New Program Tracking Sheets

The Utah National Parks Council has a great blog for their Akela's Council training.  In January they created and posted some nice, easy to use tracking sheets for the new Cub Scout program.  Here's the link to the page with the tracking sheets:  http://akelascouncil.blogspot.com/2015/01/original-cub-scout-tiger-printable.html.
I hope you'll find this useful, and that you'll take the opportunity to look around their blog.  There's a lot of fun stuff there!

Stomp Rocket Launcher

Those of you who attended the annual Roundtable BBQ last year (2014) might remember the paper tube rockets that we made and the pvc pipe rocket launcher that we used to send them up into the sky.  Those of you who missed it, never fear; we're going to have a rocket launching experience at the March Roundtable!
The rockets and launcher are very easy to make.  If I can make it, I guarantee you can make one too!  This is the link to the instructions I used for the launcher:  http://www.sciencetoymaker.org/airRocket/asmblLaunch.html.  The link to the instructions for the rocket is also on that page, or you can go to:  http://www.sciencetoymaker.org/airRocket/asmblLaunch.html.  I actually used old issues of Scouting magazine to make my rockets (after removing useful articles first of course).  I also used some fold top baggies that I bought on accident for the nosecones.  After all, a Scout is Thrifty!
If you make a rocket launcher or rockets of any kind, I'd love to hear about your experience in the comments section!

February 2015 Newsletter

Core Value:  Compassion
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Supplemental Theme:  Aware and Care
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Upcoming Events:
Basic Training:
Old Juniper District:  Thu, February 26, 6:30pm – 9:00pm, 155 W 400 N,
Smithfield
Old Ephraim District:  Sat, April 18, 8am – 12pm, 940 Three Point Ave, Logan
Old Juniper District:  Thu, April 23, 6:30pm – 9:00pm, 1850 N 400 E, North Logan
Old Ephraim District:  Sat, June 13, 2015, 8am – 12pm, 940 Three Point
Ave, Logan

Outdoor Leader Skills:  May 1 – 2, Cache Co Fairgrounds, Logan.
Outdoor skills are critical to the success of the Scouting program,
and Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills will provide leaders with
the basic outdoor skills information needed to start a program right.

The course is a day and a half long, but a leader can move at an
accelerated pace by demonstrating mastery of a specific skill. The
emphasis is on the skill, rather than on attending the course.

Cooking
Campfire Programs
Map and Compass Reading
First Aid
Dutch Oven Cooking
Ropes and Lashings
Plant and Animal Identification
Ax and Knife Safety (Totin' Chip)
Leave No Trace Instruction

With all of the fun outdoor skills we will be participating in with
the new program, this is a good training to get us started!


Outdoor Ethics Training:  Outdoor ethics is not just for youth. Adult
volunteers are encouraged to seek training in basic outdoor skills and
even take specialized courses to learn Leave No Trace skills.

* Camp Fife:  3/27/2015 6:00 pm  - 3/28/2015 7:00 pm.  Cost $35.

*Camp Fife:  4/24/2015 6:00 PM - 4/25/2015 7:00 PM.  Cost $35.

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Resource of the Month:  Conservation Handbook

Wise stewardship of natural resources is the responsibility of all of
us.  The Conservation Handbook is a valuable tool for Scout leaders,
parents, agency personnel, and others who realize the tremendous
excitement and importance of involving young people in the care of the
world around them.  The book covers such topics as:  Conservation and
the Scouting Program, Projects, and Safety, as well as a variety of
other topics.  You can purchase the book at the Scout Shop for less
than $4.

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Patch of the Month:  Outdoor Ethics

Guided by the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace, millions of Scouts have
enhanced their awareness of the natural world around them, minimizing
impact to the land.  For Scouts who have a deep interest in the
outdoors, nature, and the environment, Scouting's outdoor ethics will
give you an ever-deeper appreciation of the richness of the land and
how we fit into it.  If you are prepared to venture down the path of
really becoming aware of your surroundings, of building the skills
that will allow you to leave no trace on the land, then the Outdoor
Ethics Awareness and Action Awards are for you.

Cub Scouts and their leaders interested in learning more about outdoor
ethics and Leave No Trace should begin by exploring the Outdoor Ethics
Awareness Award.

The Outdoor Ethics Action Award challenges Scouts and Scouters to take
affirmative steps to improve their outdoor skills, and builds upon the
Awareness Award.

This award replaces the Leave No Trace Award.

You can find all the information you need at
http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/OutdoorProgram/OutdoorEthics/Awards/CubScout.aspx,
including a pdf about the award, the requirements and links to the
necessary videos.

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Training Highlight:  Outdoor Code

Scouting and Venturing are all about personal responsibility,
leadership, and making good choices.  No place is this more important
than in the outdoors.  Scouting and Venturing have a long, proud
tradition of conservation service to the nation.  How do we preserve
that tradition?  By heeding the challenge in the Outdoor Code:

As an American, I will do my best to-
Be clean in my outdoor manners.
Be careful with fire.
Be considerate in the outdoors.
Be conservation minded.

In addition to the powerful guide set by the Outdoor Code, Scouting
and Venturing have adopted the Principles of Leave No Trace to build
upon the ethic in the Outdoor Code and to provide more specific
guidelines and skills when acting in the outdoors.  Through the
Outdoor Code and the Principles of Leave No Trace, we can take
responsibility for our own impacts, provide leadership to those around
us to reduce their impacts by making good choices, and together help
preserve and conserve our rich environmental heritage.  As Cub Scouts
we can also participate in this proud tradition!

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Scouting Outing:  Spring Hikes, Walks, and Observations

Spring is a wonderful time for hiking and walkabouts.  Sometimes when
we are out hiking with Scouts, it seems like they are so focused on
getting from here to there that they forget to look around and see the
sights,  If you are out with a goal-oriented group and you want them
to take some time to explore, consider adding one or more additional
hiking activities.

We want Cub Scouts to have fun and adventure outside when possible!
As spring begins in your area, look for ways to have the boys observe
what's going on.  Plan activities in which they can describe or
illustrate and display their observations at a den or pack meeting.
Here are some examples:

Paint Chip Search:  Get a collection of paint chips from your local
hardware store.  Task the Cub Scouts with finding plants or items
outside that match the colors, and then draw a poster showing what
they found.
Nature Hike Scavenger Hunt:  With the help of your local park service,
get a listing of plants in your area.  Then while going on a hike, see
how many plants the boys can identify.
Nature's Bingo Game:  Nature's bing plays just like regular bingo.
The object is to complete a row- across, down, or diagonally- but
instead of calling numbers, things found in nature are called by using
pictures and words.  So as you go along a trail, point out plants and
animals, and keep track of what was seen.  Then once a boy has
completed a  row, you can confirm it.
I Spy:  In this classic observation game, each Cub Scout can take a
turn finding something outside and then providing clues to help the
other boys guess what it is.
Alphabet:  Give each boy a list with a letter of the alphabet on each
line.  Boys try to find something on the hike that begins with each
letter.

With all outdoor activities, remember to follow safe Scouting
guidelines and the rules of the Outdoor Ethics program.  While hiking,
discuss poisonous plants and venomous animals in your area.  Emphasize
to the participants that staying on the marked trail is the best way
to avoid them.  Mention the need for hydration and energy food during
hiking and walking.  Don't forget first aid and hiking safety!

Check out http://www.smallsat.org/travel/logan-hiking-guide.pdf for a
pdf of local hiking trails.  You can also get a hard copy of this
pamphlet at the Cache Visitors Bureau.  This site,
http://logancanyonhiking.com/sources.htm, also contains a wealth of
information about trails of Logan Canyon.

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Boy's Life:

This month's issue features the Summit Bechtel Reserve, glowing plants
and animals, a bottle cap toss game (mini disc golf!), and a look at
NASCAR.

Pack Resource Sheet for March

Core Value: Compassion

To have compassion means being kind and considerate, and showing concern for the well-being of others.

Supplemental Theme: Aware & Care

A compassionate Scout imagines himself in the situation of others and feels sympathetic to their distress. As we become aware of the needs of all creatures on Earth, we gain compassion for everything that inhabits our world and the importance of understanding that we are all liked together. This is the reason Scouts are conservation-minded and understand the need to recycle, conserve energy, and follow the principles of Leave No Trace.

Scout Law Equivalent: Friendly and Kind

A Scout is a friend to all. He is a brother to other Scouts. He offers his friendship to people of all races and nations, and respects them even if their beliefs and customs are different from his own. A Scout knows the strength in being gentle. He treats others as he wants to be treated. Without good reason, he does not harm or kill any living thing.

Preopening Activity: Nature Bingo

Give each participant a bingo card with nature item words in each square (i.e. tree, blue flower, robin, rock, etc.). Participants try to fill in all the squares on their card by finding all the objects.

If played indoors, have pictures or samples of nature items scattered around the room.

Opening Ceremony: Flag Hike

Materials: backpacks for each participant, 1 pair of binoculars

#1: It sure is nice to be here in the outdoors. All these trees, animals, and fresh air.

#2 (looking through binoculars): Hey, I think I see a big red bird up there!

#3 (taking binoculars): Here, let me see. Naw, it's a huge white bird of some sort.

#4 (looking through binoculars): You don't know what you're talking about. Come on you guys. It's not a red bird or a white bird. What you're looking at is our nation's flag!

#5: Will the audience please rise and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance?

Song: Take Me Out to the Forest

Tune: Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Take me out to the forest.

Let me hike in the wild.

Show me a skunk and a few bear tracks.

I won't care if I never come back.

But it's look, look, look at your compass.

If it rains then it pours.

And it's ouch; slap; sting and you're bit

In the great outdoors.

Advancement Ceremony: Let the Compass Guide You

Materials: large compass made of heavy cardboard, placed in the front of the room on the advancement table.

CM: We look to the compass for our guide. To the north, we find a Cub Scout ready for his Bobcat Badge. Will (name) and his parents please come forward? (Present award) He brings his eagerness like the dawn of a new day. To the east is the Wolf and his spirit of adventure. Will (name) and his parents please come forward? (Present award) To the west is the Bear hunting on the trail of Scouting. Will (name) and his parents please come forward? (present award) Looking to the South, we see the Webelos Scout, about to realize his boyhood dreams, rushing toward Boy Scouting like the setting sun. Will (name) and his parents please come forward? (present award) Let the compass guide you on your trails, and may you all carry into your adult lives the ideals of Scouting.

Cheers:

Anti-litter: “Every litter bit hurts!”

Welcome Spring: Jump up and down and say “boing, boing, boing”

Tin Foil Dinner: “Raw, raw, raw!”

Hiking Cheer: March in place saying, “Hut, 1-2-3-4, boy, are my feet sore!”

Mosquito: With one hand, slap yourself on the neck, arms, and legs while saying, “Ooo, aah, ahh!”

Skit: Hiking- the Scouting Way

Materials: 1 football, a cardboard crown

Den Chief: Ok, guys. Is everybody ready to go hiking?

(The boys start hiking up their socks and pants)

Den Chief: What are you doing? I said HIKING! Are you reading to go HIKING?

#1: Yes, we're hiking up our socks and pants.

Den Chief: No, no, no! Hiking, HIKING. Don't you know HIKING?

#2: Oh, sure. (Takes football from behind back as the boys line up, beginning to play) Hike one... hike two... hike three.

Den Chief: No, no, no! Hi-king. HI-KING. Come on guys, get with it!

(#3 puts the crown on his head and walks around)

Cub Scouts (looking at #3): Hi, king!

Den Chief: No, no, no! Hiking, walking, Scout stuff. You know- HIKING!

Cub Scouts: Oh, why didn't you say so?

(They walk away, hiking)

Skit: Getting Ready for a Hike

Materials: An easel with paper and a few markers. Draw an oval in the center. This will be the start of a face.

#1: I think we nee a smile right here! (draws a smile on the face)

#2: The ears need to be pretty big. (draws ears on the head)

#3: I think it needs eyebrows. (draws eyebrows on face)

#4: No, no, they need to be bushier.

CM: What in the world are you guys doing?

#5: We're getting ready for a hike.

CM: But what does this have to do with going on a hike?

#6: You told us this was the most important part.

CM: I don't think so.

All: You told us to plan a head!

Cubmaster's Minute: LNT

This month we talked about LNT, or Leave No Trace. LNT could also mean Love Nature Thoroughly. We all love our nature and we want to keep it from things that can destroy it. We take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints. This way we can ensure that future Cub Scouts and their families will be able to enjoy the great outdoors. Boys, remember to love nature thoroughly and leave no trace!

Closing Ceremony: The Good Hiker

Materials: camera, hiking boots, stuffed animal, matches

Com. Chair: Our Pack meeting tonight brought us all together to think about nature. We can enjoy the great outdoors, but we think of others who will follow us.

CM: Wherever you go in the great wide world of nature, try to be a “good” visitor who will leave the plants and the creatures for others to enjoy after you leave.

#1 (hold up camera): The only shots I took were snapshots.

#2 (hold up hiking boots): I tried to walk on pathways to keep off plants.

#3 (hold up stuffed animal): When I see animals or birds, I try to remember that I am a guest in their living place and I don't do anything to them but look at them.

#4 (hold up matches): The one big thing I always do when I am ready to go home is to look and see that all fires are out in nature's backyard.

CM: With Cubs and Webelos like you, I'm sure that the beauties of nature will be around for years to come.

Game: Through the Forest

Materials: step stool, blindfold

Have the Cub Scouts spread out over the playing area to become “trees.” A blindfolded “hiker” starts at one end of the playing area, while a “guide”- who stands elevated on the step stool at the other end- talks the hiker through the Cub Scout forest. The trees are not allowed to move. If the hiker collides with a tree, he becomes that tree, the tree becomes the guide, and the guide becomes the hiker. The the trees rearrange themselves for the new hiker.

Project: “Medicine” or “Possibles” Bag

Materials: soft leather (chamois, buckskin, etc.) or a sturdy fabric such as denim or canvas; leather lacing or yarn or heavy twine; darning needles; eyelet or paper punch

Trace a circle about 6 inches in diameter on leather or fabric. Cut out. Using the needle and lacing or yarn, thread in a and out of holes punctured around edge of circle, about ½ to ¾ inches in. Knot the ends of the lacing so they won't pull out of the bag, pull up tight to close bag. You may want to shorten the length of the lacing and knot off a little closer to the bag so that it won't open all the way, allowing items to fall out.

The bag can be tied to a walking staff to collect small items found on hikes or carry trail food.

Project: Make a Compass

Materials: magnet, straight pin or needle, piece of cork 1 inch wide by ¼ inch thick, saucer of water

Stroke one end of the pin along the magnet about 12 times. Stroke in one direction only. Don't stroke back and forth; lift the pin up each time. Place the pin on the cork, and then gently place the cork in the saucer of water. At first, the pin will swing around, and then it will point steadily toward magnetic north.

Cub Grub: Edible Campfires

Materials: pretzel sticks, graham crackers, chocolate frosting, candy corn

Cover the graham cracker with a thick layer of frosting. Use the pretzel sticks as logs to create your campfire. Place the candy corns to represent the flames.

The Chief's Dilemma- a fun skit

I promised I would post the skit "The Chief's Dilemma".  It's a great skit, especially for a large group of boys, or boys and leaders.  The best thing is that it has a part for everyone; from the boys that love to perform in front of a crowd, to the shyest boys in your pack.  Got a boy that refuses to speak?  There's a part for that!
Here it is, in all it's glory...

The Chief's Dilemma

Characters: Sitting Bear, Standing Dog, Curtains (2), Darkness, Sun, Crazy Pony, Sac-O-Juice, Trail, Hours, Narrator

Equipment: Pitcher, Rope, Stamps, Broom, Banana, Chalk, Bell, "Mortgage" Paper, Pail, Salt shakers (2), ID signs for names of characters, Box of Matches, Flat Iron, Roll of toilet paper

Arrangement: Place props on stage floor where they will be used. As the play opens, the sun is lying on the floor. The “curtains” stand center stage with their backs to the audience. The “Trail” stands at the back of the stage. Tape toilet paper to the back wall. Players keep their ID signs in plain sight. Players carry out actions indicated by the italicized words. Give time for action before reading next line.

NARRATOR: “The CURTAINS part. Our play is on. (Curtains side step slowly to opposite sides of the stage) It is early morning and the SUN rises. (Sun stands up) Beside the Teepee (toilet paper taped to the back wall) we find CHIEF SITTING BEAR. (Chief growls like a bear and sits down) The CHIEF has a beautiful daughter named SAC-O-JUICE (SOJ steps forward carrying a plastic bag with a juice can in it) The CHIEF has a problem. The evil warrior, STANDING DOG, (SD stands and barks like a dog) has asked the CHIEF's permission to marry SAC-O-JUICE. The CHIEF sent for his daughter. Here comes the Indian princess sweeping across the clearing (SOC sweeps in with a broom) to her father's Teepee (toilet paper on a wall or chair). SAC-O-JUICE does not want to marry STANDING DOG because she doesn't like him. STANDING DOG is very insistent because he holds the mortgage on the CHIEF's Teepee (holds the mortgage payment sign next to the TP on the wall). CHIEF SITTING BEAR states he must study the signs (picks up signs and studies them) to see if their marriage will be a happy one. SAC-O-JUICE appeals (peels a banana) to STANDING DOG, while SITTING BEAR was poring (pouring with a pitcher) over the signs. “Please go away,” she said, “for you know I love CRAZY PONY!” But her appeal was fruitless. (SD eats the banana and hands peel back to her) The long delay is making STANDING DOG very angry, so he stamps his foot (licks stamps and sticks them to his shoe's sole). The HOURS pass slowly (HOURS walk very slowly across the stage) Suddenly the sound of horses' hooves ring out (ring bell) and CRAZY PONY tears up the trail! (CP tears up TRAIL sign) SAC-O-JUICE turns a little pale (turns over a pail) for she knows CRAZY PONY has come to save her. CRAZY PONY crosses the clearing (CP makes a chalk cross on the floor) and stands by her side. He presses her hand (presses hand with iron). STANDING DOG flies into a rage (flaps his arms). He and CRAZY PONY assault each other (have a lively duel shaking salt on each other). Soon STANDING DOG gives up the match (SD takes match from the box and gives it to CP) acknowledging defeat and sorrowfully goes away. “Now you are mine,” said CRAZY PONY, and he led SAC-O-JUICE away (puts rope around her waist and leads her off). The HOURS pass (HOURS cross the stage) the SUN sets (SUN sits down) and DARKNESS falls (player falls) and our play is ended.”

I hope you have as much fun with this skit as my pack has!