A Scoutmaster's Blog

The Scouter Mom blog posted an article today that caught my attention, and moved me to action. The article was about Cub Scout Trading Cards, similar to baseball trading cards. She described it as a possible den or pack project.

This gave me an idea. Now that I am a committee member of the Cub Scout Pack, and the photographer of this year’s Pinewood Derby, I thought I could take this card idea one step further and create 2011 Pinewood Derby cards. I opened the Pages program on my MacPro, picked out a business card template I thought would work, and went to work.

I had taken photographs of each of the Scouts holding their car, and a separate picture of each car. Both pictures were used on the front of the card with the boy’s name. On the back of the card I used a couple Cub Scout logos and the pack’s name and location. Then I printed them on business card stock. The picture above is the back of the card. The picture below is the front.

I think they turned out very well. I plan to make a set for each of the Cub Scouts who participated in the Pinewood Derby and present each Scout with a set at the Blue and Gold banquet this month. Have any of you ever done anything like this?

100 Days of Scouting, Day 6.

When I volunteered to become an assistant scoutmaster for my local troop way back in 1980, the main competition we had for boy’s time was the school sport programs. Some boys were just too busy playing football, basketball, or baseball to join the Scout troop. Some boys did join both, learned to juggle their schedules, and had a good time in both programs. I always knew though that if both happened on the same night, the Scouting program would lose participation. That is just the way it was.

It is still that way today, but there is another thing that is taking up boy’s time: technology. By that I mean video games, the internet, and even cell phones. Some kids are so (shall I say it?) addicted to video games they may not join any other program, be it sports or Scouting. Those that do join Scouting always seem to have a cell phone or some other piece of technology with them wherever they go. Today’s teens have a tough time cutting that chord, and that can sometimes create a problem when a troop has a “No cell phone, video game, or mp3 player on campouts” policy.

Adults get caught up in the whole thing also. I see a lot of adult leaders at summer camp and camporees with a cell phone attached to their ear. With the new smart phones they no longer leave the internet behind. I bring a cell phone to camp but the only time I ever seem to use it is when the boys call their parents on the way home. I do bring an iPod along when we are going to an outing that is more then several miles from home so that I have something to listen to in the car. The boys usually choose what to listen to on the way.

Now there is the iPad. I do plan to get one someday. I do plan to put some Scouting related programs on it, like the Scout Handbook and an advancement tracking program. It should come in handy at troop meetings. But do I bring it on camping trips? This would violate our troop’s no electronics policy.

Some troops have changed their policy to allow electronics after the Scout earns a Technology Chit card, similar to the Totin Chip card. The Boy Scout takes a “course” on how to use technology responsibly during a troop activity. I have heard that a couple troops have used this new policy quite successfully. It may be something Troop 68 has to review sometime in the near future, but I still do not like the idea of Boy Scouts bringing video games and cell phones along on outings. I have seen Scouts in other troop too often paying attention to technology instead of having fun in the wilderness.

Today and tomorrow’s troops are going to need to find a balance between the two. Tech is here and I do not see it going away anytime in my future. In fact, I think the competition is only going to get worse.

How does your troop handle cell phone, video games, and iPods?

By the way, the picture of the robot and the squirrel was the inspiration for this article, so I had to use it.

In 1997, Melrose Boy Scout Troop 68 spent a weekend at Eagle Cave in Wisconsin. The boys had a great time exploring every nook and cranny within the cave, as you saw in the last video. Saturday evening, the staff invited everyone to the dining hall for a slideshow and a fun filled program. During that program, several adults were asked to come forward and assist with a few musical numbers. Two of those leaders happen to be from Troop 68. When you are an adult leader you sometimes have to do things you normally would not do, all in the name of fun for the boys. This video of the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast features the silly things these adult leaders did that night in Wisconsin.

This is the second of a three part series of the troop’s trip to Eagle Cave.

Click here to DOWNLOAD and watch this Podcast
or watch it at MSPP channel at PTC Media.

Subscribe to Melrose Scout Productions Podcast through iTunes (and rate the show)
or at http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Leave feedback here, at iTunes, or on the forums at PTC Media.

Several years ago, the patrol leader council included a winter troop activity in their yearly program plan that became know as the overnighter. It was an all night outing that would begin at 6:00 Saturday evening and end at 7:00 Sunday morning. They talked me into holding it at my house. I guess they liked my ping pong table, dart board, Legos, board games, and dvd collection. It kept reoccurring on new yearly program plans.

I did not mind, too much. The boys enjoyed the games and the social aspect of the outing. The parents seemed to like the idea that it was not at their house. After all, who would want a dozen or so teenage boys staying up all night playing games and watching movies in their house?

The boys were usually well behaved. They are Boy Scouts, you know. That is probably why I kept hosting the outing. That and the fact that when it was time to go home, I was already home.

I have noticed that my body does not approve of the all night activity. The boys are up all night, which means I am awake all night until the Scouts go home Sunday morning. I have a hard time sleeping during daylight hours so it usually takes a few days for me to recover from the loss of sleep.

Troop membership has been dropping in Melrose for the pass few years. Only three Scouts (and one dad) of the eight members attended the overnighter this last weekend. Due to small turnout we were not able to have the usual tournaments and competitions. Don’t get me wrong though. The three boys still seemed to have a good time, but it bothered me that five did not attend. I know one Scout had a family function to attend, but the other four did not give a reason for missing the outing. I have a feeling that they do not think the outing is worth their time anymore.

I have also come to the conclusion that I have no desire to host any more of these activities. Or attend them. If the patrol leader council wishes to include another overnighter on next year’s program they will have to find somewhere else to hold it, and another adult to take my place. It is time for the younger parents to take over chaperoning this event. This body has no desire to participate in another one. But I would attend one until midnight or so.

A long time ago (1997, to be exact) in a land far, far away (somewhere in the wilds of Wisconsin) a great adventure took place. The Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 visited a location known as Eagle cave. They spent the weekend crawling, exploring, and getting pretty dirty as they found all the tunnels and crevices within the cave. In other words, they had a great time. This video will give you a small sample of the Scouts’ adventure at Eagle Cave.

This is the first of a three part series of the 1997 trip to the cave.

Click here to DOWNLOAD and watch this Podcast
or watch it at MSPP channel at PTC Media.

Subscribe to Melrose Scout Productions Podcast through iTunes (and rate the show)
or at http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Leave feedback here, at iTunes, or on the forums at PTC Media.

Last night, Tuesday January 25th, Cub Scout Pack 68 held their Pinewood Derby. Six Cub Scouts competed in the event. Each of the Cub Scouts took home a trophy. Three Boy Scouts of Troop 68 also held  separate races for the fun of it. Everyone seemed to have a good time.

Pictures of the event and each of the cars can be seen by clicking on the picture.

I would guess that Capture The Flag has been a popular game among Boy Scouts since the beginning of the Scouting program. I do not recall playing it as a youth so when I discovered the game in a Scouting game book I introduced it to the troop. Since that first game in the 1980’s it has become one of the most popular games to play while we are camping, especially when we go to Camp Watchamagumee.

I am not going to go into all the rules of Capture the Flag, but it involves two teams chasing each other through the woods while trying to find the other team’s flag. It is a great game for getting the boys to burn off some energy.

Being 50 now I prefer to sit in my lawn chair and watch the boys run by, but in my younger days the other adults and I would play with the boys. There is one particular game that I will always remember playing.

The game took place one fine afternoon at Camp Watchamagumee. The side boundaries were formed by a beaver pond on one side and the top of bunker hill on the other. The road into camp was the end of one territory, the stream marked the end of the other. The dividing line was the path from the beaver pond to the campsite on bunker hill. One territory was completed wooded, but the other one had a small swampy pond in the middle of it.

Once the boys had divided into two teams Dave, the assistant scoutmaster, and I joined opposing sides. He joined the team with the swamp pond in its territory.

The game was going well. Everyone was having fun. I ran into the other team’s side once again to find their flag. Suddenly, Dave appeared between me and the safety of my side. He ran toward me, planning to catch me and put me in “jail”. I had no intention of being caught so I took off running, away from my territory and safety. I ran toward the swampy pond.

Dave was not far behind me when I reached the edge of the swamp. I did not have any time to think about it or react. I ran into the swampy pond. I thought that Dave would not follow me into the pond. I also thought that the water would only be about a foot deep.

I was wrong on both accounts!

The water was nearly to my waist after only a dozen steps or so. It was too late to change my mind, especially since Dave had decided to follow me into the swamp. We both ran through the pond, losing speed and energy as we drenched ourselves.

When I reached the other side I noticed that it was uphill to the road, the end of this side. I was getting tired but I summoned another burst of energy and ran up the hill. I planned to get to the road, run along side it for a short distance, then run down the hill on dry land back to my team’s territory, safety, and a quick rest.

Unfortunately, Dave was determined to catch me. He followed me up the hill, along the road, and down the path. Our wet clothes and water filled shoes were weighing us down. But he would not give up!

I was half way back to the safety of my territory when my adrenaline finally gave out. I slowed to a walk. Dave caught up with me about three steps later. He grabbed my arm, and through deep breaths said, “Caught. Caught. Caught.” I was going to jail.

As he was leading me to the tree stump that was the jail he turned to me and said that if I had taken only a few more steps he was going to let me run free. He had also reached the end of his energy.

It has been a long time since I have been involved with a Pinewood Derby. I was never a Cub Scout so I did not participate in one as a youth. I do remember acting as a judge for one in the 1990’s for the local pack. I did videotape a derby one year for our community access television station. Oh, and I have seen the movie Down And Derby. This is the extent of my Pinewood Derby experience.

The Cub Scout Pack has invited the Boy Scout troop to join them in having a derby at the end of the month. The pack and troop would hold seperate races, but we may take the fastest car from each unit and race to see the overall winner.

The Cub Scout Pack 68 only has 7 or 8 members this year (all first and second graders) so their derby will not last very long. By inviting the Boy Scouts they hope to make it a more exciting evening. About half of the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 have shown an interest in participating.

I like the idea of the troop having a derby with the Cub Scout Pack. I think the Boy scouts will have a great time, but more importantly, it will give the Cub Scouts a chance to mingle with the “old Scouts”. I hope this joint activity (and others) will provide a little boost for the Cubs and their families to stay in the program for several years. It would be nice to see a Webelos graduation down the road.