. But I do know that my son brought tears to one customer. In a good way...(proud Mama right here!)

 

Now when it comes time to deliver the product, I will make sure my son writes a personal message to the customers. It might only be one note that its copied...lol.. that's a lot of personal notes to write and I don't think I can make him sit and actually do that many.

 

So here is to hoping that this will bring smiles on to our customers faces.



Make an easy to read tiger requirement chart!

I have mentioned this before but I am the one that usually keeps track of what my son does in scouts. What requirement should he do today? How to make it fun?
But Wednesday my son finally received some belt loops and his bobcat badge.He was super excited!

He had me ( yes, me) sew on his bobcat badge so that he could show it off to popcorn customers. He also noticed one of his loops were gold! So, I figured that maybe all his required achievements to become a Tiger may have the gold belt loop. Now he is really excited to get the next one.. but he asked if I could make a chart for him, showing what requirements he has left to do.
So this morning around 6am, I finally made him his chart.
What do you think?

I think it will be easier to visualize what he needs to do next. And I am hoping it will motivate him to want to do it!
What can I say, my baby loves gold. LOL
Also, BSA came out with a  amended version where the boys dont have to do everything in the book for requirements. You can find paper versions at your scout shop for free. Use it. It will make your life easier. Lol

What to do if your scout can't go camping with his den?

This weekend was supposed to be our 1st camping trip with our pack but my son had a stomach virus that shot projectile vomit everywhere Friday.

He seemed fine Saturday BUT I didn't want to chance other kids getting it, so we stayed home. 

He was so disappointed!

Friday I had also built this big dome tent that fits 10 people in the back yard. When my son was sick all night Friday, I never had a chance to bring it down. 

So I promised that if he wasn't throwing up, that we could go camping in the back yard.

Well, guess what we did last night? Yup, camped out in the back yard!

My son, my niece, granny, daddy and I all slept in that tent last night. The kids stayed in there from 6:30 pm,, playing with toys, then later with Ipads when it was dark. We adults knew it would be boring for us, so we stayed inside until 9pm, watching TV.   No, we had no fire because I really didn't want to burn my grass and I was NOT going out and buying a fire pit. So there was no campfire songs, smores or scary stories. It was what some might call " comfy camping" or "lazy camping."
I have already signed up for a camp out that is not with our pack, so I'm not terribly worried about my son not completing his campfire requirement. We will just do that later!
But we did "try" to look at the stars. Yeah, in the city, you don't see a lot of stars. So that was a bust.
But, my son didn't feel so bad about missing his camping trip. That little effort really went a long way in cheering him up!

I knew his den was going to work on the " Tigers in the Wild" requirements, so the next day, we set out for a "hike." We have a small drainage/bayou in the back of the house, which was going to be our hiking place. We walked out the back gate and walked all the way around the area so that we could find our way to the front door. He had his backpack filled with hiking essentials ( Requirement 1). He carried his own bag ( Requirement 2). We stopped ans read the Outdoor Code an discussed what that meant ( Requirement 3). We stopped and discussed the Leave no trace behind principles for kids ( Requirement 3B). We looked at the animals and plants that we could see. That mainly consisted of bees, flowers and birds. I look pictures of whatever we could find.

That will help with Requirements 3C, 4 and 6. Requirement 5 will be done at the Sam Houston Camp out and #7 will be done on open day at Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary. So by the end of October, he will be done with Tigers in the Wild!
So even if your child can NOT make your pack's camping trip, remember they can still find a different way to get the requirements done! And set up your tent in the backyard every now and then, your kids will love you for it!

Cub Scout Crafts- Birdhouse out of a carton!

• This is a craft that is required for your cub scout to get his Back Yard Jungle Adventure Loop! It is on page 39 of his Tiger Handbook.

I am one of those people that have read this Tiger Handbook so many times.

When I saw the birdhouse, I think I was more excited than my son!

Well, I saved a carton from a creamer that we had used, washing it out thoroughly. Then I let it dry on the window seal and forgot about it. 

Then the den leader sent us the list of stuff we were scheduled to do and the birdhouse making was on the list. But I already had that carton... so why not let him make it and then he can make one with his den later in November?

 It gave him something to do for scouts besides just selling popcorn right now. And it was fun!

So I asked what color paint he wanted ( green and blue) and went to Walmart. Well, the paint was 50 cents each. So, I, being who I am, bought blue, green, black and orange. Then they had some wire for $1 and some beads for $1.

When my son came home, he finished his Thursday homework ( school is always 1st!) then he started. Now you can buy a birdhouse kit at most stores, but I wanted to teach him about recycling old stuff and making new stuff. Plus I am a very crafty person! And the directions for the carton birdhouse is right in the book!

We started by wrapping it with 1 inch masking tape. That was aggravating for both of us and so time consuming! So be warned and get one that is thicker...

Next, my son wanted to use the blue/green but I said the word "tigers" and that is what he wanted to do. He painted the whole thing orange and I made him let it dry. That was my excuse to get him to sell some popcorn for an hour.

When we came back, he couldn't figure out how to paint stripes. So, I outlined it and he painted it in with black.

But what about a tiger face? That was the one thing he was insistent on. Well, mommy sure didn't want to free hand a tiger because I know it would have turned out bad. But 2 weeks ago I had bought these tiger cub stickers at the scout store. A whole sheet for 8 cents! And guess what mommy suggested? That's right! Let's stick a sticker of the tiger cub on it. He was all for it.

And today we just put on the Mod Podge ( for outdoor use) to let it be a little more durable. It is now hanging outside in our tree!

I hope you enjoy doing this craft with your little one!

Go Tigers!

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Cub Scout meetings... Are they every week? And where?

Cub Scout Meetings

Are they every week?

Yes, most times you will have one every week. 

We have a den meeting every Tuesday unless we have a pack meeting or camping trip.

If we have a pack meeting, we basically count that as our weekly meeting.Usually held on a Thursday!

If we go camping as a pack then we use our camping time as our meeting. 

I'm sure most packs are the same way.

Where are they held? Always in the same place?

Ours is held at our local Elementary school cafeteria. We have a stage and everything there so it makes it easy.

But sometimes we do our meetings in other places. Like we have one coming up that will be at our library, our local Fire Department and just some in the park. It really depends on what the den leader decides. If we are working on a certain achievement, then we go there if need be. My son couldn't care less about the library but he is super excited about the tour of the Fire Department.

What if my son has practice on the day of the den meeting?

We lost 2 boys in our den because of sports. They have practice every Tuesday, which is our meeting day. But here is something you may look into. If you are still looking for a pack, ask what days they do their meetings for your sons den. If it conflicts with your sons sport schedule, don't give up. In a 10 mile radius here, we have over 30 packs. I'm sure they do not all meet on the same day! So, call and ask around till you find one that has their meeting days that your son can still go to. Because the boys in his den are boys that he will grow up with. They can make some great friendships! But if your son doesn't go to the meetings, then he will not get as close as the other boys. 

Do I have to wait for a den meeting to complete an achievement?

NO! I do a lot of achievements and requirements at home.. It makes it easier than having to wait once a week to do something. Actually a lot of requirements are designed to do at home with your family. Remember, your participation is VERY important! I try and make it a fun homework assignment 3 times a week .A lot of times he is bored with it but there are some things he gets excited about. Like planting a tree, designing his own game for his den, and basically anything that does not require memorization or staying home.

Hopefully this post will help with making a decision for which pack to join!

Good Luck!

Cub Scout Camping! What do you need?

Camping Anyone?

Well, we LOVE camping with our pack. We go twice a year.
Other packs I have talked to sometimes go every 3 months. Or Dens go camping by themselves.

Our pack selects the campsite and pays for it. The pack that goes every 3 months has the parents pay. So ask your pack how they do it

You provide basically everything else!

First, you will get some medical forms that you need to fill out. I was told, make multiple copies. This way you don't have to fill out the same form EVERYTIME you go camping.

Next, you need to be up to date on your tetanus shot. Not just your son or siblings. Adults too! So, that is one thing my hubby and I still have to do. My husband just started a new job, so at the moment we are still filling out insurance paperwork. That means, we get to get the shot at cost, which is $63.99 a pop. Walgreen's does it or check your local clinics.

Next, get all your supplies. This means tents, cooking stuff, clothes, ect.

So, I'll tell you what we bought. When we signed up, someone told us that if need be, we can borrow a tent. Ok, no problem, we have a tent. But for those of you that don't, ask around in the pack to see if anyone has extra.

Next, we thought we can cook on the campfire. But, our pack also brings a flat top grill and we all share it. We have to provide, as a den, breakfast and lunch for Saturday. The pack does dinner. But Sunday's breakfast the scouts will all participate to make breakfast for everyone. So you and your den provide a couple of meals and snacks and the pack provides 2. ( Now remember, this may just be my pack. Ask questions before you sign your son up to a pack. You may not like somethings about one pack but you may like other things about another. To transfer packs costs money so do your research and meet your leaders before signing up. There are packs everywhere and each one has their own set of rules and activities. That's one of the reasons I write this stuff.)

Also, you need his uniform ( our pack doesn't do the uniform , just the pack shirt), a tent, I have a blow up mattress for my hubby and I.If you want sleeping bags for adults, Academy has them for $10 each.  My son wanted a batman sleeping bag ( $19.99 at Toys R US), so that's what he has. I also bought him a new backpack in orange ( Go Tiger Cubs!) from a discount store for $10. I bought a 3 pack of LED flashlights for $5.99 at Burlington Coat Factory.  (One is orange for my son!) I also bought him a cub scout safety whistle. That thing is loud and costs at the Scout store $4.99. Even though we are going with him, I still feel better that he has one. I already have 3 thermos cups for my son's school that we are taking with. But I am also bringing a case of water and snacks.

Note- All of our camping sites that we have been to has electricity somewhere. Also they have bathrooms and showers within walking distance.  

You know how they say a scout is always prepared? Yeah, so will this Mama! Toilet Paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap to wash with, you name it, I will have it. Always better to be safe. I really would hate to run out of toilet paper! Oh, and dishes with silverware. I'm bringing my Tupperware Microwave plates. They are plastic and will hold up well. Usually our pack has paper plates that we just throw away.

Mosquito repellent,   sun screen, rain wear ( buying some cheap ponchos), hats, and extra clothes in case you need them. Actually, here is the paper we got for the camping stuff we will need.

I also bought those glow necklaces and some glow games that the kids can play with at night. Bring cards, the scouts love them.

Soccer ball, football, something the kids can do to be entertained.  These kids are young and camping can get boring quickly with them.

Oh, and fishing gear. Bring extra if you have it because there will be kids that didn't bring poles or bait. And a hammock bc the kids like to lay on it. 

And just to let you know, the Cub Scouts have lots of opportunities to camp at one of the Council locations. We just signed up to do one for new scouts. There will be BB guns, Archery, Crafts, Fishing, and many other things to do. This costs us $24 a person ( adults have to pay too!) and it seems like a lot of fun. But sleeping bags will be a must for each of us and a tent. So there are many opportunities that come up for camping. Don't feel bad if you can't afford or go on the one with your pack. 

Cub Scout Tiger Badge! How to earn it!

Guess what? When you sign up for cub scouts, your son HAS to earn his Bobcat Badge first. I have a whole posting on that and how to earn it. But AFTER they get their Bobcat badge, he can start earning his next animal badge. If he is a bear, then that is the badge he would work for. My son is a Tiger, so that is the badge he is working towards. I kind of mixed it up to make it fun. I mean, the Bobcat badge is all about memorizing. And the tiger badge is all about activities mostly.  Like planting a plant/tree, making snacks for your den, learning what "Duty to God" means to your family.. it's a lot of stuff that is educational and helps them learn more about family, outside, manners, ect. It was more fun for my son to memorize a little everyday, then do some kind of activity that is fun.

Ok, in your Tiger handbook you have chapters. Each chapter/adventure is something your son has to complete to earn the adventure belt loop in that adventure. Example: First adventure in the tiger part of your handbook is the "Backyard Jungle."There are 5 requirements that has to be done for him to get his Backyard Jungle loop.

#1- take a 1-foot hike. Sounds weird but really it is just finding a spot somewhere outside, roping off a 1 foot square and having your son look at the area, up and down. Then it asks him what he sees. Does he see grass that has been eaten by bugs? Maybe he sees the bugs. Or a bird in a tree, a nest? It even tells him what he might need for his "adventure."

So it makes it easy for the kids to learn without having to go in a forest or something. After your son has completed his requirement, then his "Akela" must sign and date it ( that would be a a guardian or parent). Then when you see his den leader or other leaders, ask them to sign off on it.

Usually we have like 4-5 things at one time that our den leader has to sign. I usually tab them off with little post its so that I don't forget which ones. It's aggravating to have to flip through a 286 page book looking for one specific page while trying to get your little tigers to do something. But once they sign off, that requirement is officially done!

There are 6 required adventures before they can be a tiger! Plus they need one elective and they have to earn the cyber chip for their age. I'll explain the cyber-chip in a later post.  My son in a month has completed his Bobcat Badge, 2 required adventures and 2 elective adventures. 

Remember, Tiger Day or little camps can help your scout earn multiple adventures for multiple adventure loops. 

To become a Tiger, your scout HAS to finish certain required adventures! Here is a list:

1. Backyard Jungle

2. Games Tigers Play

3. My Family's Duty to God

4. Team Tiger

5. Tiger Bites

6. Tigers in the woods

Also he has to complete one elective, and his cyber chip.