Welcome to the Cub Scout family of Pack _____. As explained to you, Cub Scouting is

indicated willingness to help according to their abilities. We invite you to add your

talents and interests so the best possible program can be developed for your boys and his

Den Leaders and Webelos Den Leaders are always busy with den activities. Our pack

operation of our pack. Although your help may not be on a full-time basis, you can make

____ Athlete

____ Aquanaut

____ Artist

____ Citizen

____ Craftsman

____ Engineer

____ Forester

____ Geologist

____ Naturalist

____ Outdoorsman

____ Scholar

____ Scientist

____ Showman

____ Sportsman

____ Traveler

*******************************************

From the "Scouting Way" Newsletter:

The Power of Reading

I cannot begin to express how much reading has impacted my life.

As a broadcaster, not only do I have to read dozens of scripts and news stories on the air, I must prepare before the telecast and be able to understand what I communicate to the viewer. Therefore, reading comprehension is very important. But my passion for reading began long before I became a broadcaster.

As a child, I absolutely lived the weekly reader book program. I used to get two dollars a week for my allowance. (This was earned for doing my chores.)

I would spend a dollar and forty cents buying paperback books on everything from the autobiography of Mary McCloud Bethune to the adventures and mysteries of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. I would read about places I could not physically travel to...Africa, Asia, and Australia and all over Europe.

Reading allowed me to empower myself and it is a loving friend. It has helped me to grow into the woman I am today. Please know this...you can lose your money and possessions but no one can ever take away the experiences in your mind, and your soul...that's what makes reading exciting!

So read on my young friends and may the force be with you!

Pam McKelvy
News Channel 3
Memphis, TN

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Here are a "few" of our favorite Scouting Websites:

Merit Badge Resource Center EXCELLENT RESOURCE for completing Merit Badges

www.meritbadge.com

Scouting Magazine

www.scouting.org

Eagle Scouts EXCELLENT RESOURCE for upcoming Eagle Scouts

www.eaglescout.org

www.eaglebook.com

US Scouts EXCELLENT RESOURCE for EVERYONE

www.usscouts.org

MacScouter

www.macscouter.com

Animated Knots (from England)

www.mistral.co.uk/42brghtn/knots/

Scoutmasters

www.scoutmaster.org

Scout Camps

www.scoutcamp.org

That should be enough to keep you busy.

************************************

Eagle Powerpoint presentation

I made such a presentation a little while ago. Feel free to use it or change it however you like. It can
be downloaded from this website:

http://www.iss.westhost.com/scouts/

There are two different versions (pp97 and pp2000). Some people have reported errors with the pp97
version, but others have said it works fine. Let me know if you have any difficulties.

YIS,

Lloyd Dalton
ASM, Troop 28
St. Cloud, MN

**********************************

You wrote and asked:

>I believe that this has been talked about before, but can a local council
>create a "knot" award for a home-grown recognition?

Yes. A local Council can authorize the creation of a special "emblem" ("knot" or otherwise) to symbolize a special award which that Council presents or awards to Scouts/Scouters/Venturers for the accomplishment of something *consistant with the goals of the BSA and the local Council*

For instance:

* A local Council can and many have created a "above and beyond" Quality unit award to be presented
to those Scouters and Scouts who exceed the goals they set or achieve all ten of the Quality Tests.

* A local Council can and many have created special "Honor Camper" emblems or strips for wear by
the honor camper of the week during Summer or Day Camp.

* A local Council can and some have created a special "emblem" to honor Scouters for service when they
were not approved for the award of the Silver Beaver. Such "Presidents' "or "Council Honor" Awards are
also created when the Scouter has already earned the Silver Beaver and District Award of Merit and the
local Council does not desire to use up their "quota" for other national service awards but do want to
honor the Scouter.

>Now, I know that it has been done before. I've seen examples of them.
>However, just because something exists doesn't mean that it 'should.'

Now, we're talking policy version practice. The policy is written in the Insignia Guide and in the Scout Executive Manual and some other places; the practice is that most Councils are
already overwhelmed with Scouters whom, in "Mike Walton's words" "want to earn a knot or two." As you and several others are aware, I try my best to emphasize when this comes up here and elsewhere that the KNOT IS NOT THE AWARD. The actual award is that OTHER THING associated with the award. Somehow that's not getting through a lot of people's heads --especially those at the District or Council level, whom are always asking (nicely and for a good reason) "Why don't you have the ___________ knot?"

For this reason, and only for this reason, most Councils shy away from adding to that.

*******************************

I share the essay with the list because of the current thread on Troop Guides. It gives another perspective on how very important the position is, and also shows the link with another troop leadership position, that of Den Chief.

"My Most Meaningful Personal Achievement"

"He told us at the start that fewer than two percent of us would achieve it. He said that it was the highest mountain you could climb, the longest trail you could hike. He said that it would gain you recognition wherever you went that everyone knew what it was and how hard it was to get and that it would be with you your entire life. He stressed that once you achieved it, you would not, could not, lose it.

This speech was given to a group of eleven-year-old boys immediately after their parents enrolled them in Boy Scout Troop 89. The Scoutmaster was describing the coveted rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouting. Towards the end of the ceremony, the Senior Patrol Leader of the troop then slipped a tightly-rolled troop neckerchief over our heads and solemnly secured it with a square knot. There were ten of us, but not one of us was very concerned about climbing the Scoutmasters mountain; we were too busy trying to fit in.
The next week we were placed into a new Scout patrol; led by an older Scout who guided us through our adjustment to the patrol method of Scouting.

We youngsters were told to watch and learn, and through our experiences develop a leadership style of our own.
    It didn't happen right away. It was a gradual process. One by one, like sand slipping through an hourglass, my friends began to disappear. After the first year, there were only three of us left, and I was beginning to realize how that small number that minuscule two percent was derived.
     Scouting offered me an invaluable opportunity to learn to lead during my first four years in the troop. I held a position, Den Chief, which involved assisting an adult to run a den of seven-year-old Cub Scouts; I taught songs, crafts, and outdoor skills. I stayed with this same group of boys as they progressed through the ranks of Cub Scouting until they bridged into my troop in the middle of fifth grade.
      Although I did go on to hold a number of positions of troop leadership, eventually rising to become the Senior Patrol Leader the one who gave those tightly-rolled neckerchiefs to the new Scouts as they joined my troop, the most meaningful was being the Troop Guide where I continued to mentor my original Cub Scout den when they joined the troop. I helped them to achieve the first rank in Scouting: Tenderfoot, and I felt great pride when, after several months, they were integrated into the existing patrols.

    On September 21, 2000, I achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. I was on top of the highest mountain and at the end of the longest trail. My family attended the occasion along with men and women prominent in local government and representatives from the Boy Scout Council. They were there to celebrate my achievement.
    Yet I truly understood the value of what I had accomplished only when I realized that the color guard at my Eagle Court of Honor was composed of the original den of Cub Scouts I had watched over for six years, who were now advancing on their own as the next generation of troop leaders.
    My Trail to Eagle may have ended when my mother pinned the Eagle Medal on my uniform; but what I become now, and how I lead, will be determined by the character and skills I developed through Scouting."

Frances Hersh
Wife of an Eagle, mother of an Eagle
Northern New Jersey Council

**************************

Over the last few months, I have been working on a piece of software to let scout units share their schedule of events with each other.
It is ready for use now.

The idea for this came from working with our council's Webelos transition committee. The biggest obstacle facing our packs and troops seemed to be communication with each other. Except in a few instances where a troop and pack had several adults who knew one another, communication (or lack thereof) was the main complaint.

Of course, I don't expect a web-based calendar to wipe out this problem. But I expect it to be a small step toward the situation mentioned above where a pack and troop get to know each other on
a first-name basis.

I also suspect that council webmasters may be interested in this software--its use is not limited to troop/pack calendars--it could be used for a district calendar, an OA lodge calendar, or anything.

So anyway, here's the website: http://www.scoutplans.org

There are a couple of examples calendars to show how it works.
Feel free to email me questions or comments. The last couple of weeks have been spent fixing bugs and adding features suggested by a small group of Scouters. Hopefully the results will be of some use to you.

For more details E-mail: Lloyd Dalton <daltonlp@YAHOO.COM>
ASM, Troop 28, St. Cloud, MN

**********************************************

This knot tying dice game came from the 2nd Onchan Scout Group, Phoenix Troop, in the UK, who say this game is a good way of Testing Basic Knots and great fun. Play it with Patrols.

Each Patrol Lines up behind a line. On the whistle the first Scout comes forward and throws the dice. The Scout has to tie the knot corresponding to the number thrown. Next Scout goes forward only when the knot is completed correctly.

1. Tie a Reef Knot

2. Tie a Figure of Eight Knot

3. Tie a Thumb Knot

4. Tie a Bowline

5. Tie a Climbers Figure of Eight

6. Tie your Shoe Laces!

You could use two dice and add 6 more knots to the list to tie. The winning patrol would be the one that ties the most knots after each member has thrown & tied once, or what ever number of turns you'd like to use.

You can visit the 2nd Onchan Scout Group web site here: http://www.2ndonchan.co.uk/

************************************

We made pinata's last year and this is what we did. We used poster board for the shell and covered with newspaper and a flour paste.

Use a simple mixture of flour and water. Mix one part flour with about 2 parts of water until you get a consistency like thick glue. Add more water or flour as necessary. Mix well to get out all the bumps. Add a few tablespoons of salt to help prevent mold!

Instructions:

Make sure you cover you work surface well. I usually set down newspaper first and then wax paper on top of the newspaper.
This is a very messy project! Tear several newspaper pages into strips. You will want them 1 inch wide and about 6-8 inches long. Set them aside.

Use a large bowl to prepare your paper mache paste. The paste will be sticky! I would suggest using a bowl that is easy to soak and clean (glass perhaps) or even a disposable bowl.

Blow up the balloon and tie it closed. Now you are ready to start with the paper mache! (To hold your balloon while you are working on it, you might want to try to set it in a cup or bowl that is covered with plastic wrap.)

Dip the newspaper strips into the glue and spread them onto the balloon. Completely cover the balloon, leaving a small hole at the top to remove the balloon and fill the pinata.
Let the first layer dry.

Add two more layers of paper mache to your balloon. Allow each layer to dry completely before putting on the next layer. Once it is dry, pop the balloon and remove it through the opening you left at the top (If you cannot get the balloon out, don't worry about it too much - No one
will see it).

You can now decorate your pinata. The fastest way is to paint it with bright designs. After the paint is dry, you can hang some crepe paper streamers from the bottom. To hang your pinata, poke 4 small holes evenly spaced around the larger hole in the top. Thread a piece of string, yarn, or even fishing line through
each hole and tie the together at the top. Tie a longer piece of string onto the these.

WE DID IT THIS WAY the square on the end of a pencil the dipped in elmers glue. You can also decorate your pinata using 3 inch squares of tissue paper. Spread some glue on your pinata. Hold the 4 corners of your tissue paper square together and then stick the center of the tissue paper square onto the glue. The 4 corners should not touch the glue, they should remain sticking up.

These directions came from "Shana Leigh Dunigan" <shana@iscience.com> and were passed on by "Karen K. Smith" <kquilt@prodigy.net>.

*******************************

That plenty for now internet Scouters, Enjoy!

Yours in Scouting Spirit,

John

John M. Papp

"Nendawen" ~The Torch Carrier, "He who shows the way."

Eagle Scout Class of 1977

Scoutmaster of Troop 357, Rotterdam-Schenectady, New York

2001 National Jamboree "Jambo TODAY" Photo Editor

Schenectady District Email Administrator

Sisilija Chapter "Service" Advisor

Aged Patch Collector

Web Sites at: http://www.streetrodder.cjb.net & http://www.troop357.cjb.net

"Since 9-11, America is coming BACK to the Values that SCOUTING has NEVER LEFT!"

~J.M. Papp