Blue & Gold

Your RSVP is requested TODAY!

W.O.O.

Pack 1910 introduced a new program to our older scouts today called W.O.O. which stands for Webelos Outdoor Orientation.

Feeling confident in an outdoor situation is definitely a way to Be Prepared. We wanted the opportunity to equip these Scouts for success so Pack Leadership developed a day-long workshop for our Webelos to begin mastery of these skills that are so important to their transition to Boy Scouts.

Our Webelos started the day with an introduction to Fire Safety where they each learned the necessary steps to building a fire.  They also discussed food safety and den meal planning.  Learning that not everyone likes the same thing and that sometimes they will need to broaden their palate and try new things.  Each boy made his own campfire "hobo burger" kit.  I was told they were delicious.

We also brought a dutch oven and a peach cobbler was made for the boys as dessert.  Blue Bell vanilla ice cream was a great finishing touch.

The boys learned about packing their camping gear, what they'll need, backpacking gear and about the magic power of Gold Bond powder.  We talked about staying warm in cold weather camping as well.

We had an awesome Boy Scout present to help train the Webelos in campsite selection.  Then, the boys proceeded to set up tents... and then break them down.

 
 

Knots were taught.

 

 

 

The day was finished up with Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics where they learned about the importance of lessening their impact on the environment.
 

Thank you to our leaders and parents for all their help. Jennifer and Jaymz -- THANK YOU!  You ARE right!  It takes a village.

A huge thank you to Ed Attel for helping bring it all together!  What a blessing you are!  I hope our Webelos walked away ready for another outdoor adventure!

Camp Cards

Pack 1910 is pleased to announce the 2016 Longhorn Council Camp Card fundraising program is about to get underway!  

By selling the above shown Camp Cards, Scouts can earn their own way to Day Camp! Units participating in the program earn 50% commission on each card.  The cards cost $5 each so each card sold nets $2.50. We are passing this commission to the individual scout account of the Cub Scout who sold them.  This is not a fundraiser for the unit, it's used to pay for Day Camp or can be used to pay for another campout if they're not attending.

Oh, and did I mention they best part?  This fundraiser is completely free! That's right. Any cards you don't sell, you simply return them and you're done.  Risk Free. 

All unsold cards and funds are due to April at the Committee Meeting held May 2. 

What specific savings can the boys sell from these cards?
The top and probably the way to obtain the easiest sell is to show an automatic return of your investment by simply spending money at Kroger!

• $5.00 off with a $50 purchase at Kroger 
• Up to 50% off Texas Rangers games… see them over and over at almost ½ price! 
• 50% off Hawaiian Falls water park, and a new year round Adventure Park. 
• LEGOLAND Discovery Center and SEA LIFE Aquarium at Grapevine Mills. 
• $1.00 off Wendy’s Combo Meal ---All Year LONG! 
• Papa John’s 40% off

If you can get your son to sell 3 packs of 10 Camp Cards, that's a $150 sale and a $75 commission, or, stated differently, your Scout has paid for 75% of Day Camp!  This is an optional fundraiser, however, we want to encourage participation in order to lessen the direct financial burden on our Pack families so we have ordered enough Camp Cards for each boy to check out 30 to sell.  Selling teaches perseverance and being thrifty.  Besides, every Scout deserves the opportunity to pay his own way.  

Cards will be distributed at the March 8 Pack Meeting.  I encourage to you to do your best! It's a VERY easy sell!

Committee Meeting - February 1

PARENTS WANTED!!!  PLEASE ATTEND MONDAY'S COMMITTEE MEETING TO HELP THE PACK MAKE PLANS AND DECISIONS ABOUT YOUR SON'S SCOUT ACTIVITIES.

The Pack Committee helps ensure that our Cub Scouts are offered fun-filled and meaningful events through the year. 

Parents please attend and help enrich and strengthen our Pack. Topics include upcoming pack meeting plans, assignments for the next month and upcoming large-scale activities.  

We have a few leadership roles we would love to have filled and just by coming to these meetings -- you could help the Pack tremendously!

The meeting is at 7pm at the Hallelujah Center on Monday, February 1.  We will be finalizing the Pack Meeting, Blue & Gold, discussing Pine Wood Derby and the Spring Campout.  Come join us!

8 Ways Scouting is like ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’

As Scouters, it’s difficult to watch the latest Star Wars movie without seeing obvious parallels to Scouting. Here are a few:

1. There’s a choice between good and evil.

Scouting helps show youth the clear path to the light side and how to avoid the dark side. The force is strong for both sides — negative peer pressure is a strong force of the dark side. Faith, self-esteem, personal achievement and goal-setting can be even more powerful forces on the light side.

2. Family values matter.

While Darth Vader may not have been the model father (clearly young Anakin was never a Cub Scout), the latest film shows the importance of family.

3. The best stuff is outside. 

You’ll notice that nearly all of the scenes of the “good” characters take place outside, while nearly every scene of “evil” characters takes place inside. ‘Nuff said.

4. Dream big.

Scouting is about dreaming big, following your dreams, setting goals and believing in yourself — no matter where you come from.

5. Explore and seek adventure.

Plenty of adventure in each episode of Star Wars. The characters don’t fear taking risks and accepting challenges to achieve a higher goal. Neither do Scouts.

6. Do your duty to country.

The Resistance fighters in The Force Awakens seem to parallel our founding fathers, who were willing to risk everything to uphold democracy and stand up to oppression and our God-given rights.

7. STEM rocks.

Plenty of science, technology, engineering and math throughout. The Resistance uses a highly scientific approach to combat the evil First Order.

8. Greatness comes from within.

The main character discovers an untapped inner strength. Once this character finds that strength, it’s channeled to fight evil. The dark side, on the other hand, seeks greatness by taking away from others.

Whether or not you get out to see the new Star Wars movie, these themes are obvious. With the film breaking all kinds of box office records, it’s clear that Scouting values reflect the most important values of the American public.

... from an article featured on Bryan On Scouting's page.  Written by Stephen Toole.

Spot the Space Station!

Watch the International Space Station pass overhead from several thousand worldwide locations. It is the third brightest object in the sky and easy to spot if you know when to look up.

Visible to the naked eye, it looks like a fast-moving plane only much higher and traveling thousands of miles an hour faster!

Following THIS LINK you can sign up to receive texts to be notified when the ISS is viewable from your location (Fort Worth is the nearest checkpoint for us in Keller).

The Spot The Station link provides information to explain what all the data means for the notification viewing availabilty.  In short, it answers just how to spot the station.

For instance, it will give you a text or e-mail that reads 

SpotTheStation! Time: Wed Apr 25 7:45 PM, Visible: 4 min, Max Height: 66 degrees, Appears: WSW, Disappears NE.

But what does all this sighting information mean?

Time is when the sighting opportunity will begin in your local time zone. All sightings will occur within a few hours before or after sunrise or sunset. This is the optimum viewing period as the sun reflects off the space station and contrasts against the darker sky.

Visible is the maximum time period the space station is visible before crossing back below the horizon.

Max Height is measured in degrees (also known as elevation). It represents the height of the space station from the horizon in the night sky. The horizon is at zero degrees, and directly overhead is ninety degrees. If you hold your fist at arm’s length and place your fist resting on the horizon, the top will be about 10 degrees.

Appears is the location in the sky where the station will be visible first. This value, like maximum height, also is measured in degrees from the horizon. The letters represent compass directions -- N is north, WNW is west by northwest, and so on.

Disappears represents where in the night sky the International Space Station will leave your field of view.

Happy ISS chasing!

Don't forget to RSVP for Blue & Gold

Spring Campout

It's time to gear up and RSVP for Pack 1910's Spring Campout.  It's sure to be quite an exciting trip and it'll be to a place that we have never been to before! 

We will be camping in Athens, Texas, at Circle 10's Trevor Reese Jones Campground. Dinner Friday evening will be on your own. Prior to lights out, however, we will have a cracker barrel. 

Saturday morning we will have a continental breakfast of muffins, milk, juice, fruit, bagels, etc. Then we will convoy over to the Texas Freshwater Fishery Center.  Luckily, we have received a group rate for our Pack to attend and admission is included with your camping fee.  You can take an interactive virtual tour here.  That link explains quite a bit about the different sections of the fishery. 

The boys will learn about eco systems, watersheds, streams, ponds, bluegill spawning area, see the reservoir exhibit, the alligator exhibit, Texas record fish exhibit... there is a theater and dive show... there will also be a tram tour and hey... they get to go fishing in the stocked pond. All the materials are provided other than bait (though I have read conflicting reports online that states bait is provided, but we should follow the Scout Motto of "Be Prepared" and bring our own. Please know that they do have bait restrictions on all outside bait.  Their policy states that "Visitors may not bring any freshwater organism such as fish, crayfish or aquatic insects, dead or alive, into TFFC. This is to protect our waters and fish. Visitors may fish with commercially-prepared baits in their original containers or natural baits such as crickets, chicken livers, worms or corn providing those baits have been inspected and approved by staff at the Anglers Pavilion."

Approved Baits

Shrimp (marine/saltwater)  *  Beef hearts

Cheese sticks  *  Chicken gizzards

Chicken livers  *  Hot dogs

Worms  *  Crickets

Grasshoppers  *  Flavored corn

Commercial baits (in original containers)

The Pack will have a picnic lunch at the fishery before heading back to the campgrounds for the evening's meal and campfire. Any boys that have a campfire requirement remaining for their advancement will be able to meet that at this campout.  Yay for advancement!

After breakfast on Sunday, we will have a Scout's Own chapel service, break camp, inspect the grounds to ensure we leave it better than we found it.  Then we will head on home with a great weekend on our minds.

If you're not an experienced camper... have no fear! Try it out! If you need any supplies, please let us know.  Remember, too, our campouts are family friendly meaning that your siblings are welcome to attend with you.

Important Info:

Cost is be $20 per person ($21 if you use Paypal). This will cover your site fee for camping $5 per head and your entrance to the Texas Freshwater Fishery program. It will cover your Friday cracker barrel, Saturday continental breakfast, sandwich lunch, dinner and breakfast on Sunday. Be sure you bring plenty to drink for your family. The entire family is welcome to attend. A PayPal link is live.

We DO need a head count ASAP (even if you think it's a maybe) because we have to reserve the campground and pay a deposit PER CAMPER. So if you know for a fact, you cannot make this campout, please RSVP on Scoutbook. Otherwise, we will likely be bothering you repeatedly until you RSVP. 

Don't forget to RSVP for the Blue & Gold!

Don't worry, however, I'll make sure we have a flood of reminders between now and then. Some of these are just too good to pass up!

Payments can be made here.  The entire family is welcome!

Wood Badge

Wood Badge is the premier adult leadership development course for the Boy Scouts of America.

Wood Badge teaches contemporary leadership and team-building skills in a comfortable outdoor setting, where learners become members of their own Troop. Wood Badge’s effectiveness as an effective leadership development experience has been applauded by industry training professionals. Its positive influence on graduates’ individual unit-level program is unparalleled.

Wood Badge is, first and foremost, learning by doing. Participants in the course are formed first into a Pack, bridge over into a Troop, and finally are inducted into a Venturing Crew, just as Scouts move up through the Scouting program. The courses are open to all adult Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Varsity, and Venturing leaders and district and council volunteers that have completed Basic Training for their position and are capable of handling the hectic, physically demanding course schedule.

Nationally famous training professionals and volunteers updated the Wood Badge syllabus to provide the best methods to adult Scouters for teaching leadership and delivering program to their youth.

What is the purpose of Wood Badge?
The ultimate purpose of Wood Badge is to help adult leaders deliver the highest quality Scouting program to young people to help them achieve their highest potential. It models the best techniques for developing leadership and teamwork among both young people and adults.

How much time will Wood Badge take?
Wood Badge is conducted over two, three-day weekends scheduled about three weeks apart. Each weekend begins at 8 a.m. Friday. Your patrol will have one or two meetings scheduled at your convenience between weekend sessions. There is also an alternate format that runs for six consecutive days.

Where is Wood Badge held?
The courses are held at Sid Richardson Scout Ranch near Bridgeport, at Camp Tahuaya near Temple, and at Worth Ranch near Palo Pinto. Camps offer multiple, private showers, dressing rooms (with electricity and mirrors!) and indoor restrooms with flush toilets. And you’ll be able to enjoy air-conditioned Gilwell Hall, our indoor learning facility at Sid Richardson. To help keep you in the Scouting spirit, you’ll be sleeping on cots in platform-mounted wall tents.

How will Wood Badge help me?
Wood Badge will teach you outdoor skills and leadership techniques in a ‘living,’ hands-on environment, and you will be able to apply all you learn to your Scouting involvement and your personal life. You will develop a Ticket, which is a written agreement outlining how you will apply your newly learned skills as you continue your involvement in Scouting. Development of your Ticket is an exercise in goal-setting and includes creating a personal vision and mission statement and outlining individual steps to personal success.

How do I get my beads?
You’re probably seen other Scouters wearing their Wood Badge beads. When you success-fully complete your Ticket, some of your Wood Badge staff members will present you with your Wood Badge beads, a tan neckerchief with the famed MacLaren tartan, a leather ‘woggle’ (neckerchief slide) and a special Wood Badge certificate.

What do I wear?
Participants are encouraged to wear a full uniform.

What are the qualifications?
It is for adult Scouters at all levels: Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity, Venture, District and Council. It’s NOT just for Scoutmasters. 

The qualifications include:

• Be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America.
• Complete basic training courses for your primary Scouting position.
• Complete the outdoor skills training program appropriate to your Scouting position.
• Be capable of functioning safely in an outdoor environment.
• Complete the Annual Health and Medical Form Parts A, B, and C

Graduates of previous courses are eligible to participate!

What is the course registration fee?
The individual fee for attending Wood Badge includes all your meals, course materials, a Wood Badge Tshirt and the coveted Wood Badge beads.

Standard Course Fee: $210
Lakeview Course Fee: $275

Available Courses

S2-662-17-1
Course Director – Tom Lucas
Location – Camp Worth
March 31 - April 2, 2017
April 21 - 23, 2017

S2-662-17-2
Course Director – Steve Parker
Location – Lakeview Lodge Conference Center (SR2)
July 17-22, 2017

S2-662-17-3
Course Director – Bob Gordon
Location – Camp 10 Sid Richardson Scout Ranch (SR2)
Sept 29 - Oct 1, 2017
Oct 20 - 22, 2017

Blue & Gold RSVP & Payment Live

Ladies and Gents, the Paypal Payment button is live.  Just look on the upper right hand corner of our home page or click here.

The Blue & Gold is $7.50 per person.  We will provide each family a CD containing the photo slide show as well.  These will be distributed after the Blue & Gold.  

Our theme may be intergalactic, but our menu is down home comfort food!

Chicken strips with gravy (for the kiddos)

Meat loaf (for the bigger kiddos)

Mashed potatoes

Green beans

Corn

Rolls with honey and butter

Lemonade

Sweet tea

Don't forget the Cake Wars contest!  Details are found here.  

Please note that the RSVP deadline is MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15.

Don't Mess With Texas Elementary School Art Contest

Don’t mess with Texas® and Keep Texas Beautiful invite you to set aside time for their Elementary School Art Contest.  Plus, after seeing last night's entries into the Cubanapolis, I know we have some very talented and artistic young men in our Pack!  

We need to do all we can to motivate young Texans to keep our environment free of trash. This contest is a great way to share the Don’t mess with Texas and Keep Texas Beautiful litter prevention messages with our Scouts so that they learn good habits now to last them a lifetime!

Inspired by their creativity and desire to protect our environment, elementary school students from across Texas can submit their best litter prevention design to be considered for the 2016 Don’t mess with Texas Calendar. Entries will be judged based on creativity/uniqueness, inclusion of a litter prevention message and interpretation of theme, overall visual appeal, composition, and age appropriateness.

Each winner will also win an iDeaUSA 8 tablet donated by H-E-B and Central Market. All student winners and their artwork will be showcased on the Don't mess with Texas and Keep Texas Beautiful websites and social media sites, at the 2016 Keep Texas Beautiful annual conference, in media announcements and through other means as appropriate.

The contest runs January 11 - April 8.  That means, all entries must be submitted or postmarked by April 8, 2016. Winners will be announced in early May 2016.

Entries should promote the Don’t Mess With Texas and/or Keep Texas Beautiful litter prevention messages in order to encourage the protection of our Texas roadways and environment. The purpose of the contest is to inspire our future leaders to refrain from littering, advocate for litter prevention, and take action to keep Texas beautiful.

The purpose of the contest is to encourage our future leaders to prevent littering, protect our roadways, and keep Texas beautiful.

You can get a copy of the entry form here and the full contest rules here.  

GOOD LUCK!

A few of the 2015 winners were:

(Third grader)


(Kindergarten)


(First Grade)


See them all here.

Pack Meeting TONIGHT!

Don't forget tonight at 6:30 p.m. is the January Pack Meeting!  We will be in the Family Life Center.  Tonight is our annual Cubanapolis race.  

Speaking of races... we will also be distributing the PINEWOOD DERBY CARS!  Be sure to come get yours!

 

Be sure to bring your car, a helmet, some eye protection and wear socks and sneakers that tie!