March 2017 Newsletter

Scout Law:  Thrifty

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Theme:  Power Up

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Roundtable Blog:  elkhorncubs.blogspot.com

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LDS Scouting Handbook: 

 https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/english/young-men/35814_scout-handbook_eng.pdf?lang=eng

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Upcoming Events

Basic Training

Elkhorn District:  Saturday, March 11, 8 am - 11:30 am, 110 S Main, Millville.

Old Ephraim District:  Saturday, April 15, 8 am - 12 pm, 940 Three Point Ave, Logan

Old Juniper:  Thursday, April 27, 6:30 pm, 1850 N 400 E, North Logan. 

Scouting for Food:  Pass out bags the week of March 18th.  Bags will be picked up on Saturday, March 18th, so make sure to get them passed out before then.

Outdoor Ethics Training:  March 24-25.  Register at trappertrails.org.

Cub Swim

Tiger/Wolf/Bear swim days will be Friday, April 14 (6 or 7 pm) and Saturday, April 22 (12 or 1 pm).   Attendees will complete Floats & Boats, Spirit of the Water, and Salmon Run.

Webelos swim days will be Saturday, April 15 (12 or 1 pm) and Friday, April 21 (6 or 7 pm).  Attendees will complete Aquanaut Adventure.  

Cost is $2/scout, bring swimsuit and towel.  Call Jen at 801-884-2127 if you still need to register.

Cub STEM Activity Days:  April 15 or May 27, Camp Fife.  Registration begins at 9 am.  Cost is $25 per scout (Adults free), lunch provided.  Participants will experience a day of dynamic adventures with hands-on experiments.  Adventure zones include: robots, solar van, levers & pulleys, gravity, rockets, bb guns, and geocaching.

Scout-a-rama:  Saturday, April 30, Weber State Fairgrounds.  More details to come.

Commissioner's College:  Saturday, March 11, 8 am - 3 pm, Ogden LDS Institute.  Cost is $20.  For all commissioners, Roundtable staff or interested scouters.

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Training Highlight:  Aqua Cubs

Safety around water is extremely important for everyone.  We have many opportunities in Scouting to help teach water safety and swimming skills to our families.  The buddy system, buddy tags, and Safe Swim Defense are essential tools that we can use to keep our Scouts and their families safe around the water.

The BSA Safe Swim Defense guidelines strongly recommend that all Scouting units engaging in swimming activities of any kind "have at least one adult or older youth member currently trained in BSA Aquatics Supervision:  Swimming and Water Rescue or BSA Lifeguard to assist in planning and conducting" the activities.  Leaders should complete the Safe Swim Defense training available at my.scouting.org, carry their certification card (No. 34243), and agree to enforce the Safe Swim Defense plan.  The plan applies to any place where Scouts may swim:  at a beach, private or public pool, wilderness pond, stream, lake, or anywhere else.

The following information is specific to Cub Scout swimming activities:

• The buddy system is critically important, even in a public pool.  Remember, even in a crowd, you are alone without protection if no one is attentive to your circumstances.  At Cub Scouting events where parents participate with their children, parent and Cub Scout should be paired as buddies.
• At large water parks where several activity features are spread over a large area, unit leaders should base supervision on age.  Den leaders should accompany Cub Scouts from area to area, serve as lookouts, and assemble everyone before moving en masse to the next feature.  Although it may not be practical for the entire den to line up together for each activity, buddies should be in line together.
• In pool environments, stick to the rule that people swim only in water suited to their ability and with others of similar ability.  Most public pools divide shallow and deep water, and this may be sufficient for defining appropriate swimming areas.
• Aquatics activities for dens often are held in backyards with swimming pools.  Safe Swim Defense must apply.  A certified lifeguard, though highly recommended, is not required.  A qualified supervisor must be present.  It is critical that the swimming activity be supervised by a conscientious adult who knowingly accepts the responsibility for the members involved in the activity.
• Free-flowing rivers are not recommended sites for Cub Scout swimming.

Have fun in the water this summer!

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Resource Highlight:  Safe Swim Defense Training

Before a BSA group can engage in swimming activities of any kind, a minimum of one adult leader must complete Safe Swim Defense Training, have a commitment card with them, and agree to use the eight defenses in this plan.  Safe Swim Defense must be renewed every two years.  You can find the training at my.scouting.org.

The Eight Defenses are:

1.  Qualified Supervision

2.  Physical Fitness

3.  Safe Area

4.  Lifeguards on Duty

5.  Lookouts

6.  Ability Groups

7.  Buddy System

8.  Discipline

Let's keep our Scouts safe in the water!

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Award Highlight:  Cyber Chip

Today's youth are spending more time than ever using digital media for education, research, socializing, and fun. To help families and volunteers keep youth safe while online, the Boy Scouts of America introduces the Cyber Chip. In developing this exciting new tool, the BSA teamed up with content expert NetSmartz®, part of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children® and training expert for many law enforcement agencies.

Netsmartz® has created a Scouting portal showcasing Cyber Chip resources, including grade-specific videos, for each level.  Check it out at http://www.netsmartz.org/scouting.  Requirements are divided by grade level (1-3, 4-5 and 6-8).

Topics include cyberbullying, cell phone use, texting, blogging, gaming, and identity theft.  Scouts learn the information through videos and games.

Cyber Chips expire after one year, and then they must be recharged.  Each rank level requires the completion of the Cyber Chip requirements for that grade level.

Requirements can be completed as a den or as an individual.  Parents can use the Cyber Chip to create open communication with their Scout about staying safe online.  Unit leaders can:

• Tailor the requirements to your own unit rules. Complete the requirements for the Cyber Chip as a unit at a regular meeting, then hand out the cards and patches on the spot.
• Review the resources available on the website, including teaching materials, an implementation guide, and more.
• Create a fun challenge for youth to stump the unit leaders.
• Play a "Jeopardy!"-style game in a meeting to use what's been learned.
• Use the Cyber Chip as a foundational step in preparation for leadership positions such as Webmaster.

Pack Resource Sheet April 2017

Scout Law: Thrifty

A Scout protects and conserves natural resources. Scouts explore the science of energy through solar, electrical, wind, and even “Cub Scout” power. They will also discover how this energy is used in everyday life. They will explore different ways to conserve energy and protect the world we live in.

Theme: Power Up

Cub Scouts will spend a power-packed month exploring the science of different forms of energy that we use in our daily lives. They will investigate how this energy is used and consider how to conserve it. A den might visit a local power plant. The boys can also power up by being physically fit!

Gathering Activity: Power Pinwheels

Materials: 6”x6” square of paper for each person, brad, penny, straw, hole punch, scissors, pencil

*Draw diagonal lines from corner to corner of your paper.

*Using the penny, trace a circle in the center.

*Cut the diagonal lines to the edge of the circle in the center.

*Close to the outer edge of the paper and just barely to the right of each cut, punch a hole in the pinwheel. Also, punch one hole in the center.

*Write one word (WATER, SOLAR, WIND, CUB SCOUT) along each of the cut lines on the opposite side of the traced circle.

*Punch a hole through the top of the straw using a hole punch.

*Fold each corner, without creasing, to the center on the side with the traced circle and fasten together with the brad.

*Push the brad through the hole in the top of the straw and loosely fasten the brad.

*Hold it in the wind or blow on it to make it spin.

Opening Ceremony: Cub Power

Personnel: Den of Cub Scouts with props named in ceremony, Cubmaster (CM)

CM: Our theme for the month is Power Up! There are different types of power we use every day of our lives.

There is SOLAR POWER (Cub #1 walks in with big sunglasses, shining a flashlight on his own face).

ELECTRICAL POWER (Cub #2 walks on with extension cord).

There is even WIND POWER (Cub #3 walks on blowing on a pinwheel).

But there is one source of power that is untapped- CUB SCOUT POWER! (Whole den runs in)

Please rise and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Song: We’ve Got That Power

Tune: “I’ve Got That Cub Scout Spirit”

We’ve got that solar power, giving us heat, Growing the plants, so we can eat.

We’ve got that solar power giving us heat,

giving us heat today.

We’ve got that wind power, blowing on in,

Flying our kites, high in the wind.

We’ve got that wind power, blowing on in,

Blowing on in today.

We’ve got that water power, rushing right through, Turning the wheels, making power for you.

We’ve got that water power, rushing right through, rushing right through today.

We’ve got that Cub Scout power, deep in our hearts,

We never rest, doing our best.

We’ve got that Cub Scout power deep in our hearts,

Deep in our hearts to stay.

Advancement Ceremony: Supercharged

Materials: Cut outs of energy sources with awards attached

CM: Tonight we have Cub Scouts who have really turned on the power and completed the requirements for their advancements. They are so powered up, I'd say they are supercharged!

We would like to call up our first supercharged group (also call up parents if earned rand advancement). These boys put out all their effort and earned the Bobcat badge. These Bobcats are like the sun in solar energy; they give our pack warmth and light.

These next supercharged Cub Scouts have worked with great force to earn the Wolf Badge (or name of Adventure). They are like the wind in wind energy. They give our pack a blast of fresh air.

Let's call another group of supercharged Cub Scouts. They worked energetically to earn the Bear Badge (or name of Adventure). These boys are like the water in hydropower. They keep our pack rolling along.

Last but not least, these supercharged boys have achieved their powerful goal by earning the Webelos Badge (or name of Adventure). They are like the steam in geothermal power. They keep our pack going at full speed.

Solar, wind, hydro, geothermal- these are all renewable energies. These boys are going to keep the pack supplied with power for a long time to come. Congratulations, supercharged Cub Scouts!

Cheers

Lightning Bolt: Divide into two groups. The first group yells, “ZIP!” The other group yells, “ZAP!” Then everyone yells together, “BOOM!” Repeat twice.

Electricity Applause: Place both index fingers together and say “Zip, zap, zop!”

Electricity Applause 2: “That was electric!”

Fire Applause: Hold hands out in front of you as if in front of a campfire. Sigh and say, “I feel warm all over.”

Light Bulb Applause: Pretend you are screwing in a light bulb. Say “Bright, bright, bright!”

Audience Participation: Franklin Discovers Electricity

Divide audience into four parts. Assign each part a word and a response. Instruct them they are to say the response whenever they hear the word. Practice as you make assignments.

FRANKLIN: “A Penny Saved!”

LIGHTNING: “Zap-Zap-Zap”

EXPERIMENT: “Try it! Try it! Try it!”

ELECTRICITY: “Shocking!”

It was the 1740’s when Ben FRANKLIN started working with ELECTRICITY. He conducted many different EXPERIMENTS to try to understand more about it. His most famous EXPERIMENT being his kite flying one in Jun of 1752. FRANKLIN believed that LIGHTNING was a flow of ELECTRICITY taking place in nature. To test his hypothesis, he tied a metal key to a child’s kite and flew the kite during a thunderstorm. The key became charged with ELECTRICITY, and FRANKLIN had proof that LIGHTNING is really a string of ELECTRICITY. His kite EXPERIMENT and his others helped him develop many of the words and terms that we still use today when dealing with ELECTRICITY: charge, discharge, conductor, minus, plus, electrician, electric shock, and others. FRANKLIN'S numerous EXPERIMENTS with LIGHTNING led to his invention of the LIGHTNING rod. The LIGHTNING rod is used to protect buildings and ships from getting struck by LIGHTNING. Benjamin FRANKLIN was a huge contributor to the field of ELECTRICITY. He is said to be the first man to discover anything spectacular about ELECTRICITY, and he is well known by people everywhere for that. Unlike some other inventors in ELECTRICITY, FRANKLIN did not spend his entire life working with it. He invented many other things that had nothing to do with ELECTRICITY, such as bifocals, the FRANKLIN Stove, and the odometer. In 1831, he founded what is considered as the first public library. He wrote Poor Richard’s Almanac, which was published from 1732 to 1757. He also established the first fire department, and a police force. FRANKLIN was also a huge political power in colonial America. Benjamin FRANKLIN died at age 84 on April 17, 1790. He will forever be remembered for his contributions to ELECTRICITY and the rest of the world.

Skit: Light Bulb

Equipment: one shovel for each cub scout

(Most of the boys have their shovels and are pretending to work hard digging. One boy stands still with his arms raised. One boy is the Boss)

Boss (to boy with raised arms): “Why aren't you working?”

Boy: “I'm a light bulb!”

(Boss walks away, then comes back)

Boss: “Why aren't you working?”

Boy: “I'm a light bulb!”

Boss: “If you don't start working I'll fire you!”

(Boss walks away, then comes back)

Boss: “You're fired!”

(Boy drops arms and walks away. Other boys drop shovels and follow him.)

Boss (to all): “Where are you going?”

Group: “We can't work in the dark!”

Cubmaster's Minute: Positive Power

Elizabeth Dole said, “We have learned that power is a positive force if it is used for positive purposes.” As Scouts, let us use our power to do our duty to God and our Country, to obey the Scout Law, to help other people at all times and to keep ourselves physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

Closing Ceremony: Power Circle

Set up: All stand in a circle and join hands.

CM: Just as in all powerful things, there is power in all of us. If we all join together, our power increases and our boys will reap the benefits. That is the power of Scouting!

Game: Wind Power Competition

This game may be played in teams or individual: each team or Scout is given a balloon. To play, set a base such as a book or rock on the ground. Each Scout in turn blows up a balloon and releases it from the base to shoot squealing into the air. The distance each balloon travels is measured to see which went the greatest distance and possibly which one landed the closest to the base.