Pinewood Derby 2018

*Updated 3/6/18
Make plans now to join Pack 1910 for the end-all-be-all of racing events -- the PINEWOOD DERBY! Pinewood Derby Kits were distributed at the February Pack meeting and by pick up at Mr. Mahanna's. If you haven't received yours, please contact him immediately. Rules packets will be e-mailed out to the Pack after their approval.

Our Pinewood Derby will be Saturday, April 29 at 10:30 am

Track set up Friday, April 28 from 6-7pm. ADULT HELP IS NEEDED TO DO THIS. Scouts may arrive between 7-8pm if they wish to test their cars and make any last minute adjustment. 

NEW THIS YEAR:  Official registration will be the morning of the race at 9:30 am. Races begin at 10:30 am (or sooner if registration concludes earlier).

Again, the track will be set up Friday night only for test runs and last minute tweaks and lubrication. Cars will not be checked in (impounded) until the following morning. The official scale will be there both Friday and Saturday and we will be checking car dimensions to be sure all Scout cars are in compliance for the big race.

There are all kinds of ways to enhance your car's performance. I've collected some for you here to check out.

Put the weight in the rear! Improving upon the weight distribution of the car once you've cut the body out.

Are you a physics geek that wants to know the whys behind the how? Check out this and this.

A favorite blog of mine actually summed it up quite nicely

All the speed in your son’s car will come from POTENTIAL ENERGY being converted to KINETIC ENERGY. When the car is at the top of the track, ready to go down, it is full of potential energy, or the force of gravity pulling the car back to earth. If the track were to suddenly disappear, the car would fall to the ground, converting the potential energy to movement, or kinetic energy. 

Theoretically, the fastest the car can go is the speed at which it would be traveling as it fell right before it hit the ground. Of course, your car (or your son’s car) won’t be going that fast since it loses some of it’s kinetic energy to FRICTION and other forces. Friction losses come from the rubbing of the wheels against the side of the car, against the axles, and against the track. There is also a little bit of friction from air, called drag. Energy is also converted into rotational energy, i.e. the spinning of the wheels.

So in essence, we want to maximize the potential energy in your car and minimize the losses due to friction and other forces. While I can’t give away all our secrets, here are a couple of tips to do just that.

Need to find a template to cut your car? Check out here or there's a ton of designs here. Want to know how to make a FAST car? See this post on Boy's Life.

Dremel actually has an interactive tool online where your son can pick out the design and it will give you a printable template for which to build his car! How cool is THAT? There are all kinds of stickers and decals available at hobby shops.

Oh, and don't forget to tie into our Pinewood Derby Theme -- SUPERHEROES! Your car's design/build should have something to do with SUPERHEROES!

There is so much good information and ideas out there! Just let your fingers do the walking! You'll be overwhelmed in no time.

Pack Pinewood Derby workshop dates to cut, sand or work on the car will be 

April 7 from 1-4p

April 14 from 1-4 

and we're working on a time/location for one on April 21.

Building a Pinewood Derby car is a great bonding experience for parents and their scouts. We understand, too, that participation and involvement with the build will be age-appropriate. Tigers at about 20% of the work, Wolves about 40%, Bears about 60% and once they're Webelos-- we would expect them to do the majority of work on their cars. Winning is fun, but that shouldn't be what this whole experience is about.

However, if you just can't keep your hands out of the toolkit, we ARE having an OPEN CLASS so that YOU CAN BUILD YOUR OWN CAR! Let your son experience the process with your guiding hand, but the lessons gleaned from the build (win or lose) be his to learn.

Along the same lines, we have a great movie called Down & Derby available for families to check out and watch together before the race. See April to check it out.

Spring Family Campout

One of the things all boys look forward to in Cub Scouts is CAMPING and it's almost time! Make plans to join us for our Spring Family Camp Out March 23-25.

Are you a little “camping-shy”? Don’t let it hold you back!! Do it for your son – he’ll love you for it!!

Unless you have an open-ended bank account, don't run out and buy every piece of gear you think you need at REI (but if you just want to, please let me know and I'll give you my list, too!) The best thing to do when starting to acquire gear is to start small and simple so that you can discover what your family needs... grow from there. There are plenty of seasoned camping veterans in our pack that have gear to spare so don't hesitate to put the word out if you need to borrow something.

To begin, you need something to sleep IN, something to sleep ON, something to wear, personal toiletries and light. (Oh... and toilet paper! Don't forget the toilet paper!)

Cub Scout family camping is also referred to as "car camping." With a large enough vehicle, you're fortunate enough to be able to take just about everything AND the kitchen sink with you. But for the amount of time you'll be there, it's really not necessary. Though, a few creature comforts are definitely worth it!

For our campout at Lake Grapevine's Meadowmere Park, you won't necessarily need a ton of supplies.

Camping is the highlight of any Cub Scout's year. Campouts are always fun occasions and the kids and adults have a blast. We have great food and a fun experience for the whole family.

Print out THIS REGISTRATION FORM and turn it in with payment no later than Monday, March 5 at the Parent/Committee Meeting.

Save The Date for Day Camp

The annual Mustang District Day Camp held each June is definitely a highlight of our Pack's summer calendar. This year's theme is Passport To Adventure! How cool is that? Exploring different cultures, lands, countries.

We have a whole page dedicated to all things DAY CAMP! Click HERE for that information. It continually be updated as we have more information.

But the important information you need NOW is:

WHO: Cubs entering 1st grade in the fall - 5th graders
WHAT: The BEST Day Camp in our Council
WHERE: Harvest Church on 377 in Watauga
WHEN: June 4-7 from 8 am - 4 pm daily
WHY: Because it's a BLAST
HOW MUCH: it's about $100 per camper** and includes a t-shirt, patch, cap, all program supplies and insurance. There will be an EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION discount. More information to be announced on that!

Please note -- We are participating in the trash bag fundraiser as a way to let Scouts earn money to pay for and/or offset this fee. For every sale, 35% goes toward their day camp fee (or if they're not going to day camp, toward another event fee). 

**We NEVER want Scouting to be a financial burden to our families nor a reason for your Scout to NOT attend Day Camp so if there is a need, please participate in the fundraiser to show your commitment and request and complete a campership form. That should be submitted to Christopher  Mahanna or April Driggers. The Registration Fee for Daycamp will be discounted. There are a limited amount of camperships available, but understand they do want to know that you are participating in the program (fundraising) to help subsidize. We treat these in a very discreet, confidential manner.


So again, SAVE THE DATE!

Friends of Scouting

At tomorrow's Blue & Gold, we will have our annual Friends of Scouting presentation to the Unit. As a reminder the Friends of Scouting campaign is where we ask the families in Scouting to help support the operational funding of the Longhorn Council.

Longhorn Council is a nonprofit Scout organization that provides services, programs, camps, and facilities to over 30,000 youth each year in 23 counties in North and Central Texas. The Council supports the Units through providing and maintaining camping facilities, providing adult training and a professional staff that supports these functions as well as new unit and recruitment support. Of the money recently paid for registration, $0 is retained by the Council. The registration funds are passed on to the National Office to fund their operations and programs.

We are so blessed that not only our Pack but also our Troop has been a leader in the Keller area in many aspects of Council and District Operations. We have several youth and adults on summer camp staff, training committees and training faculties and we provide leadership at the District and Council level.

The Council is embarking on a new strategic plan that the Friends of Scouting campaign is a critical part of to attain the new vision statement of the Council.

The Council’s purpose is to provide the programs and infrastructure necessary to support Scout leaders as they work with your sons to deliver an effective Scouting program; including: 7 camps; program facilities (from 150 to 2500 acres), 21 major Cub Scout weekend programs during the school year, 19 day camps, 2 Cub resident camps, 9 major Boy Scout weekend events, 3 full Boy Scout summer camps; the Texas High Adventure Base, adult and youth training sessions, recruiting support, offices in Hurst and Waco, records, registrars, and insurance.... and a partridge in a pear tree.

Our projects are funded with Friends of Scouting contributions by Scouting families and business leaders, popcorn, Camp Card sales, and activity fees.

So, as you can see, the Friends of Scouting is a critical fund-raising campaign that assists the Longhorn Council in offsetting program costs and enables them to continue providing quality service. The true cost of Scouting is much greater that what local dues, camping and event fees cover.

All packs, troops and crews are encouraged to participate in the campaign and we hope all families will take the opportunity to contribute, too.

Our campaign will kick off Friday, February 23 at the Blue & Gold. The Council has established our Unit goal of $1,000. We have always exceeded our goal and want this year to be no different! By meeting our goal, we will be able to have FREE RANK ADVANCEMENT for our scouts which is a considerable savings to our Unit.

SO the next burning question is...

WHO WANTS TO BE THE SOURCE OF CELEBRATION?

PLEASE HELP US MEET OUR GOAL!

The pledge can be a one-time gift, it can be a monthly or quarterly contribution – however it makes sense for you to meet your commitment, Friends of Scouting can accommodate your request. No gift is too big... no gift is too small...

If you are unable to attend the Blue and Gold, you can go to www.myfos.org and register your commitment to the campaign. On the www.myfos.org page you will be able to make your commitment and schedule your payments according to your own needs. (Note: Make sure you designate Pack 1910 when you make your commitment so we can accurately record it).

Please consider a pledge to the 2018 Friends of Scouting Campaign to help the Pack hit our goal. If you would like to make a pledge, please go online now or be prepared to do so at our Blue and Gold. We will have cards available there.

Ssssssssuper snakesssssss!

Thanks to everyone who came out and joined Pack 1910 at the Longhorn Council Activity Center for our snake show. They're an amazing group of folks with an awesome collection of reptiles!

The best way to combat any fear of something is to educate yourself. But our Scouts certainly look brave!

February Pack Meeting TOMORROW

Don't forget tomorrow, February 13, is Pack 1910's February Pack meeting taking place at the BASSWOOD ACTIVITY CENTER featuring our OWN PERSONAL SNAKE SHOW!  Join us!

Blue & Gold

The Blue & Gold is the annual celebration of Scouting in America. Each year our 5th grade den chooses a theme to build our celebration around.  This year is...

While the event itself is a little different each year, the purpose is the same -- to come together as a Pack family and bid our Arrow of Light Scouts farewell for this will be the last event they attend as Cub Scouts.

The purpose of the Blue and Gold is to commemorate the organization of the Boy Scouts of America in 1910 and to celebrate the birthday of Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts organization. The banquet is traditionally held in February because Baden-Powell was born February 22, 1857. The term "Blue and Gold" is the name because those are the official colors of the Cub Scout organization. Blue represents truth and loyalty, and gold represents good cheer, happiness, and helping others.

Your den leaders should be contacting you to verify how many from your family will be attending. There is no cost associated with the program this year. At the request of our Scouts, we have abbreviated the evening (which meant removing the meal component and thus the cost as well as about an hour off the schedule) while still keeping it fun and festive... AND the oh-so-important CAKE BAKE contest!

Our Blue & Gold will be Friday, February 23, 2018 at 6:30 pm. at the United Methodist Church of Keller's Family Life Center (the gym where we hold Pack meetings).

Another fun component we will incorporate is our annual slide show.  To make this successful, we need your photos!  Please upload any photos you've taken of your scout at den meetings, Pack events, campouts, hikes or Pack meetings HERE!  We want them all!!! They LOVE seeing their faces up on the screen!

Please RSVP to your den leader by Monday, February 19.

2018 Blue & Gold

Texas Rangers Scout Weekend

Attention all you Rangers fans out there! The Texas Rangers have announced their Scout Weekend for 2018 at Globe Life Park in Arlington!

There is not one, not two, but THREE games to choose from! You'll get to watch the Texas Rangers take on the Seattle Mariners! Something cool is in store for each night so pick and choose wisely!

Friday, April 20: Adrian Beltre mini bat for the first 15,000 and stay for a post-game fireworks show.

Saturday, April 21: The first 15,000 will get a Rangers pullover and Smash Mouth will be performing a concert after the game.

Sunday, April 22: Siggno will perform a post game concert. It's also $1 Blue Bell Ice Cream Sunday! Those in uniform attending on Sunday will be able to participate in a pre-game parade around the warning track.

Everyone who orders their tickets through the form will receive a commemorative scout patch for their brag vest. A photo of the patch is available on the registration form. Pricing varies depending on where you want to sit.

Those interested in attending are encouraged to get your ticket registration forms in SOONER rather than later. Dens that would like to participate together need to submit their orders TOGETHER to ensure that the seats are all in the same area otherwise the orders will be processed on a first come, first served basis. This will need to be organized at the den level by den leaders or a volunteering parent.

Great Backyard Bird Count

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a free, fun, and easy event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations. Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the four-day event and report their sightings online at www.birdcount.org.

The best news is that anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from beginning bird watchers to experts, and you can participate from your backyard, or anywhere in the world.

Each checklist submitted during the GBBC helps researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society learn more about how birds are doing, and how to protect them and the environment we share. Last year, more than 140,000 participants submitted their bird observations online, creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded.

The 21st annual GBBC will be held Friday, February 16, through Monday, February 19, 2016. 

Pack 1910 has coordinated a February Pack hike to coincide with this event. Be sure to check out ScoutBook for the event information and make plans to join us!  Thank you Mr. Strong for organizing this event!

The first thing is to register. Next you count. Then you report. Three simple things that make a HUGE difference! Check out the informative links below.

Downloadable instructions can be found here.
A how-to slideshow can be found here.
Birding apps can be found here.
Bird lists can be found here.
Online bird guide can be found here.

Join us and get out there and get counting.

Blue & Gold 2018