What are those for? What do we do with them?

From the time your Scout earns his first rank patch, which will always be the Bobcat for ANY scout rank, he will also be presented with several items.

The first is, obviously, his rank patch.  This is cloth patch that should be sewn onto his uniform.  You may find the proper location to place all insignia here.

He will also receive a card indicating his having received this rank patch.  



These cards should be kept in a safe place. This is your "proof of ownership" for each rank, belt loop, pin and activity badge that your scout receives.  A great way to store these from now until the time your Cub Scout crosses over to a Boy Scout Troop and earns his Eagle is to store all of these inside plastic sleeves within a 1" binder.  The best sleeves are the ones intended to hold baseball cards.  I found ours at Hobby Lobby.  To the right is a great example I found on the internet.  This is obviously a Boy Scout notebook (you can tell by the blue Merit Badge cards), but it serves the same purpose.


Lastly, your scout will also receive a small metal pin which is a miniature version of his rank patch.  In this case, the Bobcat rank patch



These pins are called Parent's Pins.  These are also referred to as Mother's Pins.  These pins are given to your Cub Scout to present and subsequently pin to the lapel of his parent's shirt (usually Mom).  Why? Because it gives them a chance to share recognition with their parent.  We realize that it takes a village... and we want to give your Scout an opportunity to provide his parent with a token of his appreciation for all YOU have done to help him attain his rank.  In short, it's a big deal and you deserve to be rewarded and celebrated, too!

These Parent's Pins may be worn on your lapel, but they are generally worn on a mother's ribbon.  These can be bought at the Scout shop or you could make your own. The ones available at the Scout shop are shown to the right.


There are other options as well.  The one shown below is for both Cub Scouts AND Boy Scouts.  This allows your son to just pin the ribbon.  There is even a great way to make your own here:


See how he pins the ribbon?  Cute isn't it?  They're a great idea.  I will say that I have seen many a pin clap get lost down the front of a mom's shirt by little fingers that aren't used to "pinning" pins onto clothing.  The ribbons are a great way to prevent this from happening and you only need wear them at the Pack meetings where he would be receiving his rank advancement.

Photo Source

So, now you know!  

They're HEEEEEEERRRREEEEE!

THEY'RE HEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!!!  (Does anyone remember this show?  ha!)

But anyway, it's a great day today!  Our new pack t-shirts and sweatshirts are IN!  That's right!  They're HERE!  

The front:

The back:

Feel free to come by April's home and pick them up if you will be out and about or, if you'd prefer to pick them up at a Pack function, be sure you let her know, and she can bring it for you if attending.  April will be at the Hallelujah Center tomorrow, Sunday, July 29 at 4:30 pm if you would like to pick up your shirts then.

Cash, checks made payable to Pack 1910 or credit cards are welcomed forms of payment.

If you didn't buy one, there are extras available.  

Looking ahead this week...

For those that made it to the movie today, I hope you had an amazing journey into the creative world of DreamWorks with How To Train Your Dragon 2.  I don't know about YOU, but I want a toothless!  The "big" moral of the story reminded me of this little gem, however, that reads "Don't judge a hero by the size of his cape."

And looking ahead to our next venture for the summer, it's coming up THIS week.  Specifically, Thursday, June 26 we will be taking a little field trip to the U.S. Bureau of Engraving.  We will all meet near the front door at 9:45 and enter at 10am together as a group.  You are free to work your way through the building at your leisure.  Explore with your kids.  Explain.  And better yet -- the crafstmen and women will be available to tell the boys all about what they do there.  Learn about the offset print for currency and see how it was done over time.  There are experiences on both floors of the building for the Scouts to interact with the professionals.  Did you know that The Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s Western Currency Facility 

produces over half of the nation’s paper currency. Come see billions of dollars as you take the tour on the elevated walkway above the production floor and learn about the history of United States paper currency. 

Again, we will meet at 9:45 a.m. in the parking lot for the purposes of a headcount.  If I have a parent that is willing to take the list I can forward them and do a head check for recording purposes and then get it back to me, I would greatly appreciate this.  The tour will be entering at 10:00 a.m. together.

This would certainly be a good institution to wear your Official Field Uniform (blue shirt, neckerchief, etc.) to tour and it always makes nice photos as well.  However, if you want to just wear your pack t-shirt, that would be fully acceptable as well.  We would encourage all of our Scouts to wear their Official Field Uniform, however.  

I would love someone, too, to volunteer to snap some photos as I will be unable to attend.  If you DO take photos, please please be sure to forward those to me or Tom Harmon so that they can be uploaded to the Pack's DropBox for use in the December slide show.  

Oh, and the best part --> this event is FREE!  

Please e-mail me if you can be the point of contact for this event and/or if you can snap a few photos.

Remember, so long as you attend at least ONE Pack event a month throughout the summer, your scout will be eligible for the rank specific Summertime Achievement Award!

See how they match your slides?  Cool huh!?

What did they earn?

I spoke with the Day Camp Director today.  They are going to be sending out via e-mail in the next couple of weeks a list of what all Cub Scouts and Webelos may have earned while attending Day Camp.  Obviously, if your scout wasn't present for the full week, there may be some differences between what he and his fellow scout may have earned.

So, stay tuned... once we have the list, it will all be reflected in their Scout record.  Any Loops, Pins, activity badges and the like will not be awarded until the September Pack meeting.  

Summer

Cub Scouts is a year-round program and our Pack makes the most of each summer to bring opportunities for our Scouts to stay engaged and involved all year long!

We will be utilizing the e-vite system to track RSVP's for these events.  This helps the adult coordinators know which Scouts to expect so that no one is left behind.  Please be sure you are RSVPing -- even if it is a "no" -- so that we know you received the e-vite.  The courtesy of a reply is greatly appreciated.  

Please understand that many of these programs we are putting on require not only a minimum number of participants, but also a deposit --which we cover.  If you RSVP and are not able to attend, you will still need to pay your portion as it likely has already been covered by the Pack.  Thank you for your understanding.

Pack 1910 Summer Program 2014:

June

7:  Did you make it to the Star Party?  Be sure to let your den leader know {FREE}

9-12:  Day Camp.  It's not too late to register.  See this post for more information. 
22:  How to Train Your Dragon 2.  $14.50 per person includes movies, drink and popcorn.  Evite can be found here.  

26:  Field trip to the Bureau of Printing and engraving.  Evite here.  {FREE}

Did your scout register for Day Camp?  If so, they're on their way to earning the Outdoor Activity Award.  Read all about the requirements for this awesome award here. Talk to your den leader about steps required to earn this award. 

July

5:  Star Party {FREE}

11-12: Lock-in at the Summit Climbing Gym.  Evite can be found here.  $32.50 per person  Siblings, friends and family welcome.  

28:  Grapevine Aquarium (this event is still being coordinated...stay tuned)

August

2:  Kingsnake show and climbing wall at the Basswood Activity Center.  This evite can be found here. {FREE}
23:  Annual Raingutter Regatta, pizza party and ice cream back to school bash at the Hidden Lakes Clubhouse, 2700 Bear Creek Parkway. {$5 per person}

...that by joining us for just one event a month, your scout is eligible for the National Summertime Achievement Award?  These are rank specific, color-coordinated very cool special pins to place on their uniform to show off their involvement.



If enough of his den participates, they will earn the Summertime Award for their DEN!  And, collectively, if enough of our Scouts participate all summer long, our PACK earns the National Summertime Pack Award!  How cool is THAT?  Awards will be presented at the Scout level during the September Pack meeting.  

Day Camp

***edited 6/4 at 3:23 pm - ALL LATE REGISTRATIONS NEED TO GO TO THE DAY CAMP DIRECTORS -- NOT TO COUNCIL

If you weren't able to make the on-line registration deadline, it's not too late to get you and your Scout registered for the best daycamp in the Longhorn Council - MUSTANG DISTRICT DAYCAMP!

Online registration ended Friday, May 23 at 5pm. You may still register, however. Cost is $95 and registration has to be done by hand.

Adult volunteers/chaperones registration forms are here.  (click the word "here")

Scout registrations forms are here.

Remember, too, BSA Health Form Part A & B are required for everyone. 

ALL of these forms need to be turned into the Longhorn Council office ASAP. Be sure to provide April with a copy of your health forms so that our Pack has them on file and you don't have to fill them out again (they are required annually).  Scanned/e-mailed copies are perfect.

Very important --> ALL Adult volunteers are required to have Live, In Person Youth Protection Training.

 The last class being offered for this is THIS Thursday, June 5 at 6pm at Harvest Church.

If you have any questions, please let April know.  Remember our DAY CAMP PAGE on this website will always contain the most up-to-date information in one location.