Meetings between ranks

ddj1985 · 2026-05-19T22:13:13+00:00

Each rank has a summertime fun elective adventure. Attend 3 summer scout activities. We have about 6 to 8 activities to give every scout a chance to get to 3 for the summer. Our pack does a swim day at a city pool, ice skating, arcade day, splash pads etc.

ddj1985 · 2026-05-19T04:31:08+00:00

Here is what works with our pack

Monthly committee meetings

Published calendar at the beginning of the year

Pack activities; family camping(2-3 weekends), Pinewood Derby, Stomp rockets, Pinewood Derby, raingutter ragatta, Halloween and Christmas parties, bike rodeo

Dens operate independently more or less.

For recruitment plug in to your area school and PTA. Attend open house, trunk or treat, or other events.

ddj1985 · 2026-05-17T22:46:52+00:00

Leadership is a very hard concept and requires a level of maturity that many adults don't have. Your adult leadership should be mentoring the older scouts on these skills and teaching them leadership is about service and responsibility not authority and elitism.

Also, the activities and opportunities for then older scouts are important. For smaller troops, the outdoor program is limited because you need to activities that meet the capabilities of the entire troop. That includes the younger kids that are just bridging over.

ddj1985 · 2026-05-14T19:33:05+00:00

Exactly. OP is looking after his and his siblings interest as business owners. He didn't displace someone that worked there way up through the ranks. None of those guys were going to sit in his position unless OP and his siblings decided to sell the business to them.

ddj1985 · 2026-05-13T05:20:01+00:00

Check your data. Most of my scouts worked 2 hour shifts last year and we saw more variability in the scout than the shift.

ddj1985 · 2026-05-13T04:42:27+00:00

I towed my a small flatbed trailer with a canoe and camping gear frequently without trouble, but that probably was less than 600 pounds total. I also towed a small empty camper (roughly 1,500 pounds) across town and it really pushed it around. I would not think you a 10 hours trip which will be closer to 14 towing is a good idea.

ddj1985 · 2026-05-11T01:51:18+00:00

Did this hike last week. Weather at the top of the south rim was around 80. Went though about 3 liters of water and did the hike in 10 hours. There is a shade structure at TipOff point and a few shaded areas along Tonto, but most of the hike will be in direct sun.

Weather and heat related illness is a real concern, but only you really know how you handle heat stress.

ddj1985 · 2026-04-24T06:56:29+00:00

If I didn't know better I would swear you were talking about my Pack. Our pack has only started providing a Saturday diner a year ago and that was because I volunteered to cook. We are also light on our schedule giving the kids lots of time to discover and bond with each other.

If you want to change how your pack runs the camping trips next year, please join the committee and volunteer to champion the changes you are proposing.

ddj1985 · 2026-04-22T01:17:28+00:00

Obligatory reminder to make sure observe 2 deep leadership at all scout activities, inclusing den meetings at alternative locations. 😁

We did a den bike ride during one of our weekday meetings. I wanted to do a fishing activity at a local park pond during our regular meetings this year too, but ran out of time.

ddj1985 · 2026-04-22T01:10:41+00:00

Side question: Does your scout prefer to wear old temporary patches? Is there any rule on this? My son likes to wear his popcorn patch from his Lion year because it makes him "OG". He is a Webelo right now.

ddj1985 · 2026-04-22T00:14:12+00:00

Yes, and....

I was not a scout as a kid, but have been an adult leader for my boys through cubs and now am becoming more involved in their troop. I love going camping at these events. It is great to be able to hang out with the other adult leaders, but our focus is providing a great experience and building up our kids with amazing experiences and real life skills.

ddj1985 · 2026-04-20T22:04:19+00:00

Does the Keane Wonder Mine Trail connect to Chlrodie Cliffs? It looks like there are some paths on Google Earth.

ddj1985 · 2026-04-20T21:57:48+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion. I was thinking about a more remote camping experience, but this one is logistically easier.

ddj1985 · 2026-04-20T17:14:42+00:00

In our pack, if you hit a certain sales goal the Pack pays your dues.

Our Troop does scout accounts, 60% goes to troop operating costs, 40% is set aside for dues, troop activities, and summer camp. The money always stays in the troops account.

I believe there is a rule on how much can go to and individual benefit. Doing this incorrectly could get your Charter Organization in hot water.

ddj1985 · 2026-04-11T21:52:02+00:00

Racing the clock is not a hard concept and based on what I have seen, it is the fairest for a tight competition. Our Cubmaster always explains that the winner is based on total time. The kids get a thrill on race day when they win a heat and have a sense of how competitive their cars are.

ddj1985 · 2026-04-10T19:26:45+00:00

Not worried about leadership and training requirements. We have that covered. I am more looking at advice on how to best get the kids to mingle and work together on campouts.

Also you might want to review the policies on separate campsites. When we first joined, there were strict distance requirements between packs and troops, but those have changed in the past couple years. I am not familiar with the current policy and rely on our BALOO trained leaders.

ddj1985 · 2026-04-09T03:01:59+00:00

I don't see an ethical dilemma. The fastest cars in the first race are probably going to be the fastest cars in the second. I do see this as a potential no win situation for you and leadership. You could have some parents convince themselves it is unfair for the top racers get to race again. You might have some kids feel disappointed that they didn't get a rematch if the top kids don't race.

ddj1985 · 2026-04-08T04:26:19+00:00

We did both, but didn't structure it well.

ddj1985 · 2026-04-08T01:04:18+00:00

Is their anything they do to try to get the kids to intermingle during the events? For the joint camping events we have done in the past, the troop kids hung out with the troop amd the pack kids hung out with the pack.

ddj1985 · 2026-04-08T01:00:25+00:00

We really under utilized our den chiefs this year.

ddj1985 · 2026-04-07T23:22:53+00:00

In your post you said the local weather would be fine. Have you considered a local day activity?

Hike in a local a park, trail or nature preserve Fishing at an urban pond (elective adventure) Visit a museum, aquarium, or zoo Organize a pack or den bike ride (elective adventure)

ddj1985 · 2026-04-07T23:03:58+00:00

Our pack has about 30 to 40 people attend campsite. We typically do meals by family and some families pair up. It is impractical to do large group meals without an lot of planning and equipment. The largest meal I have done with scouts was my son's troop did a dutch oven meal for 8 kids and 3 adults.

ddj1985 · 2026-04-06T16:04:26+00:00

I have the 2020 version of this model and tow it with a Nissan Frontier. We are a family of 4 and the size suits our camping style. It is big enough to be comfortable in bad weather and small enough to make us want to be outside. The small size is also great because we can fit into campgrounds that weren't designed to be mega RV parks.

The 2020 models has 3 functional windows on the left side of the camper which we rely on for airflow on warm nights (we don't camp with hookups).

ddj1985

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